Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Blown Away....

I just received my M3 V2's from the Custom shop today, and am totally blown away by the sound. I purchased these to be multifunctional, as nearfield monitors for my Logic Pro Studio on my Mac Pro (thats the output into them) as well as to play tunes off my ITunes through a Fatman ITube tube amp (very musical and warm sound)....

In just two hours, I had heard pieces of recordings, both mine, as well as a plethora of artists, that I never heard in the mix before. The sound from this tiny giants is amazing....I could not be happier with the purchase....Thanks a million, Capper

Hi Capper,

Thanks for your lovely comments on the Axiom M3 v2s. I'm delighted you're pleased with the sound quality.

We'll add your comments to our page of customer quotes.

Regards,
Alan

Capper, welcome to the Axiom community!! Glad to hear that you're amply pleased with your M3's. I'm sure your enjoyment will continue to grow, maybe even causing you to have a Crapper .

Welcome Capper.

Congrats Capper, they really are tremendous little speakers.

Reminds me of when I first heard my M3s (the outdoor version). I had them playing alone and had to go into the next room to be sure my EP600 wasn't on by mistake. The bass from the bookshelf speakers is really much better than expected. (not that you'd confuse it with an EP600 running full on, but suffice it to say when I first heard the M3 I really felt there was more bass coming from them than I expected from a little bookshelf speaker)

Jason

Cool...

I really need to come up with a winning name for those new speakers to win me a pair of m3's

Welcome to the forum capper!

Looking forward to your posts in the future

Welcome capper.

Excellent! Welcome to the Axiom family!

Uh oh. You set off my audio radar. I had never seen that little tube-driven iPod dock.

hi,
i sent axiom this question, but maybe someone here can help. i have the m50's v2 floor standing speakers. the highs seem to top off where i lose clarity. i am powering them using an older denon receiver. would moving to an integrated amp help remedy this? i'm surely no audiophile and cannot fit the one they are offering in my budget. if upgrading would help, any suggestions for one (max $500). any other suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks,
greg

ps. i'm just using them for stereo. no need for home theater.

The 50's have always been said to be more laid back with less detail than the 60's, 80's, or even the 22's. Probably closer to the m3's. I don't think a new AVR or seperates will help the sound, just provide more power possibly.

Widl, I'm sure if you email Alan (Loftt) at Axiom, or one of the other inhouse experts they can help you. You should let us know some details on your Denon as well. There are loads of great deals on recievers lately, well within the budget you have specified (Denon/Harman K ect). Are you listening to music only, or are you/will you be using it for home theater? A little more info will give the forum here more info to help you.

Hey it's my twin with a l

Have you put your ears up to the tweeters to make sure their ok? How long have you had them?

hi,
got them early december. the tweeters seem ok,

thanks
greg

sirquack,

was that a nice way of saying that they don't measure up to the others. the m50's say they use the m3s for the high range.
thx
greg

The M50s and the M3s are known for a more laid back sound. The M22, 60s and M80s have a more detailed and forward sound to them. It could be you would like the latter with their extended highs.

Widl - it's very unlikely that the amp is your problem. Axiom sometimes takes a day or two to respond to mail messages, but if you want a more immediate response you can always call them as well.

Jason

thank you all for your responses.

i guess i'll wait for their response before deciding anything

regards,
greg

Call them. I've called late night, weekends and always got an answer. It sure wont hurt to try.

Greg, welcome. All competently designed amplifiers, certainly including even older Denons, are ruler-flat in their frequency response in the treble, so you can be assured that any lack of details in the upper frequencies isn't due to that. The M50 uses the same tweeter as the other Axioms and in the treble range above the crossover point there's very little difference between them, with each supplying plenty of treble(if it's in the program material). It may be that you simply want more treble than a speaker with accurate response delivers. Have you tried increasing the treble tone control?

I don't understand.

What is your source material? (MP3, CD, etc? Bitrate? Source?)

Type of content? (hard rock, classical, etc.)? Can you provide some examples of particular passages that are not to your satisfaction?

How loud are you listening?

I am willing to bet it is the upper midrange you are not happy with as the tweeters are all the same in Axiom's line up so the trebble range should be good. The lack of midrange and lower top end would be due to the M50's design. I think you would be in for a treat to get some M60's, or if you can afford to go further, the M80s.

Hi Tom,

Thanks for responding. I mostly listen to jazz on CD's. Maybe I'm looking for something that isn't there. What I was trying to describe was where the higher notes from different instruments blur together. I was hoping that the notes would be more distinguishable. Maybe it's my ears.
BTW. Got a response from axiom and they suggested getting a NAD or Outlaw Audio integrated amp. This seems to conflict with most of the responses here. I'm going to try to talk to their rep tomorrow (he's not there today).

Greg

Do you have access to another receiver from friends or family that you could try?

Well, I guess it *could* depend on the vintage and overall power output of your receiver. While Denon is a highly respected brand and any of their modern components should be fine, if you are listening at very loud volumes to a very old, 30WPC unit, you might benefit from upgraded electronics.

Wid's suggestion is a good one. You could also prevail upon some local retailer to take your M50's in to the store and audition them against other speakers using his equipment.

How old is your CD player? While I seriously doubt there would be an audible difference, DACs have improved somewhat over the last 20 years.

Of course, it is possible that you would simply prefer some other speaker's character. I like Jay's analysis.

hi,

thx again for responding. i listen at pretty low volume. i think jakewash might be right that my problem may be with the upper midrange. although it might be my hearing. i have tinnitus. guess i should get it tested again, before blaming the speakers or the receiver.

greg

my cd player is a Marantz (about 6yrs old)

Hello widl,

I’ve owned a set of M50’s for about 4 yrs now, and I do respect the other comments, even comments by Alan Lofft , but I have never felt that the M50’s are laid back. They sing, with plenty of detail. A lot of people confuse detail with volume. I’ve been into audio gear for over 25 yrs and have auditioned speakers by API, Paradigm, Klipsh, Infinity, Bose, Linn, Kef and others and would rate the M50’s with any speaker in their price range. And although I have never heard the M60’s, I bet the M50’s sound closer to the 60’s then the guys and girls at Axiom care to confess. Rate them too closely to the 60’s and they could steal sales away from a more profitable product. That’s just good business.
Your issue sounds like they might be more environmental then anything else.
Is your listening area heavily upholstered? i.e lots of cushions and/or thick carpet and the like.
As someone else suggested, check the controls on your electronics, bass, treble, filters etc.

Greg, I think we can eliminate watts and source component as potential problems.

I would definitely pursue the tinnitus issue. Likewise, you can obtain pretty dramatic changes by simply moving or toeing-in your speakers within the listening space. A few inches or a few degrees really can make a difference.

Good luck. Cheers.

I tend to agree with lhulls. The M50s are quite detailed (as far as speakers go). Naturally, the 80s are more detailed (as we saw in our comparison), but in comparison to other speakers out there, they're detailed.

I think Tom may have hit on something, speaker toe-in. I would play with the speaker positioning to see if that helps.

Jay, Kcarile and Others,

It might be just my set-up, my hearing, or the receiver, but I found what seems to work for me. My bass and treble were set to neutral. i adjusted the treble down (about a quarter from neutral) and the speakers sound great! i have hardwood floors and little furniture and no rugs, so that might have been a factor.

i guess it shows that there are many variables (and potential solutions) that need to be considered.

hope this might help someone with a similar "problem".

thanks all

greg

Use them knobs!

My left knob is smaller than my right knob. It's a Denon.

*snicker*

My knobs don't light up.




Wait, are they supposed to?

Maybe your knobs are defective?

Yes indeed, a room such as that would certainly do things to a speakers sound. The room is the second most important part of the sound equation, the speakers being the first. Glad it's working out for you.

If you throw some unframed art, a beanbag, and an ugly old couch in the room you could turn the knob back to normal. Minor inconvenience to to get your knob straight.