Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners The usual suspects...

I can personally attest to the fact that Axiom owners (including the ones mentioned) have respect for other brands besides Axiom. Personally, IMHO your statement regarding those members of this forum could be taken quite personally...so! never mind what Jake, SirQ and Grunt say about Axiom speakers, go on audioreview and see what other people have to say. I don't know about you but 4.83 out of 5 is well...pretty good from that many reviewers.

Welcome to the group. The bottom line around here is that, yes, this is an Axiom sponsored forum and therefore most of us are here to talk about how much we love our Axioms. There is a certain amount of 'fanboy'-ism around here, but it's pretty light (IMHO). As someone else mentioned, we're pretty respectful of other brands (well, except Bose ). I've been here for many years and I've never come across any situation where Axiom has censored the thread to keep out bad or controversial reviews.



I started my Axiom system with a pair of M22's several years ago. When I eventually wanted to upgrade to floor-standing speakers, I sought out a Paradigm dealer to listen to the SR line, as I was specifically interested in comparing them to what I had heard in my M22's. The dealer had SR100's and SR20's. I liked the way the SR20's sounded - very much like my M22's. Clean & detailed, with a surprising amount of presence for bookshelves. I was less impressed with the SR100's. As I recall, they weren't bad, but I for the price I wasn't really blown away by them. The highs were a bit too bright for me, and the bass seemed a bit too muddy. Just a touch, anyway. And yes, they were too expensive. If you thought the SR100's sounded pretty good, I'd bet that you'd really like the way M80's sound.

If you're looking for brick-and-mortar speakers to compare to, try to find a B&W dealer. Everyone's ears and expectations are different, but to me, B&W 703's sound *very* similar to M80's. At least I think so. In my speaker shopping, this was one set of speakers that my wife & I really liked. We just couldn't stomach the price.

I bought my M80's with the intention of sending them back if they weren't what I expected. As you can probably guess, I kept them.



Ahh yes, the common criticisms. Our brains adapt to everything. Some speaker manufacturers over-emphasize the bass & midrange. This results in a 'warmer', or 'richer' sound. But sometimes they go to far, and it turns almost 'muddy'. Some people really like this quality, either because they just do or because their brains are trained to it. And that's fine. To each his/her own. But if you spend some time listening to more expensive speakers, what I've found is that the speakers become more accurate. Highs become more defined, mid-ranges become more seamless, and bass becomes strong, powerful, and extremely accurate. Cheap speakers might be all midrange; with dead highs and boomy, bloated bass.

The best example I've ever heard is in the B&W line, as I have a good full-line B&W dealer nearby. 600-series speakers have a nice and rich midrange, but the highs and lows left something to be desired. Less bass, less treble, more midrange. 700-series speakers have more bass, more treble, and less midrange. They sound much more natural and controlled. Music becomes more 'real', and the speakers more easily disappear. 800-series speakers take it to a different level, with sparkling highs, incredibly smooth & natural midrange, and amazing bass that's both tight & detailed and very powerful. Of course, the top of the 800 series are like $10,000/pair speakers. But I've heard the same thing with many speaker lines, such as Polk, Vienna Acoustics, Energy, Klipsch, Paradigm, even Sony.

In a properly set up system, the better the speakers are they more they simply vanish into the soundstage. To me, that's the hallmark of an 'excellent' speaker. So good, you don't even know it's there. Both my M22's and M80's are very good at this.

That's where Axiom shines. They're *all* accurate. From the Audiobytes to the M80's. Sure, there are subtle differences between the lines, but M22's have extremely similar sonic qualities to the M80's. The M80's just have more presence and more power. That's what makes them amazing, IMHO. There isn't a 'budget' line of sound quality. They're *all* excellent. Why? Because I don't think Axiom believes in making substandard lines at specific price points.


Oh man, I wouldn't trust any of them. Those are some of the biggest posters around here. What you've seen is the fact that they like to defend Axiom's on other boards.



We're a pretty easy-going bunch. Fights are few and far between around here. The bottom line is that the vast majority of us are extremely happy with our Axioms. That's why we're here. So you'll find a lot of happy people. Axiom seems to be a good company. Many here have toured the factory and met the employees. They seem to be genuinely good people making a genuinely good product. Sure, there are occasional problems with products. But I can't remember ever reading of a situation where Axiom didn't do everything they could to make it right.

But what should you do? My best advice is to seek out someone who lives nearby that owns Axiom speakers. Many of us are happy to give demos of our systems. There's an official list of demo sites under the 'Hearing Things' area. After all, the only way to decide if you like Axiom speakers are to hear them.

Good luck!

I would look in the Hearing Things section for someone in your area that would be willing to give you an audition. It's all a matter of personal taste as to whether you will think they are bright or not and you won't know until you try them. If you liked the Studio line of the Paradigms, you will likely enjoy the Axioms.

In this discussion and especially for a first time buyer there is a very important element which should not be underestimated. With Axiom if you don't like the speakers, you can send them back within thirty days for a FULL REFUND. As we have all known for years, speakers can sound great in the store yet sometimes not as good when you get them home. Unless you can somehow arrange something in advance, if you buy from a retailer and you don't like them, you are stuck with them.

I believe that should give you a pretty good idea as to how much confidence the company(Axiom)has in their product line.

Don't I wish I was being compensated!!!!!!

Someone has to stand up to those that spout off about things they know nothing about, and obviously I have no life other than surfing the audio forums .

If you read many of my posts I still offer support and advise people to audition many brands and pick the ones they like the best, just happens to be I like Axiom and think many are missing out on a great product due to the few that like to trash talk Axiom for no other reason than they have read it some where. For those that have heard Axiom and still did not like them, most appear too have heard them many years ago, so not a very accurate review on their part.

I have mentioned that I find Axioms to be not a smooth as Studio 100s but at half the price and almost all the same benefit of the 100s I can put up with a little edge to my music(even then it is only at loud volumes ~90db and up), sounds more like a live performance to me this way any way.

I have also recommended kef/orb/Rockets and many other products to those not wanting the 'Axiom' sound.

Anyway, as the others have mentioned, check for someone nearby to give you an audition this way you won't have to spend a dime for return shipping if you do not like the Axiom sound, although I suspect you will as you like Paradigm.

(except here, apparently everyone is eventually required to own M80s ).