Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners On Wall Solution for HT - Need Advice!

All, I am a complete newbie on the forum - 1st post! I have just finished building a dedicated HT room in my basement that is in the final finishing stages of mudding and painting. I had already picked out my gear from a great local shop but not purchased yet. Of course I ran across the Axiom's on line and am now 2nd guessing my choice of speakers (Paradigm Cinema 330's). Due to room configuration I need a relatively slim on-wall solution. I have a speaker budget of $2500-$3000 for a 7.1 setup. I am hoping someone can help me with a comparison/opinion of the Paradigm Cinema 330's LCR with W-Series of Axioms? I can't seem to find any real opinions on the W-Series online so far. Amp will be a Pioneer Elite SC-05 (120W x 7). All advice and opinions are welcome. I hope to be hanging speakers on the wall in ~4 weeks from now, so need to decide relatively soon. Are there any W-series owners out there? I also read about an up and coming T line (on wall)from Axiom somewhere but no real info, does any info exist for them as well? Thanks in advance for any help!

The W series should be a level above the cinema series from Paradigm, i wasn't overly impressed with the cinema series, ut I am just going by owners reviews of the W series in comparison to my own impressions of the cinema series. The receiver will work great.

just wondering what size of room all of this is going into, Pics?

Hi jakewash. No pics yet, but rough not to scale layout is attached [img]http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/photo/SxG3caPyTLCvThhZ9awrfA?feat=directlink[/img] . Lots of compounding things to consider, but didn't want my 1st post to be a novel. Room is ~14x15 feet with mix of 6.5 foot and 8 foot ceiling height due to duct work that I have boxed in with drywall. As you can see I have a front-back wall symmetry issue due to the funky corner (hides main sewer and water lines for house). I am 'ok' with the Cinema 330's, but not wowed by them. However in my budget I am having a hard time finding a better on wall solution. This is where the Axiom's enter into the equation. Can you link me to W series reviews? The specs clearly look better than the Paradigm's. From the Axiom site I am considering the Epic Master Architectural series. My main drawback on installing the W-series is that I'll have to open up my TV wall again to cut a stud to accommodate the in wall chamber for the W series center channel. That's why I really need to do my homework before I decide to audition these speakers. Thanks!

CB919, welcome

The VP100 and 150 aren't very deep, and are sealed, no ports on the back (wich means you can put them right up against a wall). Wondering if either of these would work instead of a W series center?

paul

Can you mix and match across series like that? Won't that affect matching of the front sound stage using 2 different speaker types for LR and C? I had not considered this but that might be an option. Also I did read somewhere in my trolling of a true on wall speaker from Axiom, anybody have info on that? It's not listed on the web site.

Axiom says that the M and W series in the same numbers sound the same, so that should be fine. I think we've seen people with that sort of setup (W22s, VP150). It's all the same woofers and tweeters, and probably similar crossovers.

I have zero to add as I have not used the W series, but as a general point I am surprised by the quality of the QS8. Relevance - building a good sounding speaker is hard, and doing it in a small package is even harder. So I would trust the W series to an extent based on the extreme quality and abilities of the Q.
Otherwise, if you prefer small speakers perhaps you should consider in-walls. There are fantastic in-walls now that take up no room. If you have access to the walls at this point, one of the biggest negatives is not there for you. Two cents exhausted.

I have never heard the Cinema 330's. But I do own the w22s, w150, qs8s and ep350. The on walls are incredible and beautifull. You can check out my setup in the gallery. You will not be dissapointed. Before I bought these I listened to Paradigm studio 100s. I absolutely loved them, but decided i could not spare the floor space. I don't really feel like I'm missing out now that i have the w22s. Paired with the sub they sound absolutely amazing.

If i had to do it over again the only thing I would do differently is buy a bigger sub.

Listener,
You're telling me that the W-22 compares favourably with the Studio 100's? I am amazed given the size/enclosure difference. If that is true you have potentially just moved me a bit closer to an Axiom audition. Have you heard the W3's? I like the idea of the W-22's but that pushes my budget and might be overkill for my space. Any opinions out there on W-3's vs. W-22's given the modest size of my HT (~14x15 feet)? On that note would the the EP-500 be too much for my space as well?

I found xlr8's pics of the W's in the gallery but could not find yours.

Zimm - I would actually love a honking big pair of floor standers, but my room and WAF rule that idea out! So I am not really interested in true in-walls either as I do like to see a nice set of matching speakers.

The biggest difference between the 3 series and the 22 series is that the 22s are more detailed and share the same drivers, thus timbre, as the Axiom center channels. The 3 series has a more laid back, lower toned sound. They both would work very well in your size of room. The EP500 would not be too much for your space as you calibrate it to match the rest of the system, it just gives you more headroom for really demanding scenes, if you can afford one then by all means get one. The other option would be to get an EP350 which might allow you to get the W22s instead of the W3's. There really isn't alot of difference between the 350 and 500. The 500 can play a little lower and has even more headroom, the only way i think most would notice is during an A/B listening session, especially in a smaller room like yours.

You can save a few bucks by going through the Factory outlet as well. These are speakers with cosmetic deficiencies that many of us have yet to find on our own FO purchases. You save 10% and will get an additional 5% for a HT discount(5 or more items).