Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater epic80 home theater system

<tweeeet> blows whistle...
Both of you, in the box! 2 minutes for thread derailment and a 5 minute major for derailing a first time poster!

Well, umm nevermind. There isn't a penalty box big enough for this board.

Seriously though. Welcome.
I'll echo the thoughts of those above. Don't be afraid to order unheard. You ave 30 days to return them which should give you lots of time to try them out. I can almost guarantee that you will not have to worry about any return shipping costs because you will fall in love with them.

A lot of audio shops carry Paradygm Studios. Only a rare shop will have the Signature series in stock. Take a run out and find some Studio Series front to listen to. They are very often compared to Axiom M80s and M60s. I myself found my friends indistinguishable from my M60s when we set them side by side and did an informal comparison. The biggest difference is that I paid less than him which even he agreed to.

We don't have a decent audio shop within a 100 miles of Winston Salem. There are a few custom installers that maintain small showrooms and that are relying heavily on "Snob Appeal" to sell their "lines". That is where I heard the Studio 60's. I could not do a direct A-B comparison like Murph but relying on memory, the Studios were very like the M60's. You can check some of my posts right after I received my setup back in May. I am a very discriminating buyer when spending this type of cash - no matter what it is. My posts were along the lines that no one should hesitate as the speakers live up to their reputation. DO IT!

i live in michigan and both of the nice stereo shops by me have closed. we only have best buy, but there speakers are cheap. there are a couple shops about an hour away that sell psb speakers, but axiom has gotten real good reviews. i dont care about the cost difference, i just want a nice pair of loud speakers that rock.

Hi Derik,

And welcome. You will be thrilled with a pair of M80 v2s for both rock (Ian Colquhoun, the designer and owner of Axiom loves rock 'n' roll) and classical (I've moved away from a lot of rock from my youth into classical and opera).

After decades of double-blind tests of top Canadian brands during the time when I was editing audio/video magazines, I can assure you that the Paradigm Studio series and PSB's top line (used to be Stratus Gold; now Signature I think) are very similar in tonal quality and neutrality to the Axiom M80s, but at several thousands more per pair). I recently heard PSB's new top of the line towers, and while they're excellent, and $5000 per pair list, they did not sound superior to the Axiom M80s. I'd use the phrase "similarly good", which applies to any fine wide-range speaker that perhaps doesn't sound identical but so close that you can't easily distinguish one from the other.

Regards,

Derik, there really isn't any substitute for trying them in your own home. Next to the speakers, the room itself is the biggest variable in the sound you'll end up with. More so than amps or source components. As mentioned above, there ARE some other lines that have a similar type of sound to Axioms, though they all cost more. If you were able to hear those, they might give you an idea of the "type" of sound that Axioms offer.

But still, there is no substitute for trying them in YOUR room with YOUR music. As Murph said above, the cost to return them (though rarely done) in minimal. One forum member points out that even if you DO end up returning them, it's the cheapest rental anyone can imagine to get a speaker setup for a month!

Hmmm... I got called away and Alan beat me to the punch!

Perhaps he could order the towers first, to see if he likes the Axiom sound vs a whole HT. Then after auditioning at home for a few weeks he could go ahead and order the rest of the system(I believe the HT discount still applies within 30 days but check with the folks at Axiom) or if for some reason decides they're not for him, he only has to return one pair of speakers(M80s vs whole HT). The downside of course, is not hearing the entire HT when the cannons start firing!