Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Upgrade to B&W Matrix 805

Dr: The source was a Pana Bluray and not a CDP? Was it that good for a blind test?

Thanks Alan

I don't know if the Panny was used in the blind test, but it is a component that is used in one of their listening rooms. Blu-ray players btw make exceptional CD players and Panasonic are makers of some of the best performing models in today's marketplace.

You'll find around here that a majority of us don't subscribe to the more esoteric beliefs in audio. WHile some certainly do, a greater number of us on the boards (and at Axiom itself) would tell you tat there's no differerence between how a BD player plays CDs and how a high priced CD player (not a tubed one) plays CDs.

madbull, your B&W speakers are several years old aren't they? so perhaps there may be a noticeable difference....hard to say how much difference there is between your "Matrix" and the latest 805's(Diamond?) without actually hearing them side by side.

Alan....looking for thread now...

Adrian: I listened to the latest Nautilus and Diamond. I felt the N was not an upgrade as nothing significant but the Diamond speakers were really an upgrade when it came to vocals...the diamond tweeter were really excellent.

.... Blind Listening Experience ....

Thanks Adrian. Any idea on the Pana bluray model? Have decided to order the M3 now I cant audition them till I get back to india. Carrying them back to India with me this month end.

I more curious to hear the M3 pairing up with a T-Amp

I have a picture of the listening room setup clearly showing a Samsung BluRay player was used for the listening tests that day.

No model number is visible, but it looks very basic

Adrian:

Thanks for finding the thread on the listening tests.

Incidentally, while in some double-blind comparisons I have sometimes used the phrase "similarly good" in tests of speakers with dramatically different prices, in the session on the 30th anniversary, I did NOT apply that phrase to the B&W Nautilus 805 and the Axiom M3 v3 because they were not "similarly good." I scored the M3 v3 significantly higher overall than the B&W (8.5 vs. 7.5), noting the B&W's shallow and narrower soundstage and its somewhat forward and aggressive midrange that made female vocals sibilant and edgy at times. My scores were almost identical to those of Ian Colquhoun and Andrew Welker when they did the tests separately; the consistency was remarkable.

The superior depth and breadth of the Axiom M3's soundstage was obvious on most orchestral, choral and opera selections and other listeners also noted that difference. It's also a trait I noted of the new M22 v3 vs the old M22ti in comparisons I made with my home switching system (not double-blind) when I received the new M22 v3.

Regards,
Alan

The width of soundtage stood out on all the material I listened to. I don't know that I picked up on the depth so much.

The two things I think could improve on the M3 are the mid bass hump and a bit of a lack of clarity on the upper end. Oh, wait, you did that already and called it the M22.

I was also back and forth on the female vocals. I found the B&W more natural on some passages and the M3s on others.

As a first time buy its a no brainer for the M3. As an upgrade from the B&W its a latteral move.

Edit: its funny, when I first filled out the blind listening form I wasn't so sure I ageed with my conclusion that what turned out to be the the M3 was better, but now I remember the better soundstage much more than any other difference.