Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Axiom M22 versus Cambridge Soundworks Newton M80

Both of these bookshelf speakers are available through mail order. Has anyone been able to make a direct comparison for stereo application?

Thanks

As an owner of the Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble 1 sub/sat system (orig $400), I'd have to say that unless CS has seriously improved its price/performance ratio, the M22s have the M80s beat to a pulp. I've listened to their old towers as well, and they're boomy and unimpressive.

Ralph,

Have you gone into a Cambridge Soundworks store to audition the Newton M80? If there are no dealers in your area, I can go to the one near my house and audition them for you. I own Axiom M22s and love them. It would be interesting to see if Cambridge Soundworks has improved things.

There is no Cambridge store where I live. If you have the time to make the comparison, I would appreciate your point of view.

Thanks

I'll drop in on my lunch break this week. There's a store only a few blocks away from my office.

Thanks for your comments.

I know that the Cambridge Newton series is a cut above prior models and the Cambridge M80 bookshelf speakers are highly regarded by some people. They are 3 way, with an 8" woofer that is suppose to provide some reasonable base. I am trying to find a bookshelf with crystal clear highs but some base too, so that I can get by without a sub if possible.

If you're looking for good bass in a bookshelf, you might want to consider the M3ti. There are a number of people here who have them and love them.

I had both of these in my living room before the holidays. Being a newbie, I struggled a bit with the technical comparison, but I liked both speakers. the cambridge were definitely louder and lower - I had to drop the volume a notch or two during a/b comparison to get them equal. Without a sub, I thought they sounded great. Rock music was great (I liked jazz and softer stuff on the axiom). They are also bigger and heavier than the axiom, which may be good or bad based on what you're looking for. Build quality seemed very good, as do the axiom. However, I stuck with the axiom and kept the M22, primarily because I knew I wanted to upgrade the rest of my 6.1 setup, and the axiom center and surrounds looked good -- and I knew I would have a sub. And frankly, it was easier to return the cambridge because I live near a store. The axiom continue to grow on me and I am very happy with the M22 and the VP150 center.
Cambridge in-store service was good and they are very easy with returns, etc. I don't know about on-line. They do have a ten year warranty.
Of course, if you must buy on-line, axiom service and support is also great as many have already noted.

"the cambridge were definitely louder and lower - I had to drop the volume a notch or two during a/b comparison to get them equal. "

I wonder why this was so. CSW claims sensitivity of 86db for the M80, Axiom 89db for M22 (93db in-room, whatever that means). Why wouldn't the M22 be louder?

I know, in fact I asked that very question on this board and really didn't get a good answer, other than differences in how companies measure. So much for specs. It wasn't just by ear, I was using an spl meter also. and my wife's unbiased opinions...

Post deleted by tonygeno

As I said, I am very happy with my M22, but am still curious about the specs. I just saw this post this morning on the avsforum, similar issue -- this quote from Mad Dog:

"speaker specs aren't always consistent as this example below illustrates...

i had the Axiom M22Tti (93dB 1W/1M sensitivity in room per their website), Ascend CBM-170 (89dB per their website) and Rocket RS150 (88dB 1W/1M sensitivity in room per their website) in my room and the Axioms did not play 5dBs louder than the Rockets nor did they play 4dBs louder than the Ascends at the same volume setting on my preamp. In fact, the Ascends were slighty louder than the Rockets which corresponds to the manufacturers' specs. The Axioms however played at the same volume as the Rockets. Not sure where the 5 dB difference in sensitivity went..."




http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=359873

I'd had both, just sold my Newtons m80. I thought the Newtons were great. I started with a small home theater set up from CSW, then eventually upgraded to the Newtons series, using m8o's in the front. I thought it sounded great. Then I started putting together a 2 channel system, becasue when people were watching TV I could not use my stereo. That's when I discovered Axioms, through Goodsound.com
The Axiom m22 are so much better. The newtons had more bass, but when I did a quick comparison between the two speakers I heard so much more with the Axioms. I owned both set ups for about two years.
With a new baby in the house, getting ready to crawl, I realized I could not keep the newtons on their stands (the 2 channel system is in the bedroom so my m22 are safe since the baby will not go in there) and I don't want them just sitting on the floor. So I decided to sell them. They sold last week on Ebay.
I've secretly wanted to get rid of them and replace the with Axioms ever since I bought my m22, but my wife would have killed me. I thought they were decent for Home theater anyway.
Well since they're gone I pulled my Axioms into the livingroom this weekend, while my wife and baby were gone for the day. Wow! The m22 were incredible in the home theater set up.
I think part of it may have been because the m22 stands put the speakers at the perfect height. My Newton m80's were on stand that were a little low, so the tweeter was a little lower than it should have been. They are such huge speakers it's hard to find a solid stand for them.
With the Axioms you are going to hear so much more detail, whether it's with music or movies. The Newtons are not bad speakers, in fact when my 2 brother-in-laws heard them they went out and bought them. That was before I had the Axioms though.
I'm actually replacing the Newtons m80's with bookshelf speakers, that I can wall mount. My choices are M2 or M3. That's right I getting Axioms for the living room too. I actually sold the whole newton HT setup except the p1000 sub. I was not using the HT set up much, but I'm already thinking of eventually getting the axiom center and the surrounds.