Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Axiom and research.

Well question is simple. Since Axiom has release the V3 this year i would like to know on what they are looking/focus next. A V4 with better crossover and adjustement or new kind of speaker with new driver/tweeter stuff like that ? Axiom engineer might work at something

Well i dont want go deep on details but just curious on what Axiom reserve us for the next year.

Let's discuss

There are vague murmurings of higher-end offerings, but I have no idea what that entails, besides a higher price. If there seems to be a real performance improvement, I'll be in line. I wonder if there will be new drivers made with new materials or if it will simply be further finessing of their existing line of drivers. I also wonder if there will be any attempt to escape a traditional box design at all.

An Axiom sound bar.

I've always tought Axiom would launch a higher line. Well it's hard to consider better product in home teather. Just think M80, VP180, EP800. That are some serious product.
But i would like a high end tower for audiophile.

I hope that Axiom doesn’t produce any “higher-end offerings” in terms of SQ at least. Seems to me that Axioms has taken a basic philosophy was to start with sound principles and then to incrementally improve it over time which IMO both more honest and more customer friendly than companies who produce new multi-tiered offering on a regular basis as if some new speaker technology has vastly improved sound reproduction.

I don’t begrudge them producing “high-end” lines, however if they use it to apply the principle of price discrimination by charging out the nose for those willing to pay top dollar for small improvements as long as that is partially used to offset keeping the cost of their regular line lower.

Yep, there goal is "best bang for the buck" and in my opinion the current offerings can rival speakers costing much more. I would also hope they don't go down this path as it would go against their mission.

+1.

Also, didn't a 300$ pair of M3's recently hold their own against some higher priced B&W's in a listening test?

I think the on-wall series could use some SQ upgrading. It would also be interesting to see a bigger version of an on-wall, such as an on-wall M60 if it were possible to make the bigger speakers sound good in a smaller box. If the boxes were made bigger... Taller and a little thicker might help.

I suppose the one thing I can see that might be frustrating to current owners, and I have mixed thoughts, is the versioning over the years (V1, V2, V3, etc. ).

We always see new threads popping up saying "What is the difference between V2 and V3" for a particular model. Although the changes can be minor at times, it sure makes it difficult for a person to sell a "prior" version, unless they are willing to take a huge loss from what they paid new.

I can see the auction site being a huge benefit for Axiom, but not so much for those trying to sell pre-owned older versions.

Part of me wishes Axiom would not use version designations.

ps: ok I've had a few fat tires tonight. :0

I think without version numbers it would be really difficult to know what you are getting, when you are the buyer. Or, perhaps each label on the back should contain a manufacture date.

Quite a few speaker manufacturers use the V* for newer versions. Others make up a whole new name or number even though it's not much different than the model it replaces.

Right Adrian, that is what I see on your second point, haven't noticed the V thing much, but I really haven't done much research. For the most part I think people realize that companies strive to improve products (technical or cosmetic) over the years, that keeps customers coming back.

Maybe I am wrong, but I could see how some might look at prior versions as being inferior to the latest and greatest Vx model, when in fact the changes might be very minute.

My preference would be to leave the model number alone. People assume that over time the product might improve. Heck, the Chevy Silverado 1500 has been around for decades, and all of them have been awesome in their own right.

Philippe, of course we have no information on which we could base an informed discussion, as to what, if any, projects exist. It can be mentioned that the term "high-end" is usually synonymous with "high-priced", and is often used to lend snob appeal to products which actually have no audible superiority. That wouldn't be Axiom.

I wouldn't be thinking in terms of a higher line but new designs like what was mentioned a sound bar or transmission line designs, self powered subs in a floorstander, etc.

A 30 years M80 edition had would be nice.

Personally, I am completely happy with the M80s and don't think I would be interested on higher end. I am not sure I would even be able to notice any improvement as the ones I have sound perfect to me.

+1 (although I wouldn't mind getting a new pair of V3's in a custom finish)

First on the list of upgrades is the vp180 for me though. I will probably get it in the same standard black vinyl and when I finally get a chance to upgrade to a custom finish I'll buy a complete new system and have two axiom setups.

Although I'll admit that I personally would not likely buy them in my CURRENT room, I'd still like to see some M100s or M120s with 3 or 4 8" woofers.....

I dunno, but, from what I have seen in recent years, a number of well-known and sometimes so-called "high-end" speaker companies have made numerous aesthetic changes in their lines without any actual audible improvements to the sound. I have a friend who has been in the A/V retail business for over twenty years and he has managed a store for much of that time that has carried the complete Paradigm line from almost their inception. Surprisingly enough, the consensus of opinion amongst all the employees in the store is that the older lines sounded better, so who knows?

There is also the issue of where many companies are doing their manufacturing now. Even B&W, other than their "top-of-the-line" 800 series, all their other models are now being built in China, however, despite that, I don't see a reduction in their prices.

I believe the business model Axiom is using is the right one in that you do tweaks from time to time in a "tried and true" product and periodically bring out something new, like the VP180, that turns the A/V world upside down. I am not sure what the point is in producing a product that has "perceived" better internal parts and more elaborate cabinetry so you can justify doubling the price by saying that it is going to sound audibly better. This is especially the case with Axiom, when it comes to choices in finishes, no one else in the industry even comes close.

Anyway, we know where the product is built and the time and effort put in to it, otherwise Axiom wouldn't be celebrating their thirtieth anniversary this year.

Nice post, Casey.

Well the original goal of this post wasn't really to see if Axiom will one day launch a "higher line" but to know what they have in mind for the next 2-3 years.

Yes the VP180 is indeed a great improvement so as the EP800. Like i said i am just curious to see what Axiom reserve us next

Well, I think we're all curious. There have been several threads in the past speculating on this topic. But there's no really good reason for Axiom to divulge anything to us until they have a marketable product. Many companies - especially internet-direct companies - have been badly burned by creating expectations that they are ultimately unable to fulfill.

They did mention that they would release a companion pre-pro for the A1400-8 which never materialized, but I don't think anyone was too disappointed considering they hadn't released any details about it other than they were working on one, and I'm sure we'd all rather they didn't release one unless it could really compete against the other options out there. I would still like to see more companies offering reasonably-priced pre-pros, but I can certainly understand why there are so few.

I can't, considering how separate Pre/pro's cost as much or more than good avr's but those pre/pro's have no amp sections so to me they should cost less(marginally) than an avr but never do. I can understand why one wouldn't want to get into that market as it is constantly in a state of flux at the momment.

I was only talking about new companies getting into pre-pros, but you're right, the existing big AVR makers should definitely be offering pre-pros at a decent price. How hard is it, really, to take out the amp and add balanced outputs to any receiver they already make?

Apparently harder than we think

I would bet it's the marketing people who get in the way. They ask who the target audience is for a receiver without the amps, and see that they have more money to spend, or will see a higher perceived value, than those who just want an integrated unit. So that sets the price right there.

I have always guessed that to be so and I have no doubt that you are correct.

You are dead on about this one in that marketing in certain areas dictate what is sold. I can recall back in the late 80s and early 90s when Yamaha offered a complete line of audiophile separates in a champagne color that looked great and sounded terrific. Once surround sound took hold and everyone started to jump on the HT bandwagon, these beautiful separates started to disappear. Not only that but when they were still offering the champagne color in other parts of the world along with integrated amp surround sound processors(without the tuner), all you could get in North America were AVRs in any color you wanted as long as they were BLACK!

According to the mainstream companies(Onkyo/Integra being the exception), Pre-Pros are a "niche" product so the few that offer them end up putting in balanced outputs in the space occupied by the speaker connections and charge a premium to those that believe they are superior. I guess Emotiva and to a lesser extent Outlaw(when they finally get around to having one available)are exceptions to that rule.