Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo M3v3 vs B&W

Hello,

Heard from somebody about Axiomaudio, never heard before.
Now Axiom has my attention, i would ask the following. I previously owned a pair of B&W685's, which i liked very much (why did i sell them?)
I would by a new pair, but now that i see these speaker for 1/2 the b&w's price. But can i buy it without listened to it first?
What stands closest to a pair of B&W 685's? Is M3v3 the way to go?
i want definitly bookshelfs in black ash. i have an amp Technics SU-A700 2x45W

I don't know very much about the B&W product line, although I do have some older DM-110's in a secondary system and I like them very much.

I participated in the double-blind test at Axiom in 2010 mentioned in this article (and elsewhere on the site, I'm sure).

http://www.axiomaudio.com/archives/October2010

We didn't know which speakers we were listening to. AFTER the test we learned that the M3v3 was preferred by a majority of participants over the much more expensive B&W 805. Many of us were shocked. Ian was justifiably pleased, I think.

I think the M3v3 is a really wonderful sounding speaker.

It still weird to buy a set of bookshelfs without ever heard them. 450€ is still allot of money for me. (And a set of B&W 685 cost only 100€ more and i am sure they are good).
And this all based on one article that equals the speakers to a pair of 5-6 times its price.
Besiodes that, what about if something goes wrong during transport and the speakers gets damaged?

Hi Johand and welcome to the forum!

My take is this: There's no better way to audition speakers than in YOUR home....and to be able to do it for 30 days with a no-questions asked return policy is the best of all situations.

Don't be concerned about shipping damage. Axiom packs the speakers very well and their customer-service is top-notch. If something DOES happen, they'll take care of the situation quickly!

I have not listened to the 685, but had the pleasure of doing a direct comparison with a Diamond series bookshelf at an Axiom get together a few years ago.

The M3 held up very well and was better in some respects.

I'll agree with Mark about listening in home and shipping.

Johand, if Fred agrees with me on something, you can take that as an incredible sign that purchasing the speakers is the right thing to do!

And watch the skies for the flying pigs!!!

Your math is very confusing.



Again, confusing. You initiated the dialog based on "something", and I was just trying to add another data point.



Then you would have a claim against the shipper, and Axiom would make it right with you quickly, I'm sure.

Where are you residing? Perhaps there is someone nearby with Axioms that might let you have an audition.

We like all kinds of speakers around here. Lots of people have purchased and enjoyed the M3's. But you seem to be looking for reasons NOT to buy them instead of reasons to try them.

I've owned a number of Axiom products (M60, M2, VP100, QS8) and been completely satisfied with them. I've heard most of the rest of the Axiom lineup at some point. I've owned or had extended, in-home auditions of speakers by Klipsch, Mirage, KLH, Boston Acoustics, Polk, B&W, ADS, Rocket, KEF and others I'm sure I'm forgetting. My opinion is that Axiom makes very high quality products at a very reasonable price.

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase M3's if I were in the market for that type of speaker.

Before I got my Axioms, I was this --><-- close to getting some B&W 703 floorstanding speakers, the price for one was more than a pair of the M60's I ended up purchasing. As you can tell from my previous sentence, I ended up getting M60's. I thought the sound was similar, but for the price it was a no brainer.

I now own M80's...

I have M3ti's, M22'sV3 and now M2'sV3. These IMO are shockingly good speakers for the money. Axiom makes it easy... buy, listen, evaluate then return or keep. Customer service is top notch.

I also had the opportunity to participate in Axiom's double-blind listening exercise with the B&W 805 Vs. M3V3. So true, the M3's in many opinions beat the B&W's in a lot of respects. Higher price does not always mean better sound. Axiom proofs that every day.