Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners can't make up my mind

I bought a set of inwall M4-v4 speakers with the good intention of installing them in the back wall of the media room. This is not going to happen so there is no point in keeping these speakers that are still wrapped in plastic in the original boxes

I have a set of M3-v4 computer speakers that sound awsome. I however don't like them attached to my Mac as the mac doesn't like to play as nice as it should with volume and trying to adjust the volume on the back of the speakers is a total pain. I have just given in to not using them for that but rather have made up a small media player with a Raspberry Pi and plug them into that with the USB cable and can use them as a psudo portable outside speakers that kick out some wicked sound and just use the Raspberry as the music source.

So I still have the Mac that would be nicer to have some better speakers for and beside it is a windows10 box that I play some games on every once in a while. I have an old Nakamichi AV1 stereo that would be really easy to plug in beside the two computers, and just run an USB audio out plug from each computer to the VCR1&2 inputs on the Nak and then let it drive a set of speakers. I do have some older Energy speakers that will sound good. I don't know if a pair of M3's would sound better. I don't see the point of going b-stock sale right now as what is online isn't what I really want. I am not in any rush to get the speakers. I don't think the room is big enough to justify M5's.

Can't decide if this is just buying for the sake of it. ITS computer speakers for G-Sake. I guess for me it comes down to price. The web site gives me two options for trade in conditions. Good and rough around the edges. I don't think my trade in speakers are either. They are pristine in original packaging un opened from Axiom factory. So I guess the holdback comes down to price. If only I could get someone at Axiom to call me to see if we could work out a slightly better price that will tip me in favour of spending more money.

Your M4-v4 are priceless. I'd never trade them in no matter how much Axiom offered me.

typo. they are inwall M3-V4

I'm sure Axiom will give you full value for upgrading to active LFRs. The actives are 12 times as good as your passive LFRs.

I am sure that the active LFRs would sound incredible, but likely not in the room that these speakers I am buying will be located. For LFRs to sound good they need room to breath and a 8'x10' room isn't ideal for that.

I got an email from Ian, and he made a very reasonable offer for upgrading the inwall M3 to a bookshelf M3, so I will likely go with that. I still have the small nag in the back of my mind that I should look at the M5, but I am sure that the price difference will be enough to preclude me from moving forward.

However.. when I got my first set of Axiom Audio speakers, a pair of M80-V4, I did hook them up to the Nakamichi and was mind-boggling blown away with how great they sounded. If what I have heard is true, that the M5 can sound close to what you get out of the M80, just not quite as loud, then will I be left wanting just that little bit more?

The Axiom factory has burst at the seams with orders and all the staff is working around the clock to get everyone their gear. Apparently Ian is surviving on 1.5 hours of sleep a day but he somehow still found time to read your post and make you a generous offer. Wow!

I've discovered the M3, M5, M50 and M100v4 are all problematic in smaller rooms due to their inaccurate bass response. The M50 is the best of the bunch in this regard. All the others have prodigious bass output that is difficult to tame. The M50 is prodigious also but it appears to be more linear. I've tried port plugs but didn't like the sound. I had to cut my bass by as much as 16dB and even that wasn't enough when playing loud.

The actives are a completely different animal. They are worth the price for the bass alone. For music, I will take the actives in 2.0 over my M100/800/dual 500s. You can't possibly understand this until you hear it. In the same smaller rooms where I had bass problems with all the others, I drop the actives in and there are zero problems. No "room EQ" needed of any kind. The amplitude response curves tell the story and I would have never believed how much difference those curves make without hearing the actives myself.

So back to your question, the M5s are more accurate than the M3s in every possible way. You will hear things with them that are masked by the M3s. If you place them along the 10 foot width, you will have a wider soundstage with more images that are better isolated relative to the M3s. If someone took my M100s away and I was left with M5s in my living room, I would not complain. I thought at one time I wouldn't complain about swapping M5s for M100s in my main space but I've come to enjoy the more expansive images the M100s cast in my 4200 cu. ft. room.

I second the vote for M5.
My M22 have really big stage. But misses the oomph of 6 inch Hp driver. In my Qs10 the extra low driver is awesome.

No experience with the M5 itself, I totally suspect it could easily recreate a smaller M60/M80 fuller performance.

Sadly the hit to the wallet was too much for me to handle with the M5, so the trigger was pulled on a new pair of bookshelf M3 in Walnut.

Congrats
The M3 started my Axiom system.

The walnut is very special!