Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners New vs Old - Tweeters

Many years ago, when the "Ti" version was being sold, Axiom speakers were often called - "bright". And not in a complimentary way. There was non-stop discussions between those who did not like them, and those of us who did. The Ti version hated poorly recorded music. Or, I should say, anyone listening to Axiom speakers hated poorly recorded music. It sounded very harsh, nasty. But, music that was recorded well, sounded extremely good to those of us who liked the Axiom sound. That still applies to the Ti version. The tweeters are fantastic at revealing detail that can be missed by the V4 version.

I've played the the notion to swap out the drivers and tweeters of my Ti M80's, but then I listen to them, and remember why I have always enjoyed how they sound. I plan to wrap them in a walnut or cherry veneer this winter. I may swap out the tweeters and crossover, but I still have not made up my mind. The last time I looked into doing the driver/tweeter swap, the cost was nearly that of a new set of speakers.

I'll also mention that there was time when you could get a set of in-line resisters for the tweeters, directly from Axiom. I did. They definitely tamed them down a bit. I do not recall exactly what they did, or how they did it.

The in-line resistor cuts the sound pressure level of the tweeter down. But it also affects the cross-over frequency and maybe even the Q. It also affects the impedance the amp sees. The first two reasons are why I didn't want to start messing with in-line resistors.

Michael, I'd suggest, if you already have not done so, setting up the M80Ti and the M80v4 in the same room and then compare. But I won't make the suggestion because hey...if you like the M80Ti, then just enjoy them. Same with Kodiak and his M60Ti but dude, get a sealed sub. You'll enjoy life a lot more.

But...if you get tempted Michael...and I am not saying you should :), listen but not only to the quality of the sound coming out of the tweeters but also the imaging between the two versions. The imaging is largely the responsibility of the tweeter and the upper mid-range. Really listen to where the performers are situated and what sort of soundstage they form. Listen at lower volumes and higher volumes. I am assuming you have them set up so they will form a soundstage. Some people can't do that or don't know they should or just don't care. Make notes. Create some doodles of the soundstage and where instruments and voices are spatially located on that soundstage.

I remember you saying a couple of years ago you are not an audiophile and you can't really describe what you hear. That's exactly what my buddies were saying years ago. Now my buddies know - they really know - what they are listening to and it's not just bass, mids and treble.

But I also regret their awakening. They were happy with the fuzzy music playing in the background but then they started asking a lot of questions when they came over. What was I to do? I supplied answers and showed them a few things.

Finally, don't swap out tweeters or cross-overs on your M80Ti. Just enjoy them. Axiom has improved all the drivers including the standard ones and the cabinet. Those improvements do affect the curves and the curves represent the system response of the speaker. That system is cabinet, stuffing, cross-over and drivers. So if you change the tweeters or the tweeters and the cross-over, who the heck knows what kind of audio you'll get. It won't be something that Axiom has engineered as a unified system!

Thank you for the advice Mojo, it sounds pretty logical to me!

The listening test you describe would be very interesting. The only problem with doing it, is lugging the speakers around the house, up/down stairs. Let me know the next time you are in Alaska, you can help me set up the test.

I'll take you up on that. I've been wanting to drive my van the 2100 miles up there. I'll bring my guns, bows, spears, swords, axes, sais, tiger fork and knives. I might need all those on the trek up there.

Brendo, I started laughing so hard, I couldn't breathe when Ian went on about +/- 3dB in the video I linked to. Then it started all over again when he made the crack about pair matching at the video linked below. Ian has a very infectious laugh and it's even more infectious when you're looking at him.

https://youtu.be/iXkuH9awY0g?t=1061

I second that. The pair matching comment was so bang on and a total truth but so tongue in cheek a little bit too. Perfectly timed as well. That was a good video to in its entirety. Anechoic chamber is cool.

Agreed mojo. A sealed sub would add a new dimension to my current audio bliss. It’ll be a while though before that happens. COVID left me unemployed for 7 months. I’m finally working again so it’ll take some time before I have hobby money again. Gotta enjoy what I’ve got at the moment. Gonna chase down only good recordings!!!

Yeah, I thought you were still doing some part-time work. I am really sorry to hear that. I suppose the silver lining as far as subs go is you'll get another opinion from me about the EP600 and the EP125 before buying.

Very true,I look forward to hearing your opinion on those for sure!!

Where in your living room do you anticipate putting the 125s? In stereo position below the m2ow ? Or will do a” crawl” for nodes? But with 2 you should in theory be able to get it pretty even from a stereo position no? Especially once you’ve blended crossover and phased properly.

Maybe it’s your wide fisheye lens but your living room looks bigger than 2000 cubed. It looks the same almost as my listening area ( minus my kitchen which is connected by doorway and a pass thru. )

At present (if you believe there is a present), the right sub is pretty much below the right M2OW. The left sub is hiding under the table on the left. I've found corner placement of these subs in my room works best. I'm not fond of placing subs so close to boundaries though. I'll be experimenting with the 125s.

Each sub is fed from my Pioneer's pre-outs for left and right.

My subs have more than enough SPL output. They are up only a third of the way; I have lots of headroom. Both of them lack finesse though. The bass up here is nothing like my downstairs system. Not even close. You don't even have to listen critically to tell the difference.

My living room is 20x12x8=1920 cu ft and open to the rest of the house. The M2OW are the perfect speaker for audio in this room set-up. Perfect for audio and perfect for aesthetics. The M2OW are acoustically invisible and if you listen to them blind-folded, you will think there is surround-sound in here with huge speakers mounted along the front and side walls. The SPL in this room can be brought to unbearable levels with the M2OW and my measly but nonetheless beautifully engineered 55W/channel Pioneer.

What we clearly need is a version of the speakers where the top portion rotates horizontally to bring different tweeters into play, like the rotating license plates on the old James Bond movies (and Transporter IIRC). A few hours with a remote control for the tweeter rotation and a variety of source material should settle the discussion in short order.