You won't find listening window and sound power measurements for on-walls. Trust me the M5OW sound really good. I have M5OW and bookshelves for fronts in different rooms. I've linked reading material for the bookshelves.
On the M5HP product page under specifications:
https://www.axiomaudio.com/pub/media/catalog/product/m/5/m5hp-listening-window-and-sound-power.pngMeasurements by Soundstage:
https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1821:nrc-measurements-axiom-audio-m5hp-loudspeakers&catid=77:loudspeaker-measurements&Itemid=153
Soundstage review:
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1130-axiom-audio-m5hp-loudspeakersOne of my many reviews on the M5:
Holography and Black Magic
This is a review of the M5HPv4 and M3v4. If you don't want to read the whole thing, here's a quick summary:
- v4 is a completely different animal than v2 product. I don't know about v3 because I've never heard it. The soundstage with v4 is wide, tall and deep. It's holographic with all front-to-back layers of a recording accounted for. Images are very crisp and appropriately large with space between them. It is like v4 converts the audio into images and places those images on a 3-d stage with room between them. This is in stark contrast to the v2 where images were smeared and stacked on top of one another.
- The degree to which you achieve the above will depend on how well you can position your speakers and how good your room is. "Properly positioned" means placing the speakers on stands, at least a foot or two away from side walls, two feet or more from the back wall, a separation of a good six feet or more and forming an equilateral triangle with your listening position. "Good room" means at least reflecting side walls to allow the lateral reflections to reach your ears. The reflecting side walls will expand the width of the soundstage (the sense of spaciousness). Even better if you can put some absorption on your ceiling and front wall and absorption or diffusion on the back wall. The treatment will vastly improve image focus.
- Crystal-clear, non-fatiguing, silky highs with lots of transparency and air that you absolutely must hear. Ditto with mids.
- A real nice "pop" to your lows and "snap" in the drums.
All of the above is a really big deal and really changes the game. The potential for all of this wasn't in version 2 (and likely not in the Ti). I don't know about version 3. If you have older Axiom gear, let's just say you will, like me, kick yourself for not upgrading earlier. I would gladly take an M3v4 (and of course M5HP) over M80v2 any day and so would all those who listened to the differences between them.
If you're strapped for cash and/or space, the M3v4 paired up with a good sub is all you really need for music and movies. However, once you hear the M5HP, there is no going back. The v4 soundstage is there with both products but the M5HP is like your ears put on some glasses and the images stand out more and everything is much clearer.
The M5HPs have completely fulfilled my audio needs. They offer audiophile sound and an amazing value. The EP800v4 is icing on the cake for music and with the 160v4 and QS10HP, they complete an A/V system. For the first time in almost 12 years, I can say my main, 4,200 cu. ft. A/V space has reached a point where nothing more needs to be done. This is both good and bad. Good in that it offers me the satisfaction I've struggled to achieve and bad because I was about to pack it all in and down-size to a condo so I can free up some cash. I can't possibly imagine living the rest of my life in a condo without this sound. To take full advantage of what the v4 offers, a large room, wide spacing and placement well away from room boundaries is a must. I tried with the M80v2 for many years and could not achieve the soundstage and imaging I so easily got with the M5HP (and M3v4). If you don't have a large space, you will still hear a big difference in clarity, imaging and soundstage over Axiom v2 products.
---Background---
For almost 12 years, I've been listening to M80v2 in my 4,200 cu. ft. space. I thought the M80v2 was pretty good with its clarity and soundstage width and height but my tastes over the last 4 years evolved. I was looking for depth in the soundstage and vastly improved imaging. I really felt like I was missing something. In e-mail exchanges with Craig Chase, he suggested I might find what I was looking for in Axiom's version 4 (v4) product. I started exchanging e-mails with Ian (the president of Axiom) to find out if I need M80v4 or if the M5HP would be "good enough". Ian cryptically kept telling me the biggest difference is in the v4 and not necessarily the type of v4. He also made sure to tell me the LFR would fulfil all my needs which I appreciated but ignored because it's a large wad of cash for those behemoths. Andrew from Axiom told me that I'll find the M5 to be a more refined speaker than the M80v2 but stopped short of saying it would sound as "big" as the M80v2. Finally a year later, I decided to take the plunge into M5HP and QS10HP for the main A/V room and M3v4 for the living room. I already had a VP160v4 and an EP800v4 from a trade-in a year earlier. You can find my reviews for those under the respective product pages. I decided on the M5HP rather than the M80v4 because I surmised it would be "loud enough" and would allow for more space to the front wall which might help with the soundstage. My only concern with the M5HP was preserving the width I now enjoy but I'd never know until I try them. If I didn't like what I heard, it would all go back. I'm not into audio to feed my ego. If it sounded amazing, I'll praise it far and wide like my EP800v4 and 160v4.
---Ordering---
I orered on-line through my Axiom account during the members only early Black Friday promo. The on-line store worked flawlessly. I traded in my four QS8s and the M80v2 for a stand, a pair of M5HP and two QS10HP. The store tallied up my debits and trade-in credits and applied my very generous member and special Black Friday promo discounts. A couple of business days later, I started getting what appeared to be automated e-mails from Axiom showing me the progress of my order through the factory. At the same time, I e-mailed Deb at Axiom and asked her to make the stand 18" high instead of the standard 24". She replied she put a note on the order. A couple of weeks later, I received a well-packed order. I unboxed it to find everything wrapped in cloth bags (which some find to be a nice touch but I don't really care about) and vastly improved manuals (which I did not need). I inspected the fit and finish to find that it was exceptional, fine, black Valencia Vinyl like my VP160 and EP800. This standard finish has improved since the M80v2 days. I like the new grain much better. The build quality was outstanding and the magnetic grills so much better than the v2 compression-fit.
---Smoke testing---
Before I install any gear, I test it to make sure all the drivers "work". I found during this process one of the M5 HP drivers was toast and so was one M3 tweeter. I also thought the sound from one QS10 was more attenuated than the other but I quickly discovered this to be my error. I reported the problems to Axiom and a new tweeter and woofer was promptly dispatched. I still went ahead and set up the speakers in my 4,200 cu. ft. space.
---Build Quality---
The builds are excellent. The M5HP has a window brace, and a thermo-formed mid-woofer enclosure. Both have nicely laid out cross-overs and decent components, generous polyfill, excellent vinyl and heavy tweeters. The vinyl oak finish is very good with good relief. Application is excellent with no visible seams. It's a much better finish than my v2 gear. In the 12 years I've had the v2, I have not had any problems with the finish and they still look like new. It's obvious everything Axiom learned on the LFR, M100 and Model T has trickled down into the rest of the line.
---Comparisons with other speakers---
I positioned the M5s and M3s beside the M80s. I then placed my Totem Dreamcatchers (from a different room) beside the M3s. The M80s were 12.5 feet apart and my main listening position (MLP) is 12.5 feet away forming an equilateral triangle with the speakers. The speakers were about 4 feet away from the front wall and 5 feet away from both side walls. The rear wall is about 5 feet behind my MLP. I laughed as I saw the M80s towering above all the other puny speakers. I reminded myself I was not looking for high sound pressure levels (SPL) but rather a wide and tall soundstage with great depth and sharp placement of instruments in that soundstage. My 160v4 was 14 feet away and the QS10s and EP800v4NME about 12 feet away. I'd categorize the room as somewhat lively but not overly so. There's no wild ringing from a hand clap but it's not dead-sounding either. I'm powering everything with an absolutely excellent Onkyo - the TX-NR818. With my M80v2, a more than comfortable listening level for well-recorded movies and music is -15 dB on the Onk's gain knob. -10 dB is about as loud as I'd want to go to not risk hearing damage. I use the Onk's Audyssey XT32 which makes my less than perfect room sound ideal.
After I set the speakers up, I didn't bother to run a calibration. I decided to listen to the M3s first because I have a bad history with them and figured I'd discount them right off the bat and get them out of my hair. Eleven years ago I listened to the M3Ti and they were horrible. Years later, I read Axiom did blind listen tests between the M3s and a B&W bookshelf and listeners preferred the M3. I figured they must be deaf but I had not much to lose giving them a shot for the living room and if I din't like them, back they'd go. So I powered up, with a blown tweeter in one, and put on Blueberry Hill from the Dukes of Dixieland via Spotify Premium. The gain was at -13.
I leaned back in my La-Z-boy and closed my eyes only to have them snap open again 10 seconds into my session. I connected the M80s by mistake; I was sure of it! But then...why does it sound different? The soundstage is "pushed back" and not forward like the M80s. I listened some more. There was space between the instruments - lots of space - and they weren't high up at ceiling level but rather parading at an expected height far behind the speakers. Finally I had enough. It couldn't be the M3s because my entire room was filled with sound. Little bookshelves just can't do that! I got up and checked behind the M80s only to find out the cables were going to the M3s! Hooooly sh!t. I just stood there and stared at the cables going into the M3s...letting my thoughts soak in. Finally I went back to my chair and listened to the rest of the song. Even with the blown tweeter, I could tell the M3s were more special than the M80v2. Besides the soundstage, there was a "pop" in the drums and a lovely shimmer to the highs. I connected the M80v2 and heard the flat, lifeless soundstage, with instruments on top of each other, yet they were certainly louder and fuller. The loudness and fullness didn't fool me though. It really was no contest in my mind. I didn't have to listen any more to know I'd take the M3v4 over the M80v2.
But what about the Dreamcatchers that I loved so much in my 2.1, 800 cu. ft. room? First, I had to turn down the gain to -15 because the woofers tend to pop at loud volumes. When I connected them in, the sound was thin and 2-dimensional. The mid-range was nice though. The soundstage on the other hand just couldn't compete; the M3s are on an entirely different level not only in terms of soundstage but also dynamic ability. The Dreamcatchers are good for background listening though and I may make use of them if I could ever get Totem to sell me a woofer that blew after some listening sessions. If Axiom accepted others' gear, I'd promptly trade them in for maybe M22s.
---Listening Impressions---
Finally I switched over to the M5HPs. The difference between the M3 and the M5HP was immediately obvious. Images were even clearer with more space between them. The entire frequency range was less thick and more transparent. Bass was tighter and more present. The mids and highs of the M5 dispersed throughout the room and were haunting to listen to. These differences were not at all minor. Listening to Bella Fleck's Flight of the Cosmic Hippo, there was absolutely nothing lacking with the M5s. With the M3s, the bass could have been tighter, the mids more clear and the highs more present and less distant. While both speakers have v4 tweeters, the cross-overs are not identical and it's apparent during listening. The M5 tweeter system leaves absolutely nothing to be desired. The dispersion is simply amazing and this leads to air and transparency that is incredibly seductive. The M3 on the other hand sounds like it's holding back. While the M3s painted images of all the instruments behind their cabinets, those same images were sharper and more defined with the M5s. Between those instruments, the M3s kept quiet but the M5s were even more quiet. The best analogy I can give is like the difference between the blacks of two TVs placed side-by-side. One may show blacks as dark while the other is more gray. That's the difference of the space between instruments with the M5 compared to the M3. This is what I've yearned for the last four years.
There is no question Andrew was right; the M5s are definitely more refined than the M80v2. There is absolutely nothing missing with the M3v4 and M5 compared to the M80v2 except higher SPL. I found I could drive the M80v2 to 110dB and M3v4 to 105dB at 3' distance (I had muffs on). Beyond those levels, I detected distortion with my Onk and dynamic compression. The M3v4 sounded better than the M80v2 and just as full. It really was freaking amazing! If you can't afford the money or space for a big speaker, you can set up a great A/V system with the M3v4 and an EP500; an EP350 may even be enough. But once you hear the M5HP, you just can't go back to the M3. You don't even have to listen critically to hear the difference. The M5HPs put Totem, Polk, Klipsch, KEF to shame - they are audiophile quality with wide, deep, tall and accurate soundstage, sharp images with lots of blank space/silence between the images and micro and macro dynamics. Very simply, they are holographic when properly placed in a good room.
The M5HP is so good, I've wondered why anyone would need anything more. I had a fem friend over whom I blind-folded. She's seen and heard my M80s and Dreamcatchers before but had no idea I had all the speakers ready for comparison. She wasn't an audiophile and had no idea what to listen for. After about a half hour of me switching cables and her listening, it was very obvious to her the Dreamcatchers were the worst of the bunch. She had a tough time between the M80v2, the M5HP and the M3v4. I put on Buble and she came to some rapid conclusions. The M80v2 and M3v4 were virtually indistinguishable. The M5HP had the best over-all balance, and soundstage (depth, width, height). She said she could easily pick out the images. I then took the blind-fold off and had her listen to the speakers without knowing which ones she had commented on when blind. She easily discarded the Dreamcatchers. She had a tough time picking a winner between the M80v2 and the M3 and found the M5HP to be the most optimum. At this time, she knew what speaker she was listening to. All of this was done at very sane listening levels of a watt average. She's now actively thinking of buying M3s and was looking at all the finishing options. I found all of this interesting to say the least. On a different day, I pointed out what she should listen for with regard to soundstage. This completely changed the game for her. She was quite taken aback with how the M3v4 and M5 placed all images well behind the speakers in a wide soundstage and layered them if those layers were present in the recording. The M80v2 and Dreamcatchers presented a narrower soundstage and collapsed any layers into a 2D presentation. Images were also clumped together and more fuzzy.
One of my man-buds preferred the M5s, then the M3v4, then the M80v2 and finally the Dreamcatchers. His comments were similar to my fem-friend's. He was also quite shocked with the performance of the M3s given their size and the significant difference in presentation of the M5 and M3 compared to the others.
When I was satisfied that I understood the differences between the M80v2 and the other speakers, I calibrated for the M5s. At this time, they were placed 12'4" apart and my MLP was 12'4" on the diagonal. I then took the M5s off their Axiom stands and replaced them with the M3v4. They're 12'4" apart and I'm 12'4" away on the diagonal. The tweeters are about 5" below my ears. The M3 backs are 4' away from the front wall and sides are 5' away from the side walls. I'm seated 5' away from the back wall. The 800v4 is on and crossed at 80Hz. I'm at -15 on my Onk listening to Calcutta Blues by Brubeck on Spotify Premium. The soundstage is wider than the speaker width. It's DEEEEP...deeper than my front wall...and appropriately tall - no difference in height compared to the M5 or M80v2. The drums are wayyyyy back there! Imaging is amazing! I can say that while the M5s disappear, the M3s disappear better! The mids and highs are not as crisp and transparent and the bass is slightly thicker than the M5 but over-all it's good - really good! The soundstage is soooooo much better than my M80v2. I never thought I'd say all this about the M3. I'm wondering now if the M22v4 (which I've equally despised since I heard the M22Ti) would improve on the M3 while disappearing just like the M3 does. I think Axiom has really screwed themselves though. With the M3, M5HP and maybe the M22, who needs floor-standing speakers? I would take the M3v4 over my M80v2 any day.
With the M3, on "Sheep" from Pink Floyd's "Animals", I realized what was different with the sound. Sheep opens with electric piano and sheep noises, followed almost immediately by bass guitar. The bass is sharply located in the center, while the electric piano has always sounded "out of phase" and smeared across the soundstage with most of the sound seeming to come from a bit outside the speakers. With the new setup the electric piano was sharply located "over there", off to the right somewhere between 30 and 40 degrees, almost twice as far from the center in terms of angle as the right channel speaker. I'm quite amazed these M3s are 12.5 feet apart and performing like a large floor-stander in my 4,200 cu. ft. room!
After listening to more tunes, the M5 definitely resolves better across the entire frequency range compared to the M3v4. The M5 sounds more natural and you don't have to strain to hear how more natural it is. However, there does not appear to be a difference in the eerily holographic quality of the soundstage - both are the same in that regard. In fact, as I reported above, the M3v4 disappears better. As I discovered later, having the tweeter lower than the ears helps with this illusion. In my case, I placed the M3v4 and M5 tweeters 5" below my ears.
Craig Chase was telling me what "I don't get it" from "The Trinity Sessions" should sound like but I could never achieve it with my M80v2. I now hear the width, incredible depth and crisp imaging with the M3v4 as he said. No...I don't need LFRs with this. It's holographic enough for me.
I was up until 4 am with one of my fem-friends taking in concert DVDs, Spotify music and YouTube tunes on the M5s. We just couldn't stop! The Eagles concert was incredible. I could never get it to sound right with my v2 system no matter what; bloated bass, no pop in the drums, wrong imaging, poor soundstage, distorted highs, unclear vocals, weak surround sound. That's all history now. Wow! Just WOW! I tried soooooo hard all night to find a weakness and could not.
I spent a day with my buddy of 40 years. I told him I upgraded my system and he readily agreed to listen blind to 2.1. He is not into audio and only listens in his car or at venues. Some of his comments and behavior were interesting:
1. "The sweetest taboo": I can hear that rain way, way back there. She's singing in front of the rain. Holy sh!t is that what this song is supposed to sound like?
2. "Once I wished a tree upside down": He's right out front. Wait he's going around the back now. He's at the back and now coming around to the front again. This is incredibly clear.
3. "Train song": Oh wow! This sounds like Holly Cole. She's here isn't she? I just saw that train going across the room!
4. "Rosanna": OMG I've heard this song so many times but not like this!
5. "Colomb": This is like having 3-d glasses but on your ears.
6. "Oxygen part IV": He was completely mesmerized with this one and had no idea it was supposed to sound like this. He was moving both arms to simulate what he was hearing.
7. "Oxygene spa version": He went totally limp on this one and said he just wants to float in the saturating bass.
8. "St. Louis Blues" by Wycliffe Gordon: He asked if I moved the side walls.
9. "Belkis queen of Sheba war dance": He was smiling at the illusion of drums way in the back on the left.
There were many other moments also. Before taking off the blinders, I asked him to point to the speakers. He couldn't other than to motion from one side of the room to the other and from the floor to ceiling. I asked him to estimate the size of the speakers and he said, "Big. Very big. Floor to ceiling and very, very wide". When he took the blinders off, he looked at the M5s and then hunted with his eyes around the room. He finally said, "Is that it?". I said yup and he said no way. So I played some more and he was even more floored. He said this wasn't a sound system as much as a sound to image and emotion converter. He was also very surprised by the size of the sub given the fact he couldn't localize it.
---Concluding remarks---
Based on what I heard, I'd say The Family of Curves was interpreted so incredibly correctly. I wanted to take full advantage of the Family of Curves research Axiom did on the v4 so since the listening sessions, I treated my room using panels from Serenity_then and a few other cheap tricks. I've made sure to keep my side walls reflective. What was once great sound is now excellent. The illusion I now hear sounds like black magic and Axiom is the evil wizard weaving spells. My thanks goes out to Ian for not only helping me but having the passion, patience and vision to continuously improve. Craig Chase and Andrew helped me a lot as well to clarify my needs. Now I'm thinking about something I never thought I'd want - custom finishing. I love them so much, I want to dress them properly.
Mojo
