Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Axiom M80's vs Revel F36 or Focal 826's?

Hi: Ok almost ready to buy new speakers(recovering from house expense). Trying to decide between these 3 brands.....right now the is a big sale on the focals ....but having owned the Axiom's V3(almost bought the V4) still might just get the M80's but with the big price jump there are other options to consider.Has anyone here listened to either the Focals or the Revel's what are your thought compared to the Axiom's?I have heard the Revel F36's compared to my M80's(which r ver.3)the revels mid & upper end was more open & detailed without harshness of any kind,however the M80's seem to go deeper?Thanks for any feedback will take my time.Again thanks for the help!!

It depends on what you're looking for in your next loudspeaker. I don't see anything deficient in your existing equipment, and maybe you might want to add extra surround speakers and Atmos speakers to complement that Yamaha. Or add a second sub if you have issues with balancing bass levels across multiple seating positions.

From other discussions on this forum, I have a hunch that the F36 and M80v4 are going to be similarly good. The F36 has an Olive score of 5.7, and the M80 appears to be at least 6.5. The Olive score has a lot of issues, but it's a decent tool for predicting which loudspeaker will win a double blind listening test. The scores are so close that you might prefer one or the other depending on the music track.

Focal has superior industrial design, but every time they've been measured, they don't follow the NRC recommendations of a flat listening window and a straight sloping directivity index. There's only two models that score above a 5.0. I would be second guessing my purchase and whether I would have preferred a more neutral speaker. YMMV.

https://pierreaubert.github.io/spinorama/

As a sidenote, on Pierre's spinorama website, each speaker measurement has a link that says "data". I'd argue that any tonality score over a 7.0 with a "perfect subwoofer" can be considered an endgame purchase. You might still need to tweak the room or go bigger to fill a bigger room, but you can be confident that it's dangerously close to being the best that can be done.

Bruce, walnut espresso M80s. Remember those?

I'd also do QS10s. Trade your M80 and QS8 in and work Axiom over for a great deal.

The listening window and sound power should be downward-tilting at about 3dB/decade. This prevents overly bright highs in a room. V4 are like that. Interestingly enough, for the Brystons, the listening window is flat.

Yes Mojo I do remember those picks...not say I will not go that route but wanting to be sure!!

At the new prices Mojo...Axiom has put their product in another league IMO so should do my research!!

Yes, of course. But remember you can upgrade by trading in your stuff, get your loyalty discount and work them over for the best possible deal.

So far it is a toss up borrowing the Revel's this weekend.....so far leaning the Revel's way(again based on my Version 3's) has anyone compared the new M80's to the version 3 one's??Is the treble & mids a large improvement over the version 3's??. The Revel's win the look's contest going away...but sound is most important to me!!!Axiom's are not ugly at all would go with black oak or ebony in a semi gloss finish.Thanks Mojo it is going to be a close call for me!!

I have not heard v3. I had M80v2. The v4 M2, M3, M50, M5, M100 and active LFRs all beat my M80v2 in soundstage and imaging. The M5 is far more emotionally involving than my M80v2. In all aspects, I found the M5 to be better than the M80v2. The M100 and ALFR are of course on a different level.

I have the M50 in vinyl ebony. I love it. I hear very good things about the real oak.

V3 should have never been introduced!

Stereo guy, here’s my 2 cents, or 5cents now with inflation….

I have m60ti which I love dearly. However, and while not a direct comparison my m3 and m2 v4 are worlds better in imaging and treble is very different than version ti ( ti is version 1 I think ? I’ve actually figured that out officially. )

The treble in v4 is does not have “ that slight edge” that the ti has. It’s what I would call smooth. The m3 v4 images great. It’s really really good. ( when setup with patience it’s excellent ) m2 is possibly even better somehow but I’m splitting hairs.

So none of those things I commented on are direct conpsrisons to m80v2 but it’s what I can offer from my experience.

I’d say utilize the axiom trial period and if you don t enjoy them send them back.

I have the black oak m2 v4 ( I bought a bstock black oak would not been my first choice if buying non bstock ) but super nice!! To my surprise I really like it. I’m a Boston cherry fan. ( my m60ti are Boston cherry vinyl and m3 are Boston cherry real wood and are very nice ). Black oak gets my vote for sure. I also like the axiom style. Some don’t. But it’s clean , we’ll done and low key in a good way. It’s like the axiom sound, neutral and honest.

Hope that helps. Cheers.

Info on the tweeter here.

https://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php/topics/400862/new-tweeter

Ok here’s another thought about your choices….

Looking at the Focals and the Revels it seems like a better or closer apples to apples comparison would an m60hp. Not an m80.

The focal carries the same driver complement as the m60hp as do the Revels. The Revel loses me at a 2 1/2 way crossover. I think I’d go for a true 3 way crossover. So that leaves the Focal. They’re certainly cheaper. They look nice too.

Maybe the only reason to get an m80 is the headroom of dynamics at high SPL they could provide over an m60hp. But unless you’re really cranking it loud frequently or have a massive room to fill then the m60hp in my humble opinion ( believe it’s humble , I’m a relative newcomer to this hobby but I’m learning ) would be plenty capable. And the v4 m60hp appears more linear to top it all off over the m80hp v4.

My m60ti , while yea they are older and not as linear as v4 , sound great and went from great to excellent when I upgraded my integrated to an amp and pre with matched rms values and high capacitance in reserve. It really mattered.

Plus the m60hp shows more wood at the base of the speaker with the shorter grill. So you get to enjoy more of that awesome real wood veneer, that you get to choose!

Make the choice that’s best for you , of course, I think in the end it’s always good. It’s like more and more things out there now, it’s less about better or worse it’s more about preference and personal taste.

Edit: I should say too my room is on the large side and the m60 plays plenty loud and with satisfying emotion. I have added a cheap sub to augment the bottom end. But an v4 Hp probably has a better low end than ti. My m3v4 have great low end in my master bed, it’s smooth and natural.

The OP should be considering the Revel F208 (or the slightly smaller F206) which are 3-way setups and have been reviewed highly by many over the years, not just mags, but also including high scores on the Olive scale and thumbs up by Audioscience Amir. I've been considering a pair of F208s for the main floor myself.

You speaketh facts!

Ok spoke with Andrew in sales today now to decide on the brand & whether if it is Axiom's again to go with either the M60HP or reg, M80's if staying with the Axiom's......hmmmm...hate this hobby at times.Thanks to all so far for your valuable input/suggestions!!

If you choose Axiom ( you should absolutely use the trial period ) I say M60hp all the way with solid quantity and high quality amplification. I don’t think you gain anything by going with the m80 over the m60hp in fact I hunk you lose a little bit. ( splitting hairs ). I guess you get higher SPL and more power handling in tbe m80 and maybe they have an aesthetic you like better? I think hunk the brown xtra money is better spent on HP versus the extra tweeter and mid range.

M60hp and m100. That’s on my short list for my upgrade when it happens. And I’ve got a MASSIVE room. And like I said, you get the linearity and the integration of the m60hp. I enjoy it loud, really loud sometimes but not so often that it’s the defining factor. Now that I’ve added solid and quality amplification the emotional strength of the music is there and I’m not chasing it with the volume knob anymore. I find different music styles needs different volumes of SPL ( that’s another thread discussion some day).

Anyway I’m rambling on here but you’ve got some good choices and options. Happy choosing!! Fun stuff!! ( any chance to bet both the axioms and one other to do an unofficial ab test? That would be the way to do it.

Hi Kodiak: thanks for your input...with my current M80's the bass is very rich,detailed not boomy what so ever....I'm guessing the M60's in the HP trim would continue that sound quality?my room is 20' wide 14' deep with 8.5 ceilings.....that comes to about 2200 cubic feet...I listen at about -30db(after running arc on my new Anthem MRX740 ) movies at about -22db's find it is plenty loud...sometimes louder then these but most of the time that is it.The 80's sounded more open then(going way back) then my old M69ti's.There is my final question(yeah right,LOL) thanks Kodiak & everyone else!!!

That is a perfect size room for M60s! You don't need HP drivers. Use the money you save for QS10s.

I had M5s in my 4200 cu. ft. room, 12 feet apart and I sat 14 feet away. I loved them! Far better than my M80v2. The M60 non-HP will be just as awesome. According to Ian, M60 is the way to go over M5 unless you absolutely must have bookshelves.

I'd expect the M60 to compare favourably with Revel's F206 and the M60HP with the F208. The M60 is also easier to drive than the 206 (not sure about F208). Careful with the M60HP though. That might be more of a 4 Ohm load. Axiom would know.

Did you mean M80HP with F208?

The F208 is 8” drivers.

No. I meant the M60HP being similar to the F208.

The big difference is the F208 will reach 5Hz lower than the M60. With the M60HP, the difference may be smaller. When using a sub, as Bruce is, that 5Hz difference is insignificant.

Ahhh.

Of course, as we both know, my advice regarding the M60s relative to the Revels is nothing but facts pieced together from a considered examination of manufacturer claims and nomadic extrospection. Therefore my advice is more hypothesis and educated conjencture than the respected hallucinations of professional reviewers.

I found when you give your Axiom speakers more power, they sound better and better.

MMM,

That’s exactly correct and is exactly what I have experienced. That sums it all up nicely in one sentence.

Thumbs up.

Well the 1st part is done...ordered M60Hp's in black oak semi gloss & the VP160 in the B-stock section....now the wait begins for the M60's to be built(chose 25 day wait). Then will compare to the Revel's and keep what I like.Thanks to all that offered up advice & opinions on here & to Andrew Fletcher for his help too!!!So there is part one...more to come,,,have a idea which speakers will win but going to A/B them to be sure!!!

I look forward to reading your facts.

BTW, you should hear a difference between your 160v3 mini and the 160v4. I had my 160v4 playing full range so you may want to try that.

As much as I loved the 160, I no longer need a centre with the active LFRs. The centre image is vastly more natural now and I hear details just to the left and right of centre whereas before, these details were collapsed in a more focused region. Unfortunately none of the other Axioms could reproduce this effect during movies.

Did you find out from Andrew what the impedance profile is for the M60HP?

Ask Andrew to send you port plugs. If you place them too close to the wall, you may need them. Maybe ARC can fix that for you though.

I see on the product page the M60HP is considered 6 Ohm. It will fall into 4 Ohm territory but you should be OK with that Anthem. Not much different than the Revel in that regard.

Bruce, you said you listen at around -22. For reference, I listen to music at -30 and my active LFRs are calibrated to -1 and 0. I sit 14 feet away. That's how sensitive they are. Very, very satisfying.

Movies are a different story. It's like thunder and lightning, man!

Hi Mojo:After running ARC it set room gain at about 3db if I remember correctly so that I guess why that modest level is where it is at....some recordings are a fair bit higher(not going to go deaf levels,LOL that is not how I listen...but loud enough to really enjoy the music.With the Yamaha had to turn up much louder say -25 for most music compared to 30-35 now...movies are with 3080 -20 and movies sometimes *18.Still getting used to the MRX740...much better then the Yamaha(which is very good)So with the new speakers will be interesting to see errr listen.Will report back should get them later this month or early Nov.!!Thanks Mojo

Sweet!! Looking forward to hearing your impressions of both speakers. Congrats! What great options you’ve got coming your way.

Was looking at a pair of used F308s this past week. Tempting but for $4500 used, i'm just not into putting more cash towards audio right now.
Have some trips being planned where we'll need the cash.
Guess i'll put off replacing the big Tannoys for some time yet, if ever.
If things change in some regard and i get a pair, i'll certainly set up the blind test again.

Still waiting on speakers!!!There is a delay with the black oak wood....when I checked last week!!

Damn.

The waiting game is rough!!! Nothing is spared when it comes to supply chain shortages.

Spoke to Andrew this morning approx. 2 more weeks as black oak still not delivered yet.....this might make my decision easy if much later on which speakers to keep.....

Is time running out on the trial for the Revels?

Yes....have til Nov 28th or will cost me some dollars......so will see how this plays out....a winner either way....as like the Revels quite a bit just feel the bass is a bit light.....but depending on timing will be a lot cheaper to keep them!! Will speak to Axiom about a late discount if not here by 25th & go from there

When you're negotiating with Axiom, keep in mind there's a Black Friday sale on.

Are you comparing with the F206?

I will got a good deal in early October....but the black Friday price is slightly better!!

No the F36's

Maybe the best question for now: how does the F36 compare with the M80 v.3? And can basic tone adjustments make them comparable?

This will be very interesting. No doubt the 60 will give you an emotionally appealing bottom end but will it match the dispersive mids of the Revel? The v4 just might actually. Your room will matter also. The 60's response is downward-tilting to reduce brightness in reflective rooms. The F36's response is flatter which may suit more damped rooms.

So a further update....so spoke to and got today a email from Axiom....My speakers are scheduled for production..BUT can not give me a shipping date yet....sounds like still weeks away from getting them....was at a dealer's place where had a chance to listen to Paradigm Premier 800F's....they sounded great to me on paper better bass response & in the setting I heard them in better then the Revel's to my ears just as open sounding too.So now I have more options(just what I needed!! LOL) So I am trying to decide what to do.....I know the Axiom sound sig. pretty well not going to wait any where 4-5 months for the M60's tell ya that right now...can get the 800F's for 25% off right now til Jan 2nd...Revel' for free til Dec 1st.So that is a long update but letting people know where things are at!!

Can you get an in-home trial of the Paradigms?

Yes I can ""If you hate them keep all the packing materials & we will take them back" so will confirm that....going to listen to the 700F on Friday at store.....& ask how long return offer is for...

Well, bring the 700 home too!

I'm not sure I trust Paradigm anymore, expressed by myself and by others:

https://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php/topics/445769/paradigm-doesnt-do-nrc-
anymore#Post445769

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/what’s-the-deal-with-paradigm-speakers.8927/

But I will relate my experience when I took a pair of Polk Audio LS90's home for a 10 day trial. They sounded great in the showroom with my own music, so I bought them. But when I A/B'd them against my existing Paradigm Phantom's, there was no question which of the two was the more neutral loudspeaker. The LS90 had too much bass, a muddled midrange, and strident treble in comparison. I didn't want to keep them knowing that I had something better.

The Phantoms are long gone, replaced by even more neutral loudspeakers from Nuance, Angstrom, Axiom, and Kanto. I don't think you'll get a good decision unless you can trial them in your own home, with your own music, and being able to A/B them almost simultaneously.

The one question that I'm still waiting for is how the Revel's compare with your M80v3. Is it a small or noticeable difference? I've had instances where what I had was better than it's replacement.

Hi Hambrabi: The Revel's outperform the M80 v3 in every area only in bass response do the M80's outdo the Revel's it requires me to boost the bass on the Revel's by 6db's to get them close!!ISo it comes down to this for the price of the Revel;s having a speaker that does start to roll off at 51kz is not good enough 4 me both the M60's and on 1st listening to the 800F are better arounders to my ears....if the HP M60's would be ready in next 2 weeks no problem but seeing that it seems likely much long then that not going without speakers 4 months (my m80's long gone). So there is the question saw you asked before sorry took so long to reply!!

I don't think Axiom and Paradigm use the NRC any longer. What's there other than an anechoic chamber? They both have their own.

As far as I know, the NRC hasn't been involved in audio science since the days of Toole.

PSB still uses their anechoic chamber regularly. Nothing's really changed since their core findings in the 1980's: loudspeakers with a flat listening window (including the bottom 2 octaves) and smooth directivity index win double blind listening tests. Rumor has it that just before Toole left for Harman, the king of the mountain at the NRC was the Mirage M1 (or M1si?) and never lost a double blind listening test.

What's changed is that Audio Science Review and Erin's Audio Corner has pointed out just how few loudspeakers are on the market today that actually achieve those metrics.

The dealer I used to deal with in Toronto carries PSB XT2 & in there opinion the 800f's are a noticeable step up from the PSB's.I used to own the PSB 40mkII way back.So will see what the 700f's sound like they are true 3 ways like the M60's & the 800f's are(800f's have bigger woofers). So looks like either 800f's or M60 hp!!But will see Fri what I hear!!

The 800f appears to be a functional and performance copy of the M60 (non-HP). The only thing that I haven't been able to find is 800f dynamic capability.

I hope you can compare with the M60HP.

That depends on Axiom(how long to build my M60 hp's???) & what return window for the Paradigm's I will have...better Idea after this Friday!!!Looks like the Revel's will be going back before the Axiom's for sure....maybe will get a day or to compare with the 800F's??

Bruce, you know what? Save yourself a ton of hassle. Call Axiom up and say you've had enough of getting the run-around with your order. You want SATISFACTION with the deal of the century on an active LFR/2×ADA-1250-5 system.

You won't be able to stop listening. No speakers to be heard. Just images rendered in a huge 3D space.

Put yourself out of your misery!

I think it's fine to keep the Revel's if they're an improvement. These businesses are not charities, and as much as we'd like them to earn our business, someone ought to eventually earn a profit. What would suck is if you bought something that was a step backwards (like my Polk Audio experience) or sideways.

I wouldn't worry too much about the bass if you can successfully blend it with a sub. I don't get a good experience if I can't crossover at 40 or 50 Hz at the AVR, so small bookshelf speakers that bottom out at 70-80 Hz don't work for my space.

Daniel, does your bass sound too bloated if you cross over above 40 or 50?

Yes. Whether it's an issue with the sub or with the room nodes at those frequencies, I can't get a satisfactory blend with smaller speakers. The Onkyo AccuEQ software has the M5HP crossed over at 40 Hz and Angstrom Modular Six Center at 50 Hz, and it sounds right. My Kanto Yumi and Angstrom Omega II 200's cross over at 80 Hz and 110 Hz, and it's too easy to localize the sub. That's probably why I'm dismissive of the THX recommendations of 80 Hz for all loudspeakers.

I'm fortunate that I've been able to find a configuration that's dialed in for all 4 of my seating positions with minimal hot spotting. But it took a year of tweaking before I nailed it.

And my sub is reminding me to feed it contact cleaner to make it to its 28th birthday.

Of all the rooms I've set up, it's never been 80Hz. Anything above 60 has resulted in bloated bass.

Could be your sub if it has an audible resonance or rolls off too slow. My 20 year-old, $99 Sony was like that until I stuffed it and shellaced the driver. Freakin' good now to 25Hz even in my 4200 cu. ft. room for music.

Mojo: You want SATISFACTION with the deal of the century on an active LFR/2×ADA-1250-5 system. nope not possible too much $$$$ do not like kraft dinner that much

Final update
The Revels go back on Friday Dec 2bd end of a 20 day trial.So given the low end issues with them and a slightly harsh high end not in the running long term.....we are down to this plan...can get the 800f's in house 4 a 10 day trial....heard the 700f's yesterday.....in a bigger & livelier room then my living room pretty sure they(800's) equal the Axiom's so going to try to wait to get the 800f's here at same time as the m60's for a proper shootout...may the best speaker win.Now if the Axiom's are not going to be able to be here by the 16th of Dec then the 800's win by default as can get them in 2 days from ordering them!!

Adding paramecium to Kraft dinner works wonders.

Isn't that something about the high end. A real challenge for all manufacturers.

Looking forward to hearing how well Paradigm copied Axiom.

Looking forward to hearing how well Paradigm copied Axiom.[/quote]


I honestly think the Axiom's will be a bit better......however if have to wait too long(the 16th of Dec will be 50 business day's since order placed if they have a ship date at that time great but when Revels go back no speakers will I have(that sounded like Yoda,LOL) & no reasonable update then.......& I do understand the problem's Axiom & other companies r having these days!!

Bruce, it would be interesting if you compare without and then with room EQ.

Edit: in case the above didn't make sense, let me re-phrase it. Interesting it would be if with room EQ you compare without and then with.

There's nothing in the F36's spinorama measurements that stand out as causing that harshness. I see a directivity change (slope change) at the midrange/tweeter crossover range that might indicate minor midrange and lower treble issues; plus the dramatic drop off below 60 Hz that would indicate it needs a subwoofer. Overall, the F36 is probably in the top 10% of the 2022 loudspeaker market for neutral sound. But always go with your gut.

https://pierreaubert.github.io/spinorama/speakers/Revel%20F36/Revel/index_vendor.html

You can do a lot worse. I thought the Olive score bottomed out at -1.0, but Pierre recently posted a bunch of stinkers that are around -2.4 to -6.4.

Edit: on second thoughts, that directivity change means the treble has the same slope angle, but from a different starting point. Perhaps I can see why it can be perceived as harsh. Directivity matters, otherwise we'd expect loudspeakers with the flattest listening window to always win double blind listening tests (and they don't).

Update on the speakers....got a call today from Axiom(Andrew) my M60's should ship sometime early next week.So will now have the M60's vs the Paradigm Premier 800F shootout late next week or early in the Dec12th week.May the best speaker win!!

Bruce, I don't know about the Paradigms but I can tell you most of the Axioms I've received sound different (better) after 5 to 30 hours. They also sound different if you haven't played them for a while. Ambient temperature and humidity matters with regard to how they sound.

I don't know what's responsible for the differences but one thing I do know is the tweeter uses ferrofluid for cooling. The viscosity of this fluid is a function of temperature.

hi Mojo: I believe in speaker break in to a point(few hours) so both will be broken in a bit before I decide...that is why will not order the 800F's til my M60's are shipping so can use the full ten days I have with the 800F's!!!

You might want to ask Axiom for sphincter plugs if you're positioning them within a foot or two of the wall. I've found the plugs work but they change the character of the lower mids.

Regarding Mojo's port plug comment, I have my M80s about 10" from the wall with no ill effect. One time, just for grins, I moved them to about 4 inches and didn't notice any change. FWIW, the manual says 2-3 inches.

The manual says that because in order for the port to do its job, the speaker needs to be a minimum of one port diameter away from the wall. If you move it closer, the low end tuning changes. So does the radiation pattern but that's a different story.

The distance from boundaries affects room loading. If you want more bass, move closer; less bass, move farther. It's like EQ only acoustical rather than electronic.

There's a ton more to this though and the simple answer is that you have to play with your speakers and MLP a ton to get it right. You can start off with speakers 12 feet or more into the room or 3 feet or less into the room. Someone like Trevor may have come up with a pretty good method for getting close. I start by eye-balling the room. What I end up with sounds good and I can't know if it's optimized. But people don't like it because their room looks like crap most of the time. Actually, if they got rid of 80% of the shit they don't really need, it would all be fine!

When Bruce does his listening, he may find he loves the speaker in a particular position but not the final position. This is why I suggested he may also want to listen with room correction.

Nice feedback mojo. Playing with positioning is crucial. As I’ve learned and am slowly learning more.

The best positions for me look the absolute worst in my great room. So I day to day I have the m60s parked in an aesthetic location which is fine bc it’s too busy in the house to really do any critical listening. It’s more for just having tunes going while doing things around the house.

But when the house is empty and I have the time I know where to place them to get the holographic response I love. Takes about 7 mins to adjust speakers and couch into MLP but it’s great. I am lucky though that my room is able to be revamped easily bc there’s lots of space and things move easily. It’s a good compromise of aesthetics and being able to position for optimum performance.

They’re quite deep into room. It looks insane but it sounds amazing. With the sub I have I was able to commit to moving the L/R further out into the room. I wouldn’t do that before bc I would lose too much bass from the snubs without the sun. But now it’s really good.

Just saw this note on Paradigm.
My thoughts exactly, or similar.

Angstrom?
They still making anything of worth?
They are NOT well known.
I have two in my office; Angstrom Legattos.
Of any bookshelf pair i've had, still the most incredibly detailed sound. I'm itching to consider a pair of Kef R3s though (3 way pair).

It might be a zombie company of 1 or 2 people for all I know, relegated to obscurity like Hansen, Gershman, or Newform Research. I only see distributors advertise new models on Kijiji. But somehow they've outlasted API (Energy, Mirage, Sound Dynamics, Athena), Waveform, and Nuance!

They still have their Obliggatos listed as current models.
https://angstromloudspeakers.com/portfolio-item/obbligato-floor-standing-loudspeakers/
Not sure who distributes them anymore.
https://angstromloudspeakers.com/where-to-buy/

Not owned by the original NRC research fellows, but company still there though mostly HT related in-wall, on-wall kind of stuff.
https://angstromloudspeakers.com/history/

And how does this weight only 20 lbs?
https://angstromloudspeakers.com/portfolio-item/comodo-f-floorstanding/

Hard to trust a company that can't get specs straight. Love those Vifa drivers though.

The PSB Alpha T20 tower is 12kg each, so 9 kg might be accurate.

I have Angstrom's Modular Six Center channel, a pair of Omega II 200 bookshelves, and a pair of Suono 100SD multi-polar surrounds. $300 used, a good deal considering the original owner paid $2100. The Suonos are highly colored, but they're fine for surround duties. The other speakers hold their own against the M5HP at low volumes, albeit with a slightly lifted treble. They go into compression early, so they won't play loud.

I still have a review written by Gordon Brockhouse of various $1500 towers (2005 dollars) comparing the Energy Reference Connoisseur RC-50, Infinity Beta 50, Paradigm Reference Studio 60 v.3, and PSB Image T65. He threw in the Angstrom Modular Two bookshelves with Modular TENi subwoofer as a foil. The sub-sat system won, particularly in treble and midrange neutrality. So Angstrom was capable of fielding competitive products at the time.

The founder of Angstrom was in the same philosophy program as Ian. Instead of wasting their brains on philosophy stuff, they wasted their brains on speaker engineering at the pub.

Now here's my reasoning on Angstrom speakers. Ian got his philosophy degree. So did the Angstrom founder. Ian and the founder discussed speakers over cold brewskies. Ian and the founder started speaker companies. Ian designs great speakers. Therefore, by transitive property, the founder designs great speakers. Therefore, Angstrom speakers are righteous.

You might also be able to tell from this analysis I got an A in my first year philosophy class. The same class where Dr. Feldt promised in writing to break both my knee caps if I ever again wrote a first year paper that took him as long to mark as a Ph.D. thesis.

I actually auditioned the Angstrom Modulars back when i was first shopping for gear. It was my 8th post on these boards!
https://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/u...strom-modular-and-the-winner-is#Post3289

I read your review a few days before I made an offer for the Angstroms! The seller originally split the speakers up and wanted $575 for them. I made him an offer for the center and bookshelves, and on my way there, he offered the surround speakers as well for a price I couldn't refuse. My original plan was to use the Omega II 200's as surrounds, but the Suono's diffuse sound field is better for that task. We both got a fair trade.

And it's good to know that Angstrom is as lost in 2022 as they were in 2002. haha