Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Anyone with M60 or M80 in the DC area?

Hello.

I just recently moved to a new home and my satellite system is too small for my new family room. I have been researching speakers and ran across Axiom. It appears many people like them. However, I cannot buy speakers without listening to them first! I have shopped around enough to know specs and cost are not everything and clarity for one person may be mud for another.

I am considering M60, M80 or the surround
packages with these speakers. (probably M60). My use will likely be 90% music with 10% HT. The music breakdown will be 70% Classical, 20% Hard rock and 10% Dinner music.

I would really appreciate it if anyone in the local Washington DC area can give me an opportunity to give M60 or even M80 a listen.

I did see the post regarding voluteers and I sent an email message to Adrien in the area but it appears he does not use that account anymore.

I would also appreciate receiving comments from those of you who have shopped around as to your impressions regarding the M60 as compared to other models. I am looking for a tight, accurate reproduction over anything else. Boomy, artificially inflated bass I cant stand. Highs must be accurate with minimal color and distortion, and no muddied, hollow sound. I prefer neutral but can go a little bright or even metallic over muddied and unclear highs. (Does any of that make sense?).

For your reference, I have listened to the best they have to offer at:

Best Buy: Klipsch-ugg..thin highs, OK mids and no bass, JBL-good highs and OK mids but boomy bass that is uncontrolled.

Circuit City: Polks that were boomy with poor integration between midrange and bass.

Myer-Emco: Boston Acousics Reference series--sounded great..nice and tight with brilliant accurate highs and tight lows. The catch is $2400 for 2 speakers. If I want the surround sound...not going to happen.

Tweeters: Polk Lsi/15- very nice speakers...well integrated and beautiful sound (better than the more expensive Lsi/25). Everthing is so smooth and nothing sticks out. If I had to pick a weakness, output of the bass was a bit low but that is it. At $1500/pr,this is the speaker I will likely buy unless I can find something else that sounds better or same for less...which I am hoping M60's will. Top of the line Polk RTi also sounded good but not as well integarated and at $1400, not sure.

I am planning to buy a Yamaha V650 amp or something similar as well.

Sorry for the long winded post but your comments are welcome and I hope someone will contact me for an audition of the M60.

Regards,
Daniel
ds22030@yahoo.com

welcome daniel.. hope we can help with your speaker search.

OK, to find someone to audition, go here and make sure to look at each page, since people have added on since the original post.

also, there is a guy on here that goes by 'capn pickard', so do a search and you will find some of his posts. he lives in the DC area, and he might be up for letting for listen to his axioms.. but to be honest, i am not sure as to which speakers he has.

unless you are really into CRANKING your speakers, the M60's should be all that you need. they are remarkably clean and precise at insanely loud volumes. they can take a lot, and give out plenty. their sound is very accurate, with a remarkable soundstage. there is NO boomy, or muddled bass.. its very tight, with thump, not boom. the highs are sometimes described as 'bright', but that is really relative to the listener. i find mine to be very accurate and not splashy at all. of course, your ears and my ears might hear differently.

you would be doing yourself a great injustice by not giving the M60's a serious listen to. at $800 a pair(shipping included, even less for factory outlet) you would be hard pressed to find a better sounding speaker at this price.. hell, at twice this price!!

try and send 'capn pickard' an PM, and see if he responds. check that link i posted, and good luck.

EDIT- i just did a search, and here is capn pickards profile. good luck

bigjohn

daniel,

Yeah...What he said.

Seriously though, if you can't get in touch with CapnPicard, drop Amie an email and she may be able to hook you up with someone who may not be listed on that particular post.

I have the M60's and had listened to a number of speakers including Klipsch...I find that they are very accurate and true to the original recording (they will show which CD's you have are poorly recorded). They have a clear midrange and carry a bass that is substantial even without a sub...may not go as low as other speakers but it is tight and right on the money.

My .02,

WhatFurrer

John, the "Adrien" Daniel referred to in his post IS Capn Pickard. Adrien is his real name.

Daniel,

Welcome! From your post I'm assuming you tried the email address in his profile. If that's the one that didn't work for you, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click on "send a private message," and try reaching him that way. He comes around here most every day, and that should get his attention.

I own and love the M60s.

DUH!!(on me) thx jack.. i think i selectively skipped over that paragraph.

the perils of 'skim' reading while at work!!

bigjohn

Not meant as a criticism John, only information. I just happened to remember the Capn's real name, because it's kinda unusual, and I like it. Were it not for that, I wouldn't have known either.

Let's blame Daniel for not using Adrien's forum name. . (Daniel, those smilies mean I'm only kidding. Nothing is your fault.)

Thanks everyone...yes, CapnPicard is Adrien...sorry for the confusion. I will send him a PM. He has a Yamaha RXV750 so I really do want to hear his setup.

I have heard and was told by Axiom expert that M60's sound alot like B&W 703. I cant remember if that was the model I auditioned at MyerEmco..it may have been 704? I wasnt concentrating on the sound too much though as I could not get over how ugly it looked (IMO). Well let's let this thread hang and some others in the area will hopefully chime in.

Yes - the "Capn" is a lame play on words given the fact that my last name is "Pickard" for all you Trekkies out there. I also go by Adrien...

Sorry - Daniel - I do check my hotmail account. I've just been moving this weekend, and have been out of touch since last Thursday (no internet during the move). I have PM'd you back, and welcome you to take a listen to the set up and hopefully turn you on to the Axioms.

As I told Daniel in my message to him, the move went well - nothing broken (except a few backs). It took four movers 9 hours to get all of our stuff into the fourth floor of a walk up apartment in D.C. The 40" Mitsubishi (weighing in at circa 350 lbs.) took 4 of them half an hour alone. But it is done now. All that is left is to unpack and get things set up...

As expected, though - I'm still living out of bags for clothese (still haven't found the underwear bag). However, I spent a couple of hours hanging my QS8's last night and tacking the wire to the floor... my priorities are evident, and my wife is not enthused.

Anyway - come one, come all...if you can share in my excitement, it will make me a happy man. Daniel - just let me know when a good time is, and we'll work something out.

P.S. - Welcome to the boards, and to the neighborhood!

Oh Please! A 4th floor walk up? When I was young, moving was a major pain in the butt. But, now in my dotage, the thought of moving is terrifying. LITERALLY!

The funny thing about that is I hope to move out of this townhouse apartment and into a condo about a year from now (it's all very tentative, at this point). Fortunately I have a 43" DLP which only weighs 67 pounds (think about it, adrien. Someday, you're gonna move OUT of that 4th floor walk up. ).

However, I have a basement that is so full of crap, that it will take me a year, at least, to get rid of it all. Floor to ceiling with one narrow path to the washer and dryer, water heater, and furnace. SCARY!

Glad it all went well. Once the moving part is over, fixing up your new home the way you want it can be great fun and very rewarding, even if it DOES take a while. Enjoy the journey. Suggestion. Find that underwear bag as quickly as possible.

I'm thinking when it comes time to move out - I'll sell tickets and people can watch me toss 350 lbs of TV out the window. Should make for quite some spectacle.

Actually - the 40" is a hand me down from my wife's father, who just bought a 50" plasma. The TV is actually a downgrade for us in quality (sadly, no component video inputs), but its large size more than makes up for it. And to boot, the S-Video feed from the DVD player looks sufficiently clear not to warrant any hasty action on my part.

We hope to live in the new home for a couple of years (I can't stomach the thought of moving again). If someone can shwo me how, I'll post soem pics of the place we bought for you to see. Then later, when I find our camera in the bottom of some box, I'll take soem pictures of my set-up (I went with the cherry up front, maple in the rear look that blends in nicely with our gray/taupe walls).

OK - I just got a self taught crash course on posting pics...

Here's some new house pics (unfurnished, after renovations)

View from outside - we're on the top floor. Note the lack of elevators on this 1890's building.


Below is the HT/living room. This is shot from the Point of View (POV) of the TV, looking into the kitchen and dining room.



This shot is looking into the right corner where the TV, fronts, etc. reside. Surrounds and couch are on the left wall facing in.


This is the kitchen - no HT in there - but man, are we excited about the 6 burner Viking range, the stainless Sub Zero and the dual dishwashers (which you can't see) along with the natural Maple cabinets.



This is the POV from the couch looking into the dinign room/kitchen. Down the halls are the bathrooms, bedrooms, etc.




I'll get some pics up of the finished HT later. ENJOY.

what an awesome looking place. very clean and modern. but i gotta say, i dont think i would care for that 4 floor hike every day..(breathing deep).. not to mention, when you have to lug up groceries.. ?? i would rig up some kind of sling and pulley system, so i wouldnt have to make so many trips.

very nice place.. definitely post some HT pics when it is up and running.

bigjohn

Hello Capn_Picard,

Hope you are well. Looks like a very nice place, however I would not want to live under you with all that audio gear you are going to pack in there....hehe.

Later,

TonyM

Wow!!what a great looking place! I cant wait to see it when I come to audition...I will let you know what time on Sun. as soon as I can confer with my Social Coordinator (wife)....

Capn Picard,

Nice place you got there. In my opinion all it needs is the HT set up...moving the furniture in is unnecessary. You can just do the old "oh no...someone stole all the furniture" routine whenever you have guests over.

What was it that Craig said about that Mits TV? Wowie wow wow wow!! Adrien, congratulations. That is spectacular! The kitchen is awesome! If you can't be happy there, then it has nothing to do with the space. My compliments to you on the design and feel, and warmest wishes for many happy years in your home.

Wow! That is a really beautiful place. The exterior of a century old D.C. brownstone is graceful. Was it always divided into flats? Or was it, at one time, a single dwelling? I'm assuming the 3 windows on the top floor are your living room.

Holy Cats! What a kitchen! In that place, even I could be a good cook. NAH! Not even that place could make me a good cook. Trust me.!

Thanks, guys. The stairs, no doubt, will become the bane of my existence after some time. Maybe it'll keep me in shape enough to be a huge couch potato.

And its funny you mention the pulley system. After the 15th or 20th trip down the stairs bringing up boxes, my father made that same suggestion.

Anyway - now that I know how to, I will be sure to get some HT pics done. I have to admit that the place looks and feels very different with furniture etc. in it. These pics were taken just before we painted. After getting some stuff in there, it still looks very modern, but the furniture softens things up a bit and breaks up the long stretches of wall.

Wow, that is an amazing looking place.
How many lights are going down that hallway? It looks like a runway!

Congrats!

Great observation! I kinda glanced over it the first time, but now it's unmistakable!

Adrien, get to know your place from every angle. It helps if you can crab-walk and look at your place upside-down while imagining what it would be like to live on the ceiling.

That place is beautiful - especially the kitchen.

Seeing places like that (ca 1890s) really throws me for a loop. Old houses around here were put up in the '70s.

Very neat looking crib. Can't wait to see the HT all setup.

Ajax,

The building was put up around 1890. It was broken into floors (with two duplexes on the first floor) in the sixties. We're on the top floor - so the three windows you see are us (which you can't see in the pictures, cause the fireplace is blocking it)....

Thanks for all the complements though guys. It's comign along slowly but surely, one room at a time (more like one component at a time, actually). Tonight, in fact, I tried to tackle my "rat's nest" problem, somewhat successfully, and much to the delight of the better half.

About the lights and kitchen and stuff - the people who lived there before us renovated before they got out of the place (and probably made a pretty penny on the profit from us as well). The D.C. real estate market is outrageous right now. It's a hard to find a place as it is to afford one. I think my wife and I got lucky - we got it for asking (in no small part due to the hike you take every time you come in and leave the place).

Nice pad

Where in DC are you? I actually live in Burtonsville... between Columbia and Silver Spring.

UMDterp - (which translates into University of Maryland Terp for you non-East Coasters)

Thanks. I'm on T Street, N.W., just South of Adams Morgan and North of Dupont Circle.

By the way - I am a UVAcav (which translates into University of Virginia Cavalier). We'll fight about that rivalry later.

thats a nice area of DC...

at least you aren't from Duke or UNC... that would cause a lot of tension around here.... hehehehe

when i was in the military and stationed out in north carolina, i visited the UNC tarheel campus. i would have to say that the UNC campus/chapel hill area, is quite possibly the most beautiful campus i have ever seen. it had beautiful buildings, and it seemed to be perfectly in tune with the trees and natural habitat surrounding it. i was so intrigued by it, i almost stayed in NC and went to school there.. but, in the long run, i missed texas enough to get on back, and get my education here.

dont be a tarheel/blue devil hater just cause they can kick some terp butt on the hardwood!!

bigjohn

hahaha.... 4 years of undergrad plus another 2 of grad school at UMD teach you to have a rather strong dislike for Duke and UNC.

The UNC and Duke campuses are both very nice... Chapel Hill is a great area. I worked for Nortel down in Research Triangle Park for a summer 3 years ago back when I was in school...

At least we can all agree that Virginia Tech is a bunch of no good losers, though, right?!?

what in the hell is a hookie anyway???

bigjohn

A Hokie is a castrated turkey - no joke.

both of my parents are Virginia Tech grads.... hahahaha...

Oh jees - It's rumble time, baby...

Phooey on all of you guys... Go Towson State !

hehe.. I didn't go there, but I live close by