Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo GOOD sounding cd's

Here is a short list of some of my better recorded-mastered cd's.....[no particular order].

Johnny Cash: "when the man comes around"
Jimi Hendrix: "First rays...........
Alannah Myles: "Rockinghorse"
Eagles: "Hotel California"
Doobie Bros. "What were once vices......
Blondie: "Greatest hits"
Black Sabbath: "Paranoid"
Robin Trower:"Bridge of sighs"...expanded ed.
Chicago: "CTA"
Doors: "L.A.Woman"

just a few you may like.

pearl jam, "Verses"
life of agony, "soul searching sun"
norah jones, "come away with me"
allison krauss & union station, "live"(really, its live)
maroon 5, "songs about jane"
bruce robinson, "country sunshine"
jason mraz, "waiting for my rocket to come"

i like those a lot........

bigjohn

AC/DC Back in Black
ZZ Top Tres Hombres
SRV pick one there all good
Eric Claypton and BB King, Riding with the king

I thought you liked ABBA ?

Not really, that one is the wifes .My favorite is Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Yes, I forgot, [among others] ZZ Top "six pack" [one of the earliest re-masters I am aware of].

Any disc from Dead Can Dance.

Doobie Brothers "Doobies Choice"
This is a comp. disc that is recorded better than the original discs I have of theirs. There are several songs on it that I had never listened to before. Check it out I think you'll like it (if you like the doobies)
I love Stevie Ray also, but one of my cds of his seems to be recorded badly. " The Real Deal: Greatest Hits 2" . Lenny, Riviera Paridise, and Little Wing in a side by side comparison sound terrible compared with the original cd versions.

Spiff- you beat me to that answer.

What's your favorite DCD compilation? And why...?

Recently picked up Eric Clapton's Me and Mr Johnson which sounds great.

Others:
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
1 Giant Leap
Beck - Odelay
Joe Jackson - Night and Day

I find that most of my jazz and jazz oriented CD's are the ones with the best recording quality. A lot of the stuff I like (Radiohead, Yo La Tengo, Foo Fighters) aren't necessarily the best recording quality, but hey, I'm no expert.

Dave Brubeck-Time Further Out also sounds great!

Fourplay - Between The Sheets
Diana Krall - Live In Paris

This week's indulgences include:

Yes, Close to the Edge, track: And You and I.

Pink Floyd, Wish you were here, track: Welcome to the Machine

QUEENSRYCHE, just about any of it...
Silent Lucidity, (I love the explosion, what can I say)

Eric Badhu live album, Track:Next Lifetime (the gal can sing!)

Holst, The Planets, Mehta, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Decca Eloquence ELQ 467 418.

Smetana, Ma Vlast, Berglund , Dresden State Orchestra Seraphim SPH 73736.

Rachmaninoff, Symphonic Dances, Batiz, Royal Philharmonic, Naxos NXS 8.550583.

Brahms, Hungarian Dances, Bogar, Budapest Symphony, Naxos NXS 8.550110.

Respighi, Roman Festivals, Batiz, Royal Philharmonic, Naxos NXS 8.550539.

Here are a few more,[not all are "favorites",but they sound pretty good].

Albert King:"crosscut saw- in San Francisco".
Queen:"Greatest hits" [new].
Ted Nugent:"Ted Nugent".
Berlin:"Count three and pray".
Stories:"About us".
C.C.R."Platinum"[import].
Peter Frampton:"Frampton comes alive"[25th aniv.].
David lee Roth:"The best"
Lynyrd Skynyrd:"One more [from] the road"[25th aniv.].

This album is one of my favs...


Though this box set is really the best...even includes a live dvd!

Here's a few more that sound great on my M3ti's:

Bruce Cockburn "Humans" - remastered
Lindsey Buckingham "Out of the Cradle"
Steely Dan "Two Against Nature"
Al Stewart "Year of the Cat" - Import/Remastered
Metallica "Black Album"

Beyond just CD's, there are some really nice DVD recordings worth checking out.

My favorite right now is REM's Perfect Square. It was filmed in Wiesbaden Germany in 2003. The video is a real treat (a beautiful locataion for a concert). The sound is Dolby Digital 5.1 and the Axiom's really bring the whole thing to life. I just love the way the QS8's give you that sense you're standing in the crowd.

Other favorites of mine are
- A Concert for George (George Harrison tribute - great all star line-up)
- Steely Dan's Two Against Nature (smooth, smooth, smooth. sounds awesome on the Axioms)
- Peter Gabriel's Growing Up Live (I've seen it a bunch of times on an HD channel but haven't picked up the DVD yet.
- Talking Heads Stop Making Sense (sound is great; the DVD was directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs))

I'm on the lookout for more concert and music DVD's, particularly alternative, jazz, chill-out/electronica (e.g. Moby), rock 'classics', and world music (e.g. 1 Giant Leap).

ericb,
We have very similar taste for DVD concerts…
A Concert for George – That’s a remarkable concert. Excellent sound, great musicians, I think Tom Scott sax solo on “…horse to the water” is an amazing one. I love the last song by Joe Brown & his ukulele, particularly the part where the orchestra enters and Joe have a kinda of solo on the ukulele, it’s just beautiful. The Indian music is not my cup of tea, but interesting nevertheless.

Talking Heads Stop Making Sense – Ah, great sound indeed!, I always wonder how they manage to do such a great recording at the time.

Steely Dan's Two Against Nature – Well , there’s no surprise there, all their work is consistently top notch.

Peter Gabriel –I like much better the other concert (Secret World ‘94). Paula Cole gave an excellent performance and the sound is great. However, the video is not good at all. But hey, the sound is what I’m interested in.

I’ll need to add to the list
Eric Clapton "One More Car One More Driver" – Excellent video & sound; This DVD possibly is my favorite.

Ray Charles DVD concert from fl. (special guest Diane Shure) - The recording is not stellar, the orchestra is not the best. But Ray Charles singing is priceless.

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: Live From Austin, Texas
This is actually two concerts; the second one has much better sound. He’s one of the very few musicians that has complete control of his instrument, it’s almost a direct link between his brain/heart and his instrument.

I actually liked the Indian music, particularly the George Harrison song that Jeff Lynne and Anoushka Shankar did together (more of a mix of Indian and western music). Great stuff, and I'm blown away by the skill of those musicians.

A friend of mine told me about the Secret World DVD and he had the same comments as you. I've had both Gabriel DVD's sitting in my shopping cart at Amazon for the last month or so..haven't pulled the trigger as I am still shopping around for a better deal. I'm not much of an eBay fan (had a bad experience) so I'm looking for a retailer/e-tailer offering deals.

Jack if you like that Fourplay album you may also like Norman Brown's "After the Storm" or "Before the Storm" or something like that. Similar style and also superbly mastered.

I can't stop listening to Bach right now. I have a ton of it and they're all awesome.

I'll check it out, Mark. Thanks

My latest favorite is TELARC Jazz SACD Sampler 3.

Good quality SACD with great music!

Hey, BigWill and Ajax -

I see you guys do some smooth jazz. I am a Fourplay fan and I like Norman Brown too.

Have either of you heard any of Brian Culbertson's CDs? I have his newest (from 2003), "Come On Up," as well as three older ones: "Modern Life," "After Hours," and "Secrets." This guy is, seriously, one of the finest pianists/keyboardists/trombonists you'll ever hear. I would highly recommend all of these discs! And if you can ever make it to one of his concerts, do yourself a favor and GO SEE HIM!!! He's nothing short of spectacular on stage.

Do you guys own Axioms? If so, which ones? I'm seriously considering investing in a pair of Millennia M60ti Towers. Brian Culbertson sounds pretty good on my old Klipsch Chorus towers (purchased in 1988), and I'm wondering if the M60s can put out like these old workhorses can.

Thanks in advance for any/all replies!

Welcome Dizz,

I own no CDs by Brian Culbertson, but I listen to a local smooth jazz radio station and I hear his music all time. Thanks for the tips.

I DO own the M60s/VP150/QS8s. I've not heard any Klipsch speakers ((other than my computer speakers), so I cannot compare the two. But, based on what others have said, it is my guess that if you like your Klipschs, you'd love the Axioms. Maybe someone who has experience with both can offer more insight.

Are those the huge Klipsh towers (like 1.5-2ft wide, 3-3.5 in tall, 1-1.5 in deep) with the giganto woofer/passive radiator (?) on the back?

Hi kcarlile:

You're pretty close: The Klipsch Chorus measures 39" high x 18.5" wide x 15.5" deep. They're big (and very heavy!), but Klipsch has made much bigger ones. Klipschorn® speakers - http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=2 - are simply awesome!

A pair of Klipsch Chorusus is shown below (note: these are not mine but mine look just like them):



Their specs are shown below...Note the low end of the frequency response (just 45Hz ±3dB): These old speakers don't do bass justice at all, so I use an M&K V1-B subwoofer to close in the deep tones. However, the Chorus really excels in the highs and midranges - these horns are pretty awesome. Also note the high sensitivity - 101dB @ 1watt/1meter: The Chorus is pretty inefficient.

I'm hoping that the Axiom M60ti's are both more efficient and better sounding on the lows than my Choruses. I love the look of the M60ti's!


Specifications

FREQUENCY RESPONSE:
45Hz-20kHz±3dB

SENSITIVITY:
101dB @ 1watt/1meter

POWER HANDLING:
100 watts maximum continuous (1000 watts peak)

NOMINAL IMPEDANCE:
8 ohms

ENCLOSURE TYPE:
Bass reflex via front-mounted port

DRIVE COMPONENTS:
Three-way design using one 1" (2.54cm) phenolic diaphragm compression driver tweeter with a 90°x40° Exponential horn, one 1.5" (3.81cm) phenolic diaphragm compression driver midrange with a 90°x40° Exponential horn and one 15" (38.1cm) fiber-composite cone woofer

TWEETER:
K-79-K 1" (2.54cm) Phenolic diaphragm compression driver

HIGH FREQUENCY HORN:
90°x40° Exponential Horn

HF CROSSOVER:
7000Hz

MIDRANGE:
K-57-K 1.5" (3.81cm) Phenolic diaphragm compression driver

MID FREQUENCY HORN:
90°x40° Exponential Horn

MF CROSSOVER:
650Hz

WOOFER:
K-48-E 15" (38.1cm) Fiber-composite cone

DIMENSIONS:
39" (99.06cm) x 18.5" (46.99cm) x 15.5" (39.37cm)

WEIGHT:
89 lbs. (40.4kg)

ENCLOSURE MATERIAL:
Medium density fiberboard construction (MDF)

FINISHES:
Walnut Oil, Walnut Lacquer, Oak Oil, Oak Lacquer, Finished Black

BUILT FROM:
1987

BUILT TO:
1990

Yes,....M60's......Click on a "username", i.e., "LT61", many have their "equipment" listed.

Yeah, my friend has a pair very similar to that, with passive radiators on the back. The M60s will blow them out of the water in terms of clarity, soundstage, etc., blah blah blah.

I base this on a totally unscientific memory-based comparison between his Klipshes and my M50s. YMMV.

Thanks, LT. I found some equipment/speaker "bios" after I posted my first message last night.

It's helpful to see who has what equipment.

How do you like your M60ti's?
;-)

Thanks,
I only have a couple sacd's, and for Me.....I'm not quite sure about them yet. I even had a "salesman",from our local "high end store",...Sound Advice/Tweeters,[before I bought my Sony sacd-cd-dvd player],tell Me NOT to buy a sacd player.....because no recievers can yet "decode them".

kcarlile -

Thanks for the feedback (uh, is "feedback" a bad choice of words here?!). Can't say I'm surprised to hear your thoughts on these two very different pairs of speakers.

Specs don't mean everything, but I think when you compare the specs of my old Klipsch Choruses and the Axiom M60ti's, you can surmise that the M60s are much more efficient, especially with the bass tones.

On a more general note, I'm very impressed with all the activity and positive energy in this forum. There must be a lot of satisfied Axiom customers out there!
:-)

They have brought Me a LOT of joy! It's been a long time since I have bought a product that I can really get excited about,..........and these M60's are it! You can see my excitement in My first awkward posts, trying to tell everyone about my Axiom experience.

Good to hear, LT! I'll definitely look up your first posts here and check out your initial comments.

Looking at your "bio," I don't see a subwoofer listed. You don't have one with your M60's? Also, how large is your media room?

NO sub, I still listen to my music & movies in stereo.......maybe someday I will go for the surrounds.

So, you're saying you don't need a sub with your M60's, eh, LT?!


If so, I like this!

thats a matter of preference and listening material.. with just straight music, and all settings to full, the M60's can pack a good bass punch. but, for the true LFE's in the 35HZ range and lower that are in todays movies, a sub is almost required. the 60's can get the job done, but a sub can get it done MUCH better.

bigjohn

Thanks, bigjohn!

Kinda what I figured, but it's good to know that the M60's can comfortably deliver some bass. Even with 15" woofers, my Klipsch Choruses really struggle with the low frequencies.

I'm thinking about an HSU STF-2 sub to go with a pair of M60's...

the STF-2 is supposed to be a great sub.. at that same price range, SVS has a new 10 inch sub that is set for delivery in october.. there is a thread on it here. it has great frequency response, all the way down to 21HZ i think.. anyway, just another option!

bigjohn

THANK YOU for the tip on the new SVS sub, bigjohn! I like the sound of it! I'll definitely have a look at the thread you linked and I'll go to SVS's Web site for more info.

I don't think so, they have nice tight bass for music.
like Big John says, you might for some dvds.
No "ghost bass", or boom, from mine.

Must add one more...

Just purchased the Atlantic Gold Disc of Yes' Fragile mint condition at a used CD store ($9.95!). Pristine sound! Custom box and 24 page booklet are an added bonus.

Good prices on Half.com

Growing up tour

secret world live

Great thread and great discs...

One from me....

Ray Montford "Shed Your Skin"

Thanks Bilbo. Have you bought any DVD's or CD's from Half.com resellers?

I noticed that for the couple I clicked on their shipping method was Media Mail for 2.49. I have no idea what Media Mail is..any ideas or experience with this shipping method?

At 2.50 per CD, it's obviously pretty expensive. But I've ordered several discs from Half, and they've all shipped very quickly. Three days was the longest, if I recall. They're all sent in regular padded envelopes - nothing special.

Half.com --It's basically a subsidiary of eBay. The sellers are all independent with a central billing system. I guess it’s mostly record and DVD small shops that now sell online. I have bought over 100 DVDs, and at least 400 CDs from Half. Shipping tends to take anywhere from 1-2 weeks for me, located in the US. The trick I’ve found is to click on the seller and look for a seller with a good track record. It will show you whether the seller has any issues. At of all the DVD and CDs I’ve order… I received one DVD without the Jacket… Apparently, it was described that way in the comments and I missed it…. So I couldn’t really complain.

The shipping is a bit steep, since you pay that individually for each CD, even if you are buying multiple CDs at once – since they are coming from different sellers. But, you can find some deals. I like it, it drives my wife nuts… having a DVD arrive almost weekly…

As far as media mail... I'm not sure why they call it that.