Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Competitors for M2, VP100, QS4 system?

Alrighty...

I'm new to this forum, and Axiom, for that matter. I was brought here by the glowing comments at hometheaterspot.com.

I'm trying to justify replacing my baby Onkyo speaker system. (The trouble is, it sounds fairly decent to the family. Sooo, I've got to find something that is clearly much better, and for not a lot of money. Thus, Axiom.

However, it isn't in my blood to buy anytihng without doing a LOT of research, and listening to a lot of experienced advice.

I have some size constraints for ceiling-mounted speakers (can't be taller than 12"), so I need to go with M2's. I talked with Brent at Axiom, and he recommended the system in the subject for my room and needs.

What I need is some discussion regarding the competition. What *are* equivalent speakers to this setup? Paradigm also gets rave reviews, but I can't figure out what speakers I would want over there... too many choices, difficult site to navigate.

I also see auidoholics "recommended" satellite system is the RBH CT-5.1... he seems to be in love with these.


So, can someone give me some viable alternatives, so that I can make an informed decision and feel good about buying my Axioms, er, the right brand?

Here's my current setup, if it helps:

Room: 15x19x8=2280 cu ft
Onkyo 502 (75w/ch)
Onkyo HT-22 Fronts & surrounds. (65hz-20khz)
Onkyo ??? Center (pretty small)
Sony low-priced sub
(The onkyos were part of a home-theater in a box system)

What I *want* is clarity. I am a bit deaf in one ear, and need excellent voice clarity for HT.

Thanks very much to anyone with the patience to have read this far and/or respond!

I doubt you'll find anybody that has done a direct comparison of similarly sized bookshelf speakers. Just understand that there are a handful of really good speaker manufacturers in the price range you are looking at and that nobody can say that any one is better than the other. Axiom is in that group. Will you personally think they are the best if you compare them all side-by-side? Who knows? But trust me, you can't go wrong with the system you are describing - but if you want to really convince the rest of the family that the sound is completely different/better get a new subwoofer. The Axioms will get them to say "Wow! That sounds much better!" Add a decent subwoofer and they'll say "WOW! THAT SOUNDS MUCH BETTER!"

Thanks, and understood. I do need to know which Paradigm system would be roughly equivalent to this system so I can make/explain a bit of comparison.

Also, I see that paradigm has a "max suggested receiver power" that differs from max input wattage. Can someone explain this?

Hi allen42,

Ignore the "maximum receiver power" and such-like power ratings for well-designed speakers from Axiom, Paradigm and other brands. These are only guidelines and there is no particular standard. The danger with compact speakers is buying too little power output (small speakers are less efficient and less sensitive than large floorstanding speakers, thus require more power to produce a given level of loudness than a floorstanding speaker).

As a former senior editor at Audio magazine in New York, and editor in chief of Sound&Vision magazine in Canada for 13 years (blah, blah, blah) I have tested and compared lots of compact speakers using rigorous scientific controls. Some of Paradigm's least expensive models (the Titan and the Atom), which cost less than the Axiom M2i, are very good value for the money, but they are not as neutral nor do they have the same midrange and upper octave clarity as the Axiom M2i's. The M2i is almost as good as the Axiom M22ti, which is virtually identical in tonal balance and clarity to Paradigms's expensive ($800/pr) Reference Studio 20 (which I also own). I have not heard RBH, so I can't comment on those.

I do not think you will find another compact speaker anywhere near the Axiom M2i's price ($255/pr including shipping) with the same neutrality, clarity and detail. PSB's smaller Alpha compacts are also quite good, but not in the same class as the M2i's. Nor will you find a dipole or quadpole surround speaker like the QS4s with comparable performance at the QS4's price.

Regards,