Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater VP100 reviewed as "weak"?

I've got my choices pretty much narrowed down to Ascend 170's for all 5 channels, or Axiom M2i's and QS4's with a VP100 center. Either set will be paired with an STF-2.

The main thing keeping me from jumping on the Ascend package is a few reports of the VP100 sounding weak and "tinny".

Specifically, here: http://audioreview.com/Center+Channels/Axiom+Speaker+Company/PRD_125694_2743crx.aspx#reviews

When I mentioed this on hometheaterspot, someone replied that the 100 was indeed a bit weak. I will listen to 75% movie with this setup, the the center is paramount.

Are these guys crazy, or what's up with a product linethat gets rave reviews for it's mains and has a "weak" center?

Help!

Judging any speaker will ALWAYS be very subjective. Almost every speaker will have it's detractors. I'd be suspicious of any speaker that got ALL rave reviews. IMHO, the thing to do is look for a consensus of opinion. If you've got 2 negative, and 10 positive reviews, I'd lean toward the positives.

Also, take into account the way the positives and negatives are stated. I'm suspicious of anyone saying "This is the worst center I have ever listened to. It sounds like a transistor radio in a box - pure crap." NO speaker by a reputable company is THAT bad. A trustworthy reviewer would probably say it more like " I didn't care for this speaker because I found it's sibilance irritating." I'd be just as suspicious of a review that said "this speaker is perfect in every way." Huge extremes, to me, imply an agenda.

I have the VP150 and much prefer it over any other center I've had. But, it is not perfect. I doubt if the 100 is perfect either, but there are a greater number of people who like it, than there are those who don't. Only YOU can judge if the VP100 is good for you or not.

Allen42, Listen to Jack, he nailed it right on target.

Hi Allen, as an owner of the VP100 I can honestly say it works great for me. I have no problems with it what so ever. It might not reach down the frequency range as far as some speakers, but centers are mostly for dialogue and in my room I can hear it all no matter where I sit. As most here usually say, try out the speakers and if you don't like them return them, I don't think you could go wrong with any of the products you are looking at. good luck.

Hi Allen,

There are lots of people on this board who like the VP100 very much. Ray3 has written several glowing comments, and NeverHappy even did a comparison between it and the VP150 that reported very little difference.

I read the audioreview link you posted; there are 6 positive reviews and one scathing review. I would not presume to reiterate what Jack so eloquently stated.

There's no substitute for listening in your room.

Good luck in your quest.

Howdy, I have had both and I can assure you that the VP100 is not tinny! Far from it. The VP100 does what it's supposed do rather well. You will gain a little wider sound stage with the VP150 but other then that not much. Both of these centers are not the best out there, but if you want better, be prepared to pay at least double and more then likely, more then double.

As for the reviews, take any and all reviews with a grain of salt. Remember the people who are doing the reviews are reporting what they heard, not what you will hear! We all have very different tastes in what we like etc!

Yours is the kind of post I was wanting. I was afraid of "hey, whatya expect for the money" type of posts, and wanted some more posts that said "poppycock, this is a great center, albeit not a $1000 cetner, but a great one nonetheless." You know--like the reviews of the mains.

Allen, even assuming that the review in question was written in good-faith(seems somewhat unlikely), there's no good reason to give it greater weight than the other six favorable reviews. In particular, note that Dr. Orgel's preceding review found that it worked well even when combined with M60s.

Be that as it may, as is my consistent view, I prefer a small vertical center to a horizontal configuration. I'd therefore suggest that you consider three M2s across the front, which would be excellent in combination with the sub and QS4s.

Good points John. Just for fun, I found other reviews the guy had written. Here is one where he says the M22 tweeters whistle and hiss, especially at lower volumes. Huh???

I personally thought the VP100 was very weak in MY system. I also thought the M22's were bright, but thats what I actually look for in a speaker. I consider it accurate.
I have too often heard speakers that I consider muffled