Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Do some expect TOO much from bookshelve speakers?

The $300.00 to $350.00 bookshelf market is tough, there are many good competitors. You have the Ascend 170's, the Axiom m3's, and the Paradigm mini monitors just to name a few.

I am actually in a quandary with my m3's as im not sure if I prefer the mini monitors or ascends to them. The all sound great in their own way, my only beef with the m3’s is it is light for my taste in the midrange. If you read the reviews at audioreview.com you will see they are all favored speakers and highly regarded.

Perhaps its best to say you cant go wrong with any of the lot, but again its “YOUR EARS” that decide. If you can swing it, audition all you can in your home and go from there.

Maybe my post was TOO general......I don't often go into great detail.
Far as "high end audio" goes...... I personally use a "justification mindset", to decide what to purchase..... i.e "do I need those Martin-logans.....to be satisfied?" Will I enjoy them enough to go the extra $$$$$$$? etc.
For now, I made a good choice (for me) with the Axiom's.

I think the Martin-Logan's look "exotic" to me.

Absolutely, I was not attacking your choices, just point out the differences between our thoughts.

I think most people approach purchases the way you mentioned. Some people are able to and willing to go beyond others. There is nothing wrong with any approach...except when those making the choices are attacked for doing so....or insulted for doing so...as we have had on the board recently.

>>I am curious, has anyone else noticed that in many posts about "bookshelve speakers" (in general), there seems to be some expectation that they will sound like floor standing, or towers?

Absolutely. Back in the bad old days, those people were the ones who fuelled the "big boomy cheap speaker" market, who took their (sometimes) decent sounding bookshelf speakers back and picked up speakers which could at least play loud and deliver bass but usually paid a high price in other aspects of sound quality.

Now things are better. Many people have heard of subwoofers so they have another expansion path available today... adding a sub and using the bookshelves as "big satellites" (eg. my "M2 + big-ass sub" system).

I was a bit spoiled though -- the first "purchased" bookshelf speakers I owned after years of homebuilding big towers were the old PSB Betas -- 8" woofer with servo amp -- so I got REAL good bass from my first bookshelf speakers