Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Paradigm Atoms / M2 vs. M3 sound

Thanks, guys. The Atoms are still pretty nice speakers but it's always a surprise how different things sound in a direct A/B comparison rather than listening at different times and comparing from memory.

I want to repeat the tests with a volunteer and a better seating position. I was definitely sitting too close to the speakers to hear them accurately, although I did walk back and forth a few times and felt that the differences were still there. I wish the A/B switch could be controlled by the remote like everything else.

I read somewhere that these amateur speaker reviews were like performing a do-it-yourself appendectomy over the kitchen sink -- useful in certain extreme conditions, interesting to observe, but no substitute for the same activity performed by a professional with the proper equipment

Anyways, the Atoms are still pretty nice speakers and they seem to "rock" a bit better than the M2s, but the M2s seem to be significantly more accurate.

Great input John. I feel kinda good when the Axioms compare favorably to other speakers when the comparison seems to be done on equal footing.

Nice review...and amazing home!!

Despite your "no more speakers" vow, I'd suggest trying M3s. They might retain the M2 accuracy you like, with a tonal character more to your preference.

I can't heeeear you. "La la la la la la la..."

You're right. I'm probably going to have to weaken and try the M3s.

I was thinking about that last night. I originally discovered Axiom via a review of the M3s -- I was looking for some nice little bookshelf speakers and they sounded just right.

After MUCH research I ended up with the M2s. Figured for background music I could live with a bit less bass in exchange for more accuracy. A week later the M2s had displaced my main stereo speakers 'cause they sounded so good, but now I was missing the bass a bit. No problem. Subwoofer. Hey, this is great. Wonder what the DVD sounds like through the stereo ? Holy $$$$. This is great. Only problem is that for music I can't get quite enough room-filling volume from the M3s without using the sub's built-in crossover to high-pass the M2s and I can't get the sub/main crossover range sounding the way I want for music. No problemo. Buy some M60s to get around the need for playing with the crossover. Hook them up. Great. Still no stereo in the bedroom unless I use the crappy old stereo speakers. OK, buy an AV receiver, move the M60s upstairs with the stereo speaker and run the M2s and sub through the AV receiver. Hey, I could hook up those old stereo speakers as surrounds and hear surround. Dang, this is nice. End up getting a VP100 to boot.

So... it hit me this morning. If I had just bought the M3s in the first place instead of M2s I probably :

- would not have purchased a sub,

- would not have been blown away by the DVD / sub experience,

- would not have purchased an AV receiver or VP100,

- would not have bought M60s,

- would probably still be happily listening to the M3s on my stereo receiver.

Dang !! Let this be a lesson to you all. Buy the right thing in the first place.

Ah, the M3s. Have had Three across the front now for a number of years, fire them off when the tv goes on in the morning and they're sitting there giving off nothing but the most pleasant sounds I've heard, all day long. I can't ever remember a moment of ear fatigue, a bit of sibilance or a touch of brightness. They just continue to do their job in a most good natured way.
A purchase I've made even the Wife dosen't regret.

Rich

Minor update. I was doing a bit more back-and-forth testing and noticed that I had set the bass control up 2-3 dB some time in the last few months. When I set it back to "flat" the results changed a bit :

- Paradigms sounded less "full" but also lost some of that annoying resonance

- M2s didn't sound much different at all

- with the controls set to flat, M2s sounded a tiny bit more "full" in the bass than the Atoms, whereas with the bass turned up a bit the Atoms sounded more full but maybe a bit boomy as well

The M2s still sound better than the Atoms, but the difference is smaller than before. On the other hand, now that I have learned how to position the M2s and to avoid bad recordings (or take the treble down a bit when playing bad recordings) the M2s sound fantastic and I don't miss the sub at all.

Problem is that now I have the M2s sounding so good I don't really want to put the Atoms back, but I was using the M2s downstairs as surrounds.

Time for version 7 of the HT system, I guess. Leave the M2s upstairs on the stereo system, put the Atoms in as surrounds in the HT system, and play music in stereo if I don't like how the M60s and Atoms sound together.

At some point in the future (next time money appears in the toy budget jar) I guess I'll have to choose between M3s for upstairs or QSs for downstairs. Not today though.

Thanks for all the advice and feedback.

John