Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners My Possible Axiom-focused system

I'm graduating in two months, hopefully with a nice grad school fellowship in hand. Assuming such graduation takes place, I hope to order a really nice home theater system for my new digs, as, at least partly, a graduation present.

I've heard really good things about Axiom speakers, so I'm probably going to at least try them out as the main components.

THINGS I DO:
1) Watch lots of TV. Mostly light-hearted dramas (Veronica Mars, Joan of Arcadia, et cetera) with simple soundtracks
2) Listen to music - pop, indy rock, classical, musicals.
3) Watch movies - mostly dramas/comedies, much like my TV taste.

THINGS I DON'T DO:
1) Listen to things loudly
2) Listen to much rap / r&b
3) Watch many action movies

Based on these considerations, and the fact that I'm going to live in a very small space (NYC studio, most likely), I'm considering the following setup:

Fronts: M2is
Center: M2i as well
Surrounds: QS4s
Sub: Dayton 10"
Receiver: Pioneer VSX-1014
TV: Some 27" widescreen HDTV

The biggest questions on this setup are the center and the sub, as I don't really need the volume of M22s or QS8s. Thus, two questions:

What is the reason to get a VP100 instead of an M2i as the center speaker? I understand that centers should probably be louder than mains, usually, and that the VP100 is probably a bit louder than the M2is by nature, but I doubt I'll EVER be running the mains at anything approaching their maximum volume. I also understand that the VP100 is shielded, but I'm not sure that that alone is worth the extra $100. Anybody tried both as a center? Is the upgrade worth the money? Why?

Second: I originally planned for a $430 SVS sub, as they seem to be universally loved, but realized that I don't need bass nearly enough to justify that price - with so little R&B music and Action movies in my collection, it's just not necessary. The Dayton 10"/100W (from partsexpress) is also very highly regarded, and much cheaper. Has anybody used that sub with Axiom speakers? Specifically, with M2is? If the Dayton is not as good at higher frequencies, I could consider switching to the M3is for mains and setting crossover at 60 Hz instead of 80 Hz, but the idea of that "slightly softer midrange" bothers me, as the bright detail of the Axioms is what I'm attracted to in the first place.

I don't intend to actually BUY any of these until I move out to NY and actually see the space, of course, so it will be a few months. I'm just excited, so I have to post about it.

welcome to the site.. i will start by saying that pretty much any axiom speaker you buy, you will be happy with.

with what you have said, i think you are on the right track in your decisions. if it is a smaller space, and you are not the kind of guy to really crank it, then the smaller bookshleves are the way to go.

1st- if you are gonna go with a 'cheaper' sub, then i would maybe look at the M3's instead of the M2's. i know i have seen posts from many people that are happy with that dayton sub from parts express.. it is no means on the level with an SVS or HSU, but for your requirements, i am sure it will work fine. i just think the M3's will fill that mid-range void a litle better than the M2's. and you can use a bookshelf as a center channel, its been done lots of times. results can be mixed. the shielding of the VP100 will help with placement issues, but if you dont think that will be a problem, then an M3 or M2 will do just fine. the QS4's are great speakers, no worries there.

i dont know much about that pioneer receiver, but basically, anything with some good inputs/outputs and around 60-80 watts per channel will do you well.

good luck in your decisions, and good luck with graduation!!

bigjohn

The only problem I have with using the M3s instead of the M2s is the descriptions of a "softer" sound. The primary thing about Axioms that's attracting me is the plethora of descriptions I see of how detailed, crisp, sharp, even bright they are - that's my favorite trait in a speaker. If the only difference between the two was the bass response, I'd go for the M3s in a heartbeat, but I'm not sure that's the case, and the descriptions of the M2s seem to fit what I'm looking for a little better.

Frankly, the M22s sound perfect for my needs, but I'm simply not anxious to pay the price premium - don't need the volume, and I'm fairly sure I don't really need the bass. I've read enough posts by people with the dayton that have their crossovers set at 80 and 100 and are happy that I think it'll be okay.

Nova - there's nothing wrong with the M3s. I own a pair.

Any chance you can audition another person's setup?

Bren R.

Gotta agree with Bren on this one, and raise his input by 50%. I've used three up front for many years and couldn't be happier with them.

If you look on line for "Professional" reviews of the M3s, you'll find a dozen or so going back to about 2000. The only bad comment I'd read on them was that one tester found them to be a little b..., b... uh, can't say it, it's the "B" word. We don't use that word here, it's a "Rocket" word. (ok, but don't tell anyone I used it; one tester found the M3s to be a little too "bright")

My ears prefer the M3s, yours may opt for the M2s, but don't discount the M3s just yet!

Sadly, the only person on that list with M3s is in Wisconsin, which is very far from either Los Angeles (my current locale) OR New York City (where I'll be moving before purchasing).

I only read a single review that actually compared the M3Ti's to the M2i's, and that guy (I think it was the Soundstage guy) seemed to prefer the M2is, at least as long as a subwoofer is involved. Of course, he paired them with a MUCH nicer subwoofer than the one I'm looking at (I believe it was a $5000 sub, actually), so it might have done a better job filling up the midrange than mine would do...

Really wish there was an easy way I could listen to them both. I'm sure they'd both sound much better than anything I've ever owned before, of course, but which will sound <i>better?</i> So hard to know.

NovaChild,

if you listen to pop, you would want the M3's rather than the M2's. The midrange sound of the M3's is more suited for that kind of music. I'm afraid to M2's may have too forward of a midrange and you would get listening fatigue.

The M3's are extremely detailed. i have a pair at my parent's place. I love those speakers to bit and they watch a lot of TV, and it's great for that. You hear TV voices very well and they never sound harsh.

I was lucky when I purchased my M3s, The M3s were the only game in town. The M22s were just being released and the M2 was still sold with the "old" tweeter. So it really was a "no-brainer" in those days.

Today certainly is a different situation, Axiom is very likely a great choice, it's the choosing within the choice that's the chore.

Rich.

Hmm. That's a very good point. I hadn't really considered that some of my music will sound better with a softer midrange. Or my TV, for that matter.

Well. Okay. For this moment, at least, these arguments have convinced me that the M3s are probably a better risk for me. I'll change it on the text file that will hold these ideas for the next few months (unless I can convince myself to go ahead and punchase a pair of the M3s now...)

I know that there aren't many shops that stock Axioms, but are there <i>any?</i> Specifically, I'm going to be in Manhattan next week for a couple of days - if I could arrange some sort of listen to actually compare these speakers, that would be great...

Novachild, you might consider ordering both pair of speakers when you move to NY. Keep the ones you like and send the other pair back. Return shipping from NY won't cost very much.