Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Axiom M60 vs Klipsch F-3

I so wish I could have the M60 to compare but I was at Best Buy listening to the Klipsch F-3s. Sounded a little bright as the treble was kinda overpowering. The F-2 sounded warm but had a feeling of lacking power. Probably the best sounding speakers in the whole store. Has anyone been able to hear both the M60 and the F-3 and have any comments? Basically the same price range.

When I was looking for new speakers I auditioned Klipsch RF3-II's, B&W 703's, NHT ???, and Paradigm ???. A friend of mine is a Klipsch fan, but I felt the Axiom was more accurate/detailed sounding when it came to the higher frequencies. The horn technology in Klipsch gives you a bit harsher sound. Many people that are into heavy rock like Klipsch, not to say that Axioms can't play rock, they can and darn well. I'v very happy with my 60's.

Randy


m60's vp150 ep350 4-Qs8's
denon 2805
sanyo z2 projector
toshiba dvd
samsung hd receiver
jvc tape deck
sony 5-disc cd player
and a bunch of old stuff.....

The first time I ever got the opportunity to really enjoy good audio was when I moved in with a guy who had a pair of Klipsch (Heresy II) speakers. A few years later when I bought my own stereo I wanted to get Klipsch but couldn't afford them so I went with some Mirage speakers. Basically, I have been a Klipsch fan for a long time and have always wanted to own Klipsch speakers. However, when I went shopping for my current system I found that I liked Polk speakers better - even though I was finally in a position to afford Klipsch and I listened to many of their speakers including their "good stuff" (I don't remember the model numbers, but they were clearly better than what was available at Best Buy). And when I needed a couple of bookshelves I decided to go with the Axiom M22s and I have been very pleased. I still, in general, like the Klipsch sound (some people REALLY don't), but I like the Polk and Axiom sound better. I get a "the speakers mark the front of the stage" feel/soundstage from my current speakers whereas the Klipsch give a "you're in the middle of the band and the trumpet/sax/horn player is playing in your face" feel (it is clearly exaggerated to make a point, but hopefully you get the idea). I also think that my Polks/Axioms reveal parts of the music that I can't hear with the Klipsch because the horns are in my face. So, if you really love the Klipsch sound, get them. They are great speakers, but I (and clearly most people here for obvious reasons) prefer the Axiom sound at this point - maybe it just means I'm getting old...

nautec,

Get out and listen to a set of B&W 703s. They are very close to the M60s.

I listened to the the Klipsch F-3 and the rest of that series. The F-3 was BY FAR the best of the bunch. Also listened to the upmarket Klipsch bookshelf RB-75($600 each)...horn and one 8 inch copper colored woofer with port. While the F-3 was good, the RB-75 was really fine. BUT, The sound is very "in your face & in the middle of the band". This was great for hard rock (Creed) but for the other music I tried (Vivaldi & Barb Streisand) it was too strong but still sounded good. I purchased Athena AS-F2 towers which have a very pleasant brightish airy high end with good solid midrange and bass. Very transparent. They can rock hard but can go easy and grand too. Now, I have not heard the M60ti or any other Axiom speaker but if you like HARD ROCK, Klipsch is your speaker. I have to say that I am skeptical that the 5" midrange of the M60ti can push out serious sound in hard rock mode (60% of my music). Therefore, I'm leaning toward the M50ti for a den setup.
(Study the message boards.)
OH!!! GET A WARM AMP FOR THOSE KLIPSCH SPEAKERS!!!

"I have to say that I am skeptical that the 5" midrange of the M60ti can push out serious sound in hard rock mode (60% of my music). Therefore, I'm leaning toward the M50ti for a den setup."

If only you knew the truth.

I really wish I could hear the 50s and 60s side by side but don't like the idea of ordering them both and sending one pair back.

Hi nautec,

". .the treble was kinda overpowering. ." Like burn your ears off bright!
Horn speakers will play extremely loud, but the horn introduces all sorts of nasty coloration (tonal imbalances) that will be fatiguing with longer-term listening. Horn speakers tend not to be nearly as smooth and "linear" as well-designed non-horn-loaded speakers like the Axiom M60ti's.

In my view, the only proper place for a horn-loaded speaker is outside, for concert sound reinforcement, where they have to be used for efficiency reasons. If you are a rocker on tour, you may get used to the sound of a horn speaker as your "reference," but they are, in my judgment, not accurate, which is why a lot of concert sound is fairly harsh and unpleasant.

Horns are great for filling huge spaces with very loud sound using comparatively modest amplifiers. But accuracy? Forget it.

Regards,

I'm no expert, the Klipsch I have heard weren't in the best environment, and this site may be completely off base: but they didn't seem that harsh - although the cheaper models(SF1) sounded tinny as a TV. The older RB3 and RB5 were measured here. The measurements even suggest a bit of rolloff.

For a number of years I used a pair of Klipsch KLF 20s, which were overkill for my room, but loads of fun for music and HT. This was before I knew much about audio stuff and the difference between horns and soft-dome tweeters, etc. I liked listening to music, and the Klipsch's made the music enjoyable. I noticed when I listened for more than an hour or so my ears hurt a little, like a mild discomfort. Not too bad, but enough to make me stop listening. During HT I would always keep the remote handy to turn the volume down to reduce the cringe factor for the loud parts.
Years later, and a lot of info soaked up on the Internet, I learn about listening fatigue being prevalent with horn speakers. It is difficult to experience when speaker shopping because it's hard to spend much time in showrooms. Yes, my Klipsch's were loud and bright, and I didn't care much for the sound after about 40 minutes, but they were also a lot of fun. I have an odd affinity for my Klipsch's. I can't quite bring myself to sell them. My brother-in-law is using them in his living room. Sure, the horns are loud and obnoxious, but sometimes music needs to be just that. These things are built to be played loud and have a blast with.
There are so many differing opinions on Klipsch, and it is easy to bash them because they are readily available at any B&M store (there is a certain snob factor in audio circles), but you definitely need to spend time with them to judge for yourself. For me, I can't use them for long term listening. For a quick fix, though, some blow-my-hair-back kind of moments, I like the horns.
I'm kind of interested in getting the speakers back and putting them in a large room and unleashing some power into them. Maybe after all this time I may find out a don't like them at all, who knows.

i used to have the klf 20s,i had to block off the midrange horn with a band-aid,that horn was too much,but when you wanted to feel like you were at a concert,those were the right speakers for the job!!!!

Accuracy...forget it?????? What?!?!
You are honestly expecting people to believe Klipsch are not accurate unless in an outdoor setting? That is an utterly ridiculous statement, especially from an "expert".
I was considering an Axiom speaker purchase until I started reading this forum, it seems to me that, although I realize these forums are answered by Axiom owners and "experts" that are on the payroll, people really seem to indicate Axiom is the best speaker ever made,and all others are "crap" I really do not think ANY speaker company can honestly state they are the "best".

I do not understand why people have not figured out the honest answer to what speaker is best, and that is...whatever one sounds best to YOU, audio is about listening, and we as human beings all hear things differently, thus the many speaker manufactures out there, if we all heard the same way, there would only be a need for one manufacturer.
Seriously, there are many high end quality speakers on todays market, Klipsch, Paradigm, Axiom etc etc.
It all comes down to, which sound do you prefer, I do not agree that one has more of one thing then another, I do however believe that you can find the perfect speaker for YOU by listening, to the sound, not others opinions.

Base your speaker preference on the music, movies etc that you yourself enjoy and listen to, all the genres should sound good, whether it be Jazz, Rock, R&B or that great movie you just picked up on BluRay.
Come now people, stop judging and giving opinions based on opinions, we have a huge audio world in front of us, lets all enjoy whatever speaker we find is right for us, and I will say, they aren't all for everyone, again, whatever is best sounding to YOU and for your audio listening habits.
Listen to what you hear, not what you have heard!

I don't know what forum you're reading, but it's not this one. I don't remember a single time someone on here has claimed that Axiom makes the best speakers and all others are crap.

Weird post.

Also the fact the thread is 4 years old.

Good point. I didn't even notice that.

I realize this is an Axiom site but it does get tiring to keep reading that they are better then all the other speakers out there. If I didn't know better, I would think I was on a Bose site...haha.
I have listened to Polk, Energy, Klipsch, Paradigm,and Boston Accoustics along with a couple of others. They all sound different,some I like better then others.
I bought Paradigm Monitor 11v.6 in March of this year and I could not find a bad review from a professional.
A month ago I purchased a set of Klipsch RF82, I run them as A/B speakers and they seem to really compliment each other. I have compared them on 4 occasions and still cannot pick one over the other.
People say they know what a good speaker should sound like, but I wonder if they know what the instruments should sound like? A cheap drum cymbal as compared to a Sabian cymbal, a crash versus a splash, a cheap snare drum compared to a $400 Pearl snare drum.

People say you can pick up the Axiom's cheaper, but in actual fact I got my Paradigm's for $1,100, and my RF82's for $900. And I would compare each of those to the M80's at $1,500. I am not saying Axiom sucks, they are nice looking and if I were going to purchase a pair it would be the M80, obviously I like big speakers.

You have good speakers, I have good speakers. I wish people would just be a little more open and just discuss speakers in general rather then slam other speakers. I feel that listening and discussing just gains you more knowledge. After all, we do have the same things in mind.
There is nothing like a good pair of speakers.
Thanks,

Someone's having fun.

Sorry gentlemen, I was answering a totally different post, not sure how that one ended up there.
And to answer your question, yes it is this site, I have been reading posts here for the past month, and it seems anytime anyone brings up another speaker manufacturer, everyone jumps on it with all bad things and says they can't compare to the Axiom.
I am a proud Klipsch owner and prefer not to bash any other manufacturer, to each his own!

No.

Don't feed the trolls.

Interesting, I've been around these parts for some time, and most of us give credit where credit is due. In fact, many of the regulars on this forum don't even own Axiom speakers or have owned many of the other brands you mention in the past. No reason to bash other brands like members on AVSforum like to do all the time, hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Klipsch trolls, not the first time, not the last, they like to pop in every now and then.

Actually, Klipschtroll was the development name of the famous Klipschorn speakers. Fortunately, someone on the engineering team spoke English and got them to change it prior to release.




(This joke would work better if troll in German and English didn't have the exact same meaning and spelling.)

Nah, read what someone posts before you blast someone like Alan. He didn't say Klipsch's aren't accurate unless they're in an outdoor setting. He said, in his opinion, that Klipsch's aren't accurate, PERIOD. That's indoors, outdoors or wherever they are! So, don't shoot from the hip when rushing to defend your speakers... because, you see, it makes YOUR statement ridiculous.



Oh really?? You don't think ANY speaker company states they're the best? Here's one off the top of my head.
Check it out.
Many speaker companies make bold claims. It's up to you to figure it out.

Now, I haven't decided whether you're a troll or not (Sorry Tom, I couldn't help feeding this one. ), because the rest of what you say I agree with. Perhaps you're too biased to accurately perceive what you read on this forum. It's an Axiom forum after all, and the folks here like their speakers. I've never read any posts from users here even suggesting that Axioms are the best speaker made. Ever.

Best they've ever heard? Yes. Best value in speakers? Sure, people have stated that... but there's no bad mouthing of other competent speaker companies that I've read.. just honest assessments of pros and cons, and great people.


You're welcome here and are of course entitled to your opinion, but barging in from the start attempting to bash Axiom staff based on statements that were never made to bolster your position is just CRAP, IMO. It's a fair-minded, fun forum. I wouldn't visit daily if it wasn't!

Once in a while, certain people make me burst from my shell.

Klipschtroll! good one Peter, although I think the Brits might have considered the name KlipschOgre in keeping with tradition.

Hi: I rarely get irked enough by people like EJB to respond(I could be very creative coming up with what those initials stand for but I won't) but I had to respond to his comments .I've had the pleasure to meet Alan a few times when he was one of the editor's of the old Canadian version of "Sound & Vision"magazine so I think someone who has several decades of audio experience knows from were he speaks!!! I've always found Alan to be unbiased and informative, but most important very helpful in my decision making process about audio/video purchases.It is one thing to disagree with someone's opinion but implied personal attacks(however subtle they may be is bull%#$).By the way where are you hiding after so many people have rebuffed your comments EJB???? There I feel better I'm off to listen to my "Best" M-60's everyone have a great night!