For those of you not keeping track of me like I am-you know who you are-I'm moving from my entire adult life of aparment/condo living to a home without walls shared with picky neighbors and floors that double as someone else's ceiling. The move happens in a couple of weeks and I'm really excited.
I started out sure that I was going to go to magnolia hi-fi and buy a couple definitive tech speakers and a center for the front and use my current fronts as surround and rear channel. I talked to the sales guy and he was helpful I guess. He suggested I bring in a CD and spend some time listening. Good advice.
The next day I brought in a CD with some tracks I know. Charlie Daniels, Blue Man Group, Rhapsody, Rush, Propeller Heads-you get the idea, a mix of stuff. I have very broad tastes. I listened to the definitive tech speakers they had and I wasn't impressed. The didn't sound any better than my current set hooked up to my entry level sony deck. I left the store.
Across the street is a boutique shop. I wasn't sure if they had anything in my price range, but I figured I'd at least listen to some really high end speakers to see if I just didn't get it. Armed with the same CD I entered the store. The salesman at least knew how to give a product presentation, going over the features, educating me on brands that you folks talk about that I'd never heard of before like Paradigm and B&W.
Both the 400$/pair Paradigm and B&W bookshelf speakers sounded amazing! Finally I was hearing what I expected out of high end speakers. The guy put on the Monitor 7 floor standing speakers and I REALLY liked them.
The next day I went in and was ready to buy the whole shebang-but I really can't buy any speakers until I move-or I'll just move them twice. Rotel 1067, Monitor 9's, and whatever the rest of the paradigm set was for a 5.1 setup. I asked him about multiroom and he told me you could only do it with a separate amp. Mistake #1-he could have moved me away from the rotel. Then he tried to get me to buy some fancy speaker wire. Compared the wire to tires on a car and oil in a car. He loved his analogies. He played the game of showing me something really expensive (40k cables!?>!?!!?) then showing me something also overpriced but much cheaper to avoid sticker shock. I told him that I'd live without $200 speaker cables-but even their 12g was 1.50 a foot. Oh well, I knew what I wanted all I need was a date to go back in and buy it.
So to the internet I went reading everything I could about paradigm speakers when I stumbled across Axiom. The idea was compelling-mail order speakers, sound unheard, but with a money back guaruntee. I started reading reviews and they were being compared to the paradigm studio series speakers-which I also heard, and liked, but not an extra grand a pair liked. The Axioms were about the same price as the monitors and the whole system was a bit cheaper for the Epic 80/500. I looked at the other internet brands and ascend and aperion also look like good buys and would probably satisfy me-but I like the look of the axioms and the content on the webpage is very helpful. I still haven't read it all but I'm becoming much more knowledgable about this whole audiophile thing
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Well I still can't order the speakers for another couple of weeks-two days before I close on the house so they arrive about the day I get in :P. I did, however, find a HK 635 (HK was recommended by forums and the axiom customer service) on Ebay for 500 bucks. Just got it today and it makes a big difference by itself in my condo. Of course this could all be in my head, but I somehow doubt it. I'm writing this listening to Rush in surround sound and everything is well balanced. The highs are more pronounced-although the bass does seem a bit flat these are small speakers and I'll have a subwoofer soon enough.
Here's the future home of the M80s:
In the next year or two I'm going to replace the slider with a wall and wall in the back of the room.
Congrats on the new home!
