Axiom Home Page Forums Thread Like Summary - Axiom M100 vs. Bryston Model T

I’m sure this has been discussed in the past.
Can someone steer me to the thread or give a summary on the differences? Super hard for me to justify spending almost double for the Bryston.
Has anyone done a side by side comparison?
Thx!

Since I have a pair of Bryston Model T's, had a pair of Middle T's, converted my Model T's to the fully active inputs, however I use the Model T Signature series PX-1 external crossovers (after the input mods to the speakers for fully active inputs) and I have a custom built M80 installed as a center speaker, I do have some observations for you.

First off, if you get a pair of Model T's (and I'd fully recommend them over the Middle T's; pretty much the same speaker performance, only on a double dose of steroids), I'd definitely get the Signature version with the PX-1 external crossovers. It is truly transformational in how much better they sound. The noise floor is just simply far better, they handle much more power and the speakers are more efficient (louder).

My M80 center is much like a smaller version of the Middle T only it has 6.5 inch woofers vs. the Bryston 8 inch drivers. It makes a considerable difference in low end output. I am running three subs, one Axiom EP800 V4, EP500 V4 and a Bryston Model T sub. The bass in the room just melts into one beautiful cocoon of feel with a magic full range of low end musical sound. I have the Model T sub EQ at around 150 hz which allows the triple 8 inch drivers to catch very low mid range and upper range bass. That is where the really tight smooth bass is. The Model T's with their upper reaching triple 8 inch woofers take it up into the mids. The EP800 and EP500 do the heavy lifting at the lower end stuff. My M80 with the dual 6.5 inch woofers and the same dual Mid range/tweeter set up using the same drivers as the Model T's just blends perfectly, but it doesn't have the umph of the Model T's.

I have a very large space, so the horsepower here does a wonderful job. If your space is on the smaller size then perhaps the middle T's would work out nicely. But you cannot ever have too much horsepower

The Model T cabinets are massive with a ton of internal bracing and dual front wall construction. The front panels are 1.5 inches thick! and the Santose Rosewood veneer is just gorgeous. Although I really like the Black Ash wood veneer on the Model T sub, it too is beautiful.

Those are both very nice choices. Impressive. Similar in cost. Love those blue meters, been a Mc fan since the 60s. At Axpona 2019 demoed MC-601s with B&W 802D3. Very nice indeed. Too bad Bryston didn’t have a larger presence at the show. Not many places in my part of the US to hear equipment. Really miss that now compared to what it once was.
Enjoy your Ts! You won’t go wrong with either of the McIntosh choices you mentioned.
Cheers,
Jeff

They put the speaker on a pedestal with a mic 2 meters away inside the chamber. They measure the amplitude response. They spin the speaker 7.5 degrees and again measure the response. They keep doing this until they've spun the speaker 360 degrees. Then they lay it down flat and repeat all over again. They end up with two sets of measurements. These sets are called The Family of Curves.

The set of curves +/- 30 degrees with the speaker standing up is called the Listening Window. It's called that because listeners are typically seated within that 30 degree arc. The averaged response of all measurements is called the Sound Power. This represents the acoustic intensity (flux) that intersects the surface of an imaginary sphere around the speaker. Both curves are plotted as SPL vs. Frequency.

When the Listening Window and Sound Power curves ride on top of each other, and decline at roughly 3dB per decade of frequency, magic happens. Speakers and room disappear and all you're left with is the performance. That's active LFR magic.

For sure Axiom has target curves of their own recipe. I know this because I've heard most of the v4 in my own home...and their tone, imaging and soundstage sound similar no matter what their price. This is quite an amazing thing! You don't get poor acoustic quality with smaller, cheaper models.

Thanks! No, our amplifiers are not based on any other designs or modules. All of my amp designs are from the ground up. The ADA1000/1250/1500 all share a similar topology, only the type or number of output devices changes depending on the power supply voltage and output power requirements. The ADA1000 is a bit simpler in terms of the input stage and protection circuitry, but otherwise shares the same performance with the bigger models.

Thanks,

Andrew