Axiom Home Page Forums Thread Like Summary - What is your favourite Axiom speaker?

Members here often collect Axiom speakers over time. Some members have examples of almost all models in their collection. I have to say after meeting several models now I continue to be impressed by the value and versatility of Axiom products.

Sooo…

What is your favourite Axiom speaker/product in your collection?

Depends ….

At the affordable end:
- M2/EP500. … both are really good in their range. Together they are fantastic.
- M22 (pretty sure you can request them). They sound like the M2 but are 3db more efficient. Save some $$$ on your amp for a slightly higher speaker cost.
- if a sub is too much then the M3. It’s a very slight trade off in mid clarity for some additional base but you won’t notice unless you A/B them with the M2.

At the high end:
LFR1100 actives can’t be beat at least for the money. I know 2x will tell me that I need to compare them to his Wilsons but at this level of audio it’s hard to imagine much room for improvement. They are magical to my ears and that’s all that matters.

I have to give a high- and low-end answer too.
I love my M80s, so that my answer up "high" (The only other higher end speaker I've listened to is the LFT660).
But dollar for dollar I love the M22v2. (I never heard the v3. And I didn't like the v4 version, it seemed to have muffled the highs.)

I think I’d agree especially when priced against the M2/EP500 combo … that said I like the combo more.

Both are a bit pricey for low-end money … which leaves the M3 for that space …
And that’s especially true if you go for a refurb on sale.

Cannes,

What do like about the LFR that the m100 doesn’t have or does differently?

I think I can guess based on what I’ve gleaned from other threads but curious your first hand experience. Thanks.

Great thread idea Trevor!

I just placed a set M22ti's in my home gym, after I bricked my Axiom Air. I have not listened to them in years..... I forgot what great little speakers they are. I have to give them the nod over my other Axion speakers, cause they do so much, and at a very reasonable price point. JohnK has been right all these years.....

I agree with rrlev

I have a pair of M22Tis. Out of rotation, but what a great speaker. The M3Ti was my introduction to Axiom speakers. They went for $275 back then and along with a 5 wpc SET tube amp and a little Velodyne sub they were a revelation. Got rid of my Infinity Composition Overture IIIs (nice speakers) and started down the Axiom road. I don't remember which iteration of M80s I had (V2 of V4), and loved them.

I love my LFR1100 Actives. The only potential weakness is that you need the 10 channels of dedicated digital amplification. The weakness is not the speakers. Maybe my amps or maybe the DSP preamps are atypical, but I hear digital haze.

Yes, the Wilsons are also terrific, but they have the advantage of Balanced Audio Technology 110 wpc tube VK56SE monoblock amplification and their wonderful VK33 tube preamp.

So, for music, for me, the call goes to the Wilson system. For home theater, no question, the LFR1100A system. (VP160 center, twin EP600 subs and 8 M2OWs, a real Axiom system!

Looking back, I have to say the M3Ti, Velodyne, Antique Sound Labs MG Si 15dt integrated tube amp (KT88s and 12ax7s), Mapleshade Audio Double Golden Helix speaker cables, gave me the most music delight of any Axiom 2 channel system. In that room it produced a most wonderful WALL OF MUSIC.

PS I don't have the M3Tis or the M80s anymore, but I still have the Antique Sound Labs tube amp. I upgraded it with VCap capacitors, Telefunken black diamond 12ax7s, and NOS Gold Lion KT88s. What a fantastic little integrated, but nowhere to put it.

PPS Hi Kodiak!

I had a pair of M100s. Gorgeous speakers, they sure didn't work well with the Conrad Johnson MV60SE 70wpc amp and Jadis preamp, so I can't really compare to the LFR1100As. They should be like the M80s but more and better, and the M80s are pretty terrific!

I am a fan of every single v4.

I put down the M3v4 a lot but that's only because it isn't linear and it shows. Nonetheless, like vinyl, tape and tubes, it is very enjoyable. I'm not kidding when I say I'd like to have a DSP that allows me to set between modern and retro hi-fi. All it would have to do for retro is boost channel cross-talk, add some white noise, and attenuate the top and bottom end. You could even add a tube mode that adds harmonic distortion and glows the DSP with the blue lasers that Andrew loves to blind us with.

The biggest shock of my life was the sound quality of the M2 and M5 on-walls. I still haven't picked my jaw up from the floor.

I'll leave the centre, subs and surrounds out of it. Out of the v4 M2, M3, M5, M50, M100 and active LFR, the M2 takes top honors. OW and bookshelf. Easy, easy, easy system integration, acoustic holography with no revealing of the speakers, and audiophile-level sound quality within its operating specifications. All at an extremely affordable price, in choice of finishes, great member benefits and delivered to your door.

BTW, the easy integration with the room is largely a function of the vicious cut-off below 60Hz. They can still be enjoyed without a sub though with room support. The easy integration with electronics is due to their impedance and sensitivity. Their characteristics makes them a great match for those applications where room correction isn't available or desired.

Now some will say it's thin-sounding. Fair enough. Add a sub. Or go M3 for warmth or M5 for warmth and more linearity. But those aren't perfect within their operating specifications like the M2 is.

Active LFR1100s are still making me happy, certainly the nicest speakers I see myself owning for the foreseeable future. I simply can't afford to chase a higher ideal. Granted, they're part of a home theater system with M5s as the other channels and dual EP800s handling bass, so I don't know how much of the effect would be lost going to 2.0 stereo. I spent some time listening to music today, which I haven't been doing enough of, and they're just so articulate and powerful when called on, no muddiness at all. Finally watched my UHD Blu-ray of Dune the other day as well, and I think back to how much I had to slum it when starting down this HT path, first with hand-me-down Polks. The experience now is such a far cry from my initial setups. Thank you, Axiom.