Axiom Home Page Forums Thread Like Summary - Axiom M80's vs Revel F36 or Focal 826's?

Hi: Ok almost ready to buy new speakers(recovering from house expense). Trying to decide between these 3 brands.....right now the is a big sale on the focals ....but having owned the Axiom's V3(almost bought the V4) still might just get the M80's but with the big price jump there are other options to consider.Has anyone here listened to either the Focals or the Revel's what are your thought compared to the Axiom's?I have heard the Revel F36's compared to my M80's(which r ver.3)the revels mid & upper end was more open & detailed without harshness of any kind,however the M80's seem to go deeper?Thanks for any feedback will take my time.Again thanks for the help!!

The OP should be considering the Revel F208 (or the slightly smaller F206) which are 3-way setups and have been reviewed highly by many over the years, not just mags, but also including high scores on the Olive scale and thumbs up by Audioscience Amir. I've been considering a pair of F208s for the main floor myself.

I have not heard v3. I had M80v2. The v4 M2, M3, M50, M5, M100 and active LFRs all beat my M80v2 in soundstage and imaging. The M5 is far more emotionally involving than my M80v2. In all aspects, I found the M5 to be better than the M80v2. The M100 and ALFR are of course on a different level.

I have the M50 in vinyl ebony. I love it. I hear very good things about the real oak.

V3 should have never been introduced!

Stereo guy, here’s my 2 cents, or 5cents now with inflation….

I have m60ti which I love dearly. However, and while not a direct comparison my m3 and m2 v4 are worlds better in imaging and treble is very different than version ti ( ti is version 1 I think ? I’ve actually figured that out officially. )

The treble in v4 is does not have “ that slight edge” that the ti has. It’s what I would call smooth. The m3 v4 images great. It’s really really good. ( when setup with patience it’s excellent ) m2 is possibly even better somehow but I’m splitting hairs.

So none of those things I commented on are direct conpsrisons to m80v2 but it’s what I can offer from my experience.

I’d say utilize the axiom trial period and if you don t enjoy them send them back.

I have the black oak m2 v4 ( I bought a bstock black oak would not been my first choice if buying non bstock ) but super nice!! To my surprise I really like it. I’m a Boston cherry fan. ( my m60ti are Boston cherry vinyl and m3 are Boston cherry real wood and are very nice ). Black oak gets my vote for sure. I also like the axiom style. Some don’t. But it’s clean , we’ll done and low key in a good way. It’s like the axiom sound, neutral and honest.

Hope that helps. Cheers.

Ok here’s another thought about your choices….

Looking at the Focals and the Revels it seems like a better or closer apples to apples comparison would an m60hp. Not an m80.

The focal carries the same driver complement as the m60hp as do the Revels. The Revel loses me at a 2 1/2 way crossover. I think I’d go for a true 3 way crossover. So that leaves the Focal. They’re certainly cheaper. They look nice too.

Maybe the only reason to get an m80 is the headroom of dynamics at high SPL they could provide over an m60hp. But unless you’re really cranking it loud frequently or have a massive room to fill then the m60hp in my humble opinion ( believe it’s humble , I’m a relative newcomer to this hobby but I’m learning ) would be plenty capable. And the v4 m60hp appears more linear to top it all off over the m80hp v4.

My m60ti , while yea they are older and not as linear as v4 , sound great and went from great to excellent when I upgraded my integrated to an amp and pre with matched rms values and high capacitance in reserve. It really mattered.

Plus the m60hp shows more wood at the base of the speaker with the shorter grill. So you get to enjoy more of that awesome real wood veneer, that you get to choose!

Make the choice that’s best for you , of course, I think in the end it’s always good. It’s like more and more things out there now, it’s less about better or worse it’s more about preference and personal taste.

Edit: I should say too my room is on the large side and the m60 plays plenty loud and with satisfying emotion. I have added a cheap sub to augment the bottom end. But an v4 Hp probably has a better low end than ti. My m3v4 have great low end in my master bed, it’s smooth and natural.

That is a perfect size room for M60s! You don't need HP drivers. Use the money you save for QS10s.

I had M5s in my 4200 cu. ft. room, 12 feet apart and I sat 14 feet away. I loved them! Far better than my M80v2. The M60 non-HP will be just as awesome. According to Ian, M60 is the way to go over M5 unless you absolutely must have bookshelves.

Maybe the best question for now: how does the F36 compare with the M80 v.3? And can basic tone adjustments make them comparable?

This will be very interesting. No doubt the 60 will give you an emotionally appealing bottom end but will it match the dispersive mids of the Revel? The v4 just might actually. Your room will matter also. The 60's response is downward-tilting to reduce brightness in reflective rooms. The F36's response is flatter which may suit more damped rooms.

Update on the speakers....got a call today from Axiom(Andrew) my M60's should ship sometime early next week.So will now have the M60's vs the Paradigm Premier 800F shootout late next week or early in the Dec12th week.May the best speaker win!!

Bruce, I don't know about the Paradigms but I can tell you most of the Axioms I've received sound different (better) after 5 to 30 hours. They also sound different if you haven't played them for a while. Ambient temperature and humidity matters with regard to how they sound.

I don't know what's responsible for the differences but one thing I do know is the tweeter uses ferrofluid for cooling. The viscosity of this fluid is a function of temperature.

If you choose Axiom ( you should absolutely use the trial period ) I say M60hp all the way with solid quantity and high quality amplification. I don’t think you gain anything by going with the m80 over the m60hp in fact I hunk you lose a little bit. ( splitting hairs ). I guess you get higher SPL and more power handling in tbe m80 and maybe they have an aesthetic you like better? I think hunk the brown xtra money is better spent on HP versus the extra tweeter and mid range.

M60hp and m100. That’s on my short list for my upgrade when it happens. And I’ve got a MASSIVE room. And like I said, you get the linearity and the integration of the m60hp. I enjoy it loud, really loud sometimes but not so often that it’s the defining factor. Now that I’ve added solid and quality amplification the emotional strength of the music is there and I’m not chasing it with the volume knob anymore. I find different music styles needs different volumes of SPL ( that’s another thread discussion some day).

Anyway I’m rambling on here but you’ve got some good choices and options. Happy choosing!! Fun stuff!! ( any chance to bet both the axioms and one other to do an unofficial ab test? That would be the way to do it.