On Monday I ordered M60's, a VP150, and QS8's.

Good news:
1)I called FedEx and asked them to let me know when they would be at my house so I could go home and meet them. They actually called and gave me 30 minutes warning. When I got home the driver was there waiting. :-)
2) It only two 2 days to get them just like it should be.
3) Axiom packs the speakers REALLY well.

Bad news:
1) FedEx damaged two of the outer boxes
2) FedEx damaged one of the inner boxes.
3) On one of the M60's something small sliced through the outer box(~6" gash), then the inner box, skidded on the plastic, pierced the speaker grill and hit one of the 6.5" woofers and denting it. (The FedEx driver did actually show me the damage on the box and put a comment scan on it saying it was damaged.)

Back to good news:
1) Axiom is going to send me a new woofer and speaker grill, and take care of filing a claim with FedEx.

I had to get back to work, so I didn't have a chance to get everything out of the boxes and inspect them closely but all the other boxes (at least the inner ones) looked OK.

Now I can't wait to leave work, get a couple movies, and test everything out.

Congrats on the purchase. It looks like you have a great set-up in the works. Sorry to hear about the damage... after researching, deciding, ordering, and waiting, I know it's difficult to deal with the damage. Good luck with the set-up and enjoy!

lando

OK, you are home. You've been listening since. Got 2 minutes to give us first impressions? Too bad about the shipping damage.

Well, to compare them to the Polk R50's that I have on loan :-) from Circuit City, the M60's are a little less efficient(about 3dB difference), but more clear and smooth. The R50's seem to emphasize any echo in a song, and also put Blues Traveler in a box. In general the M60's get the sound out of and away from the speakers, where the R50's sound more boxy. (And unlike Volvo, boxy here is not good.) The M60's have cleaner slightly deeper bass than the R50's, and it's more balanced. In a sweep test the R50's hurt my ears, where the M60's don't. The M60's also have better - wider, higher and deeper imaging. (My better half also says that the R50's sharpen the upper range in pitch from what it should be. She also says that vocals (both male and female) sound much more natural on the M60's.)

Oh, and the Boston Cherry finish looks much nicer than the Polk black, even if it is real wood veneer on the Polks.

The R50's normal price is about $560(I got them on sale for $400), while the M60's are $800(I paid $680 for them from the FO). So, I would hope for $280 more they would be better. :-)

(When reading this please don't confuse the Polk R50's I am talking about with the Axiom M50's that I have never heard. :-)

Some more bad news, while the outer and inner boxes of the VP150 where OK, one of the woofers has a defect. Really weird.. Here are a couple links to pictures of it:

http://www.civis.com/vp150-d1.jpg
http://www.civis.com/vp150-d2.jpg

I'm hoping that Axiom can send me a new one of it with the other parts, but they haven't had a chance to respond to me yet as they are closed.

Michael

One more note, while it may sound like I am slaming the Polk R50's they do sound a LOT better than the BIC, Advent, Infinity, Boston, KLH, Athena, Velodyne, and Klipsch speakers we listened to. The Klipsch RF3II speakers were way too harsh, and had a fatigue time of about about 5 minutes. (Horn tweeters) The other speakers I thought about getting were the JBL Stuido 310's, which sounded nice in the store but were way too big.

We have been looking for speakers for about a month now, and I think we have finally found the right ones for us.

We'll get the new parts out to you today, Michael. The only way for that damage to happen to a woofer is by someone accidentally gripping it when putting the speaker into the box, or taking it out. Very easily done; we try to be very careful about that at the factory, but it can happen at either end. We'll get those out to you today!

I got the replacement parts today, no thanks to FedEx... The boxes looked a little worse for the wear, but it obvious Axiom knows how to pack stuff, everything survived just fine, despite FedEx's best effort.

It took a little work to replace the two drivers, two of wires really didn't want to come off, and the wires weren't any too long. But I got it done without damging anything. Now if I just had time to actually watch any movies..

Thanks Axiom!

I have to add some comments about the Polk R50.

I walked into Fry's Sat Evening, and, in just browsing, I discover that the Polk R50's are on sale, for 79.00 each! Turns out, that Polk has a new speaker, replacing the R50's, and Fry's bought out the lot from Polk. (Retail is 639.00 / pair)

I have been waiting to buy some Axiom's, (prob in Feb) but this was too good a deal, not to at least buy them and try them out.

Here is my Delema, these speakers are the BEST 79.00 Speakers I will ever find. Not saying they are the BEST, but for the price, these things are awesom.

And, (this is probably true for any speaker) they sounded OK at first, but sounded much better after I ran my Receiver's MCACC auto setup.

They are very good for Home Theater, I watched several DVD's and heard a crispness and clarity that I was not used to.

However, they still sound a bit compressed, and the music does not "come alive". But They are a step up from what I am currently using. (I will be an Axiom Owner in the next month or two, I am waiting for my refund check from the IRS!)

So, the end result, is that I am going to take them back, hating myself as I do so. I will probably never come across a deal like this again, but really want that high end sound.

I am racking my brains, trying to figure out where to put these babies. Would they be a good surround sound speaker, would they be good in the bedroom, or garage, or somewhere!

Man, why couldn't I have found this deal 12 years ago, when I was poor and building a A/V system for the first time!!!

EDIT!!
I know what I am going to do! My dad is buying a new, wide screen TV, to replace the 27 incher that he currently has, and will I will get him started on a HT system. While not as good as Axioms, this is much better than any "Home Theater in a Box" speakers, and as his birthday is near father's day, I will have both Fathers Day and his Birthday taken care of!

What a good deal, and I can enjoy them until I get my Axiom's!

that sounds like a great idea for those R50's. i have never heard them, but like you say, thats almost too good of a deal to turn down. $160 for the pair, when they are regular $640 bucks, i dont think you will find anyone that will fault you for that. hope your father enjoys them with his new HT set-up.

bigjohn

Wow...I just noticed this thread was from 2002! Talk about the living dead.

Sounds like a great idea you came up with for those Polks.

I try to do searches before starting new posts, and even though it was from 2002, I figured why not!

I think that my Dad will absolutely love these speakers, and I will feel good about giving it to him, as an Axiom HT system is out of my budget for gifts, and I know that these Polks are not the best, but, I cannot imagine any HT in a box sounding better than these!

Any suggestions on a good value in a A/V receiver? I have the Pioneer VSX 1014 and like it, but wondering if there are any better (ie cheaper!) values out there. I have 6 months to shop, so I am not in a hurry!

I've seen some really low prices on some HK receivers lately. Do some google searching and you'll likely find some good deals. I think there's some new models on the way so it's a case of out with the old, in with the new. Always a good time to find a deal when that happens.

Check out your nearest Compusa. The one in fresno has the hk 230 on clearance for $299.00.
Very good receiver in my opinion.

In addition to spiff's comments on the HK receivers, the local Sunday ad for CompUSA indicates that they are trying to clear out their stock of HK receivers. Very nice prices. I imagine the available stock will vary by location.

I knew you guys would come through. I couldn't remember who it was that was having the terrific sale.

Budd, if you're asking about an inexpensive receiver to give to your father along with the speakers, here's a bargain on a receiver that tested well in Sound&Vision .

Nice find.