After all the speakers I auditioned I still can't believe I ended up with these little trapezoid's from the Great White North. I'm referring, of course to the m22's. But, I have something to get off my chest, so to speak. Much has been written, here and elsewhere about the sonic qualities of brand A vs B, C or D. And much has been written about the sonic qualities of metal coned speakers as well as the attributes of highly efficient speakers vs not so efficient speakers. It is my belief acquired through many hours of auditioning speakers that there is an amount of ear fatique involved with efficient speakers. Let's call it the nature of the beast. I don't believe this is caused by brightness or harshness. I feel it is caused by the soundstage itself and the sheer intensity of sound you are experiencing. That's what we were looking for, wasn't it?

I have to agree with you. Even live, unamplified music causes ear fatigue. Just try listening to a live saxophone, and drum combo for hours on end. I guarantee you your ears will be fatiqued.

I'd rather hear the brutal, honest truth of the music than some "de-edged for your comfort" version of it.

yep, yep, yep...

So many people I think are used to "softened" music, that they don't want to hear anything else. They listen to hard rock at loud volumes and complain that they can't take it for more than 30min to an hour on the Axioms. Well HELLO...hard rock played loudly SHOULD tire you out!

I know all you guys are happy with your purchase. I agree Axioms are excellent speakers. But try out some of these more expensive ones for the hell of it. I know Craig has listen to a couple high end ones and still went with the M60.
These are some monitor speakers that I thought that knocked my socks off.
Revel M20, Dynaudio Contour 1.3mk2, Proac Response 1S, PMC AB2.

I REALLY wanted to hear the Revel M20's, but 1) couldn't find any to listen to, and 2) could NEVER spend $1500 for a pair of speakers.

Forget those M20s, have you heard the Revel Salons? Completely non-fatiguing, completely invisible (sonically speaking only -- those things are massive!), and very precise -- eerily too precise, I'd say. All for only $12,000 a pair when I listened to them over 3 years ago.

I'd take 'em if they were handed to me. It would be interesting to A/B them with my M22s , but I'd put 'em on Audiogon within a week for the cash.

Oh man, yeah. I just remember my jaw dropping when we heard those things. Not quite as much as it did when we heard the Maggies, but maybe I'm biased towards something I might actually someday be able to afford.

Yup, the true-ribbon Maggies (3.6s/20.1s) and high-end Revels (Ultima Studios/Salons) are the two brands I've been most impressed so far.

And I've never heard the true ribbon Maggies, just the MG12s and the MG1.6. Man, those were incredible.

In my opinion, the Magnepan 1.6qr are the best value in the audio world, even at $1675. These speakers are just AMAZING for that price. Of course somethign like the Magnepant 3.6r do sound quite a bit more full, they are more than twice the price. If you have a chance, definitely take a few minutes to audition and enjoy these speakers.

Oh, absolutely. Has anyone heard the wall mounted Maggies? Any impressions?

YOu are not supposed to flush mount magnepans....Sound comes from both the back and front. They pretty much HAVE to be 2-3ft from a back wall for them to sound right.

they do have a home theater models that mounts by the side to the wall...i have not heard these.

Yeah, I know. That's what I meant. They would be almost out of the reach of the cats, that way...

I heard the wall mounted Maggies when I was at Stereo Unlimited in Walnut Creek, Ken. They sounded really impressive, especially considering their size. I heard them on a vinyl system and it sounded very natural. They need a sub, of course, but I wouldn't mind building a system around them if I had the money. Plus I like the idea of just folding them back when you're done listening.