Hey guys, I am about to build my first really nice A/V system and I am hoping for some advice. I have had a JBL Northridge setup for the past few years and am ready to step up to more of an upscale system. I have been a long time fan of the Paradigm Monitor line of speakers and have always assumed that once I could afford to set up a high end (for me) system, that is the route I would go. I have heard really good things about Axiom though, from a few different sites. For anyone that has heard both, how would you compare a 5.1 setup of Axiom (M3, QS4, and VP100)vs. the new Paradigm Monitor v.5 (Mini Monitor, CC190, ADP190). I appreciate any help.
Also, I have a velodyne sub that I am either going to keep or replace with a stf-3 from HSU.
Welcome JTK,
There have been many discussions over the years comparing Paradigm and Axiom. I quick "search" for Paradigm would bring up those threads.
Historically, the feedback has been that the Axiom lineup overall is a step above the "monitor" series from Paradigm. A better comparison would be the "studio" line of speakers. It is my understanding that Paradigm is getting rid of both of those models, if they have not done so already?
A few years ago, when I was looking for new speakers I auditioned Paradigm Monitors, B&W 703's, and NHT ????. Anyway, after auditioning Axioms, that was all it took. I truely think they are a great value for the audiophile grade speaker you receive.
I would suggest checking the Audition Threads in the "Hearing Things" forum to see if someone is in your area that will give you a listen.
jtk,
I owned a pair of Monitor 9 speakers for a few years before replacing them with my Axiom M22s and a subwoofer. The M22 + sub combination was a significant improvement over the Monitor 9s, which were no slouches to begin with.
jtk,
I originally was going to purchase Paradigm Monitor's as well, but after hearing Axiom speakers, my decision was set on Axiom. You really do have to buy their Studio line to compete with Axiom equivalents, and at that point, the Studio's are twice the price, if I remember correctly.
I am convinced you would be much happier with Axiom over Paradigm.
Do these reccomendations go for HT as well? I will be using them 80%HT/20% Music.
I had the opportunity to take my m60s to a buddy with Paradigm Studios and listen to them side by side in the same room. They were the best of the very few choices I could make locally.
I'm not a professional listener and most of any audio knowledge I have now comes from this board and the Internet, not from experience. Maybe that's why i had trouble telling the difference. I'm thinking my M60s might have had a little more bass and both were so clear on the details I can't even comment there. Maybee the Paradigms were a bit brighter on the high end but not in an unpleasing way. My buddy agreed.
It wasn't a blind test and we had to take the time to change cables all the time without a switch or even banana plugs, so not scientific at all.
All I can say for sure is that they were extremely similar to me and in the end, I knew I would be happy with either one and I payed a lot less than he did. Happy Customer!
as a P.S.
To prove we were not just totally bad listeners, we hooked up his RBH bookshelves, that he now uses as surrounds, as mains. Again, not blind but we could definably notice a strong difference. The depth was gone from the bottom and the extreme detail level was gone. Not a fair comparison but we were trying to prove we were not tone deaf rather than compare the RBHs to the others.
We also had a few beer by then so more science lost.
To me Axiom's excel in HT applications, not to mention music. In reality it makes no difference if we are talking HT or Music, a good speaker is just that, good.
Between Monitor 7s and Axioms (M60s in this case, but same goes for the rest of the Axiom line) the Monitors seem a bit "muffled" by comparison. The Monitors seem to dip in the midrange while the Axioms have much flatter response, ie more detail when compared to Monitors.
One of my hunting buddies bought Paradigms, I bought Axioms. My other hunting buddy ("chips" on the forums) listened to both and bought Axioms. My other buddy with the Monitor 7s wants to make his system sound more like the Axioms -- my guess is that a bit of EQ will help a lot.
I think the Monitors will play louder than the comparable Axioms while still sounding clean but I haven't done any serious A/B testing to support that statement.
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Do these reccomendations go for HT as well? I will be using them 80%HT/20% Music.
A good speaker will play well regardless of the source. If it sounds good with music, it will sound good with home theatre.
Axiom speakers are also very efficient. They play loudly without requiring a particularly strong amplifier. This is a bonus when you don't have tons of cash lying around to purchase a big amp.
I owned the M22 (briefly) and there is NO WAY Axiom compares to Paradigm!!! Paradigm Reference simply blows Axiom out of the water
LOL!
Since I'm from Ohio, allow me to translate for Norm. "I briefly owned M22s, but I didn't care for them. I found I liked Paradigm better. But, that is merely my
OPINION. YMMV."
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LOL! Since I'm from Ohio, allow me to translate for Norm. "I briefly owned M22s, but I didn't care for them. I found I liked Paradigm better. But, that is merely my OPINION. YMMV."
I dont need you to translate for me.....Paradigm is simply a better sounding speaker
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I dont need you to translate for me.....Paradigm is simply a better sounding speaker
hmmm, its good to know that you don't think your opinion is an opinion, yet a stated fact. Many say the opposite, what makes you so right? Why should you opinion matter more than others?
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Why should you opinion matter more than others?
Because he's big norm. And don't forget it.
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Because he's big norm. And don't forget it.
I wouldn't mess with Bignorm. Er...I mean BigWorm...
From my experience with the M22's, I'd give them the nod over the Paradigm Monitor series. From the midrange and up, they compare favorably with Paradigm's more expensive models.
My $.02....
Before purchasing my M80's, my wife and I spent 3 months actively seeking out other speakers to try before just blindly throwing more money at Axiom. I had been reasonably happy with my m22's for a couple of years, but I wanted the presence and soundstage that come with floor standers.
I won't bore you with the details of all of the other speakers we listened to. Paradigm was very high on my list of speakers to try based on reviews and comments that they're a lot like Axiom. I have listened to the Reference Studio 20 and the RS-100's at a Paradigm dealer. NAD CD player, prepro, and amp provided the juice, which is all completely different from what I have at home. That alone makes the comparison somewhat invalid but the NAD stuff is about 3 times the price of what I have.
To our ears, the Reference Stuio 20's sounded quite a bit like the m22's, but with more bass and a little bit more midrange warmth. Some like that, some hate that. Very similar, maybe even a bit more pleasant sounding than M22's, but they're also about 2 times the price.
We weren't looking for bookshelves, so we went straight for the RS-100's next. We were impressed with the presence and soundstage. They looked great and sounded nice and powerful with lots of low and midrange force. Highs were also there, but were a bit too piercing. Too much sibilance for my liking. Bass was deep and powerful, and the midrange was clean with just a hint of warmth like the 20's. Now I don't mind a bit of midrange warmth, but some purists will say that they're too 'colored'. My wife (who was really rooting for the B&W 703's) didn't really like them but I thought they sounded pretty good.
In the end, we decided to go ahead and order the M80's with the full intention of returning them if they didn't meet our expectations. They absolutely exceeded our expectations and sound very similar to other 'good' speakers we listened to at twice the price or more. M80's are about 1/3rd the cost of the B&W 703's, and about 1/2 the cost of the Paradigm RS-100's, but can absolutely compete with either of those. Sonically, are they better than the others? No, not really. To my ears, M80's sound awfully similar for a whole lot less money, and that sealed the deal for me. At this level, it's really just a personal preference and getting that Nth decimal position of 'betterness'. To get something 'blown out of the water' better will require a significant investment to push into the serious audiophile level.
I don't claim to be a speaker expert, but I've heard quite a few of them ranging from $10 Kracos to $40,000 Dynaudio Evidence Masters. The least expensive speakers I've ever heard that could be described as 'blowing M80's out of the water' are my buddy's $10k+/pair B&W 801's.
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I owned the M22 (briefly) and there is NO WAY Axiom compares to Paradigm!!! Paradigm Reference simply blows Axiom out of the water
Now Norm, did you mean Paradigm or did you mean Polk? 
It must be true. Why else would someone use three exclamation points?
My dad bought the Paradigm Studio 60s few years ago, I bought Axiom M60s since they were cheaper. To be honest I've listened to both on same equipment and swap speakers and they sound very very similiar to me. While I think the Axiom has more forward sound, the paradigm has little more bass. My dad has Denon receiver and I have rotel amp and it seemed that the paradigm didn't open up much in lower volumes unless you cranked it up some while you can hear the Axioms better at lower volumes, not sure why. Both are good quality speakers but you get more sound for your money with Axioms in my opinion. Either way, you can't go wrong. By the way my dad went with QS8s for surrounds and they blend perfectly with his paradigm studio 60s.
Ok, everyone play nice or I *will* get the firehose out.
If you read through all these posts, the clear pattern is :
- Axioms are felt to be better than Paradigm Monitor series
- between Axiom and Paradigm Reference / Studio series, some people prefer Axioms, others prefer Paradigms
Seems fair. That tells me Axioms are roughly comparable to the Paradigm Reference series, and are preferred over the Monitor series.
Are any of the posters claiming that Paradigm Monitors are clearly better than Axioms ?