please help me or i dont know what to do

Axiom Home Page

I just need some help deciding which set up to get I hope you guys can help me

option 1
axiom
mains: m22
surrounds: m2
center vp100

option 2
av123

mains: x-sls tower
surround: x-ls
center: x-cs
most of the time I like music move then movies and if you guy can give me info on y I should get one over the other

The x series look to be pretty new. Couldn't find any real reviews but they look interesting. Configuration-wise, x-sls ~ M40, x-ls ~ M3.

All the speakers seem to have slightly deeper bass response than the corresponding Axioms, but if you have a decent sub I don't think that matters so much. If you're listening to music without a sub, the x-sls speakers might be preferable (I really like my M40s) although it totally depends on how good the midrange and treble are and you need real reviews or A/B listening yourself to tell that.

I found an audioholics "intro" with some pics :

audioholics

Like John said, these are so new there are no reviews. If I had to buy now, I would buy the Axioms because I'd at least have testimonials to base my decision on. But I am not you so here are some other factors to consider

.

123s use treated paper for the cones. Treated paper is certainly better than just paper but it still distorts easier than aluminum during dynamic passages. Some may say that treated paper has better transient response than aluminum because it's lighter. First, it's not lighter because the treatment that is impregnated into the paper has mass to it. Second, transient response is not purely a function of the cone material but also the voice coil and the properties of the magnetic circuit.

I can't tell what surround material AV123 uses but make sure it's not foam. Axiom uses a rubber compound that will easily last 30 years. Foam would last 10 if you don't drive it too hard and if your environment is humid, expect them to last even less.

I haven't seen any specifications for 123's power handling. M3s can take 175W; M22s and 100s can take 200W. This is only a consideration if you want to play them "loud".

The frequency response curves on 123's site only extend to 200Hz.

I find it very strange that AV123's 6.5" woofer is crossed over with a 1" tweeter at 1750Hz. I hope the cross-over isn't audible. Of course you can't cross over too high because that affects imaging but 2500Hz may have been more appropriate. Axiom crosses their speakers over at more "conventional" frequencies.

Judging by the impedance curves, expect the x-sls to sound more laid back in the midrange than the M22s. To me, more laid back means less accurate.

Axiom products come with a high quality vinyl finish whereas the 123s come with a real wood veneer. You cannot tell however that the Axioms are not real wood even upon close inspection. Out of the dozens that have auditioned my system, not one has suspected that the speakers are finished in vinyl. A few have even commented that they loved the wood finish

.

If you buy Axioms and need to upgrade later, Axiom now offers a trade-in program right here on this site.

Buying through Axiom is very easy and you will get great support.

Finally, Axiom has this great bulletin board and you can hang out here and have fun with us

. Actually, even if you buy 123, you can still come here and hang out (and maybe even share BBQ secrets). Let us know which way you end up going and what you think of your purchase. Good luck!

Brandan,

I own the following speakers. Axiom M22's, M3's, VP150 and QS8's. Onix X-LS. I have been a long-time Axiom owner, but bought a pair of the X-LS to try out the "Onix" sound that I had heard so much about over the years.

First of all, both Axiom and Onix make outstanding speakers. And it is not like one is clearly better over the other. Even if I were comparing my M22's to my M3's, there are somtimes I prefer the M3's over the M22's, and vice versa. It is not like one is better than the other--they sound similar due to the Axiom sound, but have different signatures.

The thing about comparing speakers in your home, is that you can try out any combination of songs, movies, etc. to figure out what sound/speakers you prefer. In my case, I have learned that I really do prefer the Axiom sound.

On their own, the X-LS are really, really good speakers, and quite the bargain. They are very attractive speakers, very solid. Everything sounds good on them--music, movies, etc. They have very good bass, and decent mids and highs.

When I compared them head-to-head with the Axioms, it became apparent that their mids and highs were a bit recessed. And in my case, I do definitely prefer the more forward, front and center sound of the Axioms.

The bass of the M3's and X-LS are both better than the M22's, while being comparable to each other. I would prefer either of the M3's or the X-LS over the M22's without a sub (I do prefer the M3's in this case). The M22's move to the front when paired with a sub. Their sound just blends beautifully with a good sub (SVS in my case).

I've lurked on the Onix forum a bit, and there is a bit of a frenzy over there about the X-series speakers. Please understand that while they are outstanding speakers, especially bang-for-the buck, they are not the last word in speakers. You certainly might prefer their sound over the Axioms. No way to know unless you demo them both head-to-head. Otherwise, you may just need to take a leap of faith with one company over the other, and see if you're happy with what you get.

Good luck.

Counselor, long time no see; welcome back.

Brandan, welcome to the board. I've had my M22s for a little over five years now and continue to be delighted by the very high performance/price ratio they deliver. I can't imagine that you wouldn't be impressed with the clarity and accuracy of sound that you'd get from them, but since speakers are an audio item where there actually are differences in sound, as was said, nobody can tell you with 100% certainty that there might not be something about the Onixs or other speakers that you'd like even better.

Quote:

Counselor, long time no see; welcome back.

Thanks for the welcome back John. I've had a lot going on career-wise and family-wise (we have a 2 1/2-year old son now), so I've been a bit quiet on the forum for some time. But we will be moving from our apartment to a house soon, so it means I have a chance to buy some new toys

. So I've been lurking on the forums a bit more to see what the latest and greatest is.

On that topic, I have strongly considered trying out a new speaker company for my main system in the new house. Not for any reason related to the Axioms, just to try something new. I considered Monitor, KEF, Rockets, PSB, Ascend amongst others. And not that I've actually had a chance to demo any of these other speakers, but I have ultimately decided I am sticking with Axiom.

I know Axiom, I love the sound, I love the value, I love the company, I'm sticking with 'em. The only tweak will be I will be replacing my M22's with M60's, and I might need to reduce my QS8's to QS4's due to space constraints on our family room wall in the house.

I can't wait to see what the M60's can do. I expect them to do everything my M22's have been doing for several years, but just bigger, deeper, and better. And the Axiom M3's, and Onix X-Ls, will surely find a place in the house, be it bedroom, basement, or some other duty.

Anyway, good to be back, and still loving the Axioms. Sorry for the thread hi-jack Brandan.

thanks for all of the help i posted this same thing on the av123 form and they have been saying that axiom are bright and that the center ch is not very good that is something that i dont like to hear because my set up now is just jvc system and i have the center issue that is one thing that i hate is turning up the vol to here the voices so my question is y would they say that the center are not very good how do you guys like the center on the axiom and what does bright mean anyways thanks for your help again

i went to best buy and when i heard the
Vienna Acoustics 6" Floorstanding Speaker
that is what made me want new speakers so i was also like to know if the m22 sound about the same that is the sound i am looking for

Brandon.. welcome to the fourms.. I have owned a vp150 for almost a month now.. I bought it first to see if there would be an improvment over my old CC. I found myself doing the same thing constantly with my old CC have to adjust it constantly to be able to hear dialoge clearly.. I find the vp 150 to have much better sound and projection.. Depending on source material you will always need to tweek CC.. But i find i do this less often than before .. Much less.. When i pop in a dvd ...it is usually right on, for multi chan music you will probaly want to adjust it acordingly to your prefferences. Again this is a source problem and not a problem with the speaker.. As far as brightness is concerned .. I would say that is a individual finding .. the best way to decide is to order one worry free and try it out with your system. The 30 day trial is a great way to find out if the Axiom sound satisfy's you.. It didn't take me long to go and grab some 60's and a pair of M3's after i got my CC.. Whether you like the sound or not, Axiom is great to deal with and they will be there when you need them for support and info.. No high pressure just the facts and with options to help or muddy the waters depending on your situation ... Check out the Auditions page for someone in your area to go and hear a Vp150 if you don't want to do the 30 day trial ... HTH

Avdude

I do wonder how many of them have heard the Axioms. Not many of us have heard Rockets (or maybe more than I think). Bright generally is used as a negative; most of us prefer the word, "accurate" or "flat." There are others here that will disagree with me, and hopefully we won't get into that argument again. Basically, it means that the treble is very much present--the Axioms won't hide bad recordings. If the recording has an overemphasized high end, there you are. The Rockets are generally considered (generally--they've got a lot of different lines) more laid-back. In other words, they don't put out as much treble.

As for the center channel thing, I've heard both the
VP150 (and VP100) and their Bigfoot Center. I think I prefer the VP150. It's all a fairly personal choice, and if you have the opportunity to audition both, I strongly recommend it.

so do you guys think that i should get the vp150 and not the vp100

We're going to need some room sizes, listening preferences, etc.

room size 300 sq ft i like it not to loud but i am thinking about down the road going to up grade my mains from m22 to m60 so i hope this helps

Standard 8 ft ceiling? What kind of music?

Quote:

so do you guys think that i should get the vp150 and not the vp100

I fretted over the 100/150 also brandon .. In the end i figured for the little extra money .. I got the 150 to be future proof and so i wouldn't be wondering "what If"..As I am doing at the moment with my M60's (which are great but wonder now that I have the ablity to drive M80's ... Hummmm ????) Also be sure you have a place to put it. It is wide 27.5" x 7.5" x7.5... I had to replace my audio rack to accomodate it ... lol... Just as well I had been using my old mdf audio stand that I purchased in the early 80's.. Not only that there was no way to fit in my new LPA1 ... it's a monster but a beautiful one at that ...

Avdude

Quote:

Standard 8 ft ceiling? What kind of music?

yes 8 ft ceilings and the music i like is classic rock and stuff on the soft side not any rap or hard rock

Brandan,

If you are so worried about the centre channel, definitely go for the 150. It has wider dispersion and lower frequency response. Both of these will contribute to understandability.

I have the VP150 in a 4,000 cubic foot room. I usually sit 8 feet away from it straight on. But I can (and frequently do) sit as much as 60 degrees off the horizontal axis and 10 feet away to watch movies and I understand the dialogue without any problems. I am very happy with it.

The word "bright" is used to describe harsh highs. Axioms are far from harsh. As others have said, they are accurate.
It's not unusual for recording engineers to turn out bright CDs so that they sound better on crappy boom boxes like my wife's Sony. If you have a particular recording that is like this, use the treble control on your receiver to tame it.

I've noticed one other thing with my M80s (which I know that you are not interested in but I am sure it's the same story with other Axiom fronts). I can stand anywhere in my largish room and I still have great center imaging (ie. the center image does not move to the left or to the right). Also, if I go into another room, the tone of the speakers does not change. I attribute both of these observations to excellent sound dispersion characteristics. This is important because it brings a sense of ambience to stereo recordings.