http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/home-thea....html?showall=1

Sweet review. kudos to axiom for continuing to develop new speaker models and versions that improve upon what they already offer.

I'm jealous of all owners of the epic 80-800 v3 system!

My God. It's full of stars!

I like the "Hand of Zeus" line. Good stuff.

Just a few quotes from the review that apply to things we have discussed here from time to time.

Funny, I just switched my M80s from Large to Small, changed the crossover to 60Hz, and I liked the bass a lot better. Suddenly the EP350 was actually doing something...

Hello,

Would anyone know what the reveiwer's room dimensions were?
I wanted to get a VP180 center for my room size (12' deep x 16' long, sitting 10' from the center speaker) but was told that that size speaker would be too big. I'm using M22's for the L/R.

Thank you,
tony

Tony, you really can't have "too big".... the VP180 simply would produce your desired volume without any strain. Of course, the VP150 might not be straining at all, either (depending upon your desired volume level), but quite frankly, the reviews for the VP180 have been so substantial, I'd say go for it if you have the physical room for it!

How well does the vp180 match with the m22s?

It matches the M80s almost perfectly so I would guess it would be the same for the M22s.

Only the 180 will play down 40 hz easily while the M22's only reach to about 70 with the same authority, but they will have useable bass below that. I think the 180 could even give the reverse reaction that the 150 leaves with the M80's, there is no substitute for full range listening.

David, above the lowest bass they should match almost perfectly. Of course, the greater bass extension of the VP180 would make possible the rather unusual step of setting the center speaker crossover lower than the mains, although this wouldn't be essential.

I totally agree, I couldn't be happier with my Axiom setup, but you do have to wonder. Has Hometheaterhifi ever given a bad review to anything? I spent some time looking at their site and could not find a single example where they were not giving a glowing review.

I do note a difference in sound from when I move away from the main listening position, much less than the VP150 but still significant. However, this might probably be due to my poor room acoustics... I think. I will also try to rerun Audyssey as he suggested,maybe it will help.

When you had the M80s set to large, what did you have as a crossover set on the EP350?

I have my M60s set to large but dialed the sub crossover to the point where i find the bass was nicely blended, before it started getting muddy and overbearing. I found that point was around 50-55Hz, higher than the expected lower end for the M60. I originally had guessed i would use a x'over of about 40-45Hz but i found the bass to be a bit weak and thin.
As you said Ken, my EP350 "wasn't doing much" either it seemed.

An interesting quote from the article:

There is a general misunderstanding among many consumers that a loudspeaker placed vertically or horizontally will sound the same. This is completely false! A crossover that has been optimized for a vertically placed loudspeaker will likely have excellent horizontal off-axis performance but the vertical dispersion will be far less uniform. Placed in a horizontal position, that same loudspeaker will now have excellent vertical off-axis performance but compromised horizontal dispersion.

I recall testing this idea many years back by flipping the VP150 into a vertical position.

Flipping a horizontal designed speaker vertical will not sound the same for sure, in some cases it can even sound better...

Or is it just the SPL drops off due to the poor horizontal dispersion associated with a horizontal speaker. I have never noticed the sound actually changing just the volume drop. I have used my SPL meter and measured a 1-2 db drop off and once I adjusted the volume back up the sound was the same again.

Did you just diss my VP150??

Try flipping the centre, then stand on your couch, then sit, then kneel down and listen to all 3 locations.
The sound changes with axis position.
Flipping horizontal to vertical puts those drivers in a different height orientation.
The sound is very different.

Hi Scamp,

On a few occasions, I have read online articles or blogs with similar comments and it was revealed the following which I suspect would also be the case for Hometheaterhifi. When they review a product which does not perform well (based on their evaluation); they will contact the manufacturer to discuss it - resulting in the non-publication of the review.

I wonder if Alan could share his personal inside experience with us on this interesting and intriguing subject.

I have one myself. Did you find it sounded better in the vertical orientation both on and off-axis?

Which is exactly why I don't bother to read publications like Hometheaterhifi. I prefer to take the time to wade my way through sites like http://www.avsforum.com/

Sure they have their trolls and fanboys but you can typically read past them and get good information. After all it lead me to Axiom!

Scamp, I think you would like the Audioholics publication as well. Their reviews are some of the most in-depth and comprehensive/critical for a media review site. They are the few that actually deconstruct the product, looking at all components including the internals examining overall build quality, perform independent measurements and listening evaluations. While most of the product they get, review well, they are not afraid to point out the flaws in a product and back it up in some sort of objective way.

P.S. I enjoy reading Ralph Potts Blu-ray disk reviews over at AVS.

+1. Audioholics is in position #1 on my bookmark bar.