I am currently looking to buy a home theater system and have just about nailed everything down: A Pioneer elite 50" (1120hd I belive) plasma, a Denon 3910 DVD, the new AVR Denon 4806....then it comes to speakers...hard to decide...I have previewed the Monitor Audio Silver S Package...2 S8's, 1 SLCR, 2 Sfx and a velodyne spl1000. Sounded great...then I went to Magnolia and previewed the Vienna Acoustics Mozarts, 2 fronts, center and rears with a REL sub....also impressed...then I find this web site about Axioms and read all the wonderful comments about the VP150,M60, QS8 and EP500 package I am considering. since I cant' put all these systems side by side, how does one decide which system to buy to ensure I get my moneys worth?

Any comments or guidance is truly welcome.

You can be relatively sure of getting your moneys' worth with Axiom-no question there.

Which one to buy, ah, now "That's" the question!

Welcome to our Forum, I'm sure you'll get tons of input real soon-it's what the guys here Live For!!

Rich.

Jimmy
Where are you located?
Check the "Auditioning Axioms in your area" thread and see if you can find someone in your area that will let you hear their Axioms.

You could save a grip of cash by buying a cheaper (and larger) TV - maybe a DLP?
You could also save cash by going with the Axiom set up. For HT, I think they are every bit as good if not better than the MAs you demo-ed. I sat and watched XMen2 on the dealer's MA Gold system (GR20s, et al) and it was very good, but not any "better" than my Axiom HT. Both have similar high end resolution that is great for HT.

Jimmy,

I tend to agree with BigWill here. Looks like some of your choices could be revised to allow you to rebucket your money and set you up very nicely.

I would think about the Pio plasma. Kinda expensive. For much less, you could grab a Sony 60" LCD or Samsung 60" DLP.

I'm a big Denon fan and the 3910 is an excellent choice. While the 4806 is a super unit, I'd wonder why you need a $3500 receiver that is capable of powering a small city. The 3805 would be more than enough for what your needs appear to be.

Don't get me wrong - I like the biggest/best toys as much as the next guy. If you simply want this stuff - knock yourself out. I generally stop where I have as much as or a bit more than I need. Just some thoughts to consider.

I didn't notice the receiver choice, but yeah, that seems like a lot of money for what is arguably a negligible, possibly non-existent, improvement in SQ and/or features.

I saw a nice Pioneer Elite receiver VX53 ? for $1000 - the smaller one was $500. Both looked like excellent pieces (as is the Denon Ray mentioned) and could be supplemented with an outboard amp that would never become outdated (as the big $ Denon receiver will become). Final result would be more power, less cost and some degree of future-proofing.

You could save a short ton more of cash by going with the only mature and arguably still the best picture available today. Look at the RP CRTs; you could lose some space, gain some bucks, wait a couple years for the latest technologies to catch-up and buy what's the best when the market fall-out has subsided. Why spend the money today on the R&D for the next generation not even out yet, when you can buy mature stuff outright, right now, and get the best picture available today? (Although that may no longer be true a week from next Tuesday-ya takes yer chances)

Take what ya save and buy the best Axiom system you can then afford, and save even more money!

Well, sounds good to me, anyway.

Jimmy, we've all been there. There are so many HT systems to choose from. I bought mine without hearing them first and absolutely love them. Since then, I've given three auditions of my system and each person said the same thing "WOW!".

I would look for an audition (if you're in the NY/NJ area, come on down). If you can't get an audition, I would try them. You'll love them too!

John

Aperion power tower is another option.