Hello. I've been doing a lot of research online lately concerning speakers. I'm looking to upgrade my 10+ year old set of Allison Acoustics AL105, AL100 and center. I stumbled upon this site and like what I see and read. I am seriously considering ordering up a pair to give them a try. The two I'm looking at are the M22ti bookshelves or the M40ti towers. That's the price range I'm in, because I would pickup the matching stands with the 22's. This makes for a $10 difference between the two. Question is, which one makes more sense for me?

Here is a little background. They'll be driven by a Harmon Kardon AVR220 receiver rated for 55w x 2 or 45 x 5 into 8 ohms at 0.07% THD. If you aren't familiar with H/K, that's a modest rating. Any speaker I get will be used with a Velodyne CT-100 10" 150w RMS subwoofer. My useage is 70/30% between stereo and home theater. The room is medium sized, nothing big.

I'm leaning towards the M22ti's due to their highly regarded midrange and imaging. With the sub, deep bass is not an issue for me. I'm just concerned that I'm not getting as much "speaker" for my money with the bookshelves. However, I know that sound is the most important thing in the end.

Can someone point me in the right direction? Preferably someone with experience with both speakers. If all is successful, center and surrounds will surely follow.

Thanks!

My suggestion would be to purchase the M22's. I have made a comparison between them and the M40's, and I found the M22's to be a more complete speaker, if coupled with a subwoofer. The M40's reminded me of M3's that reach the floor. They have a laid back midrange, and their bass extension is slightly more than the M22's.

The M22's offer more detail, soundstage, clarity, and openess. Their response is extremely flat. They also play slightly louder than the M40's, believe it or not.

You can read reviews at www.audioreview.com to see what non-Axiom board members have to say about these speakers.

Rest assured, either speaker is a great buy, and both the M40 and M22 will outshine anything within $300 of the price. As for which you'd like better, it depends on your musical tastes and listening habits.

If you're primarily into jazz or classical, the M22 is the way to go. If you like a warmer sound, or listen to pop and dance music, the M40 will likely be the better buy.

Something you can also try, that will not cost you all that much...order both and just keep the speaker that you prefer. You'll have to cover shipping, but I'd look at that as paying for the chance to audition speakers on your equipment, with your music, and in your room...a small price to pay for a long-term investment.