hi there

im interested in getting into the axiom line of speakers, and after all the good things that have been written, i feel fairly confident in my approach. however, getting some feedback from some owners who listen to the type of music i listen to would be great, any advice on what i'm doing right or wrong would also be much appreciated.

to start with, i primarily listen to electronic/idm music, for those that don't know this is basically layered synth music for the 21st century, artists like aphex twin and autechre are the key ones that come to mind. most of the music consists of layers of synth music, some slow and melodic and some very fast and detailed. this obviously makes for complicated music to reproduce.

i first wanted a pair of towers and looked around for something suitable, after auditioning several brands including axiom (m40ti's also nht/energy/psb) and comparing to a sub/bookshelf combo (m3ti's and ep125) and the sub/book combo seemed to appeal to me better. i can nail it down to quality of the mids and highs from the m3ti and of course, that atmosphere created by a sub in the sub-100 Hz area.....it was music to my ears. now you may think, well there you go...go buy your book/sub combo...well i would except axiom has made it more difficult (or easier, depending who you ask!)....theres the m22ti and the ep175...for the sub, it seems easy..larger driver, more bass, and more usable bass to a lower frequency...ok got that part. now for the m22ti vs m3ti...i listened to both and can't really decide....i didn't get a chance to listen for long...and i'd really appreciate someone's feedback who listens to this kind of music because as i said the music can be choppy and fast or slow groovy/bassy and melodic. also i do have other musical tastes too, like piano-based and rock stuff....so its hard to decide on which speaker would be better for all...i'd appreciate any opinions on versatility of the m3ti against the m22ti

lastly, i do actually own paradigm atoms already, is the m3ti a significant step up sonically from the atoms?? has anyone directly compared the two...the nrc test results from soundstage seem to indicate little difference...has anyone used an axiom sub with atoms, by any chance? whats your feeling?

also, i'd like anyone's opinion on book/sub combo for 2 channel music listening? any tips?

lastly, the other speakers i'm looking at are the energy c3's and the psb image 2b's?? has anyone compared axiom's books to these? what did you end up buying?

thanks for all your advice....

For that type of music I would recommend M3Ti with a sub or M40 or if you got the cash gor go for M50. You will get a better range with either. I have the M22Ti and it is great for Classical, Jazz, vocals and Latin/World music. But my trance and electronica stuff is kinda lacking on the M22Ti. It is missing the spaciality. I tried it with the M3Ti or M40 or bigger and got the sound I like. Crystal Method - Vegas Track 2 and 10 sounded best on the M40 or even yet M50. M40 has the same driver as the the M3Ti and if paired with a good sub ... it will sound very ethrealistic

TG, my musical listening is classical, so I can't comment on your preferences. However, an accurate speaker is an accurate speaker, regardless of musical genre'. The speaker should only reproduce what the performers intended, not add something extra on its own. Since you'll be using a sub, I'd suggest M2s plus an EP175. If you haven't read the M2 review on SoundStage and NRC measurements you might take a look.

thanks for the quick replies, guys...

johnk, i'll definately take a look at those m2 specs...im surprised, going to a smaller speaker than an m3..and pairing it with a sub...kinda like a sat/sub combo, huh? well its got its merits i know, the only thing is if the m2 is something like the paradigm atom, i may as well hold on to my atoms and just buy a sub...somehow though the atom doesn't seem to have enough of the midrange and detail at the top end that this music requires....

keep those opinions comin'

tearglove,

i listen to tons of Aphex Twin and Autechre. I have the M22's and the M3's, and I do prefer the M22's to the M3's, with the EP125. The M3 is slightly laid back in the midrange. If you place the M22's about 2 feet from the wall, 8 feet apart, and a slight toe in, you'll have a sound that is just terrific. I have Confield, Incunabula, Chiastic Slide, Tri Repetae ++, Amber, Druqks, Selected Ambient Works 1 and 2, and i REALLY think they sound amazing. They sound great on both the M3 and the M22, i just find the M22 to bring out more detail.

The paradigm atom is not nearly as good as the M2. I heard the M2Ti and I thought it was clearly the winner over the Atom, so the M2i can only be better.

of course, if you have the money and amp power, go with M60's or M80's!

hi patchwork...

i've sent you a 'pm'..please check your inbox.

thanks..