The speakers have arrived. I have not unboxed them yet, I'll wait till the morning to do that. Any suggestions on how to listen to the music I have selected? Should I listen to each set for a certain amount of time, then switch them out with the other, or do one song at a time? What about movies? I have several high quality blu-rays and SACDs to listen to. Any thoughts are welcome.
Thanks.

When I first got my Axioms I ran through cd after cd after dvd after records, etc.

Have fun! I think you'll be amazed and very pleased.

Perma-grin is one of the first symptoms of Axiomitis.

yes I'm sure I'll do that, but I'm comparing them to a set of Aperions. I was wondering how others would evaluated them against each other.

I would probably get as close to instant switching as possible--when I have compared speakers in the past, I've used a single source and receiver(s) with multiple speaker outputs I could switch to relatively quickly. Audio memory is very short.

Also, congrats!

Play source material that you know like the back of your hand.

For me, that's Jellyfish's Spilt Milk record.

I can tell within the first 5 minutes if the speakers are "right" or not with that one.

Aja by Steely Dan is another one that shows you what's what.

Maybe make a cd compilation of your favorites?

As mentioned previously (I think), make sure that you can do instantaneous swithing and that they're level-matched exactly or the louder speaker will always sound better.

If you can't do that at home, I would probably just spend a few hours listening to a compiled CD selection (don't compress the files)on one set of speakers and then sit down with the same music on the other speakers. After awhile, swap back and forth every few minutes until you start determining where your preferences lie.

No need to do any fancy tests in your home. Set them up individually and calibrate the trim levels, distances etc using the receivers auto calibration (double check everything manually) and listen and watch whatever you want (using the same recordings and movies) for each set of speakers.

If you are using a subwoofer double check the receiver setting so the speakers are set to small and are at the crossover point you want. If you are not using a subwoofer have each speaker set to large. The auto calibration messes up the crossover point and large/small settings a lot because it can't deal with boundary gain. So it can set the crossover point too low with a large setting.

thanks everyone. I have a cd compilation ready to go. Lots of different stuff (one of my favs is the Tocca and Fugue in D minor (theme to the James Caan version of Roller Ball) lots of highs and lows). I do have the sub crossover set on the AVR to 80Hz with the onboard crossover defeated. I am setting up the Axioms and Aperions using the MCACC of the Pio Elite. I will store the Axioms in one memory location and the Aperions in another. It won't be instaneous switching (don't have a speaker switching system) I'll have to disconnect and re-connect each system and change the memory location for output. But hopefullys it will work.

That sounds like it will work just fine. Just remember to keep it simple. I will suggest to listen to each set of speakers for an entire week, then switch over to the next set rather than trying to switch over as fast as possible. Maximize enjoyment and not work. Have a notepad and pen on hand and take notes of any good or bad impressions of specific moments, then compare after all said and done.

Ooooh, excellent choice!

That reminds me, I havn't listened to it in a while.

I absolutely would NOT use MCACC when evaluating and comparing the speakers. As a matter of fact, I'd leave the subwoofer out of it, too. At least initially. The more variables you introduce, the less likely that you're getting a true A/B comparison.

I agree.

Interesting idea. I was thinking of not using the sub woofer at first anyway. If I don't use the MCACC, do you suggest using an analog SPL meter? The radio shack one is no longer available. I found a Pyle Digital SPL, but it doesn't have many good reviews. Any suggestions? Or should I just use my ear?

BTW, you can check out my blog on the evaluation at http://striperseeker.blog.com
Complete with rants, raves, and pictures.

Just run MCACC. That should calibrate and take care of the trims, bass management, distances etc. Do a quick double check on everything and your good to go. I'm sure there is a setting in the receiver to disable the MCACC equalization. To use or disable that equalization is purely ones preference. I'm not sure exactly what it is called or where to go in the settings for it because I am use to Denon and Onkyo receivers which employ a different technology.

My view is that your comparison, to be most relevant to the way in which you'll actually be using the speakers in the future, should include the sub and the MCACC calibration and equalization.

well, this sucks. My amp seems to have died. I have all the Axioms set up and ready to go. I try to run the MCACC and it quickly goes through each speaker and then dies, while blinking the Phase control light on the AVR. The manual states "your receiver could have a serious problem. Disconnect power and contact tech support." It evan happens playing audio. Oh well. Any suggestions on a new one? I was thinking of the Marantz Sr7005 or the new Yamaha Aventage series. Any suggestions? This really sucks because it cuts into my 30-day evaluation time. And the hits just keep on coming.....

I've had a SR5005 for a couple of months now and i just like it a lot; i use it as a prepro only, using external amps.
it also has Audyssey Multeq;

if the SR7005 has the Audyssey Multeq Xt or better, and everything else you want, then you should be very satisfied.

the sound is first class, construction seems very good as also the looks.

i can recommend it.

as for Yamaha, i've had two pieces of equipment from them before, quite a long time ago, and parts quality was not very good in them; but it could be very different today.

I would check all your connections, even 1 stray strand from your speakers wires can cause protection mode.

I've been over and over the AVR and the speakers. It's driving me nuts. All this equipment sitting around and I can't listen to it. DAMN!!!! I've tinned the ends of the speaker wire AND put them in banana plugs at the AVR end. I double checked each speaker to make sure the polarity was right. I only have my DirecTV DVR and my OPPO 93 into the AVR via HDMI then one HDMI to the TV. No other connections. Oh well...

Amp problem solved. I am now the proud owner of a Pioneer Elite SC-55. Anxious to try it out along with the new speakers and subwoofer.

Congrats! I've always had good luck with Pioneer Elite gear.

Well, the new AVR is in place, the speakers are hooked up, and everything is cranking out nicely. The M22s are pretty good so far. Lots of clean detail. And in combination with the VTF-3 MK4, the sound is full without any notable gaps. I really like the 150 center. I can really hear the dialog when I'm supposed to. I am waiting for the Aperion Center (I swapped out the Grand center for the Forte; the Grand was so big, it wouldn't fit where I wanted to put it).

I used the MCACC setup on the SC-55; it's really improved since my 2006 VSX82. X-Curve, reverb, customizable settings all around. The SC-55 is really an engineering marvel. From the Video processor to the low input (only 350watts) and high output (140 per channel, all 9 channels). I watched my first bluray (The Patriot) and nearly ducked for cover with the shots pinging back and forth on the QS8's. I'm really thinking of getting two more for a 7.1 system (the SC-55 still leaves the front High/Wide for a zone-2). I've listened to more music in the last 72-hours than I have in two years. I guess that's what happens when you upgrade from cheap speakers.
I also hooked up my Project turntable and dusted off the old vinyl. Awesome. The Style Council's "Money Go Round" just oozed out of the speakers like honey. I think the best "new feature" I love is AirPlay. Damn, the trouble I went through in the "old days" to get my iTunes to play on my AMP. Now I just fire it up and wham, it's on my speakers.

Tomorrow night it's Gladiator,which was mastered in DTS TrueHD, so the audio should be impressive to say the least. I'm dying for the Jurassic Park Trilogy to be released soon on BluRay. The thumping of the T-Rex on this system should be just jaw dropping.

Just a side note, the old VSX82 is in fine working order. It wasn't the AMP at all. The problem seemed to be the mounting I used for the surrounds. I didn't want to drill a bunch of holes in my walls (one set for the Axioms and one for the Aperions) so I used a generic bracket and I guess the speaker wire or terminal was hitting and that's what was pre-empting the amp. So I figured I'd better mount them like they are supposed to be mounted. Now there are holes everywhere, but what the heck, that's what spackle is for.
BTW, if anyone knows how to connect banana plugs to the Axioms let me know. They don't fit down in the connector very well and on the surrounds, they stick out to far, preventing the speaker from sliding into the "T" mount. I just went with bare tinned wired for now.
So now I'm stuck with both amps if anyone wants to buy the VSX82.

Mark, good to hear how you're enjoying your Axioms. On wiring the QS8s, yes there's no room for banana plugs and there's usually no good reason not to stick with the bare wire. The ability to rapidly change the connections with banana plugs isn't ordinarily of significance with the surrounds.

Also good to hear that the shut-down of your VSX82 was just a bad connection. This is the second similar problem this week that turned out to be the wiring, not the receiver. The bad part, of course, is when an unnecessary new buy has been made.

Hi Mark,

I too have extra holes in my walls for different yet similar reasons. You are not alone.

He just purchased the QS8s, I thought the new ones came with the powered T-bracket?

Yes, they do. But I was trying to go easy on the hole drilling because I am trying out the Aperions too and their bracket is different. All good now. And the T-Bracket is a great product.

That's sounding an awful lot like you are well on your way to becoming a full time Axiom owner and not a trial tester.

So I'm really liking these axioms. I now have the aperions hooked up and listening with them. I really don't see any improvement over sound quality from the Axioms. And since the Aperions cost more, I'm definitely leaning towards the Axioms. They present a nice balanced sound stage. So now I'm thinking - keep the Axioms and with the $500+ savings, buy another pair of QS8 for Surround Back speakers for a 6.1 setup. I still have the front High/wide for a zone-3 setup, which I think the outdoor M3 would work nicely in. I have the say the pioneer SC-55 is awesome and so is the Hsu VTF-3 MK4.

Very good, Mark. If you have enough room behind your listening position, say at least 4', back surround speakers can be worthwhile. Of course, if you decide to add a pair of QS8s there, that would make a 7.1 setup.

Yeah, I was thinking just one back surround when I wrote 6.1. As for the distance, I have about 4' from the side surrounds, not from my sitting position. It's the way my room is laid out. The surrounds are slightly forward of my sitting position and I have a small wall to my rear, about three feet from my seat, for the back surrounds, which is about four feet from the side surrounds. There is the front door on one side and an opening to a dinning room on the other side.

With that little space I would add QS8s for the rear surround position.

Especially if it's T Rex the band!