Hi

I all ready have QS4s for my surrounds, and just ordered a pair of M3s to try out. Assuming the M3s workout, I would need to change my center to match timber.

I have seen a few bad comments on the VP-150, due to the fact the tweeters are so far apart. Apparently creating a combing effect, leading to uneven dispersion.

That being said, I see it no difference the LR signals producing the same high to center an image. Also, I have not seen another center channel speaker do this.

Any current owners of the VP150 able to comment? I do like the idea of the wider sound stage of the VP150. Please note the LR speakers are about 8' apart. Or is the VP100 good enough?

Thanks

I dont have a 150 but i have a 100 and i find it to be a bit weak. I had it in my HT but built my own center using axiom drivers and moved the 100 to the bedroom and i find i have to increase its level and still find it lacking. Most with the 150 have moved to the 160 which is what i modeled my center after and it works fantastic. So if its in the cards get the 160.

I went from a 100 to a 160 with MY M22s flanking the center.

The 160 is the way to go if you have the room & the dollars...

TAM

I can't comment on the 100 because I've never heard it.

Stay away from the 150. What a POS! I sold it to my buddy after living with it for 11 years. I just came back from watching movies at his place and was reminded of how terrible it is.

I replaced it with the 160v4 and it is absolutely bliss! Here's my review. Trust me; it's awesome!

https://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php/topics/428010/Re:_VP160v4_Impressions#Post428010

Well, I have the 150 sitting between a pair of M22's. I honestly never had any problems with it. I sit about 8ft away from it and usually sit within the same 3-4ft area on my couch.

Now, I did just order a 160 but that wasn't really because I was dissatisfied with the 150. My main move is going from EP500's to 600's and getting them in a custom wood finish. So doing all the other speakers first including M22 to M5's. I decided to upgrade to the 600 only because I've heard so much good about it. Once I get it I'll let you know how much of a diff I hear. It will be about a month until they are shipped...that's my best guess for now.

I had the 150v2 as I said in my review of the 160v4. Maybe Daniel if you have the 150v4 it's better...I don't know. I sat 8 feet away from it and 14 feet away from it - it didn't make any difference. The 160v4 (and EP800v4) changed my life. I haven't had to touch the center gain trim since I dialed it in over 3 months ago now. I was constantly tweaking the gain into the 150v2 and never was satisfied.

I want to thank everyone for their replies. The M3s are arriving Wednesday, so I do have lots of time to hear more feedback on the Axiom centers. Minus the hate campaign by what seems like the same people, it is really hard to find reviews on Axiom products in other forums.

I am currently using a set of B&W DM600 S3s and a LCR60 S3 center. Hind site being 20/20 I really should have tried the Axiom center first. This has always been the sticking point for me were an under performing center speaker can hurt the whole system for HT.

The VP 160 looks exactly like what I would expect a center to look like, and most feedback suggest it is great, but even taking the size out of the equation(have to raise my TV mount). The cost difference is very significant to me (VP-150 is a stretch at this time). My concern is that it sounds like the M3+VP100 would be an interim step, and not a great center, until I can afford the VP160. Alternatively, for the cost of the M3+VP100 I could get a very nice set of pre-owned B&W towers, and keep using my center until I have the finances for the matching B&W center. The timber won't be perfect but much better match than the M3s likely.(Kevlar vs Aluminium driver/Aluminium vs Titanium tweeter)

Worst case I will at least get to demo a set of Axiom front speakers, just out return shipping. If I am lucky maybe the M3 match well to the B&W LCR60 and I can keep them and save up for VP160. Hopefully a few more people might be able to comment on the VP-100 and VP-150 before then. I was just hoping to upgrade my fronts on budget in one step.

Thanks, Mojo, I did read your review and a few others which is kind of what spurred on this concern.

edit: spelling aluminium and closing comment

I have a VP150 with M80's, dual EP350's and QS8's and my room is 25ft long by 18ft wide.

I have never heard the VP100, but was at Axiom for the 30th Anniversary bash when the VP180 was available for testing. I have also never heard the VP160.

...I also wont rant or engage in any "hate campaign" as you call it.

I find the VP150 to be fairly good in my setup. I think the VP180 will ultimately be were I end up, but as this is a hobby for me, other things take precedent.

I am not one to worry about timber matching, as I have rotated many different speaker through my system over the years.

Not sure if any of this helps! LOL

Congrats on the M3.
Those were my beginning with Axiom, fantastic low end for 2 channel full rangers or all rounder's.

I have never heard any center of Axioms other than my V.P.160 V.4.
After purchasing my M3s and M22s 5.1 days. Was trolling through many forums to "help" my decision making. Was using a Klipsch C20 the timbre was awful very shrill didn't complement Axiom for me. Found it annoying center stood out to much.

Kept coming to the 160s style as being best woofer arrangement for off axis performance vs others. The 160 was also made by Axiom due to customer demand for this detail.

So I decided to give the 160 a shot B stock Axiom has very high quality control if you get a good rating on a product, the blemish is hard to find.

Since then have upgraded the rest of my setup to M80s,E.P.500 ADA1250 etc.

Take your time with steps it's fun.

Cheers Brendan

Try an M3 as a center.

I guess hate is a strong word. It seemed to be similar user(s) linking the same two articles when Axioms where mentioned on AVS forums. Of course most reviews date back to the V2s for the most part.

I would hope the VP-100 which is the same drivers as the model up M22s would be a better center than an M3. Also the lack of symmetry would kill me even with the speaker grille on. I know 2.5 ways centers are asymmetrical in sound. But thanks for the idea.

A lot of other forums give the highest praise for their reviews.
Although they seem biased to their own preferences and disregard Axiom almost right away in the same reviews.

Being we are all so subjective to our own preferences and experiences it's hard to discern from a 3rd person perspective of reviews.

On that note most of us started the same. One set that has tuned into multiple purchases.

Cheers to starting your venture.

Brendan

Axiom has a very generous upgrade program where they will give you something for your previous speakers as you move up the line as you upgrade.So you can always get the 150 or 100 and upgrade down the line. I dont know any other manufacturer that does this. As for the haters, as they say haters will hate but they seem to have gone away more or less it was just a smear campaign started by Audioholics.

He's right but if you buy the 160v4, you will take it to your grave.

I am always right, and its called natural progression. I am not a man of means but i managed to move up and keep my old stuff to repurpose throughout my house. I am glad they didnt have the upgrade program .

This still leaves me at VP-100 vs VP-150. Wonder if anyone can comment on the V4 of either.

I would go with the 100 myself, cheapest way to get a timber matched front end and you can start your savings for a the 160

Maybe you can get a B stock 160v4 on a payment plan?

I am sitting here cringing at the very thought of you listening to anything other than the 160v4. Don't do it, man. Life is too damned short!

There is a 160 v3 for a decent price in the refurb store.

I saw it. I can't vouch for it. The tweeter is different and that's enough for me to stay away from it.

You may want to stop listening to your celluloid cylinders and phonograph.

I have V3 M80s with those tweeters and they are great, its only 100 more than a VP100 .

You can only resist so long, i feel bad for closed minded people. I dont follow , i lead .

The v4 tweetage is outstanding compared to my v2. I am not sure if v2 and v3 tweetage is the same.

I lead by throwing out my celluloid cylinders and using a phonograph simulator on my music when nostalgia sets in.

Sadly, I looked at the B-Stock VP-160s V4, and they are almost twice the cost of VP-100. Wish could find a review/owner on the VP-150 V4. I still find the tweeter arrangement odd, but with out hearing it I have no idea how it would sound. Assuming the M3s work out I can always ask customer service the differences on the v3 vs v4 tweeter.

You have to find someone who has experience between the v4 100, 150 and 160 to give you the advice you need. The best advice you have right now is mine and TAM's.

Can you not cut down on food consumption for a month?

There has to be a better way than the 150 for Axiom to fill the price gap between the 100 and 160.

It is said that the speaker on its side config. of a center is ultimately a compromise. An extra M3 is the ideal. It also has wonderful lower end handling more so than the M22.

On that note most everyone that has gone from smaller 100 or 150 to the 160 or 180 will not go back. The amount of detail from the center you need the larger center. Especially as of more recent 5.1 etc.

Save a bit longer the 160 is very worth the extra.

Great advice.

I recently changed my 160V3 for a HG Rosewood V4 - just to get the finish to match the rest of my set.

Honestly, I experience no difference between the V3 & V4 in normal HT usage - both are outstanding for Center Channel duties. Having said that, my audio memory is not that great...

TAM

I hear break-up in my v2 tweeters that I don't hear in the v4. The off-axis response is also much better. It's one of the reasons I want to upgrade my M80s and surrounds.

Version 4 has the new tweeter and crossover. The new crossover incorporates learnings from the evolution of the family of curves. The tweeter has a die-cast aluminum faceplate instead of plastic for improved rigidity and cooling. High frequency response is smoother due to a new horn design and larger rear chamber. It also handles more power. The mid-range baffle is also stiffer. I am not sure about this but the version 4 may also have die-cast baskets for the drivers. It's also quite possible the cabinet is stiffer.

Wow, I tried digging further on line looking for reviews on Axiom products, and it is like going down a rabbit hole of negativity. I am not sure who the marketing person is for Axiom, but they should really address some of these criticisms. The ones that stuck out to me where stamped steel driver frames, magnets glued to the back of other magnets, poor bracing, etc. If the V4 drivers address this and new construction, they should really show pictures of it. SVS has nice cut out view of the subwoofers for instance. The VP-150 off axis response posted by someone looks terrible. If this is non issue posting off axis plots would help.

I found no positive information to support getting a VP-150, so that is off the table. Of course having to pay return shipping cost puts a barrier on the "free trial". Some IDs do have free return shipping and guessing helped a lot more people to come their own conclusions and likely post about it. The try it cost even in Canada is going to be $40+, imagine the states would be a lot higher.

I am going to go in on the M3s with an open mind(ear), and if they sound as great as my QS4, I think my entry will be the VP-100 center and eventually a VP-160.

I concur with Mojo they need a better mid range center product. Perhaps a ported version of VP-100 to get a bit more low end extension or use the QS4 4.5" driver in the same configuration as the VP-160, but using VP-100 driver size, of course not speaker designer, so no idea if worth the effort.

Helicon, Axiom's V4 products are not the same as the V2 or earlier products that you read criticisms of. Like I said in my reviews, I've been watching what's been going on in Dwight a long time now and I felt the enhancements in the current products reflected significant advances in engineering maturity. I have absolutely no complaints and only heaps of praise about the 160v4 and EP800v4 and I have to say, that is quite unusual for me.

When you look at reviews of any product on the net - look at the date first! The farther back in time, the more irrelevant the review becomes wrt current models.

Most of the negativity is quite dated (over 5 years back) & came from a few vocal trolls that eagerly parroted views from a few others - most who had never even heard an Axiom product. I know because I was in the middle of many of the 'discussions' elsewhere.

Such is the way of the net I'm afraid; however, after lots of push back from several of us here, little is being said now but most of it is good.

As for CC speakers a few years ago, arguing over comb filtering in horizontal speakers was all the rage. I did my own unscientific tests with my VP100 & found that until one becomes really far off axis (+30 degrees) did the sound start to degrade & by that time watching the TV at that angle was more problematic. In other words, in real life listening, it is really not much of a factor in most rooms...

TAM

Just because someone writes a negative POV does not mean that they are correct and responding to them only emboldens their position. The magnet glued on is a bucking magnet and is in oposing force to the main magnet so really no other way to put it on there, its purpose is for sheilding. As for steel frames vs cast there is no need for a cast frame even though axiom resonded by moving to a cast frame rather than fight the haters, i have speakers with plastic frames that perform perfectly . I would definitely bypass the Vp 150 but honestly dont believe you will be happy with the 100 its just not enough plain and simple. Get the M3's and save for the 160 and dont worry about return shipping cause once you hear it you wont want to return it any way. FWIW , anyone that doesnt have a keen interest in speaker design and its intricacies should stick to listening to them as a way to choose them.There are plenty of people that think they know how a speaker should be designed and comment like they do but they really dont, they are simply parroting what they read elsewhere. Anyone who thinks they can tell you how a speaker will sound by a frequency graph is a fool. Every speaker sounds different depending on the room its is in and thus far i have found my Axioms to sound great in every house i have had them in. This is an Axiom forum after all and your going to get a biased opinion no matter what but most here will also give an honest opinion . Axioms are revealing speakers and if you give them garbage they will play back garbage plain and simple , some people want speakers that will make bad recording sound decent ,its all about preference. Not every speaker design is a winner but Axiom has to differentiate itself from the rest of the herd thus we got the M22 and the VP150 but we also got the QS series which no one else does and they are fantastic. Win some lose some.

If you can fit it, another vote for a center M3 mounted vertically, either tweeter-up below the screen or tweeter-down above the screen.

I started with M60 mains + VP100 center but but upgraded to a VP180 the day it was announced and as you might guess I am extremely happy with it. There is also a refurb VP160 in Axiom's deals section but you need to keep watching those pages in the hope that something comes up with the finish you want.

The best advice really is to save up and buy the 160v4. It's amazing! Axiom haters in my city have heard it and the EP800v4 and have changed their minds about Axiom.

Like John and I have suggested, you could go M3 and it would be better than a 150, but it sure wouldn't sound as clean as a 160.