I'm trying to decide between the Studio 100s and Axiom M80s. I'd be going with the Paradigm Servo-15 no matter which I choose (unless someone has a reason for me not to).
Can anyone help me decide between the 100s and M80s? I haven't been able to find an A/B comparison between the two. I know that I like the 100s, since my older brother owns them along with the servo sub. However, I have not heard the Axioms.
thanks for any input
Welcome, check this thread, may help.
LINK
I auditioned the 100s before auditioning and buying the Axiom 80s. I suggest ordering the Axioms and doing a side by side with your brother's 100s. I would order the EP600 subwoofer for the same side by side. Search and read the reviews of the EP600 sub, especially Audioholics review.
There is a list of Axiom owners
here. You could possibly work something out with someone in your area and have a isten.
Craigsub also posted a nice blind comparison report (on AVSForum, I think) between the M80s and Veritas 2.4's. Not the speaker you are talking about, I realize, but in the same league.
Does anyone have a link ?
The Paradigm/Axiom question comes up very often, you might try to use the Search feature.
I am reading other posts as well. (BTW...Before I posted, I had searched, but didn't select "and" aparently.)
Yeah, those darn operators will get you everytime. One feature I wish Axiom would add to the search is the ability to search titles only, the the entire threads.
I’ve been pestering Craig to do a blind test on those speakers for months now. I think he’s ignoring me.......
Their sound is fairly similar. Is one better??? That question can only be answered by you.
If I had to choose between the two, I’d pick the M80’s. I’d wait till Axiom launches the custom wood veneer line first though.
I think the EP 600 will outperform damn near anything. It is an amazing sub. I’m going to be getting a second one for my two channel system. It plays music so smooth, so hard……just amazing. For $1800 in vinyl trim, it damn well better though……
The EP600 can outperform even the Paradigm servo-15? I was (and think I am) still set on the Servo-15. I've found plenty of sub review on audioholics, but no Servo review, so I don't have anything to compare it to at the moment. I am continuing to search for other blind tests, so maybe I'll run into something covering the servo and EP600.
Do you know when Axiom will have the custom wood veneer available? I'm probably looking to buy between June and Sept (new house and wedding).
I'm pretty sure the EP600 stomps the Servo-15.
Have you heard both in a blind A/B test, or is this based on reviews? I certainly wouldn't mind picking up an EP600 or 800 if they sound as good as the Servo, can hit as hard, and can go as low. I don't want to miss out on any deep rumble or any punching. It's my understanding that the Servo-15 is very accurate, but that it rolls off a bit at the very low frequencies. Feel free to correct me though, as I've only been researching an HT system for the past week or two. I'd like to make jaws drop in my HT room, and the challenge is that I have to have a system that is "better" than a Studio 100 and Servo-15 system. The rears and center on that system are paradigms also, but I don't remember which.
I suppose the one downside to online-only brands is that no one can just walk into an AV store and compare them. I'd love to read a good review on the servo vs EP500 and EP600. I figure the EP600 would get my vote over the EP500 since it's a nice big tower sub :-)
The wood veneers should be arriving soon, I thought they were slated for the end of March.
Haven’t not heard the Paradigm sub, I can’t comment to which is better. All I can tell you is that the 600 is an extremely good musical sub. I think its better at music than movies (and it’s great with movies). Not that it’s just loud, but it hits very hard and detailed, but at the same time …smooth. I suck at describing ‘sound’, so instead of trying, I’ll just use an example…….
There’s “nasty” girls that just make you want to puke when you look at them. Then there’s “nasty” girls that can make your heart skip a few beats every time you see them.
The 600 is like the later of the two.
Based on charts I've seen since my last post, it appears that the Servo-15 actually has less drop-off below 20 than the EP600. I'm looking for this sub to be primarily for movies, as it's likely going to be in an enclosed room-within-a-room HT. I don't expect to be spending alot of time in there just listening to music, unless I build really big double doors to open up the HT to the rest of the basement for when I'm doing something else down there (home gym etc will be there also).
I imagine it is pretty debatable how important the drop off is under 20.
Have you heard both subs in person? I'd love to know how the "feel" compared to each other. At what point does hearing start to shift to feeling the bass? Is there a point where most people can no longer tell the difference (i.e. if one sub goes to 20 at a given SPL and another sub goes down to 15 at the same SPL). My concern is giving up deep bass if I go with the EP600.
Can anyone with first-hand experience with the two point out strengths and weakensses when comparing them? I think the only one I can hear in person will be the Servo-15 next weekend. I have not yet contacted anyone with the EP600 to ask to hear them in person (I have seen the list and the closest to me is in NJ.. I'm in PA just north of Philly)
BTW, thank you to everyone who has replied (and who Craigsub who has PMed me with M80 and sub help)
I’m sure Craigsub has done a comparison between the two. He probably owns / or has owned a servo. I know he has three or four of the 600’s, one or two SVS Ultra’s, a few HSU’s, and only God and his wife know what else.
He’s hard to track down, but you could send him a PM or post a question for him. He’s here, Audiohaulics, or AVS.
The 600 goes lower than 20 btw. In my setting, and by playing the test disk, it was going as low as 16.
I've been sending him PMs specifically for that reason. He's basically told me that the Servo-15 and EP600 are very close. Also that the SVS PB12-Ultra/2 would be worth considering. I was looking for something to be a deciding factor between the Servo and EP. Maybe flatter response to give me more deep bass, or tighter, "quicker" response... something like that. I may have to see if the guy in NJ will let me visit, so I can listen to his sub (I think he has the EP 600) in comparison to my brother's Servo-15 on some individual CD tracks and movies. I'm still assembling my listening list for next weekend (visiting my brother), but I'm going to try Master and Commander, Saving Private Ryan, 1812 Overture, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top. I'm hopefully doing some listening on my old system this weekend to pick and choose some selections.
For music, the new Nickelback has some great low end bass, so does the latest Shinedown and Crossfade.
I watched King Kong…….crap…. get that one too!
One DVD no-one mentions that I think has some pretty kick ass LFE’s is Flightplan. The jet’s engines and some sounds on that disk are very low and discrete. Only a good sub that will reach down low will get the chairs shaking.
Band of Brothers also has some excellent LFE’s in the battle scenes.
Good luck and keep us posted on your studies.
In reply to:
may have to see if the guy in NJ will let me visit, so I can listen to his sub (I think he has the EP 600) in comparison to my brother's Servo-15 on some individual CD tracks and movies.
My gut feeling is that if the subs are pretty close, listening to each in a different environment would be pointless...at least in terms of comparing their sound. The rooms and their positioning within have too much to do with it.
I know that being in different room, etc will make the comparison innacurate, but at the very least, I'm thinking I should be able to get a feel for the sound of the Axioms with the sub, to see if in general I like the setup as much as the Paradigms. Ideally, I'd still like to be able to notice something to help me decide. I suppose worst case scenario will have me ordering the full Axiom 7.1 set and hauling at least the sub to my brother's house to directly compare mine with his. I'm far from an audio guru, so if I were to be able to directly compare, my "report" back here may not have a whole lot of technical content. It'll be more of what I feel and hear instead of any precise review like CraigSub and others tend to do.