Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo M3v3 vs B&W

Hello,

Heard from somebody about Axiomaudio, never heard before.
Now Axiom has my attention, i would ask the following. I previously owned a pair of B&W685's, which i liked very much (why did i sell them?)
I would by a new pair, but now that i see these speaker for 1/2 the b&w's price. But can i buy it without listened to it first?
What stands closest to a pair of B&W 685's? Is M3v3 the way to go?
i want definitly bookshelfs in black ash. i have an amp Technics SU-A700 2x45W

I don't know very much about the B&W product line, although I do have some older DM-110's in a secondary system and I like them very much.

I participated in the double-blind test at Axiom in 2010 mentioned in this article (and elsewhere on the site, I'm sure).

http://www.axiomaudio.com/archives/October2010

We didn't know which speakers we were listening to. AFTER the test we learned that the M3v3 was preferred by a majority of participants over the much more expensive B&W 805. Many of us were shocked. Ian was justifiably pleased, I think.

I think the M3v3 is a really wonderful sounding speaker.

It still weird to buy a set of bookshelfs without ever heard them. 450€ is still allot of money for me. (And a set of B&W 685 cost only 100€ more and i am sure they are good).
And this all based on one article that equals the speakers to a pair of 5-6 times its price.
Besiodes that, what about if something goes wrong during transport and the speakers gets damaged?

Hi Johand and welcome to the forum!

My take is this: There's no better way to audition speakers than in YOUR home....and to be able to do it for 30 days with a no-questions asked return policy is the best of all situations.

Don't be concerned about shipping damage. Axiom packs the speakers very well and their customer-service is top-notch. If something DOES happen, they'll take care of the situation quickly!

I have not listened to the 685, but had the pleasure of doing a direct comparison with a Diamond series bookshelf at an Axiom get together a few years ago.

The M3 held up very well and was better in some respects.

I'll agree with Mark about listening in home and shipping.

Johand, if Fred agrees with me on something, you can take that as an incredible sign that purchasing the speakers is the right thing to do!

And watch the skies for the flying pigs!!!

Your math is very confusing.



Again, confusing. You initiated the dialog based on "something", and I was just trying to add another data point.



Then you would have a claim against the shipper, and Axiom would make it right with you quickly, I'm sure.

Where are you residing? Perhaps there is someone nearby with Axioms that might let you have an audition.

We like all kinds of speakers around here. Lots of people have purchased and enjoyed the M3's. But you seem to be looking for reasons NOT to buy them instead of reasons to try them.

I've owned a number of Axiom products (M60, M2, VP100, QS8) and been completely satisfied with them. I've heard most of the rest of the Axiom lineup at some point. I've owned or had extended, in-home auditions of speakers by Klipsch, Mirage, KLH, Boston Acoustics, Polk, B&W, ADS, Rocket, KEF and others I'm sure I'm forgetting. My opinion is that Axiom makes very high quality products at a very reasonable price.

I wouldn't hesitate to purchase M3's if I were in the market for that type of speaker.

Before I got my Axioms, I was this --><-- close to getting some B&W 703 floorstanding speakers, the price for one was more than a pair of the M60's I ended up purchasing. As you can tell from my previous sentence, I ended up getting M60's. I thought the sound was similar, but for the price it was a no brainer.

I now own M80's...

I have M3ti's, M22'sV3 and now M2'sV3. These IMO are shockingly good speakers for the money. Axiom makes it easy... buy, listen, evaluate then return or keep. Customer service is top notch.

I also had the opportunity to participate in Axiom's double-blind listening exercise with the B&W 805 Vs. M3V3. So true, the M3's in many opinions beat the B&W's in a lot of respects. Higher price does not always mean better sound. Axiom proofs that every day.

I have a pair of B&W CM1's.. They don't sound any better than the axioms. To me they are indistinguishable. I will say the fit and finish on the B&W's is much better. However, Axioms are an infinitely better value.

I was going to agree with you again, but I don't know if I'm allowed to do that.

you're right
M3v3 - 460€ / B&W685 - 600€ / B&W805 - 2000€?
I know i like the 685 on my amp, but if the M3's are even comparable with the 805's there are for sure with the 685'6.
i am definitly not an expert, but the fact that the M3's are half the depth en weigth of the B&W805 speaker does not question the quality?

I am not trying to find a point not buying them, i just want some info (maybe mis-typed, but hey english is not my mother language) I reside in Belgium.
I will play them on an old Technics SU-A700 stereo-amp.
I really do appriciate your comments and helping making my descicion.

Johan

I have 3 sets of Axioms in use in my house.

One set is M3V3s on Axiom stands in one of my audio only systems. They sound just fine & really don't need a sub for most music as their bass extension is very good for a bookshelf speaker.

Excellent performers for the price...

TAM

and then i came across this topic
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1337283/any-thoughts-on-axiom-audio-speakers
i realise not to take everything for granted, but this makes mydescicion ever harder.

There are certain people on AVS who have a rather rabid dislike of Axioms. To be very honest, I suspect that many of them come by it not as a reaction to Axiom's product, but to some bad experiences they had on these fora.

There are also companies who do not like Axiom's business model, and there is some disinformation there as well.

Really, the best answer is to try them yourself, or to listen to some that another owner nearby has. Check with Axiom about whether there are any owners willing to do an audition near you.

great idea, i have mailed them

Johan, I urge you to read (and take to heart) Ken's message above. It will be impossible and unpleasant for members of this forum to try and refute every stupid thing said on the internet about Axiom speakers. Some consumers - amateurs at both speaker design and business - intensely dislike the company because Axiom doesn't do things the way they think they should be done.

All we can do is provide facts and our experiences.

Your Technics amp will have no trouble with the M3's; they are very efficient.

The fact is Axiom has been in business for well over thirty years(a lot longer than AVS has even existed)so you have nothing to be concerned about.

Not to dig up an old dead and buried topic, but, after a long period of advertising on the AVS website, when Axiom's principals had a disagreement with AVS over policy and pulled their ads, this smear campaign "coincidentally" started on their website purposely initiated by one of the heads of AVS just fuelling the "disinformation fire" you have been referring to. The fact is, up until that time AVS was a big supporter of Axiom, visiting their plant on several occasions heavily promoting their products and their R&D along with writing a number of detailed columns raving about Axiom on their website. When they got caught getting directly involved in the "sudden" intense turnaround in attitude intentionally(and childishly)using an anonymous name in their forums(and here as well)they apparently apologised. Their criticisms are based solely on bitterness, nothing else.

To members of this forum anyway, I would suspect that from that point on, the credibility of AVS is, at best, "questionable".

Just a little correction here - the incidents Casey is mentioning were with Audioholics, not AVS Forum. Same crowd bashes us on both forums, mind you - it's a small but determined-to-bash group.

I've heard my Axioms sound both ways. Extra bright, and smooth and easy on the ears. It depends on a lot of factors as to which way you're going to hear them. The room, speaker placement, position of the mic during calibration. All these things will contribute to how your speakers are going to sound. For me, just raising the mic, a foot during calibration, and repositioning some speakers so I don't have 12 tweeters pointed at my ears at the same time has cured my too bright problem that I was initially experiencing when installing a new set of speakers.

In the interest of fair disclosure, you should understand that Cat has 117 speakers on his front wall.

Thanks Amie for the correction. As you said, since the same questionable misfits show up on both forums, It would seem I, mistakenly, always thought there was some sort of connection between the two.

Johan:

I really wish that you hadn't brought this up at AVS. The same old crap has flared up again with the same old players & the same tiresome vitriol. As HTS forum owner quipped about the main, vocal detractor - 'slanderous'.

My blood pressure is off the clock again...

TAM

Ya made me bust out with that one.

Yeah buddy. But it does sound good. Especially when all the lights are out, and the cat is asleep. It's just sound coming from everywhere.

Sorry guys, found a 2 year old 2nd hand set KEF IQ30's for only 250€ incl stands. Hope i will enjoy them.
thx, for all replies & tips

Excellent! Enjoy!

Nothing wrong with going used to fill your audio needs. I have heard the IQ30's and they are quite nice, I think you will enjoy them.