Official Axiom Owner's Thread - Page 27

Ok, I think I owe Axiom and Axiom owners an apology for having said the M3's were bright I had this pair for about 2 years now in a harsh room with tile floor, some area rugs, windows and a tall door with just blinds etc. So I've had very bright and annoying treb for a long while, and finally decided to get a pair of PSB T5's. I then moved the Axioms into a smaller room with carpet and just 1 window, and holy smoke they completely floored me with smooth and detailed sound. I'm using a crappy magnavox dvd player, feeding the Trends TA10.1 amp, and the sound coming out of these M3's almost gave me remorse on buying the PSBs Except that the T5s are no slouch, it's a joy listening to them too. So, on the record, I think M3's are the bomb. I am finally an Axiom believer after 2 years of owning

Thanks for posting your experience. I kept reading about how much difference the room makes but never really believed it until I bought new seats for the first room I was in. I had everything set up to were I got this fantastic 3D imaging from my front 2 speakers. Then I added a futon to the room and it was like introducing an acoustical black hole. It just sucked the life right out of the room. I found that elevating the speakers help return some of the ambiance lost to the futon but the room was never the same again while the futon was in there.

Glad you stuck with them long enough to hear the difference.

Hello!

Did you also change/switch the amp/avr? I would take that into consideration also

Cheers!

ib.

The more reflective surfaces you have, the 'brighter' speakers will sound. Add to the mix speakers that are more accurate and you have a recipe for headaches.

Glad you found a good location for them.

I've been using mostly the Trends to drive the M3's. I bought an Emotiva UPA-2 and an old Marantz AV600 preamp when decided to try tower speakers. The M3's sounded a bit different with this combo, with wider sound stage, but the harsh brightness even increased a little bit I tried switching the Emo and the Trends (in power-amp mode) and didn't notice any real difference in terms of sound quality. The Marantz preamp was a bit brighter than the volume pot on the Trends.
Of course there could be a real difference among these electronics that's beyond my very limited ability to appreciate But I could definitely tell the difference the new room made. It's very obvious.

I am getting ready to upgrade my receiver and need a pair of speakers that would be good for 9.1. Currently I have a pair of M60's and wanted something that could mount on the wall.

Anybody on here have a similar setup that could make a recommendation?

Thanks,

Are you looking for height or width channels? Grunt has done some testing which can be found on Axiom's forum and he found the QS series works best for height channels and he preffered direct radiators, his M22s, for width channels, IIRC.

I do not have a similar setup, but Axiom's new on wall speakers look very nice, to me, if you'd like something a little less pricey and easier to hang.

Put simply I would use a QS8 or QS4 as a height speakers based on room size. I would use an M22 (stand or shelf mounted) or an on-wall M22 (bracket mounted) as a wide speaker.

I am presently using QS8s as height speakers and despite what Audyssey says about DSX speakers needing to be direct radiating they are nuts. The QS8s work much better no contest. Although I haven't tried them I suspect that unless you are in a very large room QS4s would also work fantastic as height speakers. For mounting I just used the standard wall bracket they ship with as all the height channel sound is ambient so no need to am them. Another, brands di/bi-pole speaker might also work since as far as I can tell there are no pans between the height and other speakers so timbre mismatches might not be an issue.

You might be able to get away with using a wall mounted direct radiating speaker in the height role if you sit far away from the front wall more than say 12 feet and the wall is wide enough to allow them to be spread out to the recommended angle. It's partly because to get the recommended separation between them I had to mount mine on the side walls pointing in that I find the QS8 combined with there outstanding ability to diffuse sound were clearly better than direct radiating speakers on the front or side walls.

I've also used my M22s as wide speakers for my M80s and found the front soundstage was seamless as I suspect they would be with the M60s. I imagine that the new Axiom on-wall speakers could be mounted to the wall with a bracket, one of Axioms or DIY and angled toward the listening area more easily than a full sized M22. The on-walls are about half the depth of the M22 meaning it wouldn't have to stick out as much. Their also designed to be placed near a wall which could cause a larger spike in the bass of a standard M22 than the on-wall M22.

Though I haven't tested it I wouldn't want to go any smaller than the on-wall M22 for a wide speaker to complement the M80s or M60. Anything smaller might cause a timbre mismatch above an 80Hz crossover because there is a lot of directional sound from things panning across the screen that is shared between the main and it's corresponding wide speaker. Also I would not mix brands here for reasons of timbre matching.

On note while I like both the height and wide speakers overall I can say w/o a doubt I don't like the wide speakers for some gaming. Since the main and it's corresponding wide speaker share much of the same audio depending on the source it boosts the volume when sounds pan past them. The result is a spike in the volume as a sound pans across the left main/wide pair, volume dropping when crossing the center and then spiking again when crossing the right main/wide pair. IMO very annoying.

Cheers,
Dean

Hey guys, I'll be buying the M60 theatre 7.0 and two SVS PB 13s soon (I'm adding them to 2 PB12 Pluses and Buttkickers). I'll be getting the Rosewood Piano finish for the set which will look quite stunning I should think. I'll be moving from a complete NHT setup. I'll be driving them with an Emotiva XPA 2, XPA3, and UPA 7. I'm really looking forward to it. I like the idea of ID (extreme value), the custom finish (with your name on every speaker), and that they're Canadian and built here. So there you go.

I'm wondering about the cabinet bracing. How are they with the rap test? Dead or do they ring? Cabinet construction is paramount to me.

Holy cow! Jumping right in there. Hope you prepared your neighbors... On the next block.

What is the rap test? The M60's are built like tanks, but I couldn't tell you how they are braced. I believe there are some pictures on Axioms site/boards if you search.

I've been looking at Axiom for some time now. I just can't justify the b&m prices for speakers anymore. I live in the country - no neighbors.

The cabinet construction is one of the variables I always consider when looking at a brand. The cabinet should sound 'dead' and not hollow when you rap on it with your knuckles.

I'll give it a rap when I get home. Only issue I see with this test is the fact that the cabinets are stuffed with 'deadening' material. Since they are stuffed, they should never sound hollow...

That's what I hope. I've been on the phone with the "Audio Experts" from Axiom and they are not at all helpful. I said it's very important for me how well the cabinets are made, and with both calls the dude gave me nothing. I need some of you guys who own them to sell me on the build quality. Thanks.

To me they sound hollow (probably because they are), but I don't have much to compare them too. My old Infinitys sound the same. I never tried this on any other speaker so I can't say how they would respond. It does not 'echo'.

Construction was not high on my list of items to look at when I purchased the Axioms. I was interested in the sound (price being secondary). The main competition was B&W 683's. The Axioms sound closer to the B&W 700 Series but they were beyond my budget. So IMO, I got the equivalent to the 700 series speakers for almost $1000 less than the 600's. BTW - I was 100% prepared to pay the higher price for the B&W's if I didn't like the Axioms.

You guys really don't know what you are missing if you are driving the Axiom speakers with a 100-130 watt receiver. Home theatre, SACD, direct two channel stereo with or without the sub, it has all come together. These speakers like to be driven with some authority, not the simplistic capabilities of the "claim to fame" underpowered and overrated (wattage wise) receivers on the market today. They simply cannot deliver the resources these babies desire. My tweeter problem has been rectified. I would gladly audition these speakers in my home if anyone is interested and lives in the North Florida, South Georgia area. Just send me a PM.

Power amps are on my list of things to buy. Can only budget so much per year for my HT or I can't buy all my other toys....

BTW - What are you powering your speakers with (and what model speakers)?

anyone see the new VP-180 center? I have got to get one to match my M80s and another Outlaw 2200 monoblock to power it.

I don't think you know what you're missing driving a pair of Axiom M3's with the wonderful Trends TA10.1 6 watts per channel Ok, maybe you're not missing anything except for the satisfaction of getting great, great, sound for little money.

Do you have a link? Thanks.

I found out in the owners club info today, what I can tell you is its 4 ohm like the M80 and its 39.5 inches in width, 9.25 inches in height in front tapering down some in the rear and 17 inches in depth and weighs 56 lbs.

Thanks. Found it. Looks promising. Want to buy a VP150? Only $595.






MODS: I am not selling my speaker. No need to remove my post. It is a joke.

When will this be available and do we know a street price???? I am in the process of an all around upgrade and thought about getting the M80's to replace my M60's... If I do that, then this bad boy is coming along too..

I think they will be $695 and start shipping in June, I would want mine in rosewood natural satin to match my QS8s and the custom finished are probably a ways out past June?

Once the cut pattern for the cabinet is programmed into the milling machine, I don't see what difference it makes whether they cut a vinyl covered sheet of mdf or a custom veneered sheet of MDF.

I would think the custom centers will be available at the same time. Ask Axiom and see what they say.

That isn't bad at all. I was thinking it would be more than that, so I am pretty pumped.

Would this match up well with the M60's? I don't know if my receiver(Denon 4810) or room layout would work well with the M80's.

Any rule of thumb to follow when considering the M80's?

Coach, you would have no problem with the denon 4810 and the m80's at all. I have driven my m80's to very loud levels with my denon 3808 in the last few years without a single hiccup.

How big is your room and far apart are your M80'S? I can't seem to log onto my Axiom account, so I can't ask the question there. This might be what would prevent me from getting them.

Thanks.

How big is your room? How far is your listening position from the speakers? How loud do you listen?