[C4 Suke]

After reading the OHM post I clicked on the link provided leading me to axiom's site, I have never heard of these speakers before until I read about them on this site. I checked out their Epic 80 Home Theater Speakers, and you can get a complete 5.1 speaker package from them for only $2,413, that's like 1/2 the price for some of the tower speakers out there... here's the link: http://www.axiomaudio.com/epic80.html


I find this to be a pretty great price, has anyone had any experience with these? Would be great for a non-dedicated theater room, like a family room, they are 400 Watts, which is probably pretty damn loud.


They are probably better than the Bose Acoustimass 16 system right (the bose w/ all those little satellite speakers) ? Though the Bose seem like a good solution for family room type of rooms, my uncle has them and is gloating about how great they are. My experience with bose is that they suck, but this was their car stereo system, perhaps their home theater systems are better? Thanks!


Suke

 

[fmowry]

Ack! Bose Acousti-anyting aren't even close to the Axiom setup. I've got the Epic Grand Master but with the VP150 center and a different sub and it's great for home theater and music. I don't think Axiom gets a fair shake around here as one of the best values in speakers available. Probably because of the lack of auditioning in the US. I bought my setup unheard based on reviews and characterstics that mimic my listening preferences. I couldn't be happier. I'm finishing up a DIY sub that should round out my system in a 15X30 room.


I considered the Rockets and Ascends but the Rockets were a bit out of my price range and the Ascends just aren't asthetically appealing to me.


Where do you live? Over on the Axiom message board there is a thread on owner locations. Maybe you could contact an owner local to you and give 'em a listen.


Oh yeah, and their customer service is top notch.


Frank

 

[vtimpaler]

I have the Axiom M60's, I bought them for a trial, figuring if I did not like them I could send them back, easier to send 2 speakers back than 5. I am very happy with the speakers. for my musical and movie tastes, they rock. They are not high end speakers, but they look and sound great to me. the wife even likes them, and will show them off to friends and family. The service I recieved when I ordered was fantastic, and they seem to have good service if anything should go wrong, from what I have read on their message boards.

Soon I am going to be upgrading my whole system, with Axiom Speakers. A new receiver, DVD player, TV. The only holdup is money, as usual. All I can tell you is give them a try, along with auditioning as many other brands as you can. The in home trial is where it really counts though, what may sound good in the store with one receiver, may not sound as good in your own home with another one, or with the acoustics of your room. Your ears & tastes are what count.

 

[sushi]

Quote:

They are not high end speakers, but they look and sound great to me.

Well, to insert more blurb on the Axioms, they do indeed sound "high end" -- just that the prices aren't. They compete very well right next to my venerable Hales Audio System Two (over $3500/pair when new). And, the sound character also turned out pretty similar -- in short, both brands aim at "accurate" or "neutral" sound reproduction.


As C4 has probably found out, the best place to hear owners' opinions is their own forum in Axiom's web site. Unfortunately, the Axioms are definitely underrepresented in this forum...

 

[jeffczyz]

I was considering Axioms for my L/C/R channels in my new HT. Price point was good for my budget. I was considering the M3Ti and the VP100 for the center.


Do you think those would put out enough sound for an HT that is 16 X 24?

 

[bbissell]

Go for the VP150. I have had both and the difference between the VP100 and VP150 is huge.

 

[ssabin]

I was intrigued with the Axiom towers (say, M50) until I found that they were rear ported. I'm still intrigued with them, but fear that the rear porting will cause problems since some of my speakers will be along a wall, and some will be in the middle of a room.


I am considering 6 identical towers in a large, open basement HT. So, bang-for-the buck is a must. I have HTD level 3 towers, Energy C5 (would take a short drive to Canada for these), as well as the Axioms on my short list. I listened to the Energy C7's last weekend and was very impressed.


Sushi, do you think the rear porting on the Axiom towers will be a problem in my setup? I also notice that the Axiom centers don't extend very low in the frequency band, which is really only a concern for DVD-A and SACD.


Since I doubt I will run across any Axioms or HTD speakers in person, this will be a difficult decision.


Before anyone asks why towers all around: 1) bookshelves of good quality and their assocaited stands are not much cheaper than comparable bang-for-the-buck towers; 2) towers are generally more stable and easier to move around; 3) better bass response on SACD and DVD-A, and to a lesser degree in other sound modes; 4) seems easier to fill my large room with towers.

 

[sushi]

Well, a placement very close to the wall is highly detrimental to any floorstanding speaker, whether it is front-ported, rear-ported, or sealed. Such placements tend to render the bass boomy and can severely compromise the soundstage regardless of the cabinet design. At any rate, at least 5"-10" clearance behind and to the side would be desirable for the Axioms and all other brands.


With regard to the center channel, yes the Axiom VP series is not designed to produce a true full-range sound (so-called "small" speaker in THX terms, although the VP150 is fairly large). If you really want a full-range center channel, go for another tower or a larger bookshelf such as the M3/M22 (with a couple of bricks as "low stand"). In fact, many people use the M22 as a vertical center, with excellent results.

 

[Mike Fenech]

Well....not 'every' floor-stander.....I'm sure there are some flat-earthers (Naim, Linn, Rega) who would beg to differ. Count me in with them as well.


But for the most part, sushi speaks the truth. If you can't leave at least a foot of clearance (my opinion) behind your speakers, you shouldn't spend too much money on speakers.

 

[ghengis]

I am also considing the Axiom speakers. I have a 21x21 room and currently have a Pioneer vsx906 receiver but will be getting the Elite 45tx shortly.


My question is this.


I already have a B&W sub so in a 7.1 setup, how much of difference will the M60's make over the M50's in the front, I will be getting the VP150 for the center.


And how much of a difference will the QS8's make over the QS4's (2 for the side surrounds and 2 for the rear)


I use the system for 95% HT (Satellite, HD, DVD)


thanks

Dave

 

[sushi]

ghengis,


According to many owners/reviewers who have listened to both, the M50 has a slightly laid-back and relaxed sound, as compared with the M60. The M60 has a typical "Axiom sound" -- highly accurate and neutral. The M60 is more efficient and plays louder. Also, I believe that M60 will timbre-match better with the VP150. As for the surrounds, for a 21x21 room, I would suggest QS8 which plays louder with less distortion, although QS4 should perform well unless you really crank up the volume playing a surround-heavy soundtrack.

 

[ssabin]

My comment regarding the fear of the rear porting was due to my concern that even "proper" distance from the walls will produce a noticeably different lower freq response than those same speakers truly in the open. My room is definitely large enough for proper distance from the walls at 21'x26'(with opening into even larger dimensions), but I'm not using the whole room for the HT setup.


Does anybody have rear-ported speakers in a setup haveing BOTH situations - nears a wall, and far from a wall? Perhaps my fear is unfounded (I would expect the bass reinforcement from the wall to be a k/r^2 effect)?


Sushi, does the M22 match well with the M50 or M60? That could be the best option for a center channel.


I would like to take a listen to some Axioms sometime though.

 

[fmowry]

ssabin,

The m22 is considered the little brother of the M60. They'd match the best due to sharing the same tweeter and 5.25 driver.


Frank

 

[sushi]

Yes, the M22 will timbre-match better with the M60, although the match with the M50 would be by no means mediocre. After all, they are from the same brand, sharing the same driver designs (M22/M50/M60 all use the identical tweeter unit).


Back to the rear porting question, as long as you have a rear clearance of more than twice the diameter of ports, the wall will not have a significant effect on the performance or acoustic characteristics of the port. As mentioned above, that kind of clearance has to be had for most (if not all -- I stand corrected) floorstanders anyway. The port does NOT radiate any "directional" sound -- that is why, in the first place, such designs as rear-porting exists. It is kind of like a subwoofer sounding pretty much the same when you place it in different orientations, as long as it stays in the same location in the room.

 

[Mike Fenech]

sushi,


Curious why you picked Axiom over the others. I'm more or less settled on the Ascends/Hsu 5.1 set myself, with the 45TX (natch)...although I was planning on getting the Axioms for a while there.


-mf

 

[Saturn_AD]

I am also an Axiom owner. If you are using the Axioms for a HT setup there is very very few out there that can give the slam given its price. It has good detail for dialog and effects. One thing to note though for stereo music IMHO I find most Axioms a little fatiguing. Why? Well the tweets and drivers are metal drivers. Most metal drivers have great detail yes(like Axioms, Monitor Audios,Acoustic Energy, etc) . But after 2+ hours of listening to detail (cymbals, high octave horn instruments, high pitch female singers) it can be harse at times which can cause ear fatigue. In comparison textile and paper drivers are more laid back (like B&W, Tannoys, Warfedales, Quads, Dynaaudios,etc). It can still have detail but you don't hear any harshness. As we get older we lose the higher frequencies anyways and get comfy hearing the lower and lower octaves over the years. My percieved harseness maybe someone elses detail. So my percieved views should be taken with a grain of salt.


Saturn

 

[jeffczyz]

bbissell,


Do you think that the VP150 will match alright with the MT3i's? It thought I saw on the Axiom site that the VP100 was the matched center for the MT3i's.


Jeff

 

[sushi]

Quote:

Curious why you picked Axiom over the others.

There are several reasons: (1) I know my own taste for speaker sound -- accuracy, detail, and neutrality are the most imporant factors for me. After seriously auditioning numerous brands (both internet-only and dealer brands) over full 3 months or so, I found that the Axiom is closest to my own taste and within the budget. (2) I had to timbre-match with my existing Hales floorstanders. Again, I found that Axiom provides a surprisingly good match. (3) I really liked the unique "quadpolar" configuration of the Axiom surrounds, which turned out to be excellent in producing nice ambience effects in my living room, both for movies and music. Not too focused or too diffuse...


I have not heard the Ascent in person yet, though.



[added in edit] Another reason I failed to mention above: (4) I also liked the VP150 center channel much; its unique TWWWT configuration seems to have a palatable impact in horisontal dispersion of treble, rendering an improved soundstage.

 

[mizer]

I also have the Axioms M60,VP150 and 3 QS8's also a SVS2531pc+ and just love how they sound. I don't get fatigued in stereo mode and they don't seem bright to me but my listen room is very hard surface so I'm surprised.


My M60's are placed next to my SONY 40XBR with the VP150 below it which is in the corner of the room due to the fireplace in the middle of that wall. I had no choice.


The M60's don't seem to be affected by this placement is this because the ports don't face the walls directly and the sound deflects on an angle?


Mizer