axiom discussion... (1 Viewer)

[peter a]

so, i haven't heard anything about the axioms on here in a while. i was all set to buy them with the rave reviews they were receiving a few weeks back.. but, now everyone is quiet about them and i'm hearing more about the paradigms... soooo confused.
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[Heath_R]

I could not be happier with mine.

 

[Jason Bell]

Peter A,
I know what you mean about not many people talking about them anymore.. I'm very happy with mine. I have the M60s for fronts and the M22s for the rears. I ordered them about 6 weeks apart. These speakers turned me from semi-skeptic to believer about break in time though. On both pairs the tweeters got noticeably smoother over a couple weeks. It definitely wasnt just adjusting to them. I actually almost gave up on the M22s. Glad I didnt or I wouldnt have ordered the M60s. I really like my M60s. (IMHO)Music is great on them. I listen to mostly Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Jethro Tull, Tori Amos, etc. etc. Only music I havent tried on them is Metal. With movies I dont even use a center the vocals are dead center on my T.V. the pans like cars driving across the screen are seamless. I'm really happy with the soundstage they create its really full and immersive. The only negative is they will definitely expose a bad recording. If recordings got bad sibilance or warts they will show it. I have confirmed that every single case that I've run into was the recording. I can also vouch for there customer service. They've have been very helpful answering all my questions. I'm no expert on speakers and have never demoed a $3000 dollar speaker so I cant tell you how they compare in that regard but my whole Axiom experience has been a good one. There are a lot of speakers to choose from though

 

[Ben Jordan]

I recently got some M50 mains and am very pleased with them. Got the factory outlet ones, and can only find very very minor flaws - nothing you could notice unless you were really searching up close.

Am thinking of getting the QS4's for surrounds next, then the VP100 center.

 

[Roberto Carlo]

I've had the M22Tis and VP-100 for about two weeks and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I got them at the outlet store and at $340 for the 22s they are a steal.

 

[Eric_Singer]

I couldn't be happier with my M22's. I keep upgrading my electronics, and they keep improving with every upgrade - simply amazing speakers for the money. I got mine from the Factory Outlet as well ($320 at the time), and haven't questioned my decision once since buying them. I plan on purchasing the VP150 in a month or two.

Eric

 

[Marc H]

The Axiom outsell Paradigm in our shop by an easy ten to one margin.

 

[Yuli]

I just recently got my M60s, VP150 and QS8. I am loving them! Man i can't believe i was living without them. :b

 

[Eric Massey]

I'm concerned about the lack of a low pass for the midwoofer on the axioms. Is this a common design in many popular speakers, and does this lack of a low pass hurt the performance of the speaker at all? How many other popular speakers lack a low pass for the midwoofer? For some reason, the low pass just seems like it would be pretty important and makes me hesitant to really like the axioms......

 

[Tom Brennan]

Eric---I know nothing of the Axioms but it's an old and creditable technique to design a woofer without a lowpass. If the woofer used rolls-off naturally (and smoothly) at the same frequency at which the tweeter comes in using a low-pass filter can be avoided. The driver can be designed for such a characteristic or more likely a designer pores the catalogs until he finds a woofer that has it. I've built such systems myself and it worked well. Of course keep in mind that any speaker you build yourself works well.

 

[Jack Keck]

I know next to nothing about designing speakers, but this lack of low pass filter thing reminds me of the engineering adage of "less is more".
Of course, I'm not an engineer, either, but several of my in-laws are.

 

[Jeff Kohn]

Also, I'm pretty sure only the M3's are desgined that way. If it really bothers you, step up to the M22's or the towers. I think for mains the Factory Outlet M60's offer the best combination of performance and value.

 

[Marc H]

Axiom keeps the crossovers as simple as possible to minimize distortion, signal loss or introducing phase problems. They can squeeze out a lot more detail and transparency that way. It means more money has to go into the driver construction though.
One seminar I attended by a speaker manufacturer stated it's common to lose 50% of your amplifier's power just in the crossover network!
It's common for speaker designers to try and make up for driver problems by engineering correction into the crossover network but that can create new problems and muddy the sound (unless they are spending a fortune on the crossover components).
Axiom, Dahlquist and more companies now are taking the opposite approach by designing and building the drivers properly so they minimize driver performance flaws and that means a much more simple crossover network is required.
It helps bring a higher level of fidelity to mass market price ranges.

 

[ChaseHanna]

So exactly which axiom models lack the low pass filter? I was considering either the m22 or the m3's all the way around and that might have some impact on my choice.

 

[Joe Hsu]

Hmmmm.....just hoping here, but what did you guys pay for your M60's? I'm looking at those, and just hoping that the price on the factory outlet on their site is in Canadian dollars.

 

[Roberto Carlo]

I have the M22s and I have no idea if it naturally rolls off like the M3. All I know is that mated to an SVS sub and carefully calibrated it is glorious musically and a winner home-theater wise. I listened to Ron Carter's "For Toddlers Only" off his "Jazz, My Romance" CD and it was amazing, even without the sub.

My previous speakers were Energy e:XL-25s, which I bought from Marc H. They were very good. The Axioms are great. Don't let specs spook you. :b

 

[Jeff Kohn]

Hmmmm.....just hoping here, but what did you guys pay for your M60's? I'm looking at those, and just hoping that the price on the factory outlet on their site is in Canadian dollars.

I bought my factory-outlet M60's about 2 months ago for $600. It looks like the price has gone up to $660 recently. :frowning: I think pricing and availability of factory-outlet speakers is kind of a supply and demand, thing. Once they start to run low on a particular model the price may go up; and once they run out, there may not be any more for a while (until the next production run for the model, which is determined by supply of the retail/a-stock).
They're great speakers, though. Even at $660 I think they're definitely worth the money.

 

[Jeff Kohn]

So exactly which axiom models lack the low pass filter? I was considering either the m22 or the m3's all the way around and that might have some impact on my choice.

You might want to ask over on the axiom board to get a definitive answer from Ian or Alan, but I'm pretty sure it's just the M3's. The M22's use two 5.5" woofers, as opposed to the single 6.5" woofer on the M3, so I'm pretty sure the rolloff characteristics are different and therefore the M22's would require a x-over.

But like others said, the lack of a low-pass is not a flaw in the M3's, so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Paul_Fisher]

I've had the M3's for about 3 weeks and I love them. I had Paradigm Mini Monitors before and find the M3's to be significantly better.

 

[JeffreyMercado]

I guess you should base your decision on how much you want to spend. They are both award winners and have good reviews. It is just a question of do you want that bigger bookshelf. Just a consideration the M2s are on sale for $180 for the pair.
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