Axiom owners near High Point, NC? (1 Viewer)

[Rick Radford]

For personal reasons, I've had to scale back my planned speaker budget. In my search for quality inexpensive speakers, I've come across Axiom.
Any Axiom owners interested in giving a demo? I'd really like to hear these before a purchase.
I'm considering the M60Ti/VP100/M22Ti or M3Ti for rears.
A concern (perhaps unfounded) is that the M3Ti has no crossover, according to a review I read. I dunno if this is a good thing or a bad thing... or neither of the above. But It makes me wonder what has been sacrificed to keep the costs down. I dunno if the other speakers in this line have xovers or not. And reviews are rather sparse on this line.
Thanks!
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--RR

 

[Ron Reda]

Rick,
I think I'm the only Axiom owner here!
I've got the M50s as mains, a VP100 and the M3s for surrounds and am extremely satisfied with my purchase.
I understand your concerns...being that the Axioms are a fairly new company, there isn't too much to find on the Web. I'm not sure about the crossover though. I'll have to check my literature tonight. One person that might know is Marc Hallam at Audioshop. He sold me my Axioms and is very knowledgeable. If you shoot him an e-mail ([email protected]), he usually responds the same day. Here's Audioshop's address:
http://audioshop.on.ca/
Good luck!

 

[Ron Reda]

Rick,
I found this little review on the M3 that contains some good numbers that may interest you:
http://www.mastersonaudio.com/audio.shtml
Ron

 

[Derek_O]

Rick,
As I understand it, for the 2 way speakers like the M3, it's not that the "speaker" has no xover but the woofer only has no xover. The woofer only goes so high in frequency, then the output drops off, then they use a xover on the tweeter to match the woofer drop off. As far as what the frequency of that is on the 2 ways I don't know. But in the axiomaudio.com website they have a forum section (click on "About us" on the main page to access the forums), and on the 5th page there's a thread called "Crossover Network". In it Ian, the president and chief engineer says that in the M60's they cross the tweeter to the 5-1/4" mids at 2500 and the 5-1/4" mids to the 6-1/2" woofers at 300 hz using 3rd order crossovers.
For reviews I've seen the link Ron mentions, the M3 reviews on goodsound.com and soundstage.com. Soundstage also has reviews of the M40 and M80. Cheaphometheater.com is including the M3s and VP100 in a speaker shootout coming sometime in the next few weeks. The soundstage review of the M80s mentions another reviewer looking at the M80s in a home theater application , I think it will be at hometheatersound.com but I don't know when they will post that review.
As for me I've listened to the M60s and M80's and am looking to purchase the M60's when I get a receiver near the end of September. I'm waiting for the new Denons to get to Canada before I commit to a receiver purchase so the speakers will probably wait until then.
Ron,
How does the VP100 match up with the M50s across the front? I haven't been able to listen to the VP100 as my local dealer has none and I wonder how the 5-1/4" woofers on the VP100 match up with the 6-1/2" woofers on your M50s for panning across the front. I've wondered if the M3 would match up better having the same woofer as the M50? Have you ever tried one of your M3s as a center?

 

[Ron Reda]

Derek_O,
Although I haven't tried the M3 as a center, I think that the VP100 matches up really well with the M50s. There's a few select parts on Toy Story 2 that I use to check panning effects and the VP100/M50 combo proved to sound seamless to me. I really love the level of detail that the VP100 provides...head and shoulders above my previous JBL Center.

 

[Jin E]

Hmmm... I have a putter made by "Axiom". I'm sure that's not what you're refering too though. (BTW... it's a HORRIBLE putter).
Axiom Milled Face Putter
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-Jin
My Theater
[Edited last by Jin E on August 24, 2001 at 09:57 AM]

 

[Ron Reda]

My neighbor has an Isuzu "Axiom," but again, it's a completely different thing...

 

[Rick Radford]

Awright boys, I figure it's *axiomatic* that I'm talking 'bout speakers here.. not putters or vehicles.

Thanks for that url for the M3Ti, Ron.
Anyone else notice that HTF has been mighty slow lately? Or izzit just me?
Ron, OOC, how did you decide to go with the M3Ti for surrounds vs QS4s? Did you consider the M22Ti?
I'm getting conflicting suggestions for the surrounds. My listening room will have surrounds either side of the couch.. one in a corner.. and one in a 4' wide opening to another room. I thought a direct radiating speaker would be best for this. And I can't give it a test listen buying online.
Derek, one of the reasons I'm looking at the M60Ti is because the M80Ti is a 4 ohm speaker. The OM for my Onkyo 989 specifies 6 ohm min. This also rules out the QS8 surround.
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--RR

 

[Ron Reda]

You're welcome for the URL...I too remember scouring the Web for reviews and such on the Axioms.
The site has certainly been ssslllooowww...
Well originally, it was a toss up between the M3s and the QS4s, but I was leaning more towards the M3s. After I spoke to Marc at Audioshop, I went with the M3s. Not only did he recommend the direct radiating M3, but he basically said that the QS4s are more for that "diffused" sound that is used in THX set ups. He added that they're also used in DPL set ups because the QS4s help to break up the mono signal in the surround channels.
I never did consider the M22s for the surrounds, but briefly tossed around the idea of using them in the front. However, I wanted to go with the floor standers so I chose the M50s.
Too bad the 989 can't accomodate the M80s...I've read some nice reviews on those. I think you'll still like the M60s though.

 

[Rick Radford]

>> After I spoke to Marc at Audioshop, I went with the M3s

 

[Ron Reda]

Rick,
I use them mostly for HT, but since I got my Denon 3802, I've been really enjoying the 5 channel stereo option for music. I also thought about moving the M3s to the front for a bit to hear how they sound, but it's oh so hard to move those M50s out of the front spot...they just sound so good in plain old 2 channel stereo!

 

[Rick Radford]

After reading most of the msgs on the Axiom forum, it appears the M3Ti would be a more attractive choice to me (vs the M22Ti) for the surrounds.
I emailed Marc and he gave me an attractive price, but I lose the ability to return if dissatisfied... even at my expense.
I've also been in contact with Axiom about that xover ? I had, and was told that:
*****************
>>It is a design parameter from a performance consideration. A cross-over is required to fix problems with a driver's frequency response or to force the driver to roll off earlier than can be designed into the part itself (like
in the case of sub-woofers). If the driver is designed properly it will not have any problems to fix (this is easier said than done mind you).
The performance is actually enhanced because x-overs consume power for no benefit other than to fix problems that in many cases can be fixed by better component design and hence no power loss.

 

[Ron Reda]

Rick,
Good choice...I think that you're really going to like how those M3s perform as surrounds.
Did you get the "cabinet blemish" price? From what I've heard, people purchase them for a good price and can't even find the "blemish" when they arrive! I was tempted to get them in cherry (the pictures looked great), but the little lady made the point that black goes with everything, so...
Well, the proof is in the listening and I have no doubts that you'll enjoy 'em! It's going to take some time to break them in (some Axiom owners estimate 100 hours), but if you're anything like me, that break-in time was achieved very soon after their arrival!
Please be sure to post again with your assessment of your newest HT additions...I'm curious to hear what you think.
I'll tell ya, I'm really getting to like spreading the word about these little gems...
By the way, what are you powering them with?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nate,
Yeah, Marc is like the champion of customer service! I ordered mine before he went on a 2 week vacation and as it turns out, I had a few questions for him during that time period. Wouldn't you know the guy retunred all of my e-mail during vacation?! That's above and beyond the call of duty as far as I'm concerned.
Sounds like a good plan. I imagine those M22s will sound amazing considering that they'll be in all four corners. Ah, the M80s (assume Jacques Clousteau accent) they are ever elusive to me! I'll get a pair some day though, bank account permitting.
The 3802 is a nice purchase. I've got one too and I really like it's sound and versatility. 7.1 will have to wait until I move into a bigger place and have my own room. When that happens, I'll be buying two more M3s for the surround back. I'll also probably get a 5-channel amp and just use the 3802 for processing, but that's a ways down the road.
Again, please let me know what you think about the Axioms!
Enjoy fellas,
Ron

 

[Rick Radford]

Ron,
I haven't ordered... yet. Still ponderin' on it.
The speakers will be powered by an Onkyo 989.
I plan to get an SVS sub. Can't decide on the PC vs CS/Samson though.

(and no hurry since I don't have speakers yet)
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--RR

 

[Ron Reda]

Rick,
Oops, my bad...I thought you went for it! Were you talking about the blemish price though?
Using a 989, huh...nice!

 

[Rick Radford]

Ok, Ron. Placed my order today for some M60Ti/VP100/M3Ti blems. Seemed too good to pass up.. espeically with the money back offer. To save $$, I offered to fund the return (if I didn't like them) for some extra $$ off. Looking forward to getting them in for a test.
I also ordered a SVS 20-39PC which cost nearly as much as the Axiom combo above!
at the last minute I considered the M40Ti for surrounds.. but decided to stay with the M3Ti. Now I gotta find some decent stands that can be filled and will work on HW floors.
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--RR

 

[Ron Reda]

Rick,
Cool...I am looking forward to your review of them!
Just so you know, I had to return my first VP100. The woofers worked fine, but the tweeter was shot when it arrived. When I talked to Mark, he said that what most likely happened was that the connection to the tweeter slipped off in transit (this was in fact confirmed by Mark when I returned it for a replacement). He suggested that I open the speaker up to see if that's what the damage was, but I decided to leave that up to the experts. He shipped me a brand new one no questions asked via Fed Ex Two Day and simply asked me to try out the replacement. Assuming it worked, he asked me to put the bum one back into the packaging and call Fed Ex for a pick up (for which he supplied all of the return documentation for customs). The new speaker worked, I shipped the other one back and I've been a happy Axiom owner since. No hassles whatsoever! Just a sidenote...Marc was cool about the entire thing and never questioned one thing I said. Quite the testament for great customer service, especially when buying "blind" merch.

 

[Rick Radford]

Looks like the M3s and the VP100 shipped today. The M60s won't go out until the first part of next week. So I get to listen to the M3s as mains for a few days.
I also changed my SVS order from the 20-39pc to the 20-39cs/Samson.
We'll see what gets here first.

 

[Derek_O]

Rick,
I look forward to hearing your impressions of the M60 and M3. I've never had a chance to hear the M3 so if you wouldn't mind comparing the sound between the two I'd sure be interested to hear what you think.
Ron,
Thanks for the info on the VP100. It's been a concern of mine about matching up dis-similar drivers between the mains, center and surrounds. Although I've heard somewhere (can't remember where) that the tweeter is the most important driver to match. So that's not a problem here.

 

[Ron Reda]

Rick,
What's the good word on the M3s and the VP100? Were they delivered already? If so, whatcha think???
Ron