Axiom speakers (1 Viewer)

[Shawn_KE]

I plan on getting a Denon AVR-2803 and am now shopping around for some speakers. I like the Epic 50 package they have.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/epic50.html

Does anyone have any thoughts on their speakers? Sound, quality ect.

Right now I have a Sony HTIB setup, and it is nice for the price, but I'm sure the above setup with blow it away.

 

[Joey_V]

i posted this long post earlier in the week - i dont feel like typing another one... but i know this will help u in your decision. i cannot say specifically for the epic50 - but i know that my m22s are a good reference for all axiom speakers.

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i have the m22tis and am planning on getting either the qs4 or m2i for surround sound duties.

my take on the m22ti? theyre not that good, decent if at all....JUST KIDDING!!! quite the contrary in fact!! read on!

i have tried several speakers, from klipsch, polk, jbl, athena, vienna acoustics, bostons, paradigms, yamaha (BLECH), bose (double BLECH, does this even count as a speaker?), infinity, sony... the list goes on.... but these m22tis have a sound beyond the ones i listed.

the first thing you will notice about the axioms is its transparency. these speakers do not seem to color the sound, if at all, the sound is as close to the source - your amp, receiver, player being the bottlenecks for your audio's transparency. also, the amount of detail this speaker belts out is very excellent, not unlike paradigms - i think the m22tis compare favorable against the paradigm reference 20 or 40 bookshelves (albeit the lowend may not be as great) which are $800 and $1100 respectively. the reason for this transparency? the m22s, m60s, m80s and i think the m2s have a very very flat frequency response. i know for a fact that the m3s, m40s, and m50s have a hump around the low, mid-bass region - so they are immediately off my list for clear transparency.

the highs are sweet and clear - crisp even, thanks to the titanium tweets! the mids are beyond the klipsch i have at home, beyond most anything i have heard of, and certainly beyond any speaker i have had in my possession so far... details, details, details! the bass is lacking - but we are talking about a bookshelf here, the m80s will not dissappoint in this bass area - i can guarantee u that!

also, these speakers have an enormous sound stage - wow! i can sit back, close my eyes, and picture the musicians in front of me - with adequate spacing between instruments... no overlaps! if the source is good, the speaker can make it seem like the sound is coming from OUTSIDE the speaker... something hard to find in a vast majority of speakers - except my klipsch, because of the horn loaded tweet.

lastly, i can attest to the speaker's control - even at loud volumes, the sound remains together, if anything, the m22 sound even better at higher volumes. this is not to take away from the m22's ability to play great audio at low volumes... no no no, these speakers, my friend, are so detailed that even at low low volumes, i can still hear the intruments in the background along with the vocals. my previous speakers would only yield the vocals at similar listening levels.

overall, if i had to do it all again - i would not regret, think twice, or even look at the other speakers i was looking at before - i would still buy my axioms... again and again and again. i have them atop 31" omnimount cosmic stands with the tweeter just an inch or two above my ear and boy.... it sounds great! i love my axioms!

i would like to have demoed the maple finish tho - black is nice, but maple is different.

SVS + AXIOMS = bliss bliss bliss

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in conclusion.. ow typing hurts - i played basketball today.. ow... anyway, in conclusion, the m50 may not be the best floorstander - the m22s will have a clearer midrange and is undoubtedly more detailed. the m60 is a much better speaker than the m50.

there is a recent review on axiomaudio.com forum between the m50 and the m60... the m60 beat the m50.

another weak part of the epic 50 is the sub... get an SVS - i can vouch for that! oh yeah.... lets get the bass on... i LOVE IT!!!

this is what u should get:

M60 (2x)
VP150 (1x)
QS4 or QS8 (x2)

sub:
HSU STF-2
or
SVS 22-31PCi

 

[john michiels]

Shawn,
I have M40's and M3's and love them both. M22's got great reviews by the guys at Audioholics. Check it out.
My last post was longer but got deleted because I put in the address for Audioholics. Search for it with google.

If your amp has 5.1 or 6.1 analog speaker inputs invest in a DVD Audio/SACD player. The higher bit format and sampling rate smooth out the music so it's like your listening to vinyl records....but with better dynamic range. It is spectacular. Unfortunately this may make your CD collection obsolete.
John

PS- Use a sound meter to accurately set up the individual speaker volume levels and don't forget to set up the proper delays based on the speaker distance differences. 1ms delay equals about 1 foot. Example: If the fronts are 12 ft away from the listening position and the rears are 4 ft away set the delay to 8ms.

 

[Craig Chase]

I am doing a comparison of the Axiom M-22's and a pair of Rocket ELT-Cse's...

Both companies have amazingly good sounding under $500 loudspeakers...

You will definitely do well with the Axioms... and I can recommend (and agree with the earlier posts) ... match them with an SVS sub !

 

[Brian Kaz]

One important thing about Axioms: You won't actually hear how they REALLY sound until their 48th hour or so of playing time. When I first bought them I thought I made a huge mistake. Flat and dull. But then I learned they need to be broken in, so I pumped techno through 'em for two days straight.

I've never regretted my purchase since.

 

[Joey_V]

brian is right, break in time is crucial.... now i dont know if it is the speaker physically or the mind/ears.. or both.. but after 2 days or so with mine - WOW!

actually, the same could be said about my parents klipsch speakers!

 

[scott>c]

Iys true, the m22`s and and svs sub will rock u`r world!!!

 

[Joey_V]

gah i just heard the polk lsi... i may have to sell my m22s.

 

[Greg Labate]

My room config requires me tio put the surounds on a flat wall 5 feety over my head. Will the QS8s work good for that, unlike other di-pole surrounds that need to be open in the back?

 

[JackRI]

From the Axiom web site FAQ:

"Where should I place my surround speakers?

Ideally, surround speakers should be either wall-mounted or stand-mounted to either side of the couch or primary listening area, from one to six feet higher than seated listeners' ears, and slightly forward or rearwards of the listening area if you wish. Axiom's Quadpolar surrounds are especially versatile and can yield excellent performance with stand or wall-mounting to the rear as well as at side locations. (see our dedicated stands for the QS Surround speakers in the Store). Rear center speakers for 6.1 and 7.1 installations are intended to go on the rear wall at about the same height as the surround speakers."

To the side is preferred, but on the back wall will work. You'll find the QS8s do a good job in either position. They are designed to be mounted flush on the wall, and come with the brackets to do so.

The QS8s are NOT dipolar speakers. Dipoles have their drivers wired out of phase (i.e., when one driver is moving out, the other is moving in). Bipolar and Quadpolar speakers have their drivers wired in phase (each driver moving out at the same time, and in at the same time). Bipolars have 2 drivers. Quadpolars have 4. The QS8s have two 5.25" woofers (one firing up, the other firing down), and two 1" tweeters (each firing to one side

 

[MikeLi]

All speakers need some time to break in either the speaker or your ears.. alot of different schools of thought on this. Axioms are great speakers... Have you looked at the Onix Rocket speakers on AV123.com ? Great sales going on and they are in real wood cabinets if looks mean anything to you. Some care some don't. Good luck with your decision.