Paradigm S/40, Axiom M60i (1 Viewer)

[Jedd]

Are they competitive ot not?

Just listened to S/40 and they sound wonderful - much better then anything in this price range. Should I try M60i or they stand in the Paradigm Monitors quality line?

 

[Jedd]

Don't tell me there are no Paradigm and Axiom fans here!

 

[JohnRuggiero]

I had the Paradigm Monitor 9's and I just brought the

Axiom M80ti. In my opinion the Axiom M80ti is totally

superior to the paradigm. Exspecially if you enjoy

listening to music loud. the Monitor 9's tended to distort

at anything over 95 dbs. with the Axioms I can go up

to 108dbs with no distortion. The highs on the Axioms,

especially female voices are incredible. In every way

I feel the Axioms are superior to paradigm. John

 

[Eujin]

Studio 40s are just wonderful speakers. If you're already leaning in that direction, it'll be very difficult to not get them--unless you discover something about YOUR listening habits that changes your mind. What I'm talking about is the 40s balanced sound. They seem to do just enough of everything right: tonal accuracy, sound staging and imaging, beautiful mids, soaring highs, the list goes on. The thing is, if you like speakers that emphasize one trait or another over other attributes, you'll find that there are other speakers that will do the job for you. Are there more detailed speakers out there at the same price? Most definitely. Better mids? Yes. Better bass? You bet. The thing is, most if not all these speakers will trade something off to achieve this. To me, if balance and neutrality are what you look for in a speaker, then the 40s are for you. If you want ultimate detail for the money, you'd be better served looking at something else (which is not to say that the 40s aren't detailed). Also, if you want bass that extends down into 30hz region and below (good, tight musical bass, not just measurable SPL numbers), you might want to look elsewhere. The 40s just aren't capable of reaching that low down (they ARE bookshelfs, albeit large ones, after all).

 

[Evan S]

Eujin, bingo baby!!!

I couldn't agree more. I will warn prospective buyers about the extensive break in time. I know some of you think break in is a myth. For me it wasn't. These speakers have about 100 hours on them now (got them two months ago and run them about an average of an hour and a half a day). I felt they really didn't hit their stride until about a week ago. So, for that reasoning I don't believe it was a case of "my ears getting used to the sound" because it doesn't take two months to acclimate to anything.

Once they fully break in, the sound is wonderful...tight bass, great high's NOT BRIGHT. I think people who say the Reference line is bright JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE A METAL DOME TWEETER are not associating them with the right source/amplification.

These are great speakers, and they are not snobbish either. They don't require separates, but that doesn't mean you can hook them up to an Aiwa boombox either. A good high end reciever (Outlaw, Onkyo, HK, Denon) is a must. A good source is essential too, but if you want to hear pure sonic bliss, surprising bass, unbelievable clarity, you've got a contender here. It's the kind of speaker that if you have work to do and you put some music on...that work just aint gettin done!!!

 

[Dan_Jones]

I personally love my Axiom M50s; I also have the M3s and VP100 and am overall blown away by their performance. The midrange is incredible throughout, with a very accurate presentation and excellent imaging, along with what John said, the highs are incredibly detailed and pristine.
This thread over at AxiomAudio.com has some more views between Paradigm and Axiom..might want to take a gander.
Either way, I'm sure you'll love either speaker, but I personally don't think the price to performance ratio of Axiom can be beaten.

 

[Rick Radford]

Jedd,

I listened to a lot of speakers in demo rooms as I narrowed down the field. The only ones I was able to bring to my HT for a demo were the Paradigm Studio 40s and NHT 2.5's. Frankly, I enjoyed the sound of both. I found the NHTs had a fuller sound, but the WAF ruled them out because of their (modern) looks.

Weeks later I brought in the Axiom M60Ti's (which I kept) and am very pleased with their performance. Because of the time difference between having the S/40s and the M60s in the same room, it's very difficult to compare the two.

I would likely have been happy with either. But suffice it to say that when value is factored in, I think the Axioms are far superior. I bought my entire M60Ti, VP100cc, and M3Ti surrounds (shipped) for less than the price of the S/40s. I did purchase factory blems (finish only) and would challenge you to find the blems.

M60TI: The bass is surprisingly deep and tight, mids are well represented, and with the titanium 1" tweets, the highs can lean towards the bright side. Based on memory only, I'd say the M60's were closer to the fuller and slightly warmer sound of the NHT 2.5's. I believe you will find the M60's to be a very accurate speaker at this pricepoint.

I demoed the S/40s in a 2.0 setup prior to having the SVS 20-39cs (same with the NHTs). When I go to direct mode with the M60Ti, I can tell that my SVS really adds to the bass, but am still surprised at the depth and fullness the M60s provide.

You ask a tough question. Tough because my ears will not hear what your ears hear, especially in your room. And what you hear in a demo room will likely sound different than what you hear in your HT as well.

IMO, you will find the M60 to be more than comparable to the S/40. But they are different in that one is a large bookshelf and the other is a tower (along the lines of the S/60). I believe the M60 is a full 3 way setup compared to the 2 1/2 way of the S20/40/60. (which really may not make any difference)

My thoughts are that the only fair demo is to bring the speakers into your HT. With internet companies, that means you likely have to consider the cost of return shipping should you not like them.

I'd be interested to hear your comparison if you can A/B the S40/60 and M60 in your HT.

 

[Jedd]

My thoughts are that the only fair demo is to bring the speakers into your HT. With internet companies, that means you likely have to consider the cost of return shipping should you not like them.
I'd be interested to hear your comparison if you can A/B the S40/60 and M60 in your HT

Actually that's what I'm trying to do - bring Axioms, ParadigmsR and AR's to my home and listen to them. I found two places where I can grab demo S40 and demo AR5, but Axioms are hard to find and if the back-shipment will hang over me I will be very biased.

 

[Rick Radford]

>Axioms are hard to find and if the back-shipment will hang over me I will be very biased.<

Quite understandable. And I know no way around it, unless you know someone local to you who would bring their Axioms over for an A/B session.

I took a chance, and believe I got outstanding value with my choice. Perhaps I was lucky.. I dunno.

You have the same problem with HSU, SVS, Dharman etc subs. But in the case of SVS, you have a large body of evidence presented daily (here) to give you reasonable expectations of satisfactory performance.

Internet speaker purchasing like Axiom, HTD, Swans Divas, etc. is a chancey thing. At least with most B&Ms, if you don't like it, you can load it up and bring it back. It's a bit more difficult with an internet purchase... unless you already know exactly what you want.

I never thought I'd buy a speaker I hadn't heard, and pleasantly surprised myself with the Axiom purchase. Of course, if I didn't like them, I was prepared to box 'em back up and ship 'em back.

Good luck with your auditions.