Rocket vs Axiom, I *think* HELP (1 Viewer)

[Ben.T]

I've been trying to audition as many speakers in town as I can find...

I've managed to listen to:

Energy C5 and C7
Paradigm Monitor 9
B&W 603
Boston Accoustic VR2
Triangle Zerius
Axiom M22 (all I could find for an in town audition)

Nutshell, the Triangles sounded pretty damn good but they don't have much for matching surrounds or center. The Axioms, although small, sounded pretty good. Their midrange was really good. The rest honestly didn't do anything for me.

This will mainly be a HT setup but I want to be able to listen to music too. I listen to a wide range of stuff, from vocal to classical elements but primarily electronic and rock (metal). I am concerned about how well the speaker can play loud too. I want it to stay as detailed as possible, and dynamic. That alone seems to have ruled out bookshelfs for me.

I've been reading about the Onix Rocket's as well. The RS550 looks to be a competator to the Axiom M60ti. Those two speakers plus their respective centers and surrounds SEEM to be what I'm deciding between right now. I'm looking to spend ~$1500 for mains, center and surrounds(2). I think Axiom has Onix beat by 100-200$ but the Rockets look damn nice with that rosewood finish. AV123 is only one state away from me so sending the Rockets back if I didn't like them wouldn't set me back too much, but sending the Axioms all the way back to Canada probably wouldn't be as cheap. The 6ohm and 4ohm ratings plus lower effeciency does have me a bit concerned about the Rockets (but they look damn cool! )

Anyway based on what I've listened to, can anyone tell me if I'm crazy or not? I'm looking to get as much feedback as I can. Pulling the perverial trigger is so difficult.

 

[Mike^C]

AV123 are blowing out the RS550s at $600 a pair. They're redoing the RS550 to a new version. I wouldn't be able to resist this.

 

[Ben.T]

Its $699/pr plus comparable center/surrounds to the Axiom VP150 and QS8's end up making the Rockets about 200$+ more. But I'm still trying to compare them on potential sound quality not just cost and looks.

 

[MikeLi]

Looks mean alot when your talking about a floor stander. Nothing beats the real wood thing....

 

[Mike^C]

Well, for one its a floor stander vs. a large bookshelf. Thats definately an aesthetic consideration. Keep in mind also the RS550 has 2 6.5" woofers as opposed to the M22's 5.25". For me, I prefer towers for stereo listening since they fill in the mid-bass region, something most bookshelves in this price range lacks. The M22's will do to about 50hz and the RS550's will go down to about 40hz. Its not really a fair comparison, since the RS550 compares more with the M50 or M60.

As for centers, I would say the Rocket over the Axiom. The RSC300 is a huge monster. This thing has real wood, weighs nearly 50 lbs, and is a 3-way, 4-driver design. Most people say the $600 is well worth the cost. I'd say the VP150 should be compared to the Rocket ELT center in terms of cost. The competition would be closer, but I'd still prefer the Rocket's 3-way design.

 

[Ben.T]

I don't want the M22, thats just the only Axiom I could find in town to listen to. I want the M60's.

And RE: Centers, one concern I have with the Rockets is the 4 ohm ratings.

I've listen to the VP150, I thought it sounded pretty good but there was an issue, at least at this guys house, that the gain of the center had to be turned up a little to match the mains.

 

[CurtisSC]

That is not unusual. Many "matched" speakers need to have levels matched in any given room.

 

[Lew Crippen]

You did not mention your receiver, but I’d not worry too much about the 4 ohm rating on the Rocket 200. I drive mine from a not very robust Pioneer and I hit reference levels in my more or less 3,500 cu ft room (with reasonably large openings on one side of the room.

But you might like to contact one of the guys at AV123 and get their opinion. They will be quite open about what it takes to drive their various models—many listeners find that the 750s like a lot of power, but as you are not considering them, it might not be a problem.

As an option to reduce the expense of returns, you might consider comparing the two center speakers with each other. That way you would not be out so much shipping regardless of which one your return. This would also answer your question about the 4 ohm, Rocket center at the same time.

Have you checked out audioenvy.com to see if anyone near you has the 500s?

I like the appearance of the Rockets better than the Axioms (and don’t really think that this is a contest), but only you can decide which sounds the best.

Have fun with your comparisons.

 

[Steve F M]

I have the Axiom Setup with the M60's, VP150 Center, QS8's and could not be happier for the price. I upgraded from a Paradigm Monitor Setup.

 

[scott>c]

I have the m60s also with the vp150. Awesome!!! I also have the m22`s also but the m60`s r better in my opinion. Has a wider soundstage and also looks better.

 

[BruceTM]

You don't have to return Axioms to Canada. They have a warehouse in Buffalo, NY to send returns to.

 

[Shane Martin]

While I preferred the Rockets I ended up buying neither. I would use audioenvy and see if you can find someone to demo the Rockets. These 2 are polar opposites in sound.

 

[ChrisCollins]

Shane,
What did you end up with?

 

[Shane Martin]

Phase Tech Velocity in a 7.1 config. I'm going with an SVS for the .1

The mains are V12's in Sun Maple. The Center is a V6 in Sun Maple and the Rears are in Black Rosewood(both the V4's and V-Surrounds).

 

[Ben.T]

Update

I currently got a pair of Axiom M3's for winning a contest (woot!). Anyway these little things are amazing. They are very nice sounding speakers. They can stay very clear even at very loud levels which is a rariety for bookshelf speakers in my experience.

I'm powering them with an HK 630. I am definitely going to finish out my HT setup with Axioms. Leaning towards M60's, QS8's and VP150. (will use these M3's as the 2 extra rears in 7.1 OR for a separate system upstairs)