Also remember though that you're driving these with a receiver. Very few recievers will really grab hold of speakers and show what they'll do the same way a good power amplifier will. Even so, I think the ST's would be a big step up for you.
Bryan
"I most highly suspect your major problem is the Denon Receiver."
I really do appreciate all of the help here. I'd like to clear up a few things.
I have no doubt that Denon makes a quality product. I have no doubt that 100 watts per channel is fine when I hear from the designer and the builder. It's statements like above from earlier in this thread that caused the discussion to touch on this issue. Not I.
I am not hear to be "convinced" that I should buy a pair of ST's. I already learned that being on a dedicated forum can more than sway you towards a purchase. Every dedicated forum is excited about their choice.
"If you don't like bright, don't get Rocket's or Studio 100's. The tweeter on the new 100's is definitely a little bright IMO, and the Rocket 850s have always been a touch bright to my ears. I prefer a little top end zing, but not too much. Tyson made some good recommendations all well."
I thought Rockets were considered on the warm side and always spoken of as being warmer than the M80's. And now the ST's are warmer than the Rockets. I was considering going for the great Rocket pkg. that is presently going on.
"Salk speakers aren't bright. All the above mentioned speakers are fine but would be put in the "warm" category, they do not have the resolving characteristics and neutrality of the Salks. Some people prefer a "warm" presentation."
ST's are warmer then both M80's and Rockets, yet are not considered warm speakers.
"Also, it was mentioned that you may want to post on another forum so that you'd get less biased answers"
Uh, I never said that or implied that. It's funny how some things are read on forums and misinterpreted.
Looking forward to hear Evans ST's side by side with these M80's. If anything it will make for a great post for future readers at this site.
You are planning to take the receiver to the ST audition, no? If so, you'll find out for sure whether it's capable to drive the ST's.
The biggest difference between purchasing the Axioms and your interest in the ST's is that you are going to audition the ST's before buying anything. I always recommend auditioning before buying, so you're already one step ahead as far as I'm concerned.
As for the Rocket's vs. Axioms vs. SongTower's, this is just my opinion, but here goes:
The "warm" label concerning the Rocket's was about the older and discontinued RS750's and 750 Sig's. They did, in fact, have a rolled off treble response, thus giving a laid back sound. Personally I didn't like, and I really tried to live with it (owned 750' Sig's, 550's and 850 Sig's in the past). Rather than people calling them "too laid back," they gave the sound the improper label of "warm," rather than the more honest description of "rolled off" or "too laid back." Now, when the 850's were designed AV123 was trying to avoid that "laid back label," so they gave their new line more "zing" in the high frequencies. Unfortunately, it was
too much for my ears.
The Axiom's, from the very first listen I had with the original M80's, were too forward in the lower and upper treble response. This thinned out the midrange (just like in the Rocket's) and didn't sound natural to me. 15 minutes into the Axiom audition I pretended to get a phone call, thanked the owner and left. That was all I needed to hear to know they weren't for me.
I've compared the 850 Sig's and ST's side-by-side in my home, and the SongTower's have cleaner, tighter bass, a fuller, more natural and more detailed midrange and a more neutral, natural and detailed high frequency presentation. One might think the Rocket's would have more "detail" in the highs because they are more forward, but this isn't so to my ears. Rather everything just has more of a hiss, and it's fairly distracting. There is just too much sibilance and the timbre accuracy suffers. As mentioned above, it overpower the upper mids as well. Now before I owned the ST's, I compared the Rocket's to a pair of Studio 100 V4's. I was surprised to find a very similar sonic signature, as if the Rocket's were just an ID version of the Studio's. If I was choosing between them based on sound, it would be hard to pay twice the price for the Paradigms. However, there have been some major complaints and shady reports of AV123 as of recent, which is a total deal breaker if you ask me. You might want to do some research (especially in the forums) before you think about giving them your money.
I am just one man, with one man's opinion, but I hope that helps clarify the difference between the three speakers. The SongTower's cost $500 more than the Rocket's, and they really are worth the cost difference to my ears. Also, remember that the Rocket's used to cost $2000/pair, and it wasn't until after the ST's started getting some attention that the price was lowered. YMMV, of course.
I wish you the best at your audition. Again, if you don't like them, no big deal. No speaker is perfect, as speaker design is all about trade-offs. One just needs to find a speaker of who's flaws they can live with. Enjoy!