[Merle]

I have slowly been selling my expensive gear and moving to a budget system. After years and years of swapping gear in and out, I finally came to the conclusion that I just can't have expensive audio gear. The more it cost's, the more I obsess over the gear, taking away from my actual music. I am currently listening to a cheap Marantz cd player, my very well loved Technics 1200 w/ KAB mods, and, believe it or not, a Denon 2 channel receiver. I have a few pairs of speakers laying about so I've been swapping speakers in and out, looking for the best fit. Hard as it is to believe for Audiophiles, this gear actually sounds fine, making music that's easy to listen to and enjoy. My audio "stress level" has gone way down. Might not be the move for everyone but for me, it's a real relief. I've stressed over gear for a couple decades now and with this gear, I had no expectations to start with and find I can now just turn it on and enjoy music. Who knew? On to my question. With my "budget" system, I've decided I want as close to full range speakers that will work well with both classical and rock music, without spending much money. That quest has led me to the Axiom M80v.2. At $1330, it appears to offer what I'm looking for at a cost in line with the rest of my system. Bass down to the upper 20's, clean midrange and the ability to play loud and clean. Of course, that's going by the reviews I've read. Since they sell factory direct, I can't actually hear them without buying them. They do offer a free 30 day in home trial. I'm about to pull the trigger on a pair and wanted to see if anyone here actually owns a pair and what you think of them. Staying under $1500 [hard number], are there any others I should look at that will sound good with any type music as well as offer deep bass, really deep bass? I've tried the bookshelf / sub route and don't care for it. Lot's of speakers in my price range offering bass down to 40hz or so but it's not enough. I want true deep bass. The M80 looks to fit the bill. Thoughts? Comments?

[Kevin Haskins]

I'm proud of you Merle.   You recognize something about yourself and your doing something about it!   

I've never listened to any of the Axiom stuff but it seems well designed for the price point.   

[TheChairGuy]

Merle - may you get stress-free soon - it's no place to be and it really takes away time you could productively be spending elsewhere in your life.

Good luck, bud 

My stress when down 50% when I again embraced vinyl...CD/Redbook never achieved that elusive goal of musical pleasure for me.  Another 10% was hacked off when I began using Grado's as my cartridge choice (the most natural sounding cartridge I know of) and maybe another 10% was chipped off when I found tube amps and mated them with SS preamps (which more quietly boosts phono signals).

Seriously, as you have a damped tonearm and a deck that inherently keeps time (musts to really get them going), you might be a great candidate for the Grado's.  The $40 Black (now $60 since Feb. 1) is as good a place to start as any.

The remaining 30% nervosa is just me...I'm just fidgety by nature 

I knew how obsessed I was with audio so I ever packed my whole system up for 6 years 1994-2000 to concentrate on family and business concerns.  It was a good move and I'm not sure I was remarkably less happy those 6 years listening to a Panasonic portable 

I've read of your many incarnations and trials over the years and hope you find peace this time with whatever you come up with there in Balli-mawr 

John

[Les Lammers]

Hi Merle,

I fully understand and can relate to your decision. I did the same thing and it is quite liberating.  

It's about the music and the gear is just a delivery truck. The Axioms look like they are very nice.

Try not to spend too much time on internet audio sites. 

Les

[sts9fan]

The only place I ever read about Axiom is Audioholics.   That place only reviews a few brands such as RBH, Axiom etc and now they finally admitted it and opened a store for what they review.  That does not mean they are bad but that place turns me off of things.  What is the trial policy? 

[groovybassist]

I don't want to malign Axiom, but I had a pair of Axiom speakers some years back.  While they sounded decent, I found 2 bolts holding each woofer in place were stripped (I gently tighten drivers after shipping to ensure they're tight - these were obviously stripped at the factory).  My suggestion would be to give the Revel Concerta F12 or Monitor Audio RS-6 a listen.  You might find you like them for a bit less money than the Axioms.  Good luck.

-Mike

[mcgsxr]

Merle, I have heard the Axiom's you speak of, but not recently, and not in my own system, they were at a local place, and I went there to hear some NHT's for fun.

The bass should do it, and in the context of the system you describe, they should be fine.

If DIY is an option, I would think that there are a few AC manufacturers that could help you out...

[yo2tup]

I don't know how the current line of Axioms are now, but about 3 years ago I had their M22's.  They were good for movies, but for music thought the highs were forward and a bit fatiguing at times.   It was probably a combination of my the rest of my system, but I don't think I  would recommend them for music.  Again I don't know what their current line is like now.  At a lower price point, I'd look into av123's x-series offerings.  Seems to get tons of praise and at bargain prices.

[Bigfish]

Merle:

I purchased a pair of the top of the line QS Surrounds from Axiom approximately a year ago.  The speakers are of very good quality and I found Axiom to be extremely responsive.  They received my order, sent a confirming message and shipped the speakers immediately.  I have not heard any of their main line speakers but as others have mentioned Axiom is a company geared toward HT.

It is interesting that I wrote a PM to a friend this morning that I am trying to resist the urges to purchase and try new gear.  I have really been enjoying listening to my system for the past three months and haven't changed a thing.  I congratulate you for the decision you have made - enjoy the music!

Ken

[ThomDP]

I owned the 3ti's about six years ago or so. I do not know if they are any different than the current version. From what I remember they were very open and detailed with a flushed out midrange that exceeded what you would expect from a cheap pair of bookshelf speakers.

On a downside, they were rather bright, lacked bass, and had a rather two dimensional soundstage.

Not a speaker for long listening sessions or bright electronics.

Around the time I bought them Axiom was just taking off, the dollar was strong, and they were selling for $230usd.

Dennis

[denjo]

Hi Merle

That is a great objective to strive for, having a stress free but musical system. I can relate to your experiences of the audio merry-go-round, but boy tow decades is a long time! I remember you downsized to a Rega system which should sound pretty decent. The Denons make good sounding amplifiers that won't break a bank. as for the Axioms, I own the bookshelf 3ti's and paired with a Musical Fidelity A1 (Final Edition), they sound very good. I have this combo in my office and often I muse about how good it sounds compared to my home main rig!! Yes, the Atoms lean towards being bright ( I think it has to do with the aluminium tweeters as well) so proper matching is necessary.

I am downgrading to an integrated amplifier - much smaller and simpler!

Best regards
Dennis

[Dmason]

hey Merle

I have had a pair of M40Ti for going four years now, which are my stand in speakers, for when I am "between speakers," and set up properly, for me it is about 20* off axis, with the treble driver well worn in, they are very okay, I find. I have done alot of tweaking over time, dampingthe baskets, adding some stuffing, and sticking a foam "lens" or "filter" over the titanium tweeter diaphragm, bypassing the speaker terminals, adding a different value, higher quality Mills resistor to the tweeter, but they present a VERY benign load to small amplifiers, and mine can easily be driven by a 2 watt SET amp to levels that easily, and properly load a condo-size living room.

I have also heard the M3Ti, and those are VERY nice little monitor type speakers. I would bet you success with the M80's. They have racked up some very positive reviews over the years. Last, Axiom is a fantastic company to work with. I once called them with some technical questions, and to get the Thiele/Small parameters of the 6.5 inch cone, and they put me on to Iain Colquhoun, owner of the company, and designer of the speakers. I showed him calculations for the cone in a folded pipe, and he really dug the idea. I never got around to building them, but at some point I will scrap the cabinets, and build folded pipes for these drivers. The little floorstanders gave me F5/30Hz with a 30 watt T amp + active contouring. This should tell you what those innocuous looking Aluminum cones are actually capable of.

[Scott F.]

Merle,

To echo most everyone else, I too found the Axiom (M22Ti) rather bright. I think it all boils down to their choice of tweeter (metal). As Dmason mentioned, it can be subdued a bit with foam and resistor if you feel like operating on the speakers.

A speaker that can handle classical and still play rock is a pretty tall order. I've found that many seem to like a very detailed sounding speaker when playing classical. On the other hand when playing rock, people people seem to enjoy a speaker that lives on the other end of the sound spectrum. If you fit into that category, you will have to compromise somewhere along the line, likely into the middle.

Knowing your Denon is fairly neutral sounding (not bright, not dark....you know, neutral) you may want to also consider the Aperion 633T's. I have a pair being driven by an Arcam receiver and they mate pretty well. The 633T's are reasonably neutral providing decent detail on classical without ripping your face off when you want to rock. I like 'em and they fit right in your budget at $1k/pair. In fact, I eventually bought their mating surrounds and center and use them in my HT (we always get kudo's on how good the HT system sounds from the local GAS guys).

Here is the link to the speakers. If you hit the review tab, you will find a write up I did on them a couple of years ago. One last thing, these things are drop dead gorgeous in the Cherry finish. They are a very well constructed speaker that can take some serious abuse (think NIN, Rob Zombie, Tool...).

Aperion 633T's

[JLM]

I congratulate you on becoming less an equipment nut (like so many of us).

For that price range, lots of speakers come to mind, but are you sure of what you're after?

Sometimes "audio stress" equates to listener fatigue, which for me happens when the brain has to work too hard to "make sense" of what the ear is hearing.  I find that this is due to errors of comission (exagerated bass/treble, phasing mistakes, and excessive detail).  For me, single driver designs (usually with a sub) can address much of this, and have made listening both enjoyable and easier (less stressful).

Wonder why the "bookshelf/sub" route didn't "do it" for you.  Take care getting into truly flat response below 30 Hz as it may overload the room, especially in ported designs.  With a sub, you can always just dial it down.

Looking at the Axiom site, the M80 has a 12 dB/octave roll off starting at 70 Hz, not particularly impressive IMO, while the less expensive M50 is more efficient and has a 6 dB roll off (which matches typical room gain).  Consider too that the M80 is rated 4 ohms and that a less expensive receiver could have problems if pushed hard.

The cheaper I. M. Fried speakers had deep/rich bass, were very musical, but didn't have much detail.  This made them the ideal, background/music lover speaker that you could enjoy all day.  I still have a pair of A6's (2-way floorstanders) that I picked up for $300 which are in my 8,000 cu. ft. living room.  Unfortunately most modern speaker designs have gone the opposite direction.

[2gumby2]

If you don't mind looking at other speaker selections, the Pi Speakers "2 Pi Tower" would be an excellent choice for what you are looking for. I have a pair and I am VERY happy with them.  www.pispeakers.com

[NealH]

I would recommend considering the Salk "Song Towers" at just under $1500.  Such a fine looking speaker.  Reviews have been uniformly excellent.  The bass will be low enough. 

[doug s.]

merle, who are you kidding?  if you're wanting to spend up to $1500 on a new pair of speakers, you aren't off the merry-go-round.  or, if you are, then you're yust hopping on a different carnival ride.  scrambler?  ferris wheel?  which is it?   

but, seriously, if you're wanting true full range, on the cheap, there is only one solution, imo, that will also fulfill all your other audiophile needs:  a used pair of thiel 3.5's.  these will do true low bass: -2db at 20hz.  and, they have true audiophile sound - detail, soundstaging, imaging, etc.  they love an amp that can output some real current, tho.  or tubes.  but, this doesn't mean you have to break the bank on buying a power amp.  in fact, something like a vintage sansui au11000 would suit the bill perfectly, & sound great, to boot.  for solid-state, that is.     and, it's wery flexible - it has main outputs/preamp inputs, which means you could even insert a cheap chinese tube buffer stage, (<$100, & better than a musical fidelity x3 tube buffer, from reports i have read), to get some added tube warmth into the equation.

i have heard some of your gear, in your room - the thiel 3.5's will fit in perfectly there.  you won't ever be off the equipment drug, imo, but you may be able to stop for a little breather w/these.   

in fact, you're in luck - here's a pair, way under your budget, for pick-up only, in b'more.  you might be able to steal 'em for even less, as the seller doesn't wanna ship, & they've been f/s for almost 2 weeks...

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1207498837


you can show him this pair, f/s for even less, still not sold after two weeks:
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1207371818

now, don't forget to buy my modded art di/o dac for cheap, to keep you in s.o.t.a. sounding digital for a song...   

doug s.

[woodsyi]

you can show him this pair, f/s for even less, still not sold after two weeks:
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1207371818

doug s.

Looks like there is some bargaining room there, Merle.  The only issue would be the re-sale market considering the size and weight.  2.3s driven with el34 amp sounded good. 

[doug s.]

you can show him this pair, f/s for even less, still not sold after two weeks:
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1207371818

doug s.

Looks like there is some bargaining room there, Merle.  The only issue would be the re-sale market considering the size and weight.  2.3s driven with el34 amp sounded good. 

re-sale market on these is awreddy in the tank - that's why these are still f/s.  besides, merle is not gonna be buying/selling any more, right?   

i owned a pair of thiel 3.5's for many years - excellent sounding speakers...

if you wanted to give up 9hz, (-2db at 29hz, but an easier load on an amp), spend a bit more (around your original budget) & get a pair of thiel 3.6's - even better resolution.  but, the 3.5's are lacking resolution only in comparison; they are still quite highly resolving...

doug s.

[Woodsea]

I found Axiom fine for movies but very bright for music reproduction.