ACI essence V vs. Axiom M80ti + HT

[AngelusNexx]

Hey guys Craigs review of the ACI system has me thinking about ACI. I wanted some other opinions

Who has heard the Essence V (Or any ACI product)?

If there is someone that has heard both ACI and Axiom I would like your opinions on which had better soundstage/imaging/clarity etc... Also the differences you heard in tonal characteristics.

Im trying to decide if its worth the extra money for the Essence V or if I should just get M80ti's. (I already know the Essence is cut off at 75Hz and NEEDS a sub.) Im getting a sub no matter what because this is a home theater AND music system.

Based on which fronts I get I will then get the appropriate Home theater to go with it.

 

[jcPanny]

ACI on paper

Hadn't heard of ACI so I checked out the specs:

ACI Essence V
75 Hz to 20 kHz +/- 3dB
87 dB SPL
8 ohm load.
250 Watts Max.

My $80 Athena bookshelves go lower and are more effiecent than the ACI floorstanders!

By comparision, the Axiom M80ti
34 Hz to 22 kHz +/- 3dB
91 dB SPL anechoic / 95 dB in room
4 ohm load.
400 Watts Max

The Axioms will play to reference levels without distortion. The full range of the Axioms would also be great for 2 channel listening without a sub. Based on the specs, the ACIs wont even come close.
When it comes to audio, however, a lot is subjective.

 

[AngelusNexx]

They did that on purpose. Its intended to go with a subwoofer.

 

[jaxvon]

Those are two very different speakers. Axiom uses Titanium tweeters and aluminum woofers. ACI has soft dome tweeters and poly cones.

The reason the ACI has low efficiency and anemic bass response is because it's a sealed design. They sacrificed higher output and lower tuning for tight midbass.

Edit: Those are in different price classes...do you really have that flexible of a budget? The Axiom speakers are half the cost of the ACI ones.

 

[jcPanny]

HT speakers

They did that on purpose. Its intended to go with a subwoofer.

Zach,
Any speaker can be used with a subwoofer. The crossover setting on the receiver is utilized to set this frequency for proper integration of the sub with all the other speakers in your system.
With the ACI floorstanders, however, they MUST be used with a subwoofer, even for 2 channel listening. Most people upgrade to floorstanders because of the full range that can be achieved from a larger cabinet and more/larger drivers.

 

[craigsub]

The Essence V's are impossible to judge by specs alone. We have Onix Ref 3's and Energy Veritas 2.4i's (both $4500 per pair) which, IMO, are bested overall by the ACI's.

We also have an Axiom Epic 80/EP-600 system due later this month.

Look for some comparisons to the Onix and Veritas, and also the Paradigm Studio 100 V.3's. Also, The EP-600 will be in a showdown with an SVS PB12-Ultra.

We are also planning a November GTG with ALL these speakers available for blind listening tests. Anyone interested in attending, please let me know.