Axiom M50 - User Review - Part 1 (long)

[jasoneuc]

Axiom M50ti - User Review

System Objectives & Background
My home theater resides in our living room, so it must be well suited to multiple uses. The room is approx 14' x 15' x 8.5' (1800 ft^3), with openings to other rooms (den, dining room). The right wall is not square, but rather shaped like a 3-window "bay window". The left wall is a fairly open stairway to the upstairs.

Prior to the addition of the M50's, my system consisted of the following:
Display: 27" Sony XBR (CRT)
AVR: Rotel RSX-965 (5x75W, DD, DTS)
DVD: Integra DPC-7.5
Main L/R: Paradigm Titans on custom stands
Center: Paradigm CC-370 placed below the TV
Surround: Radio Shack Minimus 7
Sub: none
Cables:
S-Video: Tributaries, Acoustic Research (AR)
Digital Optical: AR
Digital Coax: Kimber
Analog Audio: Audioquest, Monster
Speaker: AR (16 ga) w/ generic banana plugs & pins (as appropriate)

Originally, I was going to select Paradigm Monitor 5's as my main L/R channel. I've been very pleased with Paradigm in the past. I've had the Titans as mains for 12 years or so, and my favorite speakers that I've ever heard are the sadly defunct Paradigm Active/20's.

But, with all the internet talk about Axiom, I was swayed to give them a try. My thinking was if I could achieve performance similar to the Paradigm Studio line for less than the cost of the Monitor line, then it seemed like a no-brainer to try the Axioms. And with Axiom's 30-day guarantee, there was no risk.

I was looking for a either a larger bookshelf than my Titans, or smaller floorstanding speaker that would add a bit of bass to my listening experience without the addition of a sub at this time. Our house is half of a double, so copious amounts of bass just won't work (no EP600 in my near future...). Initially, I had selected the M22's - both due to budget and based upon the fact that I've always enjoyed a good bookshelf speaker. However, I ended up being able to stretch the budget a bit to fit the M50's.

I was attracted to the description of the M50's as being "smooth" and "laid back". My two children watch many programs of less-than-stellar audio quality, so I didn't want a speaker that would sound too harsh.
The system would be used primarily for HT, but on occasion a music CD gets popped in (more on this later). We especially like action flicks (LoTR, SW, HP), so a dynamic system would be important.

Axiom Ordering Process & Delivery
I decided to use the Axiom Factory Outlet to save 10%, and placed my order for two Boston Cherry M50's on Wednesday June 7. Expected ship date was given as two weeks. Exactly two weeks later, Tues June 20 I received email confirmation from Axiom that my speakers had shipped and that I should expect to receive them in 2-5 business days. They arrived on Friday June 23 (actually one business day ahead of DHL's projected delivery).

The speakers shipped in a double-box arrangement, which I think is pretty standard. The cardboard was a bit wet on the outside (it was very rainy in our area on delivery day), but otherwise everything appeared in fine condition.

System Setup
To setup the system, I pretty much just removed the Titans w/ their custom stands, and plopped the M50's in their place. Some minor placement tweaks (mostly for aesthetics) and I was rolling. The M50's are about 5' apart, and 14" from the front wall, toed in ever so slightly. Main listening position is an IKEA sofa, centered between and approx 7.5' from the mains' front baffle.

27" CRT TV w/ flat-top stand is located in between the main speakers.

The CC-370 is located in an integral shelf of the stand, below the TV.

The Titans were moved to the rear wall on high-mounted shelves, so that the "top" of the Titans has approx 1/2" from the ceiling. Unfortunately, due to the room arrangement, this is the only real place for the surrounds and they can't be moved lower.

Since the Titans have proven to be a huge difference from the Minimus 7's (as my surrounds) I had to take some time to tweak their position. Because they are located behind the sofa instead of on the side walls, I currently have them facing mostly towards each other (each is, maybe, a 20 deg angle from directly opposing), flipped upside-down with the tweeters on the bottom. This arrangement provides a nice surround effect and helps reduce the localization that direct-radiating speakers can produce when used in a surround application.

Because I have no subwoofer at this time, the mains are set to "large" and the rest of the speakers to "small". I don't know the crossover frequency of the Rotel, so I'll assume that it's approx 80 Hz.

I used the Rotel's built in test tone and the Video Essentials DVD (the original) to match SPL levels via a venerable Radio Shack SPL meter. Pre-upgrade, the CC-370 matched the Titans' output at a setting of +0dB. Post-upgrade the CC-370 needed to be set to -4dB! The SPL meter showed the same thing via both calibration methods, so I left it at this new level, even though I couldn't believe it to be accurate. Even just listening to the test tones, the CC-370 at the "correct" -4dB level sounds very different from the M50's. Almost as though a light blanket were placed in front of the CC-370, it sounds muted and distinctly lower in both character and amount of sound produced.

Pre-upgrade the Minimus 7's were set to +3dB (which was about 2dB "high" but the 7's just didn't put out enough sound at the "correct" setting). Post-upgrade the Titans were set to +3dB, but now they measured equal to the mains.

This whole setup procedure seemed strange to me, because if the CC-370 and Titans are approx equal in sensitivity when used across the front, why such a huge change in their respective settings when used as surrounds and center? 7dB just seems to be a high difference to get "correct" level matching. I was also expecting the M50's to be more efficient than the Titans, and therefore I would have predicted needing to boost the CC-370's level. The opposite was shown to be the case. Like I said - weird, but would it matter?

Initial Impressions
Since the M50's were ordered via the factory outlet, I immediately inspected them for the cosmetic defect, and the only thing I found was one of the labels on the back had the ink of the word "Axiom" smeared just a little bit. Otherwise, they're in fantastic condition.

Regarding the vinyl finish: yep it's vinyl, no doubt about that. Well-done vinyl, but no mistaking it for true wood veneer.

The size/shape of the M50's is very pleasing, but one must keep in mind that they are floorstanding loudspeakers. I love the tapered geometry, and can't help but think that the top surface should have a similar tapered surface. I'm sure that would complicate the vinyl application a little bit, but it would jazz up the aesthetics a touch.

I love the look of the drivers when they're naked, but with 7-month-old fingers around, the grills will stay firmly in place. I do like the 3/4 length grill, and the chamfered sides at the bottom of the grill is nice.

Listening to music: whew - what a difference from the Paradigms. Not to knock the Titans (which were only $180/pr when I bought them), but there's really no comparison. The M50's just do _everything_ better than the Titans. Much deeper, tighter bass. Vocals are much more clear. Soundstage is bigger. The M50s' musicality is in a different league from the Titans. No surprise, but the difference was immediately obvious.

After reading all the internet scuttlebut about Axioms being "bright" or (even worse) "harsh", I was a bit concerned since I've never really preferred that sound quality. With the M50's I just can't agree with this description of their sonic character. I would describe them as "clear", or "revealing", but would not even tend towards "crisp", much less "harsh".

That said, recordings that over-emphasize the highs sound exactly like that. One example: "Back at One" by Brian McNight. I've heard this song on the Titans but I never knew the recording's sibilance is so pronounced.

At lower volume levels the M50's don't have a delicate sound like, say, Vandersteens. The M50's sound fine at the lower levels, but the delineation between instruments is just not as pronounced as what I've heard on Vandy's.

As the volume is increased, the M50's simply come alive. These puppies can really produce the SPL's! Bass stays extremely tight and plenty deep for most music. I'm not talking pink-noise @ 75 dB or anything. More like 60 dB or so. As the volume in increased the M50's keep getting better. I stopped increasing the volume well before the M50's wanted to...

Movies: Unfortunately, my Integra DPC-7.5 DVD player had the pickup laser fail the week the M50's were delivered, which prevented a thorough wringing out of favorite movies. My spare Toshiba DVD player (an el-cheapo model) has a highly irritating tendency to flash pink and green vertical lines during action scenes. So a true HT evaluation would have to wait until the Integra player returned.

 

[jasoneuc]

Two Week Impressions
The M50's have not disappointed at all over "break in time".

Music reproduction has continued to be fantastic. I've listened to: Keb Mo, Garth Brooks, Shaggy, Sinatra, Coltrane, Braveheart soundtrack, Boys II Men, Sarah McLochlan, and many more. Pretty much all 2-channel mode listening. Many "pop" CD's have the (over) synthesized voices clearly revealed. Especially someone like Mariah Carey singing alongside Boys II Men. Wow - there's some studio manipulation being done there.

After my Integra DVD player returned to the system (warranty repair in 1 week) HT use has been a treat. A movie like Hunt for Red October has become much more immersive with the the M50's up front and the surround channel has proven to be a huge improvement with the Titans in back.

As I expected, the CC-370 could not be left at the -4dB level - dialog is just way too muted for my taste. At that level it sounds almost muddy compared alongside the M50's. I have upped the setting to -2dB, which helps a bit on dialog, but it's still just not as clear as the M50's, even if the sound volume level is now perceived to be a better match. This will continue to be tweaked until I'm satisfied.

Next Steps
Replacing the CC-370 is the next logical step for my system. The timbre just doesn't match as I'd like. After a good bit of deliberation, I think I'm going to build a new TV-stand, with a height-adjustable center-channel shelf. Then, a pair of Axiom M2's or M3's may find their way to this location, run in parallel off the single center channel of the Rotel. With dual center speakers, I can experiment with the positioning: one above, one below; both below vertical, toed in/out; both below horizontal (tweeters together/apart), etc. I'm sure I will find an arrangement that I like. Selling the CC-370 should provide the majority of funds needed for this upgrade.

After the center channel is straightened out, then I want to add a subwoofer. Currently, the Outlaw LFM-2 looks appealing. I like Outlaw's corporate "attitude", and the LFM-2 should provide better LFE for home theater use, but not so over-powering that our next-door neighbor is bothered. And the LFM-2's price is very attractive. An SVS PB10-NSD will also be considered, but the smaller size of the LFM-2 might integrate with our living room in a cleaner fashion.

Conclusion
The M50's were a huge improvement over my Titans. They are more distinct/clear on dialog, have fantastically tight bass, and provide more SPL than I "can get away with" in our home. I have always had the impression that the M50's are the lost child in the Axiom lineup. Pretty much all the talk focuses on the M22, M60, or M80 speakers. From my perspective this means that many folk are by-passing a fine, extremely affordable floor-standing speaker. From the beginning I did not feel that I "had to have" M60's or M80's to own a good-sounding speaker, and my experience has shown that the M50's are not only enjoyable in their own right, but they fit both my music AND HT needs almost perfectly. If budget were not a factor I very well may have selected M60's - who knows? But budget was a factor, however I do not feel that I'm losing anything with the M50's.

Comparing the Axiom M50's to Paradigms - I definitely prefer the Axiom sound to the Paradigm Monitor line. I'd rank the Axiom's extremely competitive to the Paradigm Studio's, cost not considered. Without doing a true A/B test I can't say that one is distinctly "better" than the other - they're both fine loudspeakers. Though, if cost is considered - the Axioms have to be considered an absolute steal. For anyone trying to stretch a "bookshelf budget" to buy a nice set of floorstanders, the M50's should not be ignored!

I guess the ultimate compliment that I can pay the M50's is that our whole family is listening to music much more frequently than we ever did with the Titans. We've even had family CD-night, were we kept swapping CD's just to hear certain songs. This is a lot of fun, and that's the whole idea behind this audio obsession of ours, now isn't it?

I'm a VERY satisfied M50 owner.

 

[crewst]

No replies yet? Thank you for the review

I haven't seen the 50s mentioned much (usually 60s vs 80s). Perhaps you'd like to review my 60s once they arrive? 5.2 with the pair of EP500s. I'll even offer a review of some 80s, once I have a new room to put them in.

 

[abboudc]

Nice review.

 

[abefroeman]

I haven't seen the 50s mentioned much (usually 60s vs 80s). Perhaps you'd like to review my 60s once they arrive? 5.2 with the pair of EP500s. I'll even offer a review of some 80s, once I have a new room to put them in.

Crewst,

I just want to complement you on the Lotus 7 replica. looks like a lot of fun.

 

[crewst]

Crewst,

I just want to complement you on the Lotus 7 replica. looks like a lot of fun.

Thank you. This one's factory built. It visited the repair shop in '06 due to a deer encounter, but it's back and ready for clean roads and nice weather.

 

[j_garcia]

I prefered the Axioms to the Monitor line also, however I felt the build quality and overall appearance of the Monitors was superior to the Axioms. It also isn't exactly a fair comparison of the Titans to the M50, as they are very different speakers. I directly compared Minis, Titans and M3s. I still preferred the M3s sonically though...

 

[metalsaber]

I am an owner of the M50v2 towers and I personally love them. Would I love to have had the M60s? Sure, but the M50s are doing just find for me.