Klipsch B-3 vs Axiom M3 vs Usher S520

[GranteedEV]

Along with the respective timbre matching centres (C-2, VP100, S525)

Which bookshelf speakers do you recommend for fronts?

I'm trying to find a place up here in Calgary that'll let me audition them, but for the meantime some general opinions wouldn't hurt.

Some details

1) I really don't see myself listening to music more than maybe... 20% of the time? I honestly prefer to listen to music with headphones... so chances are this is gunna end up being specifically a home theatre
2) Price really is a big factor... it seems to me, especially up here in Canada, that the axioms would be most cost-effective however i'm debating whether the M22s are worth it over them because...
3) The basement room is about 16x17 or so, and I don't believe there's too much padding between the carpet and concrete so I want a full sound. I truly believe there's a difference between sheer loudness and quality imaging... which is what has me leaning towards the klipsch's for which i have to find a brick and mortar shop.
4) If not for the glowing reviews, I probably wouldn't even be considering the Ushers... at like 550CDN they seem to be just out of my price range although i'm hoping to find a deal (i want to get my 2 fronts + center for under ~650cdn give or take.. but the center channel for the ushers seemed to be like 500 on its own!). They're hard enough to find as it is. I do want some money for the sub, after all!
5) The reciever they will be paired with is a Marantz 6003

So i really just want to know

1) Will the Axiom M3s suffice given the room size for movies without sounding distant and small?
2) If not, will the step-up M22s?
3) Is the difference between these 3(er..4?) speakers great enough that it will justify the price/bartering process?

Either way I'm gunna get some testing with some of these when I can, but alas, I'm sitting here at work with jack-all to do..

 

[rnatalli]

The M3's should do the job in that room. The Axioms are more neutral than the Usher's IMO, but the 520's sound richer. At least, that's my impression. Only your ear knows.

 

[MinusTheBear]

No need to limit yourself to just 3 choices.

There are some quality manufacturers available like Infinity and Energy at you local Best Buy or Future Shop that you can audition.

Infinity: http://www.bestbuy.ca/Search/SearchResults.aspx?path=ca77b9b4beca91fe414314b86bb581f8en20&q=%2a&sp=BBY_en-CA_Product_Collection_Site-WideSP&Facet=cBBYMCCPCatalogenCAPresentationHierarchy1%23%23-1%23%23-1%7e%7eq2a%7e%7ecBBYMCCPCatalogenCA20303%23%235%23%232g%7e%7enf28%7c%7c494e46494e495459&viewall=true&targetCategory=20303

Energy: http://www.futureshop.ca/Search/SearchResults.aspx?path=ca77b9b4beca91fe414314b86bb581f8en20&q=%2a&sp=FS_en-CA_Product_Collection_Site-WideSP&Facet=cFSMCCPCatalogenCAPresentationHierarchy1%23%23-1%23%23-1%7e%7eq2a%7e%7ecFSMCCPCatalogenCA1047%23%238%23%232v%7e%7enf29%7c%7c454e45524759&viewall=true&targetCategory=1047

Other ID companies.

Ascend: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cbm170/cbm170.html

Aperion: http://www.aperionaudio.com/product/Intimus-6B-Bookshelf-Speaker,111,19,257.aspx (No risk trial period! (free return shipping))

 

[sholling]

I went back and forth over the Axiom M3, the Axiom M22 (the next step up the Axiom food chain) and Usher S-520s and wound up with the Ushers. Not having heard the Axioms all I can do is give my reasons and my observations about the Ushers.

Axiom vs Axiom: Was solved by a call to Axiom. They claimed that the M22 has a flatter frequency response than the M3. I haven't seen the charts but that was their claim.

Centers: That left the M22/VP100 vs the S-520/S-525. I didn't like the fact that the VP100 needs to crossover at 100hz. That's too high for my taste. On the other hand my old receiver didn't support 4ohm speakers and the Usher center is 4ohm. I got lucky and found a factory authorized dealer on eBay with a single new-in-box S-520 and use that as my center.

Placement: The Axioms are rear ported while the Ushers are front ported. I needed to wall mount the left and center inches from the wall and had concerns about the ports sitting that close to the walls. Adding to that issue the left and right would also be at different distances from the wall. The Ushers being front ported eliminated all of my placement concerns. However most reviews suggest that the Ushers play best without the grills so that could be a WAF problem.

Output: I did have concerns about filling the room. My master bedroom is 12x18 with a cathedral ceiling sloping from 8-14', and my listing position 15' from the speakers. Total cubic footage with halls etc is 3000cuft.

Bass: I have a monster of a subwoofer in there so everything below 80hz is well covered. Setting the crossover at 80hz pretty much eliminated any woofer bottoming issues with the Ushers. However if you don't have a sub and want to blast them then it could become a serious problem.

Observation: My Usher S-520s have a very rich, powerful, musical sound to them and I'm very pleased. Audyssey wanted to set the crossovers at 60hz but I do not recommend that you go that low. Based on the Audioholics reviews and observations I recommend 80hz. I like my music and action movies loud and they have been flawless in my room. However loud is a relative term and they are only rated for 75w and I wouldn't expect them to fill a much larger room or at least a more distant seating position the same way.

BTW Usher appears to sell their b-stock on eBay.

The L&R speakers are mounted 6 feet high and aimed down at the pillows.​