Morduant Short Speakers - how to get them? Vs Aperion Vs Axiom

[Lak]

I was initially seriously torn between buying Aperion 5.1 home and Axiom Grand master home theater package. I was considering Axiom because many reviews rated Axiom better than Aperion. With Axiom Grand Master package, there were many reviews suggesting upgrading the center and subwoofer speakers to the ones offered with Epic80 which meant it was going over my budget of $1500-$1700. Also there were complaints about Axiom's looks.

But after seeing the review on this website for Mordaunt Short Speakers Avant Premier plus I am now considering Mordaunt Speakers. Issue is couldn't find a dealer anywhere. There are no online dealers who carry these speakers. Any ideas as to how to get them? I live in the Bay area, CA.
Also not sure about customer service. The customer service link on Marantz website takes you UK website and support.

Am I better off going with
1. Axiom(good performance, high cost, poor wife acceptance factor, fair customer service
2. Aperion(fair performance, moderate cost, good wife acceptance factor, good customer service)
3. Mordaunt short(good performance, moderate cost, good wife acceptance factor, poor customer service)
Please advice.

 

[Unregistered]

I am interested in the result of your replies as well. I will add that you can search around on the Marantz website and eventually you will get a link to find local Mordant-Short dealers. My experience is that there are only on or two for every major metropolitan area, and even then it seems like some of them are Custom Home Installers rather than actual speaker dealers so the probability of getting the Premier system is not that high.

You can check out www.accessories4less.com but they are not currently carrying the Premier system (they were carrying an older version up until last week and I thought about getting it only to be too late).

As for the Axiom, why are they low on the WAF? Do they look obnoxious, or do you just mean the size? I hear that the build quality is supposed to be pretty high but not as high as with Aperion.

I am now considering getting 4 M2i's and a center channel from Axiom but I am not sure if that will be a nice deal for the money or not. Total would be $730 plus the cost of a sub (which I would probably get the Velodyne CHT-10 b/c it is relatively inexpensive for a sub).

I have a similar budget as you and would be interested to hear the forum's thoughts on these systems.

Hope this helped a little (at least the website),

Chris

 

[Lak]

Thanks for the info.
If am not wrong, Axioms have vinyl enclosures as opposed to Aperions which have wooden cabinets. That was the reason for poor wife accpetance factor. I haven't seen any of these speakers -all of it is based on reviews read somewhere. So don't take my word for it.

 

[blackpug]

I've been extreamly happy with the Aperions that I have (upgraded to the VAC center channel with them). You take abit of chance with mailover never having heard them before but thought they blew away the old Canton D Plus speakers I had, plus I had listened to everything out there and thought they were the best by far (according to my ear - this does not reflect the views of mgt). Speakers can be the hardest thing to find - everyone has a different ear and taste towards sound. They match up with the 3805 I have. I am not running a full system with these though, running Niles speakers in the rear and a HSU sub. If you go with the Aperions go with the Cherry cabinets - absolutely beautiful. Took the cover off them to expose more of the wood. When people rave about the customer service also from them that is no lie - talked their ear off LOL

 

[zipper]

I've got the Axiom m60's & I think they look fine. You can't tell if they're real wood or not unless you inspect them REAL close.They are kind of deep but so are a lot of designs these days.

 

[Unregistered]

I have decided to audition the Aperion 5.1 set with the 10" sub. I chose cherry wood finish and I am hoping it will match well with the decor. It was a difficult choice between that and the piano finish.

Does anyone have thoughts on the Aperion 10" sub as compared to others in its immediate price range? I am hoping to get a short list of other options to audition at the same time.

Thanks so much

 

[Unregistered]

I have heard some complaints on the old "cherry" vinyl veneer used on the Mordaunt Short speakers from a local dealer that carries them. Perhaps this has been improved with the new "maple" look. This might factor in to your "WAF" analysis as well.

 

[blackpug]

The first set of speakers I received from Aperion had a very slight finish issue (about a one inch band). Their customer service was awesome and they had a new set to me within a couple of days and payed for the shipping back of the old pair. The new ones were perfect. In addition, this is a real cherry veneer and not a imitation covering. I think it was just a fluke with the first pair. The center I received was perfect and matched fine. Didnt try the sub from them (already had an HSU -VTF2 which I was very happy with)

 

[Lak]

Dealer info.

This was the response I got from the national sales manager for Mordaunt-Short:

Hi,

Thank you for giving consideration to purchasing Mordaunt-Short products upon reading the Audioholics.com product review.

While your issues are quite valid, I assure you that as the exclusive US importer for Mordaunt-Short, Marantz America and its dealer network is committed to providing you with the service and support that meets your expectations. End users are in many cases supported directly from Marantz, which makes for a higher caliber ownership experience.

Our commitment to customer satisifaction results in our marketing this product direct through authorized dealers only--and currently does not include online dealers.

We would be happy to direct you to dealers in the Bay area and answer any questions that you may have regarding any of our products.

While your stated three options in terms of making a purchase are valid, we feel that your identifying 'poor customer service' as a potential byproduct of purchasing Mordaunt-Short products is frankly, unfair.

The review speaks for itself in terms of an unbiased and fair evaluation of our products. And we pride ourselves on offering what we believe is the highest level of support in the industry.

I would be happy to discuss this further at length with you if given the opportunity. Feel free to contact me whenever convenient.

Sincerely,

Paul LaPlaca
National Sales Manager - Mordaunt-Short Ltd.
Marantz America Inc.


When I contacted him he gave the contact info. of a dealer who carries these speakers.

HOUSE OF MUSIC
555 9TH STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103
Phone : 415-255-0888
E-mail : sales@houseofmusicsf.com

I am planning to buy these speakers soon. I'll share my experience when I get them.

 

[Unregistered]

Lak,

Good luck with the M-S Premiers. I hope you have the opportunity to write up your thoughts on them as I am interested in them as well. Also, you might want to order the Aperions anyway as they have a free 30 day trial, shipped both ways. Then you could make the side by side comparison and not lose any money in the process. It would be nice to have a second take on these two systems in addition to the Audioholics review.

As for the receiver, I have heard that M-S pairs well with Marantz (which I guess is the result of them being owned by the same company).

Also, as to the Marantz representative's response, I think he got a tad defensive. And some of what you said is true ... I have emailed both M-S (in the UK) and Marantz (here in the US) and still have not received a response a month later. This compared to a company like Aperion, which offers live chat and 24 hour response time to emails, does make a statement like "poor customer service" seem like a fair assessment --- at least compared to the companies you listed.

Again, good luck and I look forward to reading your thoughts.

-Chris (soon to be registered)

 

[Lak]

I should say this Sales Manager went out of the way to help me get those speakers at a decent price which I can't disclose. He talked to me in a very professional way. Overall I was impressed. It looks like Marantz are not into online support yet. It may require a few calls but at end of the day I think I should be able any resolve issues. Let's see how it goes.

 

[Unregistered]

lak,

did you ever get a chance to try these systems? what did you think of the M-S Premiers?

 

[Audioholics]

I am now considering Mordaunt Speakers. Issue is couldn't find a dealer anywhere. There are no online dealers who carry these speakers. Any ideas as to how to get them?

Just a quick FYI for anyone else looking to grab some Mordaunt-Short speakers. Here is a link for the Mordaunt-Short US dealer locator:

http://www.marantz.com/mordauntshort/p_dealers.cfm

 

[Lak]

The dealer had to order it for me. I should get those speakers shortly. I'll share my experience after I use it for a few days.

 

[Unregistered]

Morduant short cherry finish a problem?

I have heard some complaints on the old "cherry" vinyl veneer used on the Mordaunt Short speakers from a local dealer that carries them. Perhaps this has been improved with the new "maple" look. This might factor in to your "WAF" analysis as well.

I was looking for some old stock Mordaunt short 914 Speakers in Cheery. What is the complaint or problem with that finish. Why was it discontinued?

 

[Lak]

MS premier review..

Finally I got MS premier speakers with MS909W subwoofer and the speaker stands. I also bought Denon 3805 to go with these speakers. I have used it for more than a week now.

The speakers are very good and can reproduce fine details at very high volume without noticeable distortion. I tried it with various sources- DVD movies, Dance CDs and Yanni Music. Sound is really theater like -sometimes even better. Music also sounds very good. Overall I am very happy with these speakers and would happily recommend to anyone looking for compact speakers at this price point(MSRP $1100 with MS309 subwoofer).

The MS909W subwoofer has a black grille while the speakers have a silver grill. It doesn't bother me much, but if it matters, you can go with the matching MS309(silver grille) subwoofer. You'll also save about $400.

The speakers stands(MS300P) do not look as pleasing as it looks in picture, but serves the purpose. I bought 12AWG sound king speaker wires with banana plugs(as suggested in the 'Do it yourself' article on terminating cables on this website). It was very difficult to run these wires through the thin speaker stem. If you buy these stands, buy 14AWG speaker wires. Speakers are attached to stands using adhesive strips instead of clamps/bolts. Cannot withstand falls.