Towers for $2000 or less?

[s002wjh]

Mike,

Have you thought about trying the resistors that Axiom sells? If you try these on your exsisting M80s and like the results then you could wait for the wood veneer finish and know you would be happy.

I didn't see axiom selling resistor?? could you provide a link?

 

[jcPanny]

Onix reference series

If you want real wood, check out the Onix Reference series from AV123.com
You can get the 1.8 and 1.5 floorstanders for <$2K.

I also saw a pair of the Rocket 750's on B-stock for <$800 and the Onix 1.5's for $1250.

They have a generous return policy so you could demo against your current Axom M80's.

 

[MacManNM]

I know you guys are going to think I'm nuts, but:

http://www.swanspeaker.com/product/htm/view.asp?id=167

I just bought the tweeter and midrange used in these speakers for some units I am building, they are really good sounding drivers. These speakers have gotten some outstanding reviews, I assume the build quality of the towers match the quality of the drivers. Plus you cant beat the price, and newegg sells them with a moneyback guarantee.

 

[dannv]

did you ever look at the def techs?
what did you think of them?

 

[MacManNM]

did you ever look at the def techs?
what did you think of them?

We'll pretend you didn't say that.

 

[Jack Dotson]

Snip..
Jack Dotson, I agree that the Energy's will sound good, even with less than great recordings, that also points towards the Energy'a being somewhat less than a "Very Accurate" loudspeaker. They are somewhat forgiving, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

My preference is for more accuracy, but others will prefer more forgiving. Having a LOT of choices is a good thing.

I remember that you like the really accurate speakers from your reviews. I do too, but only with the right set-up.

Your right about the Energy's, they do have a somewhat laid back sound. But, this works to my taste as the majority of my collection is classic rock and Jazz. Many of the older classic rock albums weren't recorded that well to sart with, and a really accurate speaker with sharp sounding electronics (Bryston comes to mind) could spell disaster.

For this reason I get the SACD/DVDA copy's when available. But even some of these aren't that good.

You wont get every last detail out of this speaker (BTW, my old Klipsch LaScalla's were the best I've heard in this regard), but they certainly aren't lacking in this regard either. A really good balance IMO. And, they excell in other areas, such as dynamics and soundstage. Two of the things that are essential for a good rock or jazz speaker.

You already know that I didn't care for the Axiom's that I demo'd in my home. Another speaker that many people just drool over is the Vandersteen's and I once bought a pair of the 2Ci's when I lived in Hawaii (in the Navy) without every having heard them, based strictly on their reputation.

Ordered them from the mainland and waited anxiously. Once they arrived I hooked them up immediately, slapped on an LP, set back in my listening chair and almost got sick to my stomach. I hated them. Try as I might for serveral months I just could not warm up to this speaker, and now that I think about it, this is also a speaker many consider to be very accuarate.

Just goes to show how different our taste can be.

As you said, it just depends on what you like.

BTW, what did you do with your 2.4i's?

 

[craigsub]

The 2.4i's are still here. They get their turn in my basement theater. I rotate between the 2.4i's, the M80's and the ACI Sapphire XL's.

I had Klipsch Belles for several years, and also Cornerhorns - but they started to affect my wife's decor too much, so I sold them.

Loved those speakers ...

 

[Sheep]

The 2.4i's are still here. They get their turn in my basement theater. I rotate between the 2.4i's, the M80's and the ACI Sapphire XL's.

I had Klipsch Belles for several years, and also Cornerhorns - but they started to affect my wife's decor too much, so I sold them.

Loved those speakers ...

You know, I would gladly give those a nice home, where they would be played 24/7... I <3 those speakers.

SheepStar

 

[larry7995]

so when is axiom going to offer wood veneer? I am fixing to buy a VP-150 and I think I would pay the extra for wood...

 

[craigsub]

so when is axiom going to offer wood veneer? I am fixing to buy a VP-150 and I think I would pay the extra for wood...

It is supposed to be happening pretty soon - I would call them, they have a toll free line on their website.

 

[silversurfer]

It is supposed to be happening pretty soon - I would call them, they have a toll free line on their website.

Craig, do you know who is making the cabinets for Axiom? Overseas(SAC) or in-house(Canada)?

 

[Wid]

The wood veneer cabnits are being made in house in their facility in Dwight, Ontario.

 

[craigsub]

Wid is correct- They are being made in house.

 

[mdrew]

I asked Axiom about the wood veneers a couple weeks ago when I was ordering another sub. They expect to launch in the later part of March. It was important to them to keep this in house, so they bought all the machinery, got it set up and have been working on different finishing applications. From my talks with them, it sounds as if they are putting a lot of effort into getting it right the first time.

A little update to y’all that provided input. I ended up ordering a set of Wharfdale Opus 2’s in the piano gloss rosewood from Sound Advice Stereo. I was all fired up to buy the Opus three’s but after speaking with Greg at Sound Advice ( www.soundadvicestereo.com ), went with the Opus 2’s. Greg’s been great to deal with (so far). It’s not very often that someone in sales talks you into spending less money. They should be here in about two weeks.

Thanks again, it’s been fun.

 

[silversurfer]

Thanks guys. Building cabinets in-house is quite an undertaking. It will be interesting to see the quality and costs of the new option.

 

[larry7995]

Mdrew
I will be really interested to see how the M80s fare against the Opus2s, I am a headbanger at heart listening to a lot of old Judas Priest and stuff which I usually crank up the guitar and play along so my speakers have to really be able to crank up the volume but I also listen to everything from Dixieland to bluegrass to finger-picking ragtime blues guitar to Steely Dan to BR5-49 to Mozart and movies and concert dvds of all sort so I still think the M-80s with monoblock 200watt amps will satisfy for my mains.

 

[AudioArcher]

$$$$

For less than $2000

With a Sub - B&W 705 or Focal JMLab Cobalt 816S

Without a Sub - Paradigm 60v.3 or B&W DM603

 

[mdrew]

Larry,

It’ll be a couple weeks, but I’ll write something up. I’m really not expected any winners though. Axioms are hard to beat. You’ll be happy with them if you buy a set.

 

[Fastnbulbous]

So after nearly a year, how are those Opus 2's faring? Did you get them for under $2,000? I have a soft spot for them because of their look and value, but they're not faring well in my <a href=http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28258>speakers under $3K poll</a>. But I'll see what happens after there's a better sample, like 100 votes...

Additionally, I'm particularly interested in the issue with finding speakers that are forgiving for bad recordings, as I listen to a lot of punk, post-punk and cheaply recorded indie rock. In this thread it looks like the only suggestions that directly addressed that problem were Opus and Energy. The most popular speakers in my poll by far are the B&W 703, yet those are particularly known for being difficult for bad source material.

What exactly is it that could make a high-end speaker more forgiving? I can't get anyone to talk about it in my thread, and if no one responds here I'll try one with a more specific title.

 

[mdrew]

So after nearly a year, how are those Opus 2's faring? Did you get them for under $2,000? I have a soft spot for them because of their look and value, but they're not faring well in my <a href=http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28258>speakers under $3K poll</a>. But I'll see what happens after there's a better sample, like 100 votes...

Additionally, I'm particularly interested in the issue with finding speakers that are forgiving for bad recordings, as I listen to a lot of punk, post-punk and cheaply recorded indie rock. In this thread it looks like the only suggestions that directly addressed that problem were Opus and Energy. The most popular speakers in my poll by far are the B&W 703, yet those are particularly known for being difficult for bad source material.

What exactly is it that could make a high-end speaker more forgiving? I can't get anyone to talk about it in my thread, and if no one responds here I'll try one with a more specific title.

Like I said in my PM, I love the Opus 2's. I still love my Axioms too though. If I had to give up a set for reasons of life or death and could only keep one, I would keep the Opus 2's.

The soft dome tweeter is very detailed, but yet not overly bright / harsh / painful??? Not real sure what term I'm looking for, but they have detail without being painful at high volume.

The mid range is tight, precise, directional but at the same time non directional. Ya, I know, hypocritical statement. To expand, these speakers do not "need" to be towed in. The dome mid range makes them forgiving. Obviously for critical listening, you want to sit in front of them, but when just wandering around the room, I don't feel the need to get back to the sweat spot.

Low end bass is there, and lots of it. I was a bit nervous that with two big assed drivers the bass would be muddy or just too overpowering, but it isn't. It's just there. I have a sub woofer that augments this two channel system and where the volume used to be around 50%, it's now at about 25%.

And if you like you tunes loud as hell, no worries, these babies will crank and sound wonderful at over 100 db's. I got to playing around one day and pinned the volume on the Rotel 1080 1070 combo. After about a minute the grills were bouncing across the floor. I thought that was pretty cool. The grills suck, but still, it was cool.