Whats the deal with Axiom?

[exlabdriver]

Agreed on the small sample of listeners. If you've been to their factory, it is kinda out in the sticks - mind you very beautiful sticks, ha! There is not a big population base to chose from up there, but at least they make a plausible attempt to blind test. When I was there last summer, they were building a brand new, modern listening room as the old one had outlived its usefulness...

TAM

 

[JerryLove]

If you are looking for great speakers get Salks. Trust me they are that good. Even the Monkey saved up for some. Right now I think they offer the best value. Unless you are low budget. In that case get the Pioneer set from Andrew Jones.

It will be another week or two before I can say this from first-hand experience: but it seems like the Salk and Philharmonic line significantly overlap with the Phil's taking a price advantage in exchange for good, but lesser cabinetry (Dennis Murphy did much of the design for both lines).

Tough perhaps less of one since the Philharmonic cabinet-making moved to the US and pushed up the price.

I have and *love* my Salk's, and my Phil's should ship Monday.

 

[Rowdy S13]

If you are looking for great speakers get Salks. Trust me they are that good. Even the Monkey saved up for some. Right now I think they offer the best value. Unless you are low budget. In that case get the Pioneer set from Andrew Jones.

Well since you mention it, I am in the market for speakers. Currently on the list (in no particular order)...

Salk Sound: Song Tower
Aperion Audio: Versus Grand Tower
EMPTek: Impression series E55Ti Tower
Ascend Acoustic: Sierra Tower

There is a lot of positive feedback on all of these options. I seem to get the most recommendations for the Salk, but the aesthetics are ho-hum to me (and more importantly to my wife too). The EMPTek seem to be the best bang for the buck being quite a bit cheaper than the rest. I am somewhat worried about the finish of them though which I have heard is not quite as up to par with the rest. That brings me to the Ascend's which are still a boxy speaker, but they are real wood and seem to be finished beautifully. They also are supposed to sound equally as amazing. Last, but not least, are the Aperion's which seem to cover it all for me. They are reviewed as sounding as good as they look, and they do look spectacular. Though my wife doesn't like the piano gloss finish on speakers but wants them black this time around. I seem to keep coming back to them for some reason, which may not be a bad thing.

I think I would really be happy with any of these options, but what is really best?! I mainly watch movies, so I would call it 70/30 movies to music and it may even be 80/20. Because of that I need to make sure that there is a matching center at least which is just as good as the main towers. I would like to have matching surrounds as well, but that is not quite as important. The center is one of the reasons I keep coming back to the Aperions since Tom Andry's review talks about how amazing the center is, not to mention all of the good things he said about the towers as well. The larger EMPTek center has a lot of positive reviews as well, and its the same for the surrounds. EMPTek also has a dedicated surround option as well as a bookshelf option in the same series which may work well for me. I am not so sure the Salk center, or the Ascend center are as amazing as the main towers. The Ascend is hard to find much info on, and the Salks have mostly stereo usage AKA no center. I have seen some about the Salk center, and it was positive but not as over the top as the Aperion center, or the Salk towers themselves.

That's a lot of info! I guess I will leave it there for now and wait for some feed back


Sean

 

[templemaners]

Well since you mention it, I am in the market for speakers. Currently on the list (in no particular order)...

Salk Sound: Song Tower
Aperion Audio: Versus Grand Tower
EMPTek: Impression series E55Ti Tower
Ascend Acoustic: Sierra Tower

There is a lot of positive feedback on all of these options. I seem to get the most recommendations for the Salk, but the aesthetics are ho-hum to me (and more importantly to my wife too). The EMPTek seem to be the best bang for the buck being quite a bit cheaper than the rest. I am somewhat worried about the finish of them though which I have heard is not quite as up to par with the rest. That brings me to the Ascend's which are still a boxy speaker, but they are real wood and seem to be finished beautifully. They also are supposed to sound equally as amazing. Last, but not least, are the Aperion's which seem to cover it all for me. They are reviewed as sounding as good as they look, and they do look spectacular. Though my wife doesn't like the piano gloss finish on speakers but wants them black this time around. I seem to keep coming back to them for some reason, which may not be a bad thing.

I think I would really be happy with any of these options, but what is really best?! I mainly watch movies, so I would call it 70/30 movies to music and it may even be 80/20. Because of that I need to make sure that there is a matching center at least which is just as good as the main towers. I would like to have matching surrounds as well, but that is not quite as important. The center is one of the reasons I keep coming back to the Aperions since Tom Andry's review talks about how amazing the center is, not to mention all of the good things he said about the towers as well. The larger EMPTek center has a lot of positive reviews as well, and its the same for the surrounds. EMPTek also has a dedicated surround option as well as a bookshelf option in the same series which may work well for me. I am not so sure the Salk center, or the Ascend center are as amazing as the main towers. The Ascend is hard to find much info on, and the Salks have mostly stereo usage AKA no center. I have seen some about the Salk center, and it was positive but not as over the top as the Aperion center, or the Salk towers themselves.

That's a lot of info! I guess I will leave it there for now and wait for some feed back


Sean

Why are you not in the market for a subwoofer instead of new speakers?

 

[JerryLove]

There is a lot of positive feedback on all of these options. I seem to get the most recommendations for the Salk, but the aesthetics are ho-hum to me (and more importantly to my wife too).

Jim Salk is a custom builder. Talk to him about what you are interested in and it can likely be done. Though if the parts/construction are more expensive, obviously that will impact. The SongTowers are his second lest expensive.

His veneer and finish are, bar none, the best of the bunch.

The EMPTek seem to be the best bang for the buck being quite a bit cheaper than the rest. I am somewhat worried about the finish of them though which I have heard is not quite as up to par with the rest.

I ran into those at the GTG. I cannot say that they were in the same league.

Of course: they are not nearly the same price either.

That brings me to the Ascend's which are still a boxy speaker, but they are real wood and seem to be finished beautifully. They also are supposed to sound equally as amazing. Last, but not least, are the Aperion's which seem to cover it all for me. They are reviewed as sounding as good as they look, and they do look spectacular.

Good things have been said about both. I've no personal experience though.

I am not so sure the Salk center, or the Ascend center are as amazing as the main towers. The Ascend is hard to find much info on, and the Salks have mostly stereo usage AKA no center. I have seen some about the Salk center, and it was positive but not as over the top as the Aperion center, or the Salk towers themselves.

I believe you won't go as low because of the lack of the MWTL, but it should hit crossover.
Of course: you could also order a third tower.

 

[lsiberian]

It will be another week or two before I can say this from first-hand experience: but it seems like the Salk and Philharmonic line significantly overlap with the Phil's taking a price advantage in exchange for good, but lesser cabinetry (Dennis Murphy did much of the design for both lines).

Tough perhaps less of one since the Philharmonic cabinet-making moved to the US and pushed up the price.

I have and *love* my Salk's, and my Phil's should ship Monday.

I think either is an excellent choice. I realize they are separate, but I lump them together in my mind to be honest. Of course there are other speakers out there too. That new TL looks really nice.

 

[Rowdy S13]

Why are you not in the market for a subwoofer instead of new speakers?

Who said I wasn't? A sub is up first, but speakers are right behind. I didn't mention the sub(s) because this thread is about speakers. since we are on the topic though, as of now I think I will be going with an SVS SB13-Ultra with plans to add a second later.

Sean

 

[Grador]

The finish on the EMPs is more than acceptable. It may not be up there with the higher priced speakers, but I find mine to be very attractive overall. Far better looking in person than it is in photos.

 

[Zer0beaT]

I still love my Axiom speakers. I don't feel the slightest inkling to change to something else, it wouldn't be worth the bother/money etc.

Greatest thing about speakers, they should last you a lifetime, really. If they're good speakers, they should always be good speakers.

I think Axiom sort of started something very respectable with their business model. Problem is, they were quickly imitated, and surpassed from what I can gather.

Gotta say it's funny to think I bought these 10 years ago, and it was a HUGE purchase for me in my early 20's. To sit here and realize I'm still happy with my speakers is a good feeling, even better when I remember that these Axioms were made a few hours north of me in my home province.

I certainly hope Axiom is doing well, they deserve it from what I've heard (and experienced), but I wouldn't be surprised neither to hear other companies are doing what they do but cheaper.

 

[biggarthomas]

Hmmm interesting. Well I guess they are off the list

Sean

All so tiresome. I'm not an audio expert but I know what I like. Eight months ago, I bought Axiom M80s. I have them connected to two Quad 909 power amps and a Quad 99 pre. All served by a Sonos system, a Music Hall CD player and a C.J. Walker turntable. Frankly, I'm a very, very happy man. Listen to the Axioms rather than to the negative flak. If you look elsewhere on the Internet, you will find rave reviews of pretty well all of Axioms stuff. Best of all is your own ear. The company keeps a list of people in local towns and cities who will invite you into their homes to audition the speakers. Find an owner and listen for yourself.

In fact, I was so satisfied with the M80s that last month, I bought a home theatre set-up from Axiom. I purchased four surround sound speakers, two M22 fronts, a centre and a honking great sub. There are served by an Anthem MRX 500 and an Anthem blu ray player. As you can see, I own top of the line electronics, no way I would hook my electronics up to junk speakers.

you should also read Axiom's response to the bizarre stuff served up on the link that you were referred to above.

 

[Road]

My brother-in-law has a Axiom 5.1 set up with the M80`s, VP180 and Qs8`s along with the EP500 running thru a Denon AV Receiver and a Oppo BD-95 Blu Ray player. I have to say this is one of the best sounding systems I have ever heard. We both enjoy listening to our music Loud, and mostly listen to SACD audio recordings. I`ve been a drummer for many years and love a tight deep bass and the MP500 seems to give me that crisp room shaking bass response that I desire. I had never heard of Axiom before listening to my brother-in-laws system and I was very impressed to say the least. He has had this system for about 5yrs now without one problem.
I am in the process of Updating my own system, and currently run Yamaha AV receiver with Oppo BD-103 Blu-Ray, and Polk Audio 5.1. I am considering going to the Klipsch Reference II series speakers, but was comparing them to the Axiom and for the price difference, the Axiom seem to be a better deal price wise and specs as well..Would like some thoughts on the comparison of the Klipsch vs Axiom. I basically listen to Classic Rock music along with some Smooth Jazz from time to time.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Would like some thoughts on the comparison of the Klipsch vs Axiom.

I would get the Klipsch KL650-THX-Ultra2 over Axiom and RF series.

You can get the KL650-THX for $850 each delivered. Awesome listening window FR +/-1.0 dB, smooth off-axis, THX Ultra2 reference output. Not even the Klipsch Palladium measures as well. Of course, measurements are not everything, but they do count for something.

But, people will say what they will. A lot of hearsay. I bet the Axiom and KL650 both sound great for movies, music, and everything else.

But I would go for KL650-THX. Just a personal opinion.

 

[exlabdriver]

I have 3 Axiom systems - 2 audio only (M2s/EP400 & M3s) as well as a HT System of M22s, twin Velodyne 10" subs, VP100 CC & QS4 surrounds. I simply enjoy them all.

On my audio only gear, I listen to mostly Electric Blues, Fusion Jazz (Spyro Gyra, etc) & Latin Jazz SACDs driven by a tube integrated amp. I'm so impressed with my single diminutive, killer EP400 sub for music that I just ordered a second one to add to my M2 bookshelfs on stands.

What made my purchase even better is that Axiom has a '20% Off Sale' till 31 May from their 'Factory Outlet Store'...

TAM

 

[monkish54]

I would go with the Ascend Sierra Ribbon Tower over the Salk SongTower, although the SongTower is supposed to be great, I think the SRT's measures better.

As for Axiom, I won't beat a dead horse. I will only say this: Why go with speakers that have acoustic interference and subpar cabinets when you can get speakers without these flaws for a similar price?

 

[ousooner2]

OP seemed to post quite awhile ago (not sure why this was bumped), but on the rare case that he's still looking...those 4 choices are good choices. The EMP is obviously in a COMPLETELY different price range. The others are $1,800+, while the EMP's can be had for $800. You can't loose with any of those other 3 towers if that's your price range. All are going to be incredible

Do the EMP's perform (& even look) like any other $800 speaker I've heard/seen....not at all.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

OP seemed to post quite awhile ago (not sure why this was bumped), but on the rare case that he's still looking...those 4 choices are good choices. The EMP is obviously in a COMPLETELY different price range. The others are $1,800+, while the EMP's can be had for $800. You can't loose with any of those other 3 towers if that's your price range. All are going to be incredible

Do the EMP's perform (& even look) like any other $800 speaker I've heard/seen....not at all.

Why don't you go get a sub or two already?

BTW is your workplace freaking out w/ the tornado warnings? They won't even let us leave the hospital yet because of this natural disaster code.

 

[gtpsuper24]

OP seemed to post quite awhile ago (not sure why this was bumped), but on the rare case that he's still looking...those 4 choices are good choices. The EMP is obviously in a COMPLETELY different price range. The others are $1,800+, while the EMP's can be had for $800. You can't loose with any of those other 3 towers if that's your price range. All are going to be incredible

Do the EMP's perform (& even look) like any other $800 speaker I've heard/seen....not at all.

I wouldn't say Axiom is in another performance level. Really they are EMP competitiors just priced much higher. I think if Axioms were actually priced accordingly they would be too bad, but IMO they are about 30-40% over priced. I would take the EMP E55s over the M60-M80s any day and use the extra money toward better subwoofer(s).

 

[exlabdriver]

I just reread my post #33 - '&amp' should have been '& Tube Amp' - gremlins in my keyboard I guess.

Beauty, like pricing, is of course in the eye of the beholder. It seems reasonable to me & the myriad of other satisfied customers, especially considering much of the build process is undertaken over here.

The OP seems to be long gone so perhaps this should be put to rest...

TAM

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I just reread my post #33 - '&amp' should have been '& Tube Amp' - gremlins in my keyboard I guess.

TAM

No, we cannot use the symbol for "and" on Audioholics for some reasons. That's why I either type out "and" or use the plus sign +. So I say "B+W" or B and W.

 

[exlabdriver]

Interesting, thanks. I learn something new every day...

TAM