Yamaha RXV650

[Eddie787]

I recently purchased a Yamaha RXV650 and an Athena HTS with the AS-F2s with results that are nothing short of amazing. The system includes an AS-C1 center that blows away everything I had "demoed" at CC, The Home Theater Store, etc. This RX series model is the "high-end" equivalent to the HTR series sold at BB. The main difference is an audio output for zone 2. The price is the same.
Set up with the Yammy is a breeze.
The Athenas shine in all Surround formats and music styles (Sound is very personal).
I was tempted to order Axiom's, but the thought occurred to me that nearly every review online of their series was in the absence of direct comparison. Many of those reviews also noted a lousy initial response to the speakers that was followed by a more favorable response the following day (hardly enough time for a break-in period). The "following day response" reviews have prompted many innocent buyers to buy "undemoed" speakers which, prior to the internet era, would almost seem ludicrous. In my opinion, a company selling "quality low priced" speakers soley over the internet with the excuse of passing on savings to the consumer simply does not want consumers directly comparing their speakers in a store.

 

[zipper]

Good for you.The 650 probably wouldn't do the Axioms justice anyway.

 

[Shinerman]

Eddie,

Sounds like you got a system you are happy with and in the end, that's all that matters. Athena makes some really nice speakers in their price range and for the money they are hard to beat, but........

"In my opinion, a company selling "quality low priced" speakers soley over the internet with the excuse of passing on savings to the consumer simply does not want consumers directly comparing their speakers in a store."

This comment is simply way off base. Most online companies truly are able to put more into their speakers for less money because they do not have the same overhead and distribution costs as other speaker makers. There are internet speaker companies that produce some dogs and there are traditional speaker companies that produce dogs. Axiom is one that appears to make a very good product. This has been confirmed by Industry reviews, consumer reviews, etc. I don't own Axioms but I would never call them a bad speaker without listening to them first. I would not call any speaker good or bad with listening. There are many people out there that would call Athena trash. It all depends on what "you" like.

Also, the RX-V line of Yamaha is not truly a "High-End" alternative to the HTR line. They are marketed that way to some degree but in reality they are almost identical and in some case there is no difference other than the model nunber. But good news, you got a high end one. I have the RX-V1400 which is even more high than yours.

Shinerman

 

[stiletto pat]

Mail Order Companies

Eddie,

I have to agree with Shinerman's comments. I too elected not to purchase Axioms, but I did make the effort to first locate on owner that would allow me to listen to an Axiom system similar to what I desired, and make an informed decision on my own. (Axiom's staff will help you locate Axiom owners that are willing to let you listen - which I felt was a great testimony to their product and company.) I must tell you that the Axiom spearkers are an excellent product for the money, although in the end, I determined that I thought that the Paradigm Studio Reference Series was a better speaker choice for me for several reasons.

However, I did purchase an HSU Subwoofer, which I ordered without first auditioning, based upon the strength of independent industry article reviews and user's testimonials. I am thrilled with the performance of that unit, and would recommend it to anyone.

The bottom line of my response is simply that while you are entitled to your opinion, and many of us might roughly see how you came to adopt your line of thinking, it simply does not follow that a mail order company's products are inferior just because that company elects to sell their product directly at a relatively low price, due to their decision not to maintain a dealer network and/or showroom overhead. As I mentioned above, I am thrilled with my HSU sub, and feel it's low price and high performance represents a great bargain.

Keep an open mind, my friend.

Pat

 

[eddie787]

Axioms...

I appreciate the replies and by no means did I mean make a defacto statement as to the quality of Axiom speakers as I have not listened to them. I did not mean to classify the RXV 650 as a high-end receiver (ergo the quotation marks)
However.......
If Axiom wishes to send me the M60s and not charge me shipping and handling to return them, I will be delighted to give my humble opinion about their product on Audioholics (Taking into account that I am a physician and not an electrical engineer).
P.S. I couldn't make myself spend the extra 300 bucks for the RX 1400 for the THX logo (just kidding)

 

[eddie787]

As for effort put into researching speakers, I must have spent over 80 manhours between travel and internet research prior to my purchase. It would have been great to find an Axiom speaker at any of the centers I visited.

 

[eddie787]

I had spoken with Axiom customer service and to their credit their representative was very attentive and their website is also very informative.

 

[zipper]

Anything else?

 

[eddie787]

I think I'm done.

 

[zipper]

Welcome aboard. There is a lot of sharp people(I don't include myself) on this forum with lots of experience. Good stuff.

 

[eddie787]

Thank you.