Price Paid:  $330.00 from Axiomaudio.com

Summary:
Let's get out one fact for anyone who is contemplating buying these speakers to test them out: you MUST break these in to give them a fair evaluation. We're talking like 20-40 hours break in time, minimum. Straight out of the box, the upper mids - specifically, anything with female vocals - sounded recessed. My first impression was "this is not going to work" but I kept the M3ti's on during the daytime for several days while I was out of the house to work. After several days of this, the part of the midrange focused on femal vocals was unquestionably improved. And by that i mean louder and more in balance with everything else, like it should be.

I compared these with the Paradigm Focus v.4, the paradigm Titan v.5, Monitor v.5 and atom v.5. I directly compared the M3ti side by side with the Focus v.4. My goal in finding a speaker was to find one that would most closely resemble the audio fidelity, balanace, not-fatiguing-nature, and excitement of listening to headphones. I've got some great headphones so I know what audio sounds like on a great source - and I was looking for all those qualities in a bookshelf speaker as best as I could find them.

In comarison to the Focus v.4 or paradigm v.5 line I give the Focus a 4.3, the M3ti a 4.0, and the atom or minimonitor a 4.0.

Treble:
The m3ti had the best high treble. Cymbols and acoustic guitar sounded basically awesome - easy on the ears but ultra detailed - maybe even too bright for some but I'd call the treble neutral. the paradigm v.5 series was noticibly "hot" - the treble on cymbols and snare drums was not quite cringe-inducing but noticibly out of balance - and when you spend up to $500 on a pair of speakers, I'd think we can avoid this quality.

Mids - in the range of male and female vocals
The Focus v.4 had the most natural sounding upper mids. The v.5 also had natural sounding mids. The M3ti just seemed a bit recessed. Here's how I'd characterize it: In direct comparison to the Focus v.4 I think to myself "the Focus is just better. it's more pleasing. it's more accurate. with the M3ti I almost feel like I'm missing a tiny bit of something." Furthermore, the paradigm series sounded more natural with heavily distorted electric guitars. the m3ti just sounded a tiny bit off (4/5 stars) with regard to heavily distorted guitars.

The other part of the midrange band
besides having to do with vocals, there was indeed something special about the M3ti midrange. I would say it was very "non-boxy." The speakers did have a sort of transperancy which was pretty cool - perhaps that phenomenon is also a result of the awesome tweeter these things have.

Bass
The M3ti definitely has solid tight bass in regard to what bass this speaker CAN produce. When you listen to it without comparing to anything else, or with a sub, you will think this speaker is not only sufficient, but a good tight performer in the bass region. In direct comparison to a paradigm, you start to feel like you are missing some things on the M3ti. Like with a deep drum hit. instead of going "boooom" and the drum hit being full, the M3ti might just reproduce the "booo" part and just sort of peter out on reproducing the deepest part of the drum hit. Like I said, the M3ti DOES sound good and tight in its bass. Alone I was very satisfied and even excited by the bass of this speaker. In direct comparison I might have wanted a tiny bit more bass in the lower registers.

With regard to a comparison with Paradigm:
I've basically said that the M3ti comes out ahead in some categories and falls behind in others. The one area the paradigm focus v.4 and v.5 series annoyed me was with that hot treble. Despite the v.4's strengths, I didn't think I could handle long listening sessions with it. The treble was just too hot. and with the V.5 [especially the mini-monitor($379) and titan v.5($500) the treble with cymbols or snares was actually almost verging on irritating. Especially compared to that awesomely balanced treble of the M3ti. Yet, what the paradigms taught me is that I want more from the M3ti - I want more natural balanced mids, especailly in the upper mids w/ vocals. I also wouldn't MIND more bass, but I could live without it as long as everything else is in balance.

Conclusions:
Due to my 4/5 impression of this speaker and quest for great sound I am probably going to order the M22 AS WELL AS the ascend 170 or 340.
Axiom told me the M22 has stronger mids [READ: more balanced?] which is EXACTLY what I was looking for after listening to the M3ti. We'll see if that does it.
The Ascends have gotten good reviews. Some have said that "everyone they know has preferred the ascend 170's to the axiom's [don't know which axiom they were comparing to though]."

Can't wait to get some awesome sound pumping through whichever of those I eventually end up with. I'm pairing them with a HSU Stf-1 sub for a little extra low end weight.

Cheers

Strengths:
Gread airy treble. Uber-balanced. Detailed, yet nonfatiguing. Accurate reproduction of snare and cymbols. Acoustic guitar strumming sounds awesome and very "you-are-there." The closest treble to the headphone experience I have found for $500 or under bookshelfs.

Good mids.

Tight bass with a little hump around 100hz+ or so give or take. sounds full for what bass it does make, which is most of the bass you would need except if you are ultra-discriminating in this area - and judging by the high ratings on this board I would say the vast majority of people aren't bothered by this at all.

Appearance: I think these things look sweet. nice angles, they look awesome without the grill on, vaneer looks practically like real wood.

Weaknesses:
The vocal range of the mids used by male and female voices is "good" but I would personally not call it "awesome" after directly comparing with some other speakers out there which admitedly ALSO HAVE THEIR OWN DRAWBACKS [to me those paradigms had that less than ideal hot tweeter].

Basiscally, I was left with the impression that I want something I haven't heard yet, but I'm hoping if I spend up to $500 I can find it either in the Axiom M22's or the Ascend 170 or 340's. We'll see!

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm Focus v.4, Paradigm v.5 series: atom (250) mini-monitor (379) titan v.5 (500)
headphones and other various lower-quality speakers.

Price Paid:  $320.00 from On Line Direct

Summary:
It's been approx six months since I secured these awesome bookshelves from Axiom...initial part of my upgrade of 2-channel stereo and HT. Primary reason for this review is to help those who are considering Axiom and to confirm with those who own or have experienced Axiom that this is one speaker company I need to invest with. They replaced an aged pair of Bose 301's (mains) that I had for about 10 years. These are powered by a Denon AVR 1906 and run with a BIC America V1220 Sub. Initial listening tests were not that impressive, however after 20-30 hours break in they opened up beautifully and became airly, clean, percise, forward and soothing (which is to say slighty warm and NOT recessed). If you like "laid back" the M3ti's are not for you. Actually, I now prefer speakers that are upfront and forward. If you like vocals, your jaw will drop when you listen to these Divas. Their presentation delivers the artist up close and personal. The M3t's performance in this area is simply unheard of for the price. Listening to the midrange and highs is like a trip to the premium ice cream store...rich and smooth and oh so satisfying. Fact: Price to performance ratio is just unbelievable. Fact: Build quality for the price is umatched. Fact: You'll need to break them in, be patient...if you are you'll be rewarded, trust me. Fact: You'll need a sub to fill in the low 25-30 Hz. Fact: Imaging and sound stage is very good. Fact: Bad recordings will sound bad, great recordings will put a tear in your eye, they are that good. Fact: Customer service from Axiom is terrific. Fact: They are not intended for a large room, and have their dynamic limits, but within their range be prepared to be amazed. Fact: The M3t's are a downright steal for the money. Fact: Their 1" titanium tweeter is pure sweetness and the 6 1/2" woofer delivers accurate and tight base.

Strengths:
Price to performance ratio.
Build quality.
Overall "smoothness" is unmatched at this price range.
All metal dirvers.

Weaknesses:
Base output and that's it.

Similar Products Used:
Celestion F30
Bose 301

f155mph

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.20 of 5, 5.00 votes

Price Paid:  $150.00 from Used on Audiogon

Summary:
For the money you can't beat these speakers. Sure they are not the best speakers in the world, but you can't go wrong with the price and how well they handle everything. They are a little bright, but the mids and highs are airy, clear, and accurate. I have listened to a ton of speakers and these little guys are a gem. The only reservation I have is the lack of bass, but hey what do you expect with 6 1/2 inch woofers. If you want a great pair of speakers at a great price then your search is over. Heck the value rating should be a "10". Don't take my words for it, try it for yourself. In the worst case scenario you'll loose $30 on shipping.

Strengths:
Great mids and highs!

Weaknesses:
A bit bright.

Similar Products Used:
B&W, Wilson's, Revel, Meridian, Von SCHWEIKERT, Mirage, and Tannoy

Price Paid:  $275.00 from axiom factory

Summary:
I bought the M3s as replacement for my old rear speakers in a dolby pro-logic set up. The 8 inch 2 way speakers were 14 years old and in decay. I considered "surround" speakers but decided to stick to the bookshelf style for the surrounds. Did a lot of looking in stores and on the net before I stumbled on Axiom site and I was impressed by ratings and reviews for the M3. When I got them I hooked them up as a stereo pair just to see if all the raves were true. It has been over a year now and all I can say is that the Axiom M3 is truly remarkable for size and price. The sound still leaves me with an amazed smile. I moved the M3s to the bedroom and have since bought some "surround" speakers for the living room.

Strengths:
clean clear sound, good base for a 6 1/2 driver. good looks great price

Weaknesses:
None discovered as yet

Similar Products Used:
AR

Price Paid:  $225.00 from audioshop

Summary:
I picked these up to run them as a zone 2 set off my Yamaha RXV 1400 in the living room upstairs. A friend of mine works at Audioshop and got me a good deal on a set. They do the job quite nicely, and definitely need some break in time to open up. However, I have a 4 year old set of Paradigm Titans in my bedroom that can be bought new for much cheaper that simply outclass these speakers in every area. The Paradigm Mini-Monitors,(which are very close in price) I have as rears in my HT setup, blow these out of the water. I can't say that these Axiom's are bad. They are actually a very accurate, responsive speaker at low volumes, and only lose a bit of bass and mid-range at higher volumes. They look beautiful, and don't feel cheap at all. I listen to Blues, Jazz, and Classical music mostly, and that seems to be where these fall apart, particularly at the higher frequencies. Imaging is above average for a bookshelf, but the high end frequencies really suffer. I don't have a sub in the living room, since it's mostly my wife's and she wouldn't let me, but there's enough bass to please most people. All in all, these speakers are good, and I would highly recommend anyone sampling bookshelf speakers, to give these a listen. But I was a little disappointed at the value these things give you compared to my older Paradigm Titans and new Mini Monitors. Not sure if Axiom is coming up short, or if Paradigm is over-achieving. If they weren't so pretty and my friend's paycheque wasn't affected I'd probably return them.

Strengths:
good frequency responce, tight accurate bass, decent imaging, beautiful design

Weaknesses:
get sloppy at higher volumes, not great for demanding musical sources (classical, opera, jazz) maybe slightly overpriced compared to competitors (ie: Paradigm

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm Titans & Mini-Monitors, PSB, Bose 301's