tonygeno

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $255.00 from Axiom Web Site

Summary:
This is an amazing speaker and an amazing value. Tonally very accurate, it plays loud when crossed over at 80hz in a home theater, and is sweet and smooth. Those that say Axioms are bright are used to dull speakers. These are tranaparent, do vocals beautifully and are an amazing bargain. Truly high end sound at a ridiculously low price.

Strengths:
Tonal accuracy, size, performance

Weaknesses:
Too inexpensive to be taken seriously, no bass, absolutely need a sub woofer.

Similar Products Used:
NHT M5, Vienna Acoustics Haydn, Sonus Faber Concertino Home, Boston Acoustics VR-M60 and VR-M50

Price Paid:  $204.00 from Axiom Audio Factory

Summary:
Well, my 30 day trial is almost up. It really doesn't matter because I'm keeping them. They are some of the best sounding small speakers I have heard. The thing that impresses me the most is the accurate nature in which they project their sound that provides a stage where you can place individual instruments and vocals in space. They are very neutral and do not seem to mush the instruments together when things get busy like a lot of small speakers. The tweeters are superb with fantastic detail and timbra. They get just a little edgeness to them when cranked up, but they are still new. The mids are smooth, but a little more forward than what I am use to, but I find over all it gets you more involved in the music, and makes the vocals sound near perfect and stand out. The bass is great. It is tight musical and actually goes lower than what you think it should for its size.(placement is important here) It is not bloated or wooly, but very natural and controlled. A good sub would really take this small speaker to the next level in terms of deep bass quality and impact. Alone it still sounds excellent just without the last octave or so. That bring up another point. These speakers are not very kind to bad recordings. They do not color the sound in such a way as to make them sound good. On the other hand if a recording is done well you are rewarded with what the engineer had in mind for you to here. They are not the loudest speakers out there for their size, but they do play at reasonable levels before they get hard and congested. If you like your music really really loud, I would recommend the M22ti. Also the electronics can make a difference in the sound. I have run them on a old Crown D150 amp and they sounded great. I have also run them on a cheap JVC surround receiver and they still sounded good, not quite the detail and volume or smoothness of the Crown, but still a good quality sound. Actually I think the bass is a little tighter on the JVC in the Digital mode than the Crown amp, but the highs are a little to bright and edgy on the JVC and the timbra is a little off. All in all I do not see how you could buy a better speaker for the money. These are so good compared to what you could get only a few years ago for much more money, that it is a no-brainer.

Strengths:
Excellent Tweeter-Smooth Midrange-Good Tight Controlled Low End(although not real deep)Low Coloration-Price

Weaknesses:
At this price really none

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm-Polk-Tannoy-Bose-JBL

Price Paid:  $180.00 from Axiom

Summary:
I bought these because I wanted a relatively small speaker to put in a family room. Somehow the contruction of these speakers struck me as being above average for their price and I liked the completely sealed box construction without much plastic which seems ever-present at this price point (I also think all speaker materials do leave their sonic fingerprint at some point in the spectrum). Also, I entertained the prospect of going home theatre with them eventually. Well, I like these speakers a lot and think they will find many happy homes. However, I compared them to my other speakers and they just sound so different. Better in some respects and not as good in other respects. My other speakers cost more, lets say 2x-3x more. It must be that midrange that is so beguiling and fun to listen to. As an audiophile speaker I will say no. As a fun speaker I will say go ahead. They probably are a very good match to midfi electronics which is how I intend to use them. As for that home theater, I am still looking. I really wanted a good deal on speakers that would do dialogue well. Perhaps, the VP100 would be the ticket with the upgraded tweeter; but I am not so certain.

Strengths:
Clarity, Midrange

Weaknesses:
Lightweight bass, highs somewhat intense

Similar Products Used:
MGD 50i Speakers

Price Paid:  $150.00 from Replay Electronics

Summary:
My latest addition to the growing family of fine Axiom-Audio speakers that grace my home. The M2s replace the Mzeros for better fleshing-out of the sound in a small room. Great value that is superseded only by its slightly larger brother (M3ti) that can be had for not much more. The M2 is not a party speaker. There are other Axioms better suited to that task. But the M2 does just fine rocking in my small room. Bass is a little light, but overall, remains tight and well-controlled. The M2 integrates well with a sub. Its clear and detailed sound makes for a lively, yet thoroughly liveable presentation. Yes, the Axioms are easy to live with -- Easy on the ears. Easy on the eyes. Easy on the pocketbook. Easily, recommended.

Strengths:
clarity, balance, imaging, soundstage, very good value, available selection of finishes.

Weaknesses:
strident at very loud volumes; bass that may be a little too light; long break-in required.

Similar Products Used:
Axioms: M3Ti, Mzero, AX-1 reference, AX-1 Center, AX-3 tower, pair of AX-500a subs; Mission 70 Mk.II bookshelf

Summary:
This is actually an update on the M2's. My original review can be found under the M1's.

This speaker has continued to impress me. Great detail and smooth lifelike sound. I plan on adding a subwoofer eventually, but it is not a priority because the M2's sound good with out one. My daughter wants the walls to shake during movies so I am going to compromise and one day add the Energy S8.2 it is a good compormise for movies and music.

One caution about the Axiom's and other mini-monitor's in general. If you utilize your speakers on stands (and you should) Blu tak is an excellent way to couple them to the stands. However, be careful Blu tak is so strong and bonds so well that when switching speaker stands recently, I had to pry the speakers off the stands. Although I was very careful, one seam on the back of each of my speakers appears to have seperated slightly. This is not really noticable but it could have been much worse. Be very patient when removing speakers with Blu tak on them.

On music The Axiom's sound their best when playing in the theatre mode. I have three Axioms up front, and my Signet SL-240's in the rear. This set up give's a great listening experience in a small to medium sized living room. it doesn't appear that the Axiom's are particular about location. I have placed them closer to the walls, away from the walls, toed in, or straight in front with basically the same results,Great sound.

On home theatre the VP center speaker is excellent for dialoge and plays really loud when called upon to do so. it never gets distorted or harsh sounding either. You'll need to experiment with the settings on your receiver in order to get the best sound level from the front, center and rear speakers. I generally keep my center about one level higher than my mains, and my rear speakers about two levels lower.

In my previous review I may have mentioned some ringing sounds from my rears which were B&W DM601's. As you can see I have completely removed them from my system. They are currently residing in my bedroom system and will be removed from that system this weekend when I get a pair of vintage Pyramid Metrenome 7's. It turns out that the B&W's don't make very good rear channel speakers for my set up, nor do they make good bedroom speakers, however they were decent mains until I heard the sounds of the Axioms!

In conclusion the Axioms would be a good deal at $300.00. At $240.00 shipping and handling included, they are an outstanding value. If you don't need the slightly larger size of the M3ti's, this is your best bet!

Strengths:
Clarity, flexibility

Weaknesses:
not available locally

Similar Products Used:
Signet SL240, B&W DM601, speakers by Wharfedale, Celestion, Energy......the list can go on and on