Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Axiom vs. Paradigm, Energy, Polk

Hello,

I'm in the process of setting up my HT system, somebody on another board recommended Axiom speakers and this site to me. The reviews look very promising, but since there is no local dealer that carries this brand, I guess I'll have to rely on your input to decide whether I'll go with Axiom. I have auditioned the following speakers:

Paradigm Monitor 7,9,11 (CC-370 center, ADP-370 surround)
Energy Connoisseur C-9 (C-C1 center, C-R3 surround)
Polk RTi10 (csi5, fxi5)

if you have listened to the above, maybe you could tell me how do the M60ti compare to them, to help me get a feel how the Axiom would sound. I will probably use the system for 50% HT, 50% music (classical, pop, new age, R&B, rock etc)

thank you!

Jason

seafan,

The Axiom line of speakers will, to use a military term, blow all the speakers you mentioned out of the water. I used to own a pair of Paradigm Monitor 9 speakers and am very glad I upgraded to Axiom. In fact, it's been said here often that if you want to be fair, you have to compare Paradigm's Reference/Studio line to Axioms.

I compared the M60ti's to the Paradigm Studio series (a step up from their monitor series) and the M60ti's were much better. Cleaner, tighter...simply better sounding. The Paradigms did seem a bit more solidly built though. (but it's sound that matter, no?)

I also compared the M60ti's to Energy Veritas 2.2's. Again, a large step up from the Energy Connoisseur series. The M60ti and Veritas 2.2 is a really close contest - sound wise...price wise it's a no brainer. The Veritas 2.2 has a nice resonance in the midrange that the M60ti lacked. But the M60ti had much more bass, and a lot cleaner detail. It was a tough choice between the two, but I loved the detail of the M60's and even getting the Veritas at half off, the Axioms were still less expensive!

The M60ti blows away the Connoisseur series.

Alas, I didn't compare the Polks. Though I doubt they'd hold up.

Yes, Axiom speakers are really that good.

seafan,

Why not check out the "Auditioning Axioms in Your Area" thread. It is at the very top of the Questions and Comments section of the forum. You might find someone in your area (1st page of the thread) who would be willing to give you an audition. If not, drop an email to Amie and see if she can help.

While I agree with the comments Pete & spiff made, (I haven't heard the Veritas speakers), it would be nice if you could actually hear the Axioms for yourself.

spiff,

I would venture to guess that one reason the Paradigm Studios feel more solid is because they require more internal bracing to counteract enclosure resonances. The Axiom Wedge solves that problem more gracefully.

Never thought of that, but that's certainly a possibility. Though whether that's the case or not, it's always nice to have something with some seriously solid build to it. (Hey...I bought a Stratos amp for god's sake!)

Very true. As long as you're not talking about human beings, overbuilt can be very sexy.

seafan,
Do a search on the forums for the word "slew" and you will find a report from an audition that i did recently with a friend which included the Energy lineup.

Or at least not female humans (according to modern mores and culture)... I've been lead to believe by those who like such things that overbuilt males are pretty sexy. ;-)

Depends on how overbuilt, and what parts are overbuilt. (We're still talking about speakers, right? )