Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Is Axiom Audio Out of Business - No Phone or Email

Hello all,
Does anyone know if Axiom Audio has closed its doors and is no longer operating? I have been unable to connect with anyone at Axiom Audio via phone and email messages for over two weeks, which leaves me questioning if the company is even operating.

Any insight on this is appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeff

To my knowledge they are. Several people on the forums have orders rolling in. I haven't checked to see if Canada has any Covid lockdowns going on right now or not.

no.they are open. a bit swamped with orders from what I can tell. I was up there a few weeks back and they had stacks of amps that they were putting out for international orders.

no they are not out of business, lol

Since Covid their customer communication seems to have taken a hit … at least from my observation.
Get the feeling that maybe there might be some new people coming up to speed

I too have experienced a lack of response to email/phone assistance. Very unlike Axiom. Customer service was Axiom's strongest attribute. Sorry to say that has taken a big hit. It's time to stop blaming everything on COVID and move on.

I wouldn't answer the phones or email either. Who the hell wants customers who waste your time asking you stupid questions like "What Ohms should I buy?" and "How many Watts are better?"

How many times did you call them?

Not blaming Covid … just saying since Covid …
Has anyone talked to Debbie lately?
She was/is the main customer relations person.
I figure either she’s avoiding me or she’s not doing relations anymore.

Deb has received a big promotion.

Andrew posts vids regularly. My guess is they are short staffed and still partially working at home on the office side. Deb was for a bit. I know JC has taken a few of my calls too and has always been helpful.

Still goin! Just a small ambitious company with a global customer base. Busy!!

But you get small company service when you do get in touch.

I had the same out-of-business thought when I couldn't get a hold of them for two weeks to return half of a large purchase (with their knowledge I was comparing M80s to LFR660s with the intent of keeping one of them). I think there's something else going on, such as their focus now being elsewhere; maybe third-party manufacturing, like Bryston. The possibility definitely exists that they don't make their primary profit from direct sales anymore, so it's not a priority. I don't think I've seen anyone from the company post on the forum for a while; and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's been a new product for many years. We've also heard frequently that email goes unanswered. The only heartbeat is the regular videos from Andrew (which I'm enjoying very much).

So as someone who's purchased a boatload of equipment from Axiom, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt if I wanted to place an order. But if I were a first-time buyer about to spend thousands of dollars I might have enough doubts to move on elsewhere. I'm not trying to be critical, I'd be extremely disappointed if Axiom went out of business; but I do think Axiom should address the issue, even if it's just an info banner on their site, or posting limited contact hours where they'll 100% have someone pick up.

I agree Cork. They need a person full time at the phone. If you leave a message or email they should get back within a reasonable time.

Order shipped yesterday. So no. All good.

I put in a contact me message to them a few days ago asking what they would recommends speaker wise. I got a call back from them within about 3 hours of entering the contact form on the website.

The oncall rotation line has been gone for many years. (Alan, Brent, etc....)

As someone who is a recent first time customer, I would stay away from them. I ordered 9 speakers, all m5hp, for a home theatre project and 2 of the speakers arrived damaged. The shipping boxes were fine but one in wall had the mounting lip broken off and one bookshelf had damage to the front. I have been unable to get a response even though I have tried multiple times for multiple months now.

I had a similar lack of responsiveness when trying to order (I made a thread) but eventually got a response and gave them the benefit of the doubt. Now that I am a customer, it’s been months that I haven’t gotten a response on my damaged speakers I received and am stuck with them with no recourse.

I don’t know what is going on there, but I can’t recommend that anyone do business with them right now. If you have issues, you’ll be stuck with a large investment and no support from Axiom

Try replying to one of the emails which has an order number in the subject … it will open a ticket which will get a response. At least it has for me.

I think they may need to expand their factory for the M5 demand.

Why do you think that? (How do you know?)

I have replied to the email, have a support case, and have replied to that multiple times. I was asked right after the order arrived to submit photos, which I did , but have not been able to get a response since.

I had quick responses recently last week with questions about products. Last week I ordered an Air Transformer , za-1000, and m2 bookshelves. All my emails were answered within a day. I’m satisfied with that. Sucks you’re still waiting and stuck with damaged product though. Keep trying I guess. Just thought I’d share for the sake of recent information and experience.

In the past I’ve always got good response via email while I was kicking the tires on a few things.

I’ve always emailed via the “ ticket “ email box on the website.

I called 2 days ago and got someone on the phone right away.

The response times have been very variable lately … I’ve had a problem like this recently …
they eventually got to it and corrected it but I took way too long.
I’m hopping that this is just growing pains.

Very variable? I am surprised by the lack of specificity from an engineer like you.

I just called to say I love them.

How many speaker vendors do you think may be courting Ian to build speakers including drivers, cabinets,...the whole kit and caboodle? He who owns an on-shore factory rules!

i thought I’d leave the statistical analysis for a true engineer (such as yourself). Go ahead Mojo, and impress and wow us … put me to shame

in other words … complete conjecture

All the lines are full of M5s today. No room to build any other speakers or the Bryston amps.

I just ordered 2 pairs of M5's LOL

. Ian will have to build yours in his living room.

Bookshelves or OW? That will be 3 pairs for you!

Both. A bookshelf to replace existing and trading in. Only reason I am doing this is to get a custom finish over the black vinyl. Then OW's for the family room. I just did a comparison in the family room. A sonos sound bar vs m22v3 with a cheap receiver. It wasn't close. I returned the sonos. I wasn't expecting the sound bar to fully compete but the gap between the two was pretty far.

You like the v4 soundstage better than your old M80s?

I have m80v4's that I got by trading up a while ago. My 7.2 theater room is all Axiom v4's except the subs which are PSA's. I've heard the ti's. v2's v3's and v4's. The v4 series Axioms are a step up from previous models. M5HP's are a special bookshelf.

Spiroh, could you post a comparison review of both products on a separate thread? Before I decided on passive speakers + AVR last year, I scoured the internet looking for consumer comparisons of Sonos/Bose/LG sound bars with conventional speakers, and didn't find much. The nice thing about Axiom's forum is that their contents show up in search engines.

There was a consensus that separates were better, but none of them quantified what those differences were (Channel separation? Compression at high volumes? Fake channel effects? Cabinet resonances?).

I prefer the looks of a sound bar and convenience of wireless, but I have a hunch I would have also returned one to pursue sound quality.

Yup, I can do that. Keep in mind I already returned the sonos soundbar and sub so I will have to go by memory. That said it was EASY to compare both of them.

This is quite the thread and not the first time now that people have asked in the past year+.
I got reasonably quick responses from Ian when i was looking at changing things around the past year. Sales Andrew i suspect is swamped. Calling is a hit and miss now as to whether someone answers or you get voice mail.
I have no doubt that things have changed with the retiring of several veteran front end folk, but if a company is that busy, they should be hiring people to fill those roles to maintain the service level, even if they are new and unfamiliar with everything yet.

Not sure what is happening, but sadly the customer service has taken a major hit. Sales Andrew has done well for me when i got a hold of him so it isn't the final outcome that has me thinking (i got a bum driver replaced, shipped and received in a few days, got my order put in all done in a few days, emails received almost instantly and acknowledged any email sent was received) but more that the efficiency and likely lack of staff is causing a frustrating waiting situation for customers who are trying to get a hold of someone. After returning my speakers for trade-ins, it took some time (months) and some poking from me to eventually get the credit from the finance folk. A local friend was waiting for Axiom to get back to him to sort out the cost of some LFRs; he hasn't heard anything in months and got no one to answer the phone the couple of times he called.

Axiom is still open, running, doing business, but i hope they are hearing the forum folk and working on getting the customer service back up to their old reputation before too long.
As it is, i was trying to get in a call to the service people because of the dead channel in our Axiom amp, but the only way to contact Axiom now is by phone or the generic 'send us a message' page. They no longer list their service email. YET, because i still had the old service email, i used it and a few hours later i got a ticket for service. That happened much more quickly than going through Sales Andrew.
However, i'm also not sure what to do from here.
I've had no further communications in this regard so i guess i'll be having to call them again myself to find out what is happening.

Stay tuned.

So in the email i received, there is some Mantis Bug Tracker page associated with Axiom. I clicked on these links but to login you need an account. I'm not certain this is for the end user or whether this is for Axiom's internal service people.
There were no instructions received with the service ticket in this regard.

Got a call from Sales Andrew yesterday and i followed up with him today. Tried calling three times from yesterday to day and got him on the third try.
Not bad overall, but still not like years ago when the phone was answered by someone all the time, first try in my experience.

Amp is going to be returned for assessment and repair. Gotta dig out that original box now...

I'm sure they are loosing new customers. We may be willing to call three times but a new custom probably won't. I was a bit nervous ordering speakers the first time even though I followed this board for several years. If I called and no-one answered the phone and didn't get back to me in reasonable time ... I think I would have bagged.

I wouldn't answer the phone at all! You know why? Who wants to talk to someone for an hour about whether or not 4 Ohms is more powerful than 8 Ohms? Or if M3 is better than M2 for acid jazz? Or if M5 will be enough speaker for a 4' x 4' room? At the end of that hour, maybe an M2 will be sold. Or maybe Andrew will have thrown himself off the 30m sub tower.

You wanna buy a speaker? There's an on-line store. You wanna return something? Send an e-mail. You don't like either of those options? Go to a dealer.

Mojo, I think you’d better not go into business for your self … you’d starve to death

The sad thing is, I am right.

Mojo, that's certainly not the rep they were after for the last decade plus, and it's certainly not how they got here. Of course things change. One change has been their value proposition; they used to great deal for the quality; now I think they are simply reasonable. If the service change is intentional, then I'm not a fan; if it's due to staffing or world events I hope it corrects itself soon.

As for you being right, I can't agree. Taking myself as an average customer, I've probably called them 3-4 times. One, the first, was probably unnecessary; assuming they had the same web site functionality 10 or so years ago. Another was to find out if I could get LFRs with HP drives. (The web site doesn't offer the option; but it otherwise silent on the topic. I got two answers on that from different people; 1 yes, 1 no). And another call was to try and get a refund after my emails went unanswered. In fact I've *never* had a general email answered, and several emails to specific sales reps have not been answered.

I know it sounds like I'm dumping on Axiom, but the thing is - I like Axiom - and I still feel this way. How do you think a new customer is going to react? So I agree with rrlev, I think they're losing customers.

Cork, what happened to you certainly isn't cool. I remember the fiasco with the HP drivers. Not getting answers to e-mails about a refund is unacceptable. I struggle though with those who spend hours of an agent's time on topics that are best answered through research or by others like board members, installers or consultants. Maybe the agent just has to have enough confidence to say "Axiom is not qualified to provide consulting on this matter." Otherwise, prices are driven up and folks who need real help with returns, etc can't be helped.

For custom finish options and the price they are still a no brainer. As someone whos in a position “beyond capacity” the opportunity cost of answering the phone vs getting work done is a no brainer. Leave the phone alone.

It is 100% better for a business to work with existing customers and fill orders than give time to tire kickers if you have limited resources. As Mojo says the web interface is fine and google was working for general questions last time I checked…. Lol.

In general, most questions can be found or answered in the forum, and frankly there are people here strong enough to design ground up rooms if help is needed. As for an RMA or refund I have always had a direct line or email to someone. No issues.

We did considerable business with Axiom this past year. No complaints on my end at all.

If they are so busy they can't return a call with-in an hour or two or answering email within 24 hours perhaps a 2nd customer service person might be worth the salary. If the factory can't keep up with all the orders then the lead times for product need to be extended. People understand if CS tells them that it will take longer because there is a queue of orders to be filled before theirs. If it's a problem they can decide not to wait and order else where. Keeping the client informed will preserve them a a potential client in the future. The other way you just turn them off and it's doubtful you'll ever get a order.

Axiom built up my loyalty as a customer through excellent customer service, so it's disappointing to hear about the current lack of follow-through with communication. I know I would look for other options if I emailed and phoned and couldn't get the information or assistance I was looking for as a first-time customer. At this point I'm in it for the long haul, but I would also still like to recommend them to friends and family and coworkers. I don't think I can do that until I hear of this trend changing.

I've had a couple of recent interactions where businesses have gotten back to me, and it was timely, but I still felt underwhelmed by the response because they didn't try to find a solution. It was basically a so-sorry situation, and the communication ended. I emailed Priority Bicycles about my new bike's fenders giving me the occasional rattle, so I thought I'd see if they had any tips for reducing it or eliminating it altogether. They said to make sure the bolts were all good and tight, but to expect some rattle when going over bumps. Not a terrible answer, but also no real knowledge on display or desire to see my concern resolved. I had already been looking through online discussions with tons of possible fixes, which I'll have to start trying, but I thought going straight to the source, who have experience with that exact bike/fender combo would help narrow my efforts.

The other interaction was also bike-related. I tried ordering an Ortlieb pannier through a local bike shop's website. Maybe 4 or so business days later, they emailed to say their supplier was having trouble fulfilling the order, along the lines of not being able to find the product in their warehouse. Their phone calls and emails to the supplier went nowhere, so they refunded me the money and apologized. Again, not a terrible response, but they also didn't ask if they could help me find a different bag for my needs. It was just hey, sorry, couldn't deliver, goodbye.

With short answers not giving me a feel-good experience, I don't know how much patience I'd have for no answer.

I disagree.

Although automation can bring about efficiencies, some things NEED to be dealt with one on one. Try calling your local ISP or cell phone provider to sort out an issue solely by email or online forms and tell me you won't go mad. It is maddening enough to get your ISP on the phone only for the front line person to run you through an obvious list that annoys the hell out of an experienced individual
"Is the unit plugged in?"
Oh good lord.

I've had a career in mostly client based industry (consulting) and there are two simple things for business to be effective in this regard:
1) communicate QUICKLY
It doesn't matter if you have an answer or not, letting a person know you received their email, phone message, doesn't matter, is huge in keeping initial frustration to a minimum.
2) how well does the issue/query get resolved?
This is efficiency based as well as, yes, CUSTOMER SERVICE based. If you drag your heels, give answers that have no basis, do not follow up, regardless of the method of communication, you WILL lose their business. A local friend is set to return LFRs because Axiom never got back to him on pricing (as one very recent example).

The mode by which communication occurs, is not the issue but i will say, phone calls get shit done way faster and more clearly, bar none.

I should add though, from those of us who've been with Axiom for as long as we have, this is a downturn in what used to be a hallmark of their business. Sadly, as with Onkyo, decline in customer service, or product quality sometimes signals trouble with the company.
Rumours start to fly!

Speaking of customer service, our furnace stopped working today, has an error code.
Texted our HVAC provider. Got a response, on a Saturday of a long weekend, in 20 minutes. They forwarded my number to the on call tech. He called less than 10 minutes later. Will be here in a couple of hours.
ON A SATURDAY OF A LONG WEEKEND!

No complaints here, unless he borks our furnace (that would be point #2 mentioned above), but they nailed point #1!

Here's another customer service issue this week. Needed to replace some ink pads for our printer (no thanks to Epson). Place in England sells them, nice retrofit product.
Had to wait a few weeks to get the envelope though.
One of the pads is missing.
I contacted them via the service email. Got an auto reply BUT, i have my ticket in so i know they have acknowledged/logged my 'issue and as such, they nailed #1.
Let's see how they follow through with point #2.

What's the error? If it's a Lennox furnace, I discovered the dreaded "Watchguard" error. It happened twice over 6 years, each visit was $300. I discovered that it's an easy fix with sandpaper and isopropyl alcohol, so when it happened again last November, I saved myself $300!

And on another note, I've noticed it my Onkyo hasn't spontaneously clicked for at least a month.

It's a Rheem furnace. The error is related to a pressure sensor and blower gate, so, not something i can diagnose.

On the customer service side of things (three this week), all three replied in reasonable time and each had an idea of how to resolve. Although the overnights are a bit chill, we opted not to get the furnace fixed until after the long weekend but we won't be charged for an emergency fee either. My inkpad issue has the option for a partial refund (and assurance that it should still work ok with a partial fix i devised) or they'll send me another pad. Now we'll see how Axiom follows through on point #2 this week!

First update since May.
Multiple calls and emails to find out where the returned amp was at over the past few weeks with no response. It's been a month. Finally got sales Andrew on the phone yesterday. When you can get him on the phone, all is well and things get done. If not, things sit.
Going out on a limb here, i think he needs help. They need to hire and train more customer service people, at least one more if not two.

As for the amp, 'should' be returned next week. Apparently it failed in a way they have never seen before. I should have asked for more specifics out of curiosity but my mind was somewhere else yesterday.

Finally got the ADA back last week.
Then i discovered a heat sink fell off somewhere inside, (had a rattle when i took the amp out of the box). Apparently it was a part off an inductor and as such, the unit was unsafe to run.
Just got another (new) amp now this week.

Maybe, finally, this saga is coming to an end.

I sure hope so. My ADAs have been rock solid, thankfully. I don't look forward to the day there's some sort of failure and I have to be without amplification for part of my system for any stretch of time.

You mean something like 4 months??

Once i get this ADA hooked back up, i'm going to be curious to see what the sound is like after having used the LFR880s without the DSP and no back channels for nearly a half year. I know my 'reference' sound to my ears/brain will have changed. Havent' done any music listening since the ADA went down. Just tv shows and movies.

I can add to the amp saga. I just received my za-1000 after waiting 5 months for it. And the toroidal transformer is loose. Looks like the 2 stacked nuts that hold down the toroid we’re not tightened down. Not sure what to do. Looks easy enough to pull the cover and tighten them up but I dont know if anything was buggered by the toroid moving. Guess I’m sending it back…..gonna try and get ahold of them and see what’s reasonable. The amp doesn’t look like what you see in the pictures either.

And the axiom transformer DAc/streamer looks different than my first one too. I like the finish of the first one I got.

Bummer man, I was looking forward to trying the ZA out.

Yes, that ZA has to go back. It's possible the toroid's ferrite core has cracked depending on what kind of mechanical shock it experienced.

Finally got the new amp late last week and hooked up over the weekend. All seems to be well again. I have yet to run Odyssey to get everything setup so i know the surrounds presently are set too loud for their locations. I might set them manually as well in case i prefer the sound without Odyssey. Hopefully i'll have time to run some curves so i can see the change in sound response.

One thing i didn't realize is that i think my old amp wasn't triggering on/off properly. The new amp definitely shuts off with the trigger, blue light goes out, audible click. With the previous amp, i don't recall a clear loud click, though i think there was something (but could also just have been the sound of the Denon shutting down) and the blue light never turned off.
I think all is finally well.

i had some issues with one of my ADA1500 amps. what ended up solving the problem was putting a dual usb fan pumping in cool air into the unit. so now the amp stays cold to the touch and no extra noise, no channels that seem to drop out.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08ZSRYH94/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

even on the mid setting the fans are silent from where I am sitting. With my current setup i had located each of the amps and lfr dsp inside a front cabinet that is under the TV. the added fan helped to keep them cool.

Odd that you had channels dropping due to heat. I would expect the unit would shut down if it hit such a point long before something detrimental occurs.

For the price the ADA1500 is fantastic, but if i have any longer term issues or recurring ones, i'll be looking for another brand. The last got sent back last week.

On a related note, i was reading a thread in the CanuckAM forums the other day and someone was complaining about getting not great service (no communications) from Bryston.

Having visited Axiom in September, the factory was in chaos. They are integrating the Bryston team - admin, engineering, manufacturing, etc. into the Dwight location. Ian mentioned that the offshore manufacturing of the Bryston product (not including the speakers) was being brought into the factory. This brings challenges, as he cannot expand the factory due to regional fire regulations. Ian explained that these regulations have killed off manufacturing in the near north. Specifically, factories above a certain square footage of manufacturing space must have access to fire hydrants...which for those of you that have visited Axiom know is impossible for our fave speaker company. Digging supply ponds is also a challenge on the safety, environmental and other fronts...but I digress.

The front office for those who have been to Dwight, was in transition to accommodate the incoming office engineering team.

Poor Debbie was obviously overwhelmed in her role, but maintained her spirit in moving Axiom forward...including making decisions on product logo location - overriding Ian's decision in one case!

The factory looks like chaos to you because you are not a certified audio superfactory professional.

I for one would get rid of product logos as part of a factory simplification campaign.

Sounds like a nutty time in Dwight.

The solution I'd try would be for Bryston to buy or rent a bit of Axiom's land. Now they have two companies each hopefully allowed a certain amount of building space (per fire code). If that flew ,... Bryston would be allowed to build another building which Axiom can rent space in and Bryston can hire Axiom to Manufacture it's stuff. (all assuming it's a per company limitation and not a % land one)

In this case Manufacturing stays were it is and can use what ever extra space is gained by moving everything else to Bryston's new building ...

You know me ... Just another crazy thought ....

That's not how it works. Obviously you are also not a certified audio superfactory professional.

Unfortunately, it does not work that way. Axiom is 25 km from the nearest town, Huntsville approx./ 20,000 people and there is no domestic water supply - this is a very rural area, usually called the near north or cottage country.

So, how does it work. What are the limits.
I would imagine a fire hydrant requirement would be for a building of a certain size, type of use, and/or number of occupants ...

Anyway, there is usually a way around stuff.

No way around. But under...that's a possibility. Under highway 60 and into the Lake of Bays. All Ian has to do is get on Twitter and ask Elon for help.

Busted ...
Didn't know you specialized in Dewitt fire regulations ...
Oh, Didn't think of that ...

What is the significance of Dewitt?

Read my initial response. There are limits to the size of the factory based on the access to fire department and water supply. This is very rural area - limited fire departments, no public water supply - and building a water supply has many other government and environmental challenges.

Based on your line of questioning, I would hazard a guess you have never visited? :-)
Google map the factory and you will see how rural they are.

Dwight … must have been auto correct
Yeah, must be auto correct

Because you know, there is a Dewitt fire department. And besides the fact that they're telling folks they can't burn wood, I saw nothing wrong with their regs.

As for Dwight there are no regs or laws.

Not sure if they are super busy or not but I've been waiting for my order since early May

Not at all. Axiom folk say things to customers that should not be advertised. Maybe Axiom does that on purpose. I don't know so I mostly keep my mouth shut about those things.

There just isn't any more factory space to build all the M5s on order. It's a nice problem to have until it isn't.

i'd be surprised if Axiom can't just buy another plot down the road ...
There are always solutions.

That said ...
I'm starting to suspect you're pulling my leg and having a good laugh

What you have to understand is Dwight and the surrounding area are not like your part of the world. Axiom doesn't have to go buy another plot. There is no such concept as "buying land" in Dwightville. This is why Ian bought a second Doosan. You think that Doosan is for making audio parts? Not yet it isn't. First, Axiom needs to build "implements" to conquer the surrounding land.

You're Right, Mojo ... I'm so confused ...
How does a 2nd CNC help with SQ FT expansion of the factory?

Because our government has taken away our guns but not our butter knives. So the metal CNC machine will be used to build butter knives to arm Axiom employees so they may conquer the surrounding land and expand the factory.

I know this is confusing for you because you are in software and not hardware. Don't worry. I am here to gently guide you through this.

I doesn't, Mojo is trying to be funny, but not actually factual.

The fire hydrant thing sounded reasonable.
All the other stuff, I know was least 1/2 humor . Thought, maybe there's something factual in there.
So, he had me a bit on the fire regs until he claimed there wasn't any. The CNC thing was like huh?

Anyway, let him have his fun. (I'll get him back later )

Mojo, go back on the meds. Seriously.

BB, the customer service changes happened before 'Braxiom'. Granted the amalgamation of the two companies can create impacts in various ways, however these days a common phrase in business is "change management". Smart businesses forecast impacts from major changes to alleviate the impact before change is brought about and I'm sure Ian thought about such impacts before cramming two companies together. Dying off on the customer service is a sure fire way of starting threads just like this one (is the company defunct?) which not only drives off new customers, but starts to place doubt for existing customers that it is no longer the company that it used to be.

Brings me to my next point.
I finally got my amp back, or rather a whole new one because of the two issues with the first one (a dead module which apparently happened in a way they had never seen before and second, after its return, found a rather important heat sink had fallen off a crucial part rendering the amp unusable...send it back again).

I haven't had much time to sit and listen alot and have yet to setup Odyssey, but last night during a short tv stint (watching some old Lost episodes), there was a quiet moment in the dialogue and something audible finally hit me that i've been hearing for a couple of weeks (since receiving the amp replacement) that i consciously thought to myself "where the heck is that coming from?".
It was a buzzing noise.
Thought it was the spinning HDD of the older PVR. I unplugged it. That was not the issue.
Tracked it down to a buzz from the two woofers on the backside of the right LFR880 (not the left, only the right and not the front channel, only the back).

I turned off the Denon and then i turned off the Axiom DSP. The buzz was still there.
It is obviously coming from the amp. Yes, the new amp.
Possibly a ground loop hum, but only out of one specific set of drivers?? (there are two sets of drivers on that same speaker).
AND, i never had a ground loop hum with the first ADA amp i had so...WTH?

Two more tests today before i either contact Axiom or ask for rational thoughts from the forum folk.
I'm going to:
1) swap the L and R speaker cables on the amp to see the buzz is created solely from a specific amp module. I can also swap the rear speaker cables to the front driver inputs to also check if it is specific to one amp module.
2) i will try plugging the amp into a different wall outlet, take it off the power bar (if it is plugged into that atm), etc.

Any other thoughts before i pull my hair out with this seemingly unending issues with the ADA1500?

THAT'S the spirit!

Chess,

I hear you … I'll be sending my ADA1000-8 in for service too and hopefully will not experience your repeated "return" loop. I’m also spending some time to make sure they will be able to reproduce the problem (which is taking way longer than I planned). I don’t want it returned as “not reproducible” or “must be a ground loop”.

My amp has a very low level buzz on all its connected channels 6 heights/tops. It’s loud enough to be unmistakable but low enough to be drowned out when the projector is on.

Note, not a ground loop ... first test I did. But while I was doing that I hit something interesting. If only one of the ADA inputs is connected to the preamp (two if the same ADA board) ...no buzz. If two or more channels were connected across amp boards ... it buzzed. This happened even if nothing was plugged into the prepro (even the power power cord)... But I needed reproducible proof without the prepro in the equation ...

I don't expect anyone to do this (even if you're an EE) ... but
After a few iterations, I ended up simulating the prepro by terminating the ADA inputs with a resistor (valued close to the prepro's output impedance) and tying all the input grounds together (didn't matter if I tied signal ground to earth ground). This seemed to reliably reproduce the buzz. I'll include that test cable when I send the unit in ... but just in case, I also took a few FFTs so they could see what I was getting here.

I'll send it in over vacation to minimize time without it.

Think you're on the right track. You have been very unlucky ...

Although I understand why (covid and now this merger) ... it's often hard to have paitents. The last few years have been hard on every body. Customer service and factory QA seemed to suffer the most. But, I think things are improving ... Andrew(F) seems to be growing into his role but QA still needs work as you have experienced. During this time i've had issues like my ADA1250 coming in without any screws holding the XLR input sockets to the case, LFRs not quite evenly stained OR even more amazing to me that someone actually installed the driver in one of my EP600 with a huge bubble where the suspension was unevenly glued to the cone (still need to get that fixed). Now I should point out that for every problem there were many more things that came in problem free.

It's much easier for me to be patient as I feel I owe them ,.. Axiom has in the past bent over backwards to meet my needs (like holding stuff for over 4 years, and putting up with mind boggling changes to what I was buying ... i.e. virtually trading in stuff before it was ever built). Anyway, they have proven to me that in the end they will always make things right.