Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Questions for all you M60 Owners.

A couple of things have transpired on these threads within the last few days which completely upset that which I thought was True and Right with the (audio) world, and is causing great anguish in my new speaker purchase, Such as...

All axiom speakers sound pretty much alike after all. And my new speakers of choice are missing some fairly important information in those areas critical to my new accoustically challenged listening areas desireability.

I still love the sound of my M3s, but I'm of the impression there could be better?-that's hard to believe.

Thanks to Randys' poll, I know you are there, all 120+ of you, and that's enough for a pretty good data base (or is it Bass?). So, a couple of questions if you please:

You don't need to answer if the response to either of the following is "No". I'll assume that you have no concerns in these areas. I don't know if some if these problems have been reduced thru running-changes so, if you could give me an idea of how long you've had your speakers?

I've read that a few of you have had problems with sibilance; have You?

I've also read that some of you have Ear Fatigue. For what reason? (reflective room, whatever)

Some of you have complained that, even though it has been reported on numerous reviews and posts that while the M60 is Somewhat Foreward, that the M60 is actually Too Foreward. Do any of you find this a major concern?

I know the majority of you are happy with your speakers, you have been collectively reminding me of that every day and every day again. ...and again. Very compelling; great user reviews and comparisons and almost gushing testimonials, By Gosh, I've been Brainwashed here!? (Or is it that dang M60 Posse?)

so then, Anybody not happy? Why?

Thanks in advance for your responces,(with hat-in-hand)

Rich.

P.S. Please respond, I'm pulling the trigger on my new speaker order Next Week!!

I'll kick this off. I have M60s, M2s, VP100 and Paradigm Atoms. Have owned Quads, Rogers LS3/5a and KEFs in the past.

Bought the M2s first. Never felt them to be bright (in fact I loved the sound from the moment they came out of the box) but I did find them really edgy at first. That went away after a few days, probably will never know if that was brain adjusting or drivers breaking in.

Bought the M60s after the M2s. Relative to the M2s I found the 60s to be quite mellow... probably because the extended bass made the sound more balanced.

In my bedroom upstairs (very live walls, 13x17, blinds rather than drapes) there might be a bit of ear fatigue. In the rec room downstairs (13x23, heavy drapes, lots of furniture) there's not a hint of fatigue -- if anything I would probably tweak the treble up a bit if I could.

I haven't found the 60s (or the 2s) to introduce sibilance where there is none on other speakers, but on any recording where you hear sibilance on other speakers I guess you might hear a bit more on the M60s. I think the way to think about it is that the M3s probably reduce a bit of sibilance in the recordings, not that the 60s introduce it.

Bottom line; I don't think this is a "good or bad" situation. The M2/M22/M60/M80 family will sound a bit more "clear" than the M3/M40/M50 family, but if there are bad things on the recording the bad things will be more clear just like the good things.

I guess one question is "what would you most like to improve about the M3s ?". If you're looking for great bass, smoother/more open sound at high volumes etc... then M50s will give you all that and more -- if you wish there was a bit more "clarity" sometimes then the M60s will add that but will probably expose a few more warts in your music collection.

My first thought would be that it's probably easier to go with 60s and make them sound like 50s with room treatments than it is to go the other way. The difference is supposed to be fairly subtle, a good example being the M50 vs. M22 comparison :

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=ST&Number=47919&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1

Also :

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=HT&Number=78117&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=50%2022%20which&Match=And&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=1year&Main=77752

Wow, thank you for your quick responce, just what I'm looking for and just as I'd hoped.

Your comment about the M60s being mellower than the M2s is interesting. (The freq plot Ian posted in December shows the M60s to be very flat, I wonder if there was a running-change reciently?)

Your "Ear Fatigue" statement makes good sense. Good answer, good answer!

Ditto on the sibilance question. I like that!

As to how I would improve the M3s; On axis they're great, but after Alans' comment about off-axis first reflections being low on the M50s,I got to listening to my M3s to the side and found that yes, they do seem to fall off maybe a little sooner than I guess I would have expected. (without much realy to compare them to) So I guess what I need is a speaker with better dispersion characteristics than the M3s.

Your last comment pretty well sums it up. If the M60 sounds closer to the M50 than I had been led to believe over these last few years, then the M60 sure seems to be the way to go at this point.

Thank you so very much for your quick responce!

Rich.

Yeow, how did this get so W-I-D-E-?
Is it wide for everyone else, or is it just me? Did I do something wrong or what?

If it's not wide for everyone else, please disreguard this post.

If it is wide for all, how do I STOP IT?!!

The long link is what is making the post so wide. To fix it, put the link inside the [url] tag.

The code: [*url=http://www.example.com] text that will appear as a link[/url*]

Looks like this:
text that will appear as a link

* delete the asterisk when you make links, I put it in so that it wouldn't be valid code and you could see what I did.

edit: Link to BBCode descriptions

Awright, thanks so much for the assist, looks much better now!
You wouldn't have any comments about M60s, would ya?

Thanks again,
Rich.

Hey Rich,

The M60's rule. Buy them. Now.

Seriously, in about a year of heavy use, I have not perceived any of the negative traits you mention. On the contrary, I find them to be both full and detailed. I'm happy as a clam.

Perhaps if we could swap MRI scans of our ears, that might tell us if my experience is relevant to yours. But I doubt it.

One way to find out.

[/spurs and chaps]I reckon that we're gonna hafta mosey on over to ol' Rich's spread and hep him unnerstand the true virtue of the M60.

Traitor!

Dear M60 AND M50 Posse's

WHEN YER ON A FENCE IT HURTS YER...uh..OUCH!!!

Traitor; No traitor, Alan told us of missing reflections: I,
I paniced! My M3s are wimping out in my new listening room!
It'a weird room, reflective brick fireplace to my immidiate
left and fifteen feet of nothing to the Wifes' right. I
need an M50 to the left and an M60 to the right!
Wat'l I do, wat'l I do?
SeewhatImean? Both speakers sound "about" the same, right?
Just have to determine which is best In My Room.

Until a few days ago I thought there was a big difference
between the two speaker types, now it appears there are more
similarities than I had expected. If an M60 can be quite
mellow in relation to an M2, why, that sounds uh, rather
"pleasant"

If, in fact, as it seems, the M60 can be both clean and
detailed, but not have all the badness I had read about
on so many of these posts-and they work best in my room...

Historicaly I prefer a warmer speaker-like the M3; but it's
beginning to sound like the M60 isn't really that much
cooler. So, I'm on the fence...OUCH!

Thanks For The Inputs!
(oh, gosh, which horse to saddle?)

Rich.

Rich,
Just order the M60's and marvel in the great purchase!
You can always return them if you are not satisfied (which I doubt). I have listened to a lot of good and bad speakers in my day. These Axioms certainly surprise a lot of people (namely an associate who sells Bose, Polk, PSB, Sony etc.) He was shocked to say the least when he heard my M60's
Good luck in your search.