Axioms and Ascends

I dont think the Ascends are "giant killers" like all the reviews says. I had both a pair of Ascend CBM-170's and a pair of PSB Stratus Mini's in my house at the sametime and the Ascends were no where near as good. The leap between the two was a huge leap and with the Mini's they actually sounded like music the Ascends sounded like Mid-Fi.

edit: "...would NOT use them in a main system without a sub." Sorry for the confusion.

Axioms have great quality and value. I am just breaking in a pair of M3ti in a small bedroom and am happy so far. But, then I don't have great expectations and would use them in a main system without a sub. They will go flat to 70 Hz and are -3 dB at about 65 dB (in room). I found them to be bright only at high volumes but in the bedroom I will not be playing them as loud. They stike me as a great near field monitor. They will bring out the best and the worst of recordings. My bias is towards a silk dome tweeter, especially for high volumes.

I've heard the Axioms and the Ascends, and I bought the Epos ELS-3s. I agree with Plinko that the Axioms were bright, but I found the Ascends to be just a little too laid back. The Epos (also a metal tweeter) were just right to my ears. I have a tube preamp, so that makes a difference too, compared to all SS gear.

Are any of them "better than speakers costing three times as much"? You can always find a much more expensive speaker that doesn't sound as good as what you have, so I think those kinds of comparisons are meaningless. At ~$300/pair, all of them are a good value, and I think the Epos is a great value. If you spend more money, you can get a better speaker. Decide on your budget, listen to some speakers, and enjoy the music!

David

uh, that's "I do not believe the reviews are accurate". that was confusing.

No, I do not believe the reviews are not accurate. You must have serious room treatments to have the Axiom's sound *really* nice with those metal tweeters.

Axioms are priced so low for a reason. The people who make these speakers are smart enough to know that.

Btw, they are the best speaker I have had but now my system has outgrown them and I will be upgrading soon. I have M60s. I had the M22s before for a couple weeks. I strongly believe the M22s are the best but you need a sub. I couldn't get the sub integrated to my liking so I went with the 60s. I believe Axioms are well suited to rock music.

I have not heard Ascends. If you go over to the Axiom website, the 'cult' will tell you Axioms are way better. Surprise surprise. You will also find at their website that these speakers are 'neutral'. My opinion is that they tend towards bright.

I hope my comments didn't lean towards the negative side of things. Now that I am at the point where I'm looking to bring my speakers up to the level of my components perhaps my opinion is skewed.