m22 vs. atom

Did you actually pull the trigger on the Paradigm Atoms yet (previous speaker placement thread) or are you still looking?

If you are still speaker shopping and since shelf placement was something that you were considering, why not consider a speaker that would do well on a shelf? The NHT Classic Zero and Classic Two are sealed box speakers and excel with shelf/near rear wall placement. Many positive reviews out there. They do well with tubes or solid state amplifiers.

To answer your original question, with two mid-range/woofers, the Axiom should sound fuller and richer as it is using two drivers to cover the frequency range from 60hz to 3.5khz. It would not necessarily need more power. Its efficiency rating is 89db, whereas the Atom is rated at 90db ... pretty much the same.

Regards, Rich

A friend has 2 pair of Axioms, big and little. I would tend to avoid them. He thinks they sound o.k., I think that they tend to wear their metal tweeters on their sleeve. I think they're ported too, so maybe not the best choice as Rich said for tight placement.

Good luck either way.

I did pull the trigger on the Atoms already... now I see used Axiom m22 speakers for the same price... so I'm sort of kicking myself.

I'm debating whether I should just pick up the axioms and sell the atoms or not.

As for bookshelf mounting, that idea is down the tubes... I just picked up a set of 22" stands.

Djembeplay,

Heard both Axiom and Paradigm, and IMHO I would take a Paradigm over Axiom every time. Axioms aren't bad, but I feel they are definely designed more for the HT crowd. I think that you'll be happy with the Atoms, especially if "down the road" you add a subwoofer.

No reason to kick yourself. The Atom speaker has been out there for more than 16 years ... it is a good speaker for the money. Each iteration has been a winner.

Getting back to your previous post, you should try shelf placement before buying stands. I have had cats with high flying talents for two decades now and have had to place speakers out of necessity on shelves inside of bookcases, on top of bookcases, on their sides on shelves inside of bookcases ... you get the idea. They perform pretty well, especially if the shelf/bookcase has an open back ... otherwise you wind up with a box inside of a box. If you feel that the bass response is losing something, simply plug the rear port with foam ... it will work just fine.

Regards, Rich

Thanks guys... that is SUCH a relief to hear. You have put my heart to rest :). These speakers are indeed primarily for music listening, not home theatre... so it feels good to know I made a good choice. I had a feeling having 2 midrange drivers on the axiom as opposed to 1 on the atom felt like a quality vs. quantity thing... I mean, as an extreme example, I have a pair of Fisher speakers that have 5 drivers... 2 tweeters, 2 mids, and a 15" sub... and they sound like garbage compared to the atoms.

About the stands... I actually just picked up a pair last night off of audioadvisor based on a link from another thread I posted... seemed like a good deal at $50 marked down from $200. The issue of the speakers being knocked over is indeed a concern of mine... that is one thing that appealed to me about the bookshelf route. Although I don't have any cats or dogs to worry about... there is always the occasional dancing mis-step or burning meteor through the window. I will have to think of some way to brace them well...

What do people use to attach the speaker to the stand? I heard BluTac mentioned... not sure what it is or if there is a better way...

Okay. First go to Office Max and spend $1.50 on blue poster tack as the Blu Tac is grossly over priced. Second. I've owned Paradigm Atoms and Axiom. You've done fine. Good trick is to open them up and pack the corners with rope caulking from Home Depot. It will lower the cabinet resonance if these are the older model with MDF. These are great little speakers. Enjoy

These are new V.5 atoms, but I think they still use MDF... 3/4" though, so it's pretty thick. I wouldn't have the guts to open the speakers up yet being an audio equipment newbie... but the Blu Tac alternative is intriguing.

How adhesive is this stuff? Are my speakers going to be permanently attached to the stands? I think I heard one person say they ripped off some of the finish on the bottom of their speaker by lifting it off a stand with Blu Tac.

I'll bet the Atoms would sound great with the Arcam Solo.