Algonquin Build Quality and Setup

Introduction

I finally got my play/workout room completed and was in the process of putting the finishing but very critical touches on it. It was time to get my sound and video system setup. It's vital that I have good sound to keep me pumping to my favorite tunes at my home gym which allows the time to fly by during my grueling workouts. Thus I was looking for a small but potent speaker system that was easy to mount and would blend seamlessly into the room. I picked two pairs of speakers for this task and decided to mount the winner at the end of the day. The first was the Klipsch AW-525 and the second was the new Axiom Audio Algonquin (which for me is as hard to say as it is to spell). I put both speaker systems through my battery of subjective listening tests and audio measurements and was pleasantly surprised in the admirable performance of both. But, to determine which one got mounted in my room will require for you to read this review in its entirety.

Build Quality

Axiom Audio has always been known for good build quality and above average fit and finish for a speaker in its price class. Their fit and finish has recently gone up quite a few notches with the introduction of their custom VaSSallo veneers where they offer real wood and even match the finish of your choice should you provide them with a sample swatch. In this case, the Algonquin's come in four standard finishes but I nudged Axiom to match the color I painted my room, and sure enough they did it. For a modest premium of 12%, not only did they match the color exactly but they did it for the grill covers and even the mounting brackets and associated hardware. Now that is custom!

The Drivers

The 6 1/2 inch aluminium cone woofer is the same stamped basket design borrowed from their box speakers, namely the M3s. In fact, this speaker system is the equivalent model to that with the exception to the cabinet material which is a weather resistant plastic instead of MDF. The Axiom woofer is surprisingly semi shielded in that it has the bucking magnet added but its not encased in an aluminum can. This should be fine for anyone placing the speaker in close proximity to a CRT-type display.

Again Axiom uses the same 1 inch Titanium dome tweeter found on their boxed speakers. This is a good driver and Axiom's secret recipe for why their speakers sound so articulate and detailed. It’s definitely one of the better budgeted metal domes I've heard, sharing many of the sonic virtues of some of my favorite metal domes found from the likes of Canton and NHT. It doesn't suffer from what some loudspeaker engineers refer to as Asian Metal Dome Syndrome (AMDS) that so many metal domes do where you can hear harmonic break up in the mid frequencies especially when running test tones through them. Axiom does a great job ensuring tight tolerances on their drivers so they consistently perform as expected while minimizing these sonic nasties.

Crossover

I was surprised to see such a basic crossover design void of any filter network on the bass driver and utilizing electrolytic capacitors in series with the tweeter. It's not necessarily always a bad thing to not have a filter element on the woofer, especially since it can increase efficiency. But, in a two-way system design utilizing metal cone drivers, it's usually a good idea to have a series inductive element to minimize the audible effects of the woofer's breakup mode, especially when played at loud volumes. The woofer does appear to have a series RC zobel network in parallel to smooth out the system impedance but the tweeter employs a first order network which doesn't do the greatest job at minimizing distortion at lower frequencies when played at loud levels. Although the system as a whole performed admirably, I couldn't help but wonder how much further they could have pushed the envelope of performance by employing higher quality parts and a more carefully executed crossover design. Personally I'd rather see Axiom dump the shielding magnet and upgrade the capacitors to 5% polyurethane if not for the sonic improvement as much as for longevity.

The Cabinet

The Algonquin cabinet is constructed of a special UV coated plastic with an integrated angled screen port for maximum bass extension. It has cabinet brace around the middle of the cabinet and is insulated with cotton fill in the lower cavity where the woofer resides. The crossover is mounted to the terminal cup and has no protective casing over the electronics. Although Axiom claims these speakers are fully weatherproof and waterproof, I beg to differ on their definition of what that means. In Florida where it rains pretty much daily during the summertime, I'd hate to see what happens if someone mounts these speakers in an open area and gets hit with a fierce storm of blowing rain-filled wind. My definition of waterproof is a speaker that can be submerged in a pool for a week and still play after you take it out. There are very few speakers on the market that can do this, so I categorize all others such as these as weather "resistant". My advice here is to place them under a covered lanai.

The finish on the cabinet was very clean and I loved the metal grill. My only complaint here is I wished the cabinet had been constructed of slightly thicker or more inert plastic so as to not sound so hollow when knocking on the sidewall. I realize I am nitpicking here, especially since this product is so reasonably priced but I wouldn’t be an Audioholic if I didn’t criticize every product I bring under review, no matter how much I liked it.

Set-Up & Installation

I placed the Algonquins on my 30" sand-filled Plateau speaker stands which put the tweeters right at about ear level on my Continental theater seats. The speakers were positioned about 5ft from side and back walls and spread apart about 10ft from each other which was roughly the distance from my primary listening position. After experimenting, I found they sounded their best with no toe-in. I used the Emotiva RPA-1 stereo power amp connected to my Denon AVR-5805 receiver, the Denon DVD-5910CI as the source and all Impact Acoustics Sonicwave series speaker cables and interconnects. I also had a pair of RBH Sound MC-6C bookshelf speakers on hand for reference as well as the Klipsch AW-525 outdoor speakers.

Full Metal Brackets

Mounting the Algonquins was a pretty easy chore. All of the hardware is supplied with the Full Metal Brackets except the hex bolts which are already inserted into the back of the speakers. Basically the first step is to dismantle the full metal bracket into three pieces by removing the hex bolts.

Next install the speaker mount into the speaker after you remove the supplied hex bolt from the actual speakers. But, don't get flapped up on the instructions as I did when the actual speakers have two hex bolts and the instructions only show one. Use the center bolt for the full metal bracket and the offset bolt for the ceiling bracket. I wish they would have spaced the two holes out just a tiny bit more so I could have mounted both hex bolts into the cabinet. I had to add a washer to the one hex bolt since none were supplied despite they were depicted in the installation manual. I found the speaker flexed too much under pressure, thus loosening the bolt without it. Next it was time to screw the bracket into the wall. In my case I opted to use tapcons instead of the supplied wood screws since I was mounting them onto a concrete wall. The final step is a bit tricky as you have to reassemble the bracket with the speaker attached. This is definitely a two-handed job, so use caution not to drop the speaker and double check that the hex bolts are fully secured before letting go of the speakers. Although the full metal bracket system is a bit costly ($80/pair), it's one of the only solutions on the market that I know of that gives you full horizontal and vertical pivot control. This is particularly useful in my situation where my speakers are mounted up towards the ceiling and I wish to angle them down towards the listening area. Axiom has also informed me they will be releasing a more cost effective dedicated outdoor bracket system this spring.