Axiom Audio M60v3 Floorstanding Loudspeakers
Axiom M60v2 Product Specifications
The Axiom M60s have been around for quite some time. Over the years the company has continually refined its performance which we can partly validate with their latest v2 edition that no longer employs electrolytic caps in series with the tweeter. Instead, they've been replaced with less lossy poly ones. Axiom has also refined the tweeter performance in their latest series and eventually plans on adding magnetic grilles and completely aluminized cones so all of the mid and bass drivers will appear completely silver. The review samples sent to us were actually early V3 versions without the magnetic grilles or silver cones. Axiom told us the performance of these speakers is identical to their latest V3 offering however.
The M60v3 employs 4 drivers with a 1" titanium tweeter, 5.25" midrange and two 6.5" woofers. They are triple vortex ported (2 rear / 1 front) with a claimed extension down to 37 Hz (-3dB). The tweeter has a 2kHz 12dB/octave HP filter while the midrange has no crossover at all relying on the natural acoustical rolloff of the driver (12dB/octave) and small sealed enclosure to provide more bass output above the tuning frequency of the ports. Unfortunately since the midrange has no HP filter, we noticed at high volume levels, the little driver was stressed though we never heard it actually bottom out which was a testament to their driver design. It's important to note that anyone wishing to use these speakers in a large room with a huge appetite for high SPL levels should consider high power amplification over a receiver to power them as these speakers can handle it. Luckily I was using the Axiom A1400-8 power amp which has enough current drive to push a train, but I wonder how many potential buyers would be using such a beast for a sub $1000 speaker system.
Overall, I found the Axiom M60v3's to have a warm and pleasing sound with excellent bass extension second only to the Klipsch RF-62 in the bass extension but not necessarily in accuracy. Depending on program material, I found the midrange was a bit recessed and chesty sounding on male vocals with notable break up at high sustained output levels, but the highs were quite detailed producing a very pleasing fullrange sound. It was a sure bet to me that these speakers would do well in the listening comparison among our panel of listeners.
Axiom M60v2 In-Room Frequency Response at Primary Listening Position
I measured
the M60v3's for all three test trials. The
dip at 400-500Hz is caused by floor bounce which is a measurement anomaly. The dip in the red trace across the entire
frequency spectrum was because I forgot to turn on both channels when pulling
that measurement like I did with all of the other measurements.
Axiom M60v2 Listener Comments for Blind Tests
With Axiom directly compared to EMP
Comments from trained listeners:
- Good overall sound but [they] don't blend as well leaving a somewhat compressed sound.
- Compressed and recessed midrange,
deeper bass but not very accurate, lacking snap or kick to the bass. Too much
sibilance in female vocals
Comments from other listeners: - Three listeners felt the sound was very balanced.
- One listener specifically felt the
soundstage was larger and more like a live performance but felt they were
average sounding speakers with boomy bass.
With Axiom directly compared to JBL
Comments from trained listeners:
- Clean, well-blended sound, natural vocal quality but more compressed.
- Pleasing natural sound but floppy bass.
Comments from other listeners:
- Crisper bass and more 3D sounding.
- Natural and dynamic sound.
- Mushy bass, vocals recessed, detailed instrumentals.
- Highs were smoother than the other speaker.
With Axiom compared to Klipsch
Comments from trained listeners:
- Bright natural tone, pleasant vocals, good full range sound.
- Recessed mids, loose bass.
Comments from other listeners:
- Very accurate vocals, favorite speaker of the two.
- Natural sound but bass not as tight as the other speaker.
- Highs not as defined as other speaker and sound is slightly recessed.
- Average performance, not something I would buy.
- Klipsch Rep: No sense of imaging in my seat as I was sitting too far off axis.
See also:
Recent Forum Posts:
I think its better to agree to disagree on design aspects of loudspeakers and just be done with it. Everyone has their own reasoning that may work best (in their minds) for them. 100% truth can never be realized in something as subjective and emotional as the audiophile experience.
There are MANY satisfied Axiom customers in the marketplace and it is obvious Axiom is meeting their needs. There are also many competing brands for those wanting something else. The free market rules!
Going forward, I'd like to keep a more open mind and positive attitude towards all manufacturers and let the consumers decide based on our reviews and their experiences with the products if said products are right for their needs.
Mods please note this and lets put the brakes on any future threads that turn out like this.
I am closing this thread on a high note with hopes we can continue to cover new Axiom products for the benefit of readers interested in learning more about them.
Paul_Apollonio;857427
I followed the link to the Axiom site, and would like to make an engineering sidenote. First of all by eliminating the series high-pass capacitor (at the VERY minimum) needed to protect the midrange from dangerous levels of peak LF content, this lowers the impedance of the system in a range where the output of the mids add NOTHING to the output of the Woofer; hence lowering system sensitivity. First bad. Second bad = pretending the worst of this can be found with a distortion sweep looking for 2nd and 3rd Harmonics. RUBBISH. The problem is that by eliminating the High Pass (HP) filter on the mids, the LF content will move the VC about, possibly out of the gap and thereby allow the LF to modulate (read distort) the midrange the speaker produces. With a sweeping test (one frequency at a time) there is NO WAY to see this effect, and Axiom is well aware of that. To see this effect, one must put in two frequencies simultaneously and view the output on a spectrum analyzer. (One can see distortion products as sum and difference frequencies) This is a simple process and one all audio engineers are familiar with. Sadly, not all customers are, so the charade continues.
Even if the Midrange driver is made INCREDIBLY stiff, and placed in a very very small sealed enclosure minimizing excursion and hence this distortion, subjecting the midrange VC to the heat caused by the LF content is NEVER better than saving the price of the series capacitor. Unless, I guess, it is your money, and you don't really care about stressing an amp or drive unit you get paid to replace.
There is such a thing as recommended practice and procedures, and the practice of eliminating the high pass filter, even if only a single series capacitor from the midrange driver is not a good idea by any stretch of imagination. In fact, it is a sign the designer is clueless or could care less about the result.
As for the listening tests, there are never any shortage of people willing to claim a given distortion is inaudible. Of course, if you limit the input power to very low levels, you won't hear this problem. You won't hear many speaker distortions as most only show up on high drive levels.
Certain physical principles apply to design, and it does not matter the brand or the politics involved. Allowing the large peak amplitudes of low frequency content to get to a midrange speakers voice coil is a terribly bad idea period.
This is not a new concept. (At least to competent engineers who are not counting nickles and pennies). - Paul Apollonio
Axiom did this with the M80v1 as well with not so successful results.
Emonatics - Emotiva Fans Site [emonatics.com]
gene;856611
{Heavily edited by me}
Nobody really wants unfavorable comments written about their products and proud owners of said products don't want to see negative comments either.
The bottom line is Axiom has always had a problem with our critical review process. They don't like negative comments about products. They don't like face offs. They seemingly don't like measurements or blind tests done outside their facilities. They have told me this many times in the past in person and via email. They instead prefer consumers to accept their science and testing as gospel that spending more money than what they sell their speakers for is simply purchasing cosmetic upgrades.
I've spent 12+ years comparing speakers (sighted and blind) from virtually every manufacturer and my experiences don't always match what Axiom preaches.
In my experience Axiom is NOT up to the level of legitimately well engineered cost no object speakers however.
While there are some outlandish speaker designs out there, there are also some incredible sounding products that happen to cost a lot too.
Performance is all over the map but it doesn't necessarily stop progressing at a magic price point.
I'd honestly like to stop the bantering back and forth on this topic. It's been beaten to death and nobody gains from it.
I won't be commenting any further about Axiom on the forums. I've said everything that needed to be said.
I followed the link to the Axiom site, and would like to make an engineering sidenote. First of all by eliminating the series high-pass capacitor (at the VERY minimum) needed to protect the midrange from dangerous levels of peak LF content, this lowers the impedance of the system in a range where the output of the mids add NOTHING to the output of the Woofer; hence lowering system sensitivity. First bad. Second bad = pretending the worst of this can be found with a distortion sweep looking for 2nd and 3rd Harmonics. RUBBISH. The problem is that by eliminating the High Pass (HP) filter on the mids, the LF content will move the VC about, possibly out of the gap and thereby allow the LF to modulate (read distort) the midrange the speaker produces. With a sweeping test (one frequency at a time) there is NO WAY to see this effect, and Axiom is well aware of that. To see this effect, one must put in two frequencies simultaneously and view the output on a spectrum analyzer. (One can see distortion products as sum and difference frequencies) This is a simple process and one all audio engineers are familiar with. Sadly, not all customers are, so the charade continues.
Even if the Midrange driver is made INCREDIBLY stiff, and placed in a very very small sealed enclosure minimizing excursion and hence this distortion, subjecting the midrange VC to the heat caused by the LF content is NEVER better than saving the price of the series capacitor. Unless, I guess, it is your money, and you don't really care about stressing an amp or drive unit you get paid to replace.
There is such a thing as recommended practice and procedures, and the practice of eliminating the high pass filter, even if only a single series capacitor from the midrange driver is not a good idea by any stretch of imagination. In fact, it is a sign the designer is clueless or could care less about the result.
As for the listening tests, there are never any shortage of people willing to claim a given distortion is inaudible. Of course, if you limit the input power to very low levels, you won't hear this problem. You won't hear many speaker distortions as most only show up on high drive levels.
Certain physical principles apply to design, and it does not matter the brand or the politics involved. Allowing the large peak amplitudes of low frequency content to get to a midrange speakers voice coil is a terribly bad idea period.
This is not a new concept. (At least to competent engineers who are not counting nickles and pennies). - Paul Apollonio
agarwalro;857098
Perhaps I was a little curt in my last post. I sensed something that was valuable and worth saving and perhaps overreacted. Moving on...
$5 says Jim Salk can match the finish on any of those Lansche veneers .
My remark was not really about Gene but the credibility of the AH reviews and their process
Now we move on!!!!!!!!
Some remarks been said that the Lansche 5.1 is the best dynamic speaker some people heard.... (Obviously they didn't listen to the upscale models from same producer) well they better be considering the price tag.... but still.... need to make sure I deliver my lotto this week
