Axiom tradeoffs

December 5, 2003

Editor,

I’d like to start off by saying thank you for offering such an awesome site with such a wealth of information, making it possible for a novice like me to maneuver the twist and turns of an ever-changing industry. I feel I’d very much be lost without your excellent reviews and the general information your SoundStage! Network provides.

After much thought and consideration (and reading your reviews), I have decided to purchase an Axiom home-theater system. My only hang up is choosing between the M22s and M60s for mains. My room dimensions and listening position are flexible enough that either would be suitable. I would prefer the M60s for no reason other than I like the look of towers (not very rational, I know), but I’m concerned that the M60 is compromised (compared to the M22) to some extent in the mids and highs in order to provide deeper bass (I’ve read many towers have to compromise the mids and highs to provide better lows). Reviewing some of your speaker measurements, clearly the M22s are more linear than the other Axiom towers (M40 and M80) in the mids and highs. The review of the M22s clearly praised their midrange and treble performance relative to any speaker at any price. I notice you recently reviewed the Axiom M60 home-heater system, and I was hoping you could comment on this question.

I’m thinking that since I’ll have at least one sub in the system (which should provide the best low end possible, compared to any tower), I should focus on getting the best speaker in the midrange and treble.

(1) As excellent as the M60s are, do the M22s outperform the M60s in the midrange and treble regions, as the speaker measurements of the other Axiom towers suggest?

(2) Or are the M60s equally outstanding in this regard but have the added benefit of better and more lower end?

Thank you kindly for the help in resolving such a difficult choice for me.

Jane

If someone told you that in order to build a larger three-or-more-way tower speaker you must sacrifice the midrange and treble in order to get bass, that person basically told you a lie. A larger speaker, like a three-way, is much harder to design than a two-way simply due to the complexity of having more drivers to make work together. But that doesn't mean it can't be better. The truth is the person who made the statement had probably never heard a well-designed three-way tower speaker. So maybe that person wasn't lying -- he or she just didn't know.

Axiom designer Ian Colquhoun told me that the M22 is actually based on the M60 design -- less the two woofers that the M60 has to provide deep bass. And although we have not measured the M60, there is actually no reason why the upper frequencies of the M22 shouldn't be very similar to those of the M60 -- the woofers affect the lower frequencies.

In my opinion, the real reason you might pick one speaker over the other is whether you are going to use a subwoofer (you clearly are). If you were not going to use a subwoofer, then the M60s will offer considerably more bass. If you are going to use a subwoofer, then you might want to consider saving a little money and letting the sub handle most of the bass. In this type of configuration you also get the benefit of placing the satellite speakers for best imaging and the subwoofer for the best bass performance in your room. The drawback to this type of system, I find, is integrating the sub and the satellites -- that can sometimes be a little tricky...Doug Schneider