Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Axiom Audio M40ti Speakers by raindances

Model:	M40ti
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$490
Description:	Small Floor Standers
Manufacturer URL:	Axiom Audio
Model Picture:	View

Review by raindances ( A ) on November 05, 2003 at 13:40:13
IP Address: 38.136.14.150

Add Your Review
for the M40ti

I have had these speakers for over a year now. I believe they compete well with Paradigms; in fact they share some of the sound characteristics. I have a factory outlet pair. They are quite nice looking, but do have obvious cabinet blemishes - the vinyl wrap is wrinkled in places.
Sound wise: These speakers have great bass. Most people who hear them want to know where the subwoofer is. There is, however, some emphasis placed on the low bass in my room. Power handling is not that great; the woofers become quite "floppy" at relatively low SPL. Personally, I do not like the sound of the tweeter. It is very bright indeed and has a brittle quality to it. It tends to emphasize sibilance and add a metallic coloration to voices. It does not improve with time. Mid range is reproduced quite nicely. The cabinets vibrate excessively on low mid/upper bass energy. I do not know if this has an effect on the sound.
I have used these speakers with a Denon AVR-2801 surround processor, an AMX CVT1030 tube preamp driving a Parasound HCA-1000A power amp, an ODL HT-2 power amp, and a Cayin TA-30 tube amp. In all cases they are bright. With the Cayin tube amp, however, I am able to actually sit and listen to them for short periods of time. Oh, I also added a small resistive pad to attenuate the tweeter about 2dB.
These speakers image exceptionally well. I find they sound best when not toed in at all. They project an image above, in front and to the sides. The image does not have much depth behind the speakers. I have them set up 7 feet apart and sit 7 feet away from them. they are almost 3 feet from the back wall. In my humble opinion, speakers that image this well have good phase coherency.
These speakers also sound less "boxy" than anything I have heard in the price range.
For the price, and for a consumer requiring a treble-dominated presentation with some low end heft, these are a really good deal. They are not a good match with low end electronics, which kind of defeats the object of their low price. With low end electronics the brightness is excessive. The sound is not seductive, but can be very detailed.
Comparing these speakers with Magnepan MMG's in the same room, the immediate impressions are that (a) the Axioms are very bright (b) the Maggies have no deep bass and (c) the Axioms manage a fair bit of impact for a 6.5" driver. If the Axioms low end could be somehow coupled with the Maggies high end, the result would be pretty darn good... Just an aside...

Product Weakness: Excessively bright.
Product Strengths: Great imaging and bass for a compact floorstander. Easy to drive.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	see review
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	see review
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Denon DCM-370
Speakers:	see review
Cables/Interconnects:	Radio Shack Gold
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz, vocal jazz, progressive rock
Room Size (LxWxH):	13 x 11 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	some acoustic panels on 2 walls; carpet
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Excessively bright.
Product Strengths:	Great imaging and bass for a compact floorstander. Easy to drive.