The Axioms are good speakers. I've heard them. However, I liked the offerings from Ascend Acoustics better (
Ascend ) The Axioms were a little too 'bright' in the high end for me...I could see the sound straining my ears after a while. Of course, you may very well
like that...tastes vary :-) The
Onyx Rockets are another one to consider. They look terrific, but have much more of a recessed sound.
Because of my budget and lack of space, I ended up buying a pair of Ascend CBM-170s and I could not be more pleased. There's a Soundstage review of the CBM-170s
here (pdf). Ascend has custom finishes available if you don't like the plain matte black look. I'd rather the plain spartan look over cheap faux-wood any day.
You'll be more interested in their CBM-340 line (
here). I will be purchasing the CBM-340c (same speaker, different crossover for center channel) soon, but can't personally vouch for them yet. There are lots of happy customers in Ascend's
forum. I think that is the best thing about the Ascends...you'll have a helluva time finding a bad review. The Ascend people are awsome to work with and will help you with all of your questions.
I paired the Ascends with a Harmon-Kardon receiver for a great, warm sound. If I'd had a little bit more money at the time, I would have gone with something from
NAD. Harmon Kardon has a terrific sound, but a NAD reciever sounds as good as quality separates.
So there you go. My money is on the Ascends.
EDIT: Be sure to have a look in the Ascend forums. There are lots of people out there with an open invitation to go to their homes and demo their Ascend systems.
