Mythos vs. Axiom [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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ynot14
07-15-2005, 07:02 PM
I am building a home theater room (15' x 20') that will be dedicated to movies. After much review i have narrowed my speaker selection down to two

1. definitive technology mythos/////////2. Axiom
Front------- Mythos 5////////////Axiom M60
center----- Mythos 7////////////Axoim VP150
surround---- Mythos gem/////////////Axiom QS8
sub----- PS100TLBL///////////// Axiom EP350

Both packages are almost identically priced. I have listened to the mythos and was very impressed with their sound, but have not sampled the Axioms, since they are only available online. Both speaker packages are well reviewed. With price being a wash, which system do you recommend?

Thanks for your feedback.

Tony

N. Abstentia
07-15-2005, 07:16 PM
I chose Paradigm Reference over both of them..neither of them sounded good to me :)

What other systems have you listened to?

kexodusc
07-16-2005, 03:53 AM
I have the Axiom M3Ti's. I paid about $220 for them almost 2 years ago...At first I didn't like them at all, and posted a not very flattering review....I've since realized that these speakers are actually not bad at all. They are very fussy as far as placement goes, and because the bass isn't very deep or boomy, you tend to hear the other areas of the spectrum more prominently. I was quite disappointed after a few (unsuccessful) listens. Out of curiosity, I dug them out again, thinking about trying some mods myself. After some odd-ball placement experiments, I've decided these are actually very promising speakers.
I'd say they are are a good step up on my old $400 ish Paradigm Mini-Monitors, except they really don't have much bass in room below 50 Hz...For music or use without a sub, I probably wouldn't recommend them. With a sub, especially for multi-channel audio or home theater, they're a very good buy in my opinion, and it's easy to hear the higher resolution over the Mini Monitors. You will need stands that set these at ear height, and you will need little or no toe-in in my opinion to really open them up. Very good in the midrange though, and because of the fast roll-off around 50 Hz, they really blend in well with a subwoofer at 60 Hz.
I can't say they're as good as my Studio 20's were, but then again, at 1/3 the price, there's no reason to complain, if building a home theater you can capture a lot of the perfromance of the Studio's for a lot less money. I'd put them up there with a lot of $500-$600 speakers sound quality wise with less bass extension. Just make sure you get a decent subwoofer the bottom octave or two. With the money you'd save, it might we wise to allocate more to the subwoofer.

I've also heard Ascend Acoustic speakers...Very good sound for the money, again, not a lot of bass, so they'll definitely need a sub.

The other on-line only speakers I've heard are the Rocket ELT's....Those are one heckuva good performing speaker for not a lot of money...couldn't demo them against anything else I'm familiar with for a reference, but when I listened to them I really thought they were a $500 speaker...

There's little doubt in my mind that this is where the industry is going, for better or worse, the days of the big brand name speaker companies topping the list are long gone. For the last 6 or 7 years I've always recommend Paradigm and Energy as being the best bang-for-the-buck speakers IMO, but in the past 8 months or so I've heard too many "factory direct" speakers that kick the crap out of the old favorites. Better sound for less money is nice, but I see this making it very difficult to find the "perfect" speaker for each buyer's preferences...something you have to consider when buying on-line.
Enough rambling now...

ynot14
07-21-2005, 09:27 AM
I chose Paradigm Reference over both of them..neither of them sounded good to me :)

What other systems have you listened to?

I agree with you on the Paradigm's, however they are a bit out of my price range. I have also sampled Klipsch and Polks. I can't remember the specific models. Both were priced around $1000/pair for floorstanding speakers. I liked the sound of the Klipsch but thought the Polks bass response left a bit to be desired.

N. Abstentia
07-21-2005, 03:21 PM
Paradigms should actually be priced in the same ballpark as DefTech and Axiom...

nightflier
07-21-2005, 05:13 PM
Tony,

I havent heard the Mythos, but given their design I think they will sound very different from the Axiom's. From what people have said, the Axioms are mostly neutral, maybe a bit on the bright side, but still give you that rich MDF/Wood sound that a plastic or metal encased newer Klipsch or DT Mythos is unlikely to match (again, I'm saying this w/o having heard them).

Anyhow, I've had the Axiom M22Ti's as my front speakers (with VP150, QS4, and M2i's) and I have to say that they sound very good together in my HT setup. With a good sub (I use an SVS), I have very full rich sound for movies. To my ears they don't compare to much more expensive towers (in the $2K price range), as the online adds would lead one to believe, but they are very good nonetheless. I've also auditioned the M3ti's, M50i, M60i, and M80i's in my 2-channel system and they are all great performers.

If possible, you may want to get an Axiom system w/o a sub though, and get the latter from Hsu, SVS, Velodyne or some of the other manufacturers that specialize in these. That said, I've read good reviews of Axiom's new EP600, although I have never heard it.

Anyhow, that's my 2 cents.