Axion vs. B&W

[jfrost]

I am currently running B&W 602 (fronts) / 600 (rears) series speakers for my 7.1 Home Theater. I am considering getting the new Axion W22 speakers to replace the B&W's.

Will the Axion's be an upgrade in quality? Would Ascend or Aperion be a bigger upgrade?

Which of the online direct manufactures would give me the best sound (not worrying about cost)?

Thx.

[kexodusc]

I'm skeptical that you'll find someone who's heard all 3 on-line manufacturers to give you a comparison.
For my part, I've heard two - Axiom and Ascend. I'd give the edge to Ascend for the similarly sized models (I own a set of Axiom bookshelfs, good and inexpensive, but limited).
Are you determined to deal with online direct companies only? To be honest, the reviews I've read about these speakers being better than name-brand speakers of triple the price are BS. They're not IMO...maybe as good, a tiny bit cheaper, but not outright better.
When you consider the discount you can usually get on a set of speakers from a brick & mortar store, I still think they're very viable options.
You might be best off to get out there and start listening to some speakers. I wouldn't recommend buying speakers you can't demo first. Return policy or not.

[ichigo]

I compared the Axiom M22tis and the Ascend 170SEs at home for about two weeks.The Ascends went deeper, were smoother and didn't give as much high frequency fatigue at higher volume levels (although both speakers pack a ton of high frequency power), and the soundstage was a little wider (although the bass extension may have been part of the illusion). I kept the 170SEs.

I have heard others compare the 170SEs to the B&W600 series and they said the major differences were smoother high frequency sounds, more bass extension, and wider soundstage.

The W22s are in-wall speakers and that's a whole different kind of animal. I doubt it will be an "upgrade"; if you bought B&W in-walls (assuming they made them; I don't know), I doubt they would sound as good. You may want a good sub with inwalls as they don't tend to have very good bass extension.