The Axiom M3 speakers are in a class by themselves. For a pair of hi-fi bookshelf speakers under $500, they’re practically a steal. For our purposes, we put the M3s through a variety of tests, both in a stereo listening environment and also in a recording situation.
For pure music listening, the M3s outshine nearly every other competitor in the sub-$1000 price range. Highs are crystal clear, there’s absolutely no mud in the mids and bass response is phenomenally tight. They can easily handle everything from jazz to hip-hop to heavy metal
Now, you might be wondering why we’re reviewing a pair of stereo speakers, since we’re primarily a magazine for musicians. Ah, we were getting to that. In a home recording situation, it’s a great idea to listen to rough mixes in a variety of settings. A lot of producers will do the “car test,” where they listen to a mix on car speakers to simulate how many consumers will end up hearing the tracks. But another important test is on a good stereo system. Remember, your fans might end up listening to your tunes on an iPod, but don’t short change those out there who still maintain quality stereo setups. The Axioms would be a perfect tool in the engineer’s arsenal when it comes to mix testing, allowing for a truly great listening experience and chance to test mix changes on high-quality bookshelf speakers.
At the end of the day, you could spend a fortune on stereo components. So it’s good to know that when it comes time to pick out a pair of great-sounding speakers, Axiom’s got you covered at a price that’s hard to resist.
Price: $368
Pros: amazing sound, no clipping at high volumes, great stereo imaging and balance.
Cons: none.
Specs:
- Enclosure: Vortex / Reflex
- Freq. Resp +/-3dB: 60 Hz- 20 kHz
- Freq Resp +3dB- 9dB: 50 Hz – 20 kHz
- Impedance: 8 Ohms
- X-Over: 2.2 kHz
- Tweeter: Single 1″
- Woofer: Single 6.5″