Axiom Epic Master

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.0 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Steve Guttenberg
• Reviewed on: 03/28/2002
• Updated on: 01/09/2010

You're probably thinking, "Axiom who?" Axiom is new to the United States, coming to us from the Great White North and exemplifying the Canadian tradition of producing great, high-value speakers. The company's Epic Master six-piece system is fortified with a very grown-up sub and dedicated front, center, and surround speakers. Our listening tests confirmed that the Epic Master's talents will be best appreciated by music lovers rather than hard-core home-theater buffs.You're probably thinking, "Axiom who?" Axiom is new to the United States, coming to us from the Great White North and exemplifying the Canadian tradition of producing great, high-value speakers. The company's Epic Master six-piece system is fortified with a very grown-up sub and dedicated front, center, and surround speakers. Our listening tests confirmed that the Epic Master's talents will be best appreciated by music lovers rather than hard-core home-theater buffs.

Shapely performers
Axiom's subtly wedge-shaped speakers stand apart from the hordes of right-angled-box designs. Not only do they look cool, but these nonparallel cabinets are said to minimize the speaker's resonant signature and produce cleaner sound. The Epic Master sats all feature high-tech aluminum woofers and ferrofluid-cooled titanium tweeters.

The M3Ti front speakers sport generously sized 6.5-inch woofers and 1-inch tweeters, while the VP100 center speaker boasts a pair of 5.25-inch woofers that flank a 1-inch tweeter. Far from petite, the center speaker measures 7.5 by 17.0 by 7.5 inches.

The Quadrant Surround QS-4 speaker's four drivers are positioned on four different baffles--a set of lateral-firing tweeters plus top- and bottom-mounted 4.5-inch woofers. So don't even think about placing these surround speakers on ordinary stands or shelves; you'll block the bottom woofers. Instead, you should wall-mount them or use Axiom's dedicated floor stands (sold separately). Once properly situated, these ultrawide-dispersion speakers deploy a wraparound soundstage with the greatest of ease; they're exceptional performers.

All three sats--the left and right fronts, center, and surrounds--are unusually efficient designs. They'll produce a lot of sound with low-powered (50 watts or less) receivers, yet they'll rock and roll with up to 175 watts. The sturdy, all-metal speaker binding posts accept bare wire or banana plugs.

And the sub? The Epicenter EP175 isn't one of those demure, poseur subs that craps out when called upon to reproduce anything more taxing than a mild rumble. No--this component's oh-so-solid bass is provided by a front-mounted, 10-inch aluminum woofer backed up by a 175-watt amp. Hookup choices include stereo speaker-level or mono line-level connections. This full-sized beast measures 17.50 by 13.50 by 14.25 inches. Continue reading

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• 4.0 stars

  "great system value"

  on September 8, 2002

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  "One of the Best Speakers in the Market."

  on April 5, 2002

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