Well I guess I'm coming down to the wire with this Axiom decision. They are definitely starting to win me over. I've been listening almost exclusively to 2 channel music of all different genres: rock, folk, jazz, big band and classical. They handle everything very well. They really shine with horns and acoustic guitar and as much as I was concerned with what seemed to me as "suppressed" vocals they are doing a fine job with them now as well. Going from the 7125 to the 7500 made a huge difference in that regard. Very clear now. As I type this I'm listening to Clapton Unplugged and it sounds great. Again, well engineered stuff comes shining through with this set-up.

As I've been comparing them to the Magnepan MMG's over the last two days the one place the Maggies seem to "eeek" out an advantage (maybe) is with classical pieces that have full orchestration. Probably because of the "dipolar" design. The Maggies by design have a very spacious sound. And remember that the MMG's are less than half the cost of the M80v2's; a lot of bang for the buck. However, my wife who never weighs in on anything when it comes to this stuff, informed me that she thinks there is no comparison, that the M80v2's have it all over the MMG's. And for her not to go for the cheaper speakers when she doesn't understand spending any money on this stuff, well that's saying something.

I also went back to the store yesterday with a couple of my CD's (Jackson Browne - Live and the newly remastered Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms) to give another listen to the Paradigm Studio 60's. I still like the way they sound but they weren't up to snuff, I don't believe anyway, with the M80v2's.

It's starting to look more and more like the Axioms have found a home. I guess the only time I'll know for sure is when the deadline to return them passes and they're still here.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could lease this stuff and change things every couple of years? Maybe we should start a new business: Home Audio/Theater Equipment Leasing.

Regards.