Well, I have come down to a decision between Klipsch and Axiom. I'm looking at the RF-7II centered system, and an M80 centered system. However, I don't want to hear opinions about the two as I have read enough RF-7 vs M80 threads. I am to the point where I want to just buy a pair of both, level match them, have a few friends over, do some listening, and send the loser back for a refund.
Here's the problem. The military currently has me stationed in Germany, and tower speakers are too big and heavy to be sent to an APO address. Standard international shipping involves extraordinary extra cost. And while Klipsch has dealers in Germany, they charge over $1000 more (and that's before the 16% VAT tax) I won't be getting back to the states for 3 1/2 years, but I'd still like to compare the two. So, I have come up with an alternative, but I'm not sure if it will be a good comparison.
My idea is to buy a pair of Klipsch RB-81 IIs, and a pair of Axiom M22s Both are bookshelf speakers. I'll set both of those up, and compare the sound of the bookshelves. After all, everybody always talks about the "Klipsch sound" or the "Axiom sound". The loser gets returned, and I'll keep the bookshelves of the winner either for rear surround channels or presence channels.
But is it a good idea and a fair comparison to base a purchase decision of either RF7s or M80s off the bookshelf speakers of both companies? As I understand, the RB-81 IIs are still in the reference line. But I'd hate to choose one brand off the sound of their bookshelf, when I would ultimately have enjoyed the other brand's tower better.
Comparing the respective offerings, both the RF-7 and RB81 have the same type tweeters and woofers (with the RF7s being simply larger). Looks like with Axiom, the M22 uses one 1" titanium tweeter, and two 5.25" woofers. In essence, the only real difference between the M22 and M80 is the M80 has a larger cabinet, an extra tweeter, and two 6.5" woofers in addition to the two 5.25" midranges.
So, should I seriously consider such a comparison in order to decide between the RF-7IIs and M80s?
Thank you!