Ask the GoodSound! Guy

Please send all questions to askme@goodsound.com. All questions sent to this e-mail address will be replied to online. If you do not wish to share your e-mail with other readers, please do not send it. However, if you have a question, chances are others are wondering the same thing. Therefore, you will be helping not only yourself but other readers when your question gets answered here. Fire away!

B&W or Axiom?

May 8, 2008

I have been looking at two brands of speakers and would like some help in choosing one of them: B&W CM7 and Axiom M60 or M80. I have heard the CM7 and love the sound, but I have not heard the Axiom. I came across your review in the Axiom newsletter and read the review from Sound & Vision. But I would like to know which speaker is better. I need help before I purchase.

Bernard

Having not heard either speaker myself I just can’t tell you which speaker is “better.” I could give you some general observations of other speakers made by those companies that I have heard, but ultimately that would be of little help and may be incorrect as it applies to those particular speaker models. Axiom offers a good return policy should you order their speakers and decide not to keep them, so perhaps the best approach would be to get the Axioms in and compare them with what you heard from the B&Ws. That will also remove any nagging doubts you have about which one will be better for you over the long term. Good luck in your decision.

Difference among receivers?

May 5, 2008

Is there really a difference in sound quality among home-theater receivers? I can’t imagine that much difference between all of these mass-market boxes, but maybe I’m jaded.

Edwin

There can be huge differences. I remember listening to a lower-end Sony receiver in my system a few years back and being struck by just how terrible it sounded. The highs disappeared, the bass became muddy, and the midrange sounded as if it had a wet blanket thrown on it. On the other hand, I had a chance to audition one of the nicer Technics models a short time later and it sounded superb: clear mids and highs, and deep, energetic bass. That doesn’t mean you’ll hear differences as striking as my examples between each and every model you audition, but it does mean that some sonic differences do exist and they can have a real impact on your enjoyment when listening to them.