{"id":773,"date":"2008-01-16T18:21:24","date_gmt":"2008-01-16T23:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.soundadviceblog.com\/?p=773"},"modified":"2008-01-16T18:33:32","modified_gmt":"2008-01-16T23:33:32","slug":"773","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.soundadviceblog.com\/?p=773","title":{"rendered":"CES 2008: Axiom Audio Audiobyte computer speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following Legend Silicon I had an NDA meeting then I met the good folks from Axiom Audio<\/a> at a penthouse suite in the Mirage. \u00a0 Axiom Audio is based in Dwight, Ontario and makes some wonderful speakers that are fantastic values, and they back it up with top-notch service and advice through their toll-free lines. \u00a0 Their M2i speaker has long been my favorite speaker selling for under $300 and their scientific, no-nonsense, engineering-based approach is refreshing in an industry swimming in snake oil. \u00a0 I’ve recommended their products for years and my readers have loved Axiom and their service, making it a particular pleasure to finally meet some of the people behind the brand.<\/p>\n

Axiom Audio usually does not display at CES as they are a direct sales company and most of their promotion has been online. \u00a0They have been extremely successful without promoting themselves or their wares at CES, but this year was different. \u00a0 This year they decided to invite a few select members of the press to see their new $349 Audiobyte computer speakers, billed as the finest computer speakers you can buy, true audiophile quality. \u00a0 I was anxious to hear how good these sounded, and if they were better than my beloved Monsoon flat panel computer speakers- “miniature Magnepans,” I call them.<\/p>\n

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Monsoon MH-500 Flat Panel Computer Speakers<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I met (left to right) Jean-Claude Benoit, Alan Lofft, and Ian Colquhoun, shown here with the Audiobytes System. \u00a0 Jean-Claude (he answers the phone by J.C.) handles customer service for French-speaking Canada, though he helps English speakers as well. \u00a0Alan is the resident A\/V expert and once wrote a syndicated newspaper column about audio that appeared around Canada. \u00a0 The name of the column? \u00a0 Sound Advice<\/em>! \u00a0 When I changed the column name from Multimedia Answers<\/em> to Sound Advice<\/em> years ago (thanks go out to Randy Salas<\/a> for the new, more appropriate name) it was coincidental, but Alan said he wouldn’t mind me carrying on the name. \u00a0 I was flattered by that as Alan is a stand-up guy and knows his stuff inside and out.<\/p>\n

Ian Colquhoun is the founder, owner, President and chief engineer at Axiom. \u00a0 He’s won many awards for his designs and as I mentioned before, his solid, engineering-based approach is refreshing and shows in the quality of his products. \u00a0 You can read about his many accomplishments at the Axiom website.<\/p>\n

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These are the Audiobytes. \u00a0 They are available in a wide variety of finishes and the glossy wood \u00a0finishes look real, but require much less \u00a0attention than wood to keep them looking new. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Audiobytes look like miniature Axiom M2 bookshelf speakers, but the cabinets are sealed rather than ported.<\/p>\n

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Audiobyte satellite \u00a0with grill on…<\/p>\n

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..and with grill off. \u00a0 The grill for the satellites is held on magnetically, which I found to be extremely cool and much better than the posts typically used to attach speaker grills.<\/p>\n

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This is the Audiobyte subwoofer\/amplifier. \u00a0 It drives the satellites with an integrated \u00a055 watt per channel amplifier. \u00a0 Dial on the top above the vent is a volume control.<\/p>\n

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Rear view of the Audibyte subwoofer\/amplifier, left view with satellites and power cord attached.<\/p>\n

So how did they sound? \u00a0 Much better than I expected… they ARE audiophile quality. \u00a0 It’s not that I don’t expect great things from Axiom, it’s just that small speakers have limitations due to the laws of physics and have a hard time reproducing a full, believable midrange. \u00a0 The Audiobytes were demonstrated with classical music, the hardest test of any speaker and the sound was smooth, sweet, full, and clear… definitely the best I’ve heard from any computer speaker, including my Monsoons… which I thought would NEVER be beaten in their class.<\/p>\n

The only drawback is they can’t play especially loud, or at least they couldn’t in the admittedly large room where they were demonstrated. \u00a0 That’s because of those laws of physics I mentioned before… seemingly a paradox, small speakers usually require much more power to achieve high volume levels \u00a0than large speakers do. \u00a0 Ian said the sensitivity of the satellites was around 80 decibels per watt, which would require 4x to 8x the power of a typical consumer speaker to achieve a given volume. \u00a0 They certainly play loud enough for their intended purpose, though and they never sound strained. \u00a0 That’s more of that good design and engineering for you.<\/p>\n

Axiom has a sure winner here that is worth the price of admisssion if you are looking for a compact, simple solution that provides the best possible sound from a computer or portable music player. \u00a0 I hope they find some new ways to use the Audiobyte satellites, such as in a top-performing compact home theater speaker system.<\/p>\n