 Axiom
Audio VaSSallo M22 v2 Loudspeakers
In general, speakers in the same price category, made by
companies with reputations for making good products, will all reproduce enjoyable, musical
sound. Often, you really do get what you pay for. Larger boxes, for example, are usually
capable of producing deeper, richer bass. More expensive speakers are sometimes built from
exotic materials, or finished with fine wood veneers rather than wrapped in synthetic
simulations. But several companies realize that price is an object, and that there
is a lot of competition among loudspeaker companies to make their products the right
choice for discerning music listeners, particularly in the popular two-way monitor (or
"bookshelf speaker") category.
Axiom Audio is among the group of Canadian speaker
manufacturers that grew up around the National Research Council (NRC) lab in Ottawa --
companies such as Axiom, Paradigm, PSB, and Energy are well known for making high-quality
equipment that won’t obliterate your budget. By doing much of their work at their
in-house facility in Ontario and dealing exclusively over the Internet, Axiom is arguably
able to offer a bit more of what is so often promised but is frequently elusive: added
value.
Description and setup
Technically, the VaSSallo M22 v2 falls under
Axiom’s "bookshelf" category, the third step up from its more commonly
sized two-way models, the M2 and M3. The standard M22 v2 is priced at $460 USD per
pair; the VaSSallo series starts at $660 per pair.
The M22 is unconventionally tall for a bookshelf model,
standing 19.8"H (x 7.3"W x 8"D), and has a 1" tweeter and two
5.25" woofers. Picture a standard bookshelf speaker as the upper two-thirds, sitting
atop an extra woofer. The M22 is Vortex-ported and magnetically shielded, and that extra
woofer gives it a bit more weight (16 pounds each) than you might expect. The five-way
binding posts are gold-plated.
The M22 has long been a well-regarded, well-known performer
among audiophiles, but for some time Axiom speakers had been available clad only in the
usual vinyl suspects: black ash, Boston cherry, beech, and maple. But with the
introduction of the VaSSallo Real Wood Series, Axiom speakers are now available in an
overwhelming number of cosmetic combinations: eight veneers (pine, walnut, oak, cherry,
rosewood, maple, high-gloss black and white), six stains, six grille colors, and three
finishes, along with your choice of Axiom logo in gold, chrome, or gloss black.
At first, the range of choices can be paralyzing. The
website, however, makes it easy to view the overall options and click on a specific
combination, which is then presented in an image of how your speakers will look. If a
computer-generated approximation isn’t reassuring enough, Axiom offers a 7.9" x
10.5" sample in a couple of days for around $25.
In the past, I’ve considered it quite an
accomplishment to have avoided the ubiquitous black ash as the finish on my speakers. It
hasn’t been easy. At the entry level, if you believe that sound counts more than
looks (I do, and the makers of entry-level gear unfortunately seem to agree), you get the
feeling that black ash outnumbers other options by three or four to one.
The only finish I can remember wishing for, on speakers I
couldn’t afford, was rosewood. It’s a rich, beautifully toned wood with a hint
of red that makes exquisite bodies for acoustic guitars. If you don’t play an
instrument, your speakers might be the closest you get to experiencing the qualities of
wood -- even if all that wood does is cover medium-density fiberboard. I must have
expensive taste, because for rosewood, Axiom charges an additional 15% (even for a
sample).
After several sessions of experimenting with this wood and
that stain, I finally settled on the natural rosewood veneer (walnut looked pretty good
too, for $100 less) finished with a coat of transparent semigloss. Again, it seems that
expensive speakers always have a special coating that gives them the sparkle associated
with the high end, a pizzazz completely inaccessible in the flat-black-ash end of the
market.
I asked Axiom, via e-mail, for their recommendation
regarding grille color. Black is the obvious choice for catching the rosewood’s
grain, but they also offer charcoal, which appealed to my sense of the unusual. On my
computer screen, however, there didn’t seem to be much of a difference. Axiom
recommended the combination of rosewood and black with chrome logo. It’s understood
that an Internet retailer will have excellent customer service, but it’s reassuring
when it actually turns out to be true.
In my system, the customized M22 v2s (final cost
$759/pair) replaced Athena Technologies AS-B2.2s. Also in the signal chain were an NAD
C325BEE integrated amplifier, a Pioneer DVD-353 DVD player connected with Monster Cable
interconnects, and 9’ each of Element Cable Double Run speaker cables terminated with
banana plugs.
Sound
I’d anticipated the arrival of my VaSSallo
M22 v2s as if I were being sent a handmade cello I’d partially designed myself,
to my taste, but had finished by experts. It was a wonderfully involving shopping
experience, and the result was a pair of speakers that looked spectacular. The sumptuous
rosewood and semigloss finish gave them the subtle sheen of speakers protected and
enhanced by much costlier lacquer. Even the packaging signaled quality: in its carton,
each speaker was protected by a black cotton slipcover. The pair came with a padded folio
containing a color brochure that included a spec sheet and advice on speaker placement,
cabling, and overall care.
Axiom’s distinctive white aluminum woofers and black
dustcaps look fine in full view, and with the grilles removed, more Real Wood Series
rosewood was visible. I discovered that I slightly preferred listening with the grilles
off, which ever so slightly enhanced the M22 v2s’ transparency.
You can’t do much better than the Athena AS-B2.2 at
$249/pair, but at nearly twice the price, the standard M22 v2 ($460/pair) was a sonic
step up. D’Angelo’s Voodoo [CD, Virgin 48499] was such a watershed of
neo-soul in 2000 that its driving creative force has been unable to follow it up. The
recording evinces a profound understanding of the electric bass, as played by session man
extraordinaire Pino Palladino, and this understanding was equaled by the capabilities and
presentation of the Axiom M22 v2. Throughout Voodoo the bass lines percolated
and rumbled under the surface, while the beats were accented by the sharp drum cracks of
Questlove, from the Roots. The M22 was able to sustain the album’s atmosphere of
hazy, syrupy rhythm, as well as the sense of airiness as the voices of D’Angelo,
overdubbed in varying degrees of falsetto, darted in and out of the mix. Voodoo’s
tension builds as the musicians become more desperate to release it. The M22s kept
everything in balance and presented this dynamic range expansively, with powerful
presence.
Questlove is one of the true visionaries working in
contemporary music, and his drumming on the Roots’ Game Theory [CD, Def Jam
7222] is the sound of a crane dropping concrete blocks onto a foundation. Whereas the mood
of Voodoo was druggy, its deceptive casualness masking coiled aggression, Game
Theory is a percussive, in-your-face state of the state. The M22s stayed with this
disc through every thudding moment, reaching the peaks without any breakup as Questlove
led the way through brawling, bludgeoning raps and pummeling choruses. Lead rapper Black
Thought’s lack of subtlety and heavy touch suits this music, and this music suited
the M22 v2, which responded hungrily to the rhythmic challenge with richness,
full-bodied sound, and realistic believability that grabbed me by the front of my shirt.
The versatile M22 v2 conveyed nuance and a broad range of tonal colors when called
for -- or slammed and shouted with authority on demand.
After the M22s distinguished themselves on two sonically
captivating CDs, I played Craig Harris’ Souls Within the Veil [CD, Aquastra
Music 001]. This self-released, two-disc live recording captures Harris’ tentet
performing the trombonist’s score commemorating the centennial of the publication of
W.E.B. DuBois’ book The Souls of Black Folk. The band, comprising Harris plus
nine of the top jazz improvisers in the business, play this ambitious music with palpable
commitment and some jaw-dropping solos. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the disc is marred
by a tizz that develops as the concert unfolds. Disc 2 is particularly irritating -- the
sort of recording that sends you to other playback systems to make sure something
hasn’t gone wrong with your gear. Through the M22 v2 there was still some tizz,
but not as much. Some of that annoying harshness was buffed away, which confirmed
my impression that while the Axiom was mostly accurate, it was also a little forgiving.
Comparison
Even the basic, vinyl-clad M22 v2 retails for nearly
twice as much as the Athena AS-B2.2, and
sounded it. Granted, the Athena is a tremendous bargain, and since its cabinet is a bit
larger than normal for a two-way, it’s surprisingly extended in the bass and
agreeably softspoken. What the Athena isn’t is neutral -- it tips the coloration
scale away from brightness and toward woolly warmth. However, the AS-B2.2 offers a
pleasantly smooth listening experience.
The M22 v2 gave me the sense that the music I heard
was what the musicians intended. It’s a bit too short for a floorstander, but I found
the pair of them almost too high when I sat them up on 20" stands. You’ll have
to take great care to make sure your listening position and the placements of the
M22 v2s are in sync, because one thing these long boxes did was lengthen the
soundstage. The improved dimensionality was undeniable -- as if the musicians were up on a
riser in my room, rather than sitting across from me.
The question to ask is this: Aside from the audible
benefits, is cabinet customization worth the extra cost -- in my case, roughly 60% percent
over the basic model? I can only say that, having gone through the selection process, the
ordering, and the waiting, I’ve never been so emotionally invested in a piece
of gear in my life. I’m proud of my speakers -- my real-wood VaSSallo M22 v2s
have gone a long way toward making me forget about other dubious, superficial upgrades
that might be out there. In the quest for satisfaction, relieving the madness of
upgradeitis probably pays for itself.
Conclusion
For Axiom Audio’s VaSSallo M22 v2s, following the
flow of recorded music was a piece of cake. Their naturalness eliminated all the
artificial overcompensation that is all too common in reasonably priced equipment.
Midbass, upper-bass, and midrange notes were precisely articulated, and what the
M22 v2 lacked in low bass (as will any bookshelf monitor) it made up in crispness and
clarity in the treble. In combination with the M22’s coherent low end, the
crystalline highs of its titanium tweeter supported the music’s overall architecture,
and established the drama and scale essential to an involving musical experience. The
M22 v2’s marvelously warm presentation was inviting -- it was the sort of
speaker that urged me to think of new things to listen to through it. And with the ability
to customize their appearance with real-wood veneers and finishes to match any style and
taste, Axiom speakers now look like a million bucks.
...Jeff Stockton
Price of equipment reviewed
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