A
xiom Audio’s Audiobyte speakers
have convinced us it’s time to retire
the M-Audio Studiophile LX4 system
we’ve long used as a reference point for
speaker reviews. They also surprised us in
a number of ways: They’re made in Canada,
not China; the amplifier comes in its own
enclosure, as opposed to being hidden in
one of the speaker cabinets; and the sub-
woofer is passive!
Actually, the subwoofer
is optional, but we wouldn’t
recommend buying the sat-
ellites solo—as sweet as they
sound—because they just
don’t deliver enough oomph
on their own. The amp and
satellites sell for $350 and
the EPZero sub goes for $180,
for an as-reviewed price of
$530. If your budget tops out
at $350, the Audioengine A5
system is a better value.
The Class D amplifi er
delivers 55 watts per chan-
nel to the satellites (there’s a 1-inch titanium
dome tweeter and a 3-inch aluminum cone
woofer in each). The subwoofer consists of a
front-fi ring 6.5-inch aluminum-cone woofer
inside a vented cabinet. The sub delivers sweet,
tight bass, but if you’re looking for something
that will beat you over the head, pick up a
powered sub—the amp will accommodate that
confi guration as well.
We’re delighted when a set of speakers
reveals an element of a song we’ve neverdetected even aft er hundreds of listening
sessions (and with very good speakers). While
playing Dire Straits’s “Private Investigations”
(from the group’s epic CD Love Over Gold ), we
picked up the sound of shuffl ing footsteps at
one transition. This isn’t unintentional noise,
but it’s so deep in the background we’d never
noticed it. We went back and listened to the
track on M-Audio’s speakers and, sure enough,
it was there—but we really had to listen for it.- M I C H A E L B R O W N
Axiom Audio Audiobyte Speakers
We love a good surprise
The satellites come in seven colors. The hand"fi nished! burled"walnut
models! however! will set you back an extra (%%.+ -
VERDICT$530, http://www.axiomaudio.com.
Sweet, tight sound
across the board; USB
charging port built into
the amplifier.Amp cabinet consumes
floor space and must be
within reach to use the
volume control.;6IR TR6DE6MIOM 6UDIO 6UDIOBYTE SEE6@ERS;REE TR6DE