Editing Introduction to a Self Managed Life: a 13 hour & 28 minute presentation by FUTO software (section)

=== Speaker Selection: Why I Use Axiom M3 ===

'''Quality engineering over marketing wankery'''

'''Axiom''' is a company that was early to the scene with direct-to-the-consumer online sales. Their “marketing budget” was a guy named Alan Lofft who answered people’s questions on an early webforum that looked like a usenet newsgroup with their logo in the top.

Axiom conducted research at the '''National Research Council''' in Canada, where double-blind tests were performed in which ordinary people would say what they preferred with regards to audio quality. Taking this scientific approach with input from the public, combined with extensive testing and design in a top quality facility allowed them to draw direct conclusions from how speakers measured to what people wanted.

'''Affordability'''

Although their prices have went up for brand new speakers, they can still be found dirt cheap used. Back in the day, their m22 speaker sounded similar to paradigm studio speakers that were near triple the price.

Speakers like the M60 that cost $800 new are no longer competitive deals at their current pricing of $2000/pair - but speakers like the M3 can be found for $160-$220, fit on a desk, and offer exceptional sound for dirt cheap.

'''Exceptional frequency response'''

Speakers like the M3 have a neutral frequency response and a very natural sound.

'''Minimal cabinet resonances'''

Take a look at the M3. Notice how the walls are not parallel? This lessens the type of internal standing waves that occur when a speaker is a perfect cube box. It’s a small touch, but little details like this show them actually focusing on engineering rather than making it look pretty, paying for annoying influencer marketing campaigns, and trendy nonsense.

Same deal with Vandersteens - you can grab the Model 2s used for like $600. These go down to about 30 hertz, very linearly. So you could easily use these without a subwoofer and get better bass than 99% of those computer speaker setups with their tiny subwoofers. These actually have a 10-inch passive radiator in the back and an 8-inch woofer in the front.

The key is don’t buy this stuff new. Just look through eBay for a few minutes, check AudioGon, and you can find insane deals. You’ll end up with speakers that absolutely destroy setups that cost 5-10 times more.

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