2. speakers
  3. 1119322016

Axiom M80 VS Vienna Acoustic Beethoven on CJ 11A

Hi,

I currently have a pair of Axiom M80 driven by a Conrad Johnson 11A power amp. I listen mostly to classical, percussion, and vocal. Very few jazz and no rock at all. Stereo only and no surround.

I'm looking for speakers upgrade and I listened to some Vienna Acoustic speakers (used to have a pair of Bach and auditioned Beethoven) and I got very good impression on them. In particular, I love their smoothness. The model I'm looking for is Beethoven, not the newest Beethoven grand however.

Unfortunately in home audition is not available so I'm looking for some opinions here.

Did anyone ever compare Axiom to VA? How do they compare?

Also, did anyone try CJ and VA combination and how do they match? I think both of them are warm but I'm not looking for some "too warm" sound.

Thanks for any thoughts and input. Any idea is appreciated.

Andy
hklai
mezzrow
114 posts
 
I have not heard the Axioms either, but I own a pair of VA Beethovens. I think they are wonderful speakers...the type you can listen to for days. I have experimented with a few different power sources and have had more success with SS amps over tubes, though admittedly most of the SS amps I tried were more powerful than the tube amps. As the speakers are somewhat "soft," the tube amps tend to make them sound too soft, to my ears,anyway. I am currently using a RAM-modified PS Audio HCA-2 amp and PCA-2 preamp and I am very happy with the sound.
hklai OP
14 posts
 
Thanks Boyhowdy and Mezzrow.

I'm not looking for lush sound in particular. That is why I kind of hesitate to make my purchase decision. My room size is about 20(W) x 15(D) x 12(H) and I place the speakers along the longer wall.

I used to have a pair of VA Bach and I love the smooth vocal. However I found the dynamic is not even close to my Axiom (understandable due to their sizes) and soundstage is somewhat smaller. Is Beethoven much better than Bach or are they completely different animals?

PS. It is a good sign to see that many Beethoven owners are very happy.

Thanks,
Andy
jdodmead
257 posts
 
Here is another happy Beethoven owner. I am driving them with a Cary V12 tube amp and I have plenty of bass. Some people think I have a sub going. Mine are the newer version of Beethovens.
hklai OP
14 posts
 
Hi Jdodmead,

It's good to hear that beethoven driven by a tube amp can also produce a good result!

Did you compare the newer Beethoven grand and the old one? Would you mind telling me roughly how much you paid for it? You may drop me a private message if you do not want to publicize it. =)

Andy
boyhowdy
12 posts
 
Andy, if the Bachs sound relatively undynamic with your CJ amp, then there's a good possibility that the Beethovens will be a similar situation. If you're stuck on the CJ, then I'd do everything I could to audition the Beethovens with this amplifier. Your room size is very similar to mine, and I also have my speakers firing along the long wall, so there should be no problem there. FWIW, I haven't found anything near their price range thats been as musically satisfying to me, but like any high-end component, they will not match well with everything. Hopefully a CJ/Vienna owner out there will chime in.

Matt
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