Introduction

In-wall speakers are rapidly becoming the speaker of choice for new and existing home theater surround sound systems. Current trends in style and room designs are clean and minimalist. Large open floor plans and huge monolithic speakers in current modern design are generally not considered cool. Other factors may dictate the use of in-wall speakers. Maybe you have bought a new home that can’t accommodate floor standing speakers or possibly you have a new or existing significant other laying down the law about how your new home will be decorated. Conventional in-wall speakers use the stud cavity of your wall as the enclosure and the front baffle is flush with the sheetrock. Existing in-wall speaker design and performance has improved over the past few years but even the most expensive conventional in-wall can’t match the performance of a speaker with a dedicated enclosure designed and tuned for the driver configuration. Attempts by a few boutique manufacturers have tried to rectify the performance losses by manufacturing hybrid in-wall speakers. The design and performance of hybrid speakers vary. Some have a dedicated enclosure that installs between the studs of your walls, while others are a cross between an in-wall and on-wall speaker where the front baffle protrudes from the surface of the wall. Generally speaking, a hybrid in-wall speaker will offer very high performance and little compromise in sound quality when compared to a conventional free-standing speaker. But, before you think you have found the perfect solution for your room, there are a few things you need to know about hybrid in-walls. Good high-performance hybrid in-walls won’t be found at your local electronic chain store; they are usually sold by high-end custom A/V companies at very high price points-effectively out of the price range of the Average Joe. Another important thing to consider about hybrid in-wall speakers is installation; they can be very challenging to install in preexisting homes.

Axiom Audio is a loudspeaker manufacturer located in Canada. They manufacture very high-end speakers and sell them directly to the consumer at sensible prices. I was first introduced to Axiom Audio last year when I had the opportunity to review their mind blowing Epic 80-600 system. Recently, Axiom Audio has introduced a new line of hybrid in-walls with design characteristics based on their very high performance bookshelf models. The Architectural Series in-wall speakers have three front speaker models and two center channel speakers to choose from depending on your installation criteria and budget. The W2 is the least expensive front L/R speaker costing just $440 per pair! The W2 is followed by mid priced W3, priced at $490 per pair. The W22 is the flagship model and its price of $650 per pair is still less than many conventional in-walls. Axiom Audio has two center channel hybrid in-walls to choose from: the W100, which sells for $340 each, and the top of the line W150, priced at $495.

                                                            

                  

   W2                                      W3                                           W22

 

 

                                                                

                        

W100                                                                                      W150

                                                                       

The Architectural Series is available in five standard finishes: Black, Cherry, Beach, Maple, and Eggshell. Custom finishes are available to match just about any décor. The grilles are available in the four different colors of Black, Gold, Tan, and White. You can mix and match the speaker finish and grille color. After calling Axiom Audio and speaking to them about my room size of about 2592 ft³ and my installation criteria, I decided to order a pair of W22’s and one W150.

         

A close look at the W22

As shown the W22 is a slim, elegant looking speaker. The speaker’s enclosure has rounded edges and its driver configuration consists of dual 5-1/4-inch aluminum cone woofers and one titanium tweeter. The enclosure is ported and the ports are smartly hidden on the bottom of the enclosure. On the back of the speaker you will find high quality five-way binding posts. The protruding box on the back of the speaker is the part that gets installed in the wall and it also provides extra enclosure volume for correct driver and cross over tuning.  Rapping on the enclosure with my knuckle, I find that the enclosure is rock solid. The laminated black wood-grain finish is tastefully done and there are no visible seams.

 

         

The acoustically transparent grille is securely held in place and is built well. The W22 is held against the wall with the supplied self-clamping frame.

 

The W22 is fairly efficient at 88dB and should present no problems for moderately powered receivers and amplifiers to drive, due to its 8-Ohm impedance. The W22’s frequency response measures extremely well. Look at how flat the response is from 100Hz to15 kHz. There is a slight dip at 15 kHz and a short tapering off at the extreme upper frequency between 17.5 kHz and 20 kHz. The W22’s lower frequency gently begins to roll off at about 90 Hz and is about 10dB down at 70 Hz. The effective lower frequency response of the W22 is about 55-60Hz; however, looking at the SPL vs. frequency I would say that a cross over setting on the receiver or pre-amp of 80-90 Hz would be a good choice.

 

 

 

Getting up close and personal with the W22

Any self respecting Average Joe would be very curious about the inner workings of their newest toy. Not being the exception with Allen wrench in hand, I carefully removed one of the drivers to get a peak inside. Looking inside the W22 I found that the enclosure is constructed of ¾-inch MDF. All of the drivers are recessed into the front baffle to improve imaging and reduce diffraction. Diffraction and imaging is one problem area that conventional in-wall speakers have because they are installed flush with the wall. High strand count 18 AWG copper wire is used from the high quality crossover to the spade connection on the drivers. Poly fill is used inside the enclosure to further reduce resonance and vibration. The W22’s woofer cone is aluminum; they have stamped steel baskets and large motor structures. The tweeter is a high-power handling titanium dome. The overall build quality, fit, finish, and components used in the W22’s construction far exceed their price points. This is a pattern that I have found consistent in the construction and engineering on all Axiom Audio speakers that I have reviewed to date.

 

                            

  

Let’s look at the W150

The W150 is a unique design that places the tweeters at the ends of the baffle. This type of driver configuration improves dispersion and off axis response on the left and right side. It also provides a broader soundstage and wider array for the seated listening positions. The W150 is a fairly efficient speaker with a sensitivity rating of 91dB and impedance of 6 Ohms. Once again most of the moderately powered receivers or amplifiers should have no trouble driving the speaker. The W150 is constructed just like the W22. The speaker uses the exact same driver components ensuring tonal similarity. Build quality, fit, and finish are just as impressive.

 

  

 

 

Just like the W22, the W150 frequency response measures extremely well. Again, look at how flat the response is between 110 Hz-17 kHz. There is a small dip at the extreme upper end between 17 kHz and 18.5 kHz. The W150 gently rolls off starting at about 110 Hz, and is about 10dB down at 80Hz. The effective low-frequency response of the W150 is about 60Hz but looking at the SPL vs. frequency a cross-over setting of about 80-90Hz would be a good choice. The fact that both the W22 and the W150 measure similarly and have fairly close lower frequency capabilities makes them much easier to integrate into a system. Many of the moderately priced receivers and pre-amps don’t have independent cross-over settings. Instead, they have global cross-over settings, which mean you get one cross-over frequency choice for all the speakers in the system. This can be a real pain if you have speakers with a dissimilar frequency response.

  

It’s tool time! Installing the W22

The Architectural Series in-wall’s installation procedure is easy and straightforward. Comprehensive installation instructions are provided; but we will cover the installation procedure so you can see just how easy it is. The first thing you need to do is locate your stud framing on the wall where you are going to install the speakers. The use of an accurate stud finder can be of great benefit.  As illustrated below, in the picture of an exterior wall, stud framing in partitioned inside walls and exterior walls are generally installed 16-inches on center. Many times, blocking between the studs is used on exterior walls and partitioned walls. These are the short pieces of 2x4’s that are installed horizontally between the studs. Be sure to check for blocking before you cut into the wall. You also need to be aware of AC outlets and Romex wire runs before you cut into the wall. If you are unsure about what wires are behind your wall, call an electrician to locate them for you. Now that you have your stud framing and electrical located, the rest is easy. Using the supplied template and your level, mark an outline of the wall cutout between the studs where you plan to place the Architectural Series speakers. You can use a drywall saw, a Roto Zip, or a jigsaw to carefully cut out the sheetrock. If you use your jig saw, a quick tip to prevent the saw skid from marring your walls is to cut out a piece of indoor/outdoor carpet or similar material and glue it to the jigsaw’s skid plate. This will help the saw glide against the wall surface and prevent ugly wall marring.

 

          

 

Now that the sheet rock is cut, it’s time to run your speaker wire in the wall. The cut-out should be large enough to provide you with easy access to fish the wires if you haven’t pre-wired your home. The next step is to place the supplied W22 wall-mount frame into the wall cutout with the small indent at the top. Tighten down all the screws on the frame making sure the frame is level as you tighten the frame down. The screws should be snug but don’t overdo it. Next, terminate the speaker wire to the binding posts of the W22’s binding posts. Use the supplied binding-post wrench to tighten down the binding post nuts. All that’s left to do is to mount the speaker by sliding it into the mount frame using the indent as a guide. When the speaker contacts the wall, push in and down to lock it in.  See, that was easy! You don’t need to be a pro to install these speakers and when your friends ask you if you are a pro you can say, “No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night!”  

 

As you  can see from the picture below, I decided to install the W22 speakers at the height of my screen’s lower frame rail. This keeps the tweeter height at the correct position and keeps the installation geometrically correct.

                 

  

Tool Time Part II! Installing the W-150

The same installation considerations that we used to install the W22 should be applied to the W150. When I used my stud sensor, I found out that I had a 2x4 stud smack dab in the center of the wall below my screen. Right where my W150 was to be installed! Since this is an exterior wall, I did not want to modify my existing framing, so I had to get a little creative with the installation.

 

 

 

I decided to fabricate a simple easy-to-build box out of MDF and then surface mount the box below the screen to accommodate the W150 without changing my pre-existing framing or my pre-existing home theater installation. If you plan on installing the speakers in a non-load bearing wall, this should not be a problem, but you may want to consult with a local contractor before you modify any framing in your home. I decided to cover the box I constructed with a black material so it would blend in with the material on my screen frame. The box took me about one hour to construct. The boxes dimensions are smaller than the W150 for concealment. 

                        

 

Below you can see the completed back box; basically all I did was mount the box below my screen on the wall surface, terminate the speaker wire to the W150, and then installed the W150. Once the speaker is installed completely, it conceals the back box and blends right in with the rest of the system. It looks no different from the way the W22’s are installed unless you look behind it. Chances are you won’t have to do this with your installation; but, if you do, it’s a cost effective alternative that works and looks great.

 

                       

  

                        

 

The Setup

Now that we have our W22 and W150 installed, all we need to do is consider the surround speakers, subwoofer, and electronic gear if you don’t have them already. For the purpose of this review, I used the excellent Axiom Audio QS8 surround sound speakers and a pair of house wrecking EP-600 subwoofers. Now, I know it may be hard for a lot of Average Joes to spend a lot of their hard cash on a subwoofer. But, with subwoofers money spent is performance gained. Choosing the correct subwoofer for your room’s size is critical and will have a large impact on how your system performs. Selecting a subwoofer that is too small for the room is a common mistake that many Average Joes make. If you can’t afford a good capable subwoofer that is suited for your room my advice is to save up until you can afford a good quality subwoofer. If you are unsure how to select the right subwoofer, Axiom Audio’s technical support team can help you. There are many other great subwoofers on the market and a little research will pay off. Just remember to keep quality on your mind.

 

Installing the surround sound speakers in the correct location is yet another important factor in how your system will perform. If you decide to use the QS8 surround speakers, the proper placement is 90-110 degrees placed on either side of the listening position. If you don’t have side walls in your room, you may want to consider a direct radiating speaker mounted on the back wall or placed on a stand behind the listening position. As a last resort you can use in-ceiling speakers for surround sound duties. If you decide to go with in-ceiling speakers you may want to call Axiom Audio and get some advice on brands that share tonal similarity with the Architectural Series.

 

System set up

As previously stated the W22’s and W150 can be powered with a good quality moderately powered receiver or amplifier. I decided to evaluate the speakers using the highly regarded Yamaha RX-V2600 receiver. Entering the GUI setup menu on the receiver, I set all speakers to small and selected a cross-over setting of 80Hz. I found this to be the best setting combination in my room, but experimentation is encouraged. Using my old, but faithful THX calibrated Radio Shack 33-250 sound level meter, I began setting up the individual speaker SPL levels using the internal test tone generator in the Yamaha receiver. The correct procedure for using the meter is to select a range of 70dB, weighting “C” and slow response time. Hold the meter upright with the MIC pointing toward the ceiling approximately where your ears will be located when you are in the primary seat. Carefully adjust each speaker to +75 dB. Always stand behind the meter never placing your body between the meter and the speaker you are measuring. Your body is an excellent absorber and your levels will be off if you are in between the meter’s MIC and the speakers you are calibrating. With all the speakers including the subwoofer calibrated to + 75dB, you will most likely notice the subwoofer sounds a little lean. Generally adding +3-5dB to LFE SPL level will correct the problem. There are more sophisticated methods of calibrating and setting up a home theater system. In the future, Average Joe A/V Reviews will have tech tips covering all aspects of home theater installation and calibration.

 

Let’s fire these puppies up! Listening evaluation 2-channel

Govi Andalusaian Nights is a musical masterpiece that is pristinely recorded. The instrumental music theme is Flamenco, gypsy guitar rhythms with the occasional bongo, violin, drum and Latin vocal thrown in for good measure. Govi is the kind of music you listen to on a late evening in a quiet home sitting in your favorite chair with the lights off. The music has the ability to transport you far away to exotic places, the music is timeless and it has heart and soul. I started the evaluation with track number one Persuasion. Selecting “Pure Direct” on my Yamaha receiver by-passes all crossover settings, sending an unblemished full range signal to the left and right speakers without the subwoofer. Turning up the volume to about reference minus-13dB on the RXV-2600 I began to listen. Persuasion begins with the sound of hand drums and bongos in the background as chimes and maracas are being played. The hand-drum beats alternate very quickly from speaker to speaker. The Axiom W22’s reproduced this effect perfectly with no lag, overlapping or overhang. As the music passage progresses, Govi begins to play his somewhat reverberated acoustical guitar. The W22’s reproduced the guitar as if they were an extension of the guitar body. The music I was hearing sounded light and airy; it flowed and sounded very balanced. The W22’s midrange and upper frequency detail and resolution reproduction is terrific. Every little detail recorded by the close microphone was revealed accurately. I could hear every little scratch of Govi’s fingers as he worked the bridge of the guitar finding the next note to play. One area the W22’s did not excel in was focus and imaging; this is to be expected because the speaker is installed in very close proximity to the wall. Throughout this music passage there is a bass guitarist that plays very deep slow bass notes in harmony with Govi’s acoustic guitar. As expected the bass notes sounded a little shallow and lean. The speaker’s bass response was fast, tight and had impact but the ultra-low frequency reproduced by the bass guitar sounded muted.  This is to be expected as we are sending a full range signal to a speaker that has an effective lower frequency response of about 55-60Hz.  Simply stated, the W22 was never designed to be a full range speaker and we should not expect it to reproduce low frequencies like a subwoofer.

 

Govi Andalusaian Nights Part II

Track number two, Andalusaian Nights, may be one of my favorites on the CD, but this may change depending on my mood because they are all wonderful. The music passage begins with Govi playing his acoustic guitar solo. The aggressive slightly forward revealing nature of the Axiom W22’s sounded spectacular reproducing this solo sequence. Again, every nuance and inner detail in the close MIC recording could be easily heard. As the music passage progresses, the tempo quickly escalates into an acoustical and percussion free-for-all. The seductive Flamenco music, as reproduced by the W22’s, had me joining the band playing my slightly out-of-tune air guitar. Oh, come on, admit it, when no one is looking you do it too! I was very impressed with this speaker’s uncanny ability to fill the room with so much sound, given its small size and stature.  The music being reproduced by the Axiom in-walls sounded rich and fluid enveloping me in a wall of acoustical and percussion bliss. The W22’s have fairly good off-axis response, but obviously the best seat was in the middle of the speakers.

Once again, I found the overall bass output a little lean, thin and slightly hollow sounding. While continuing with the evaluation and replaying the track, I decided to select 2-channel analog, which re-engages the subwoofer. The difference between listening to the W22’s in Pure Direct without the EP-600 subwoofers vs. listening in 2-channel analog with the subwoofers engaged was huge! The combination of the W-22’s with the subwoofers really took on a whole new dimension.  The music now had impact and WOW effect. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying the W22’s didn’t do an admirable job reproducing the music. However, with the subwoofers on, the 2-channel evaluation sounded phenomenal. Concluding the 2-channel review, I must say that the W22’s are definitely overachievers. These small unobtrusive speakers were able to fill my medium sized room with more than enough sound. The term “audiophile” is generally reserved for high-status, high-priced gear that the Average Joe can only dream about. Seldom do you ever hear the term attached to a pair of in-wall speakers. The Axiom Audio W22 speakers mated with a good subwoofer are worthy of the term “audiophile”; they’re not perfect but they’re pretty darn close.

 

Movie soundtrack evaluations: Take One

I was anxious to see how the Axiom Architectural Series in-walls would perform after the positive 2-channel listening evaluation. For the movie sound track evaluation, I selected the fun, newly released DVD Ice Age, The Meltdown. Chapter 12, Tons of Fun, begins with the two little possum daredevils, Crash and Eddie, joined with Ellie jumping on a log and riding it down the steep hill at break-neck speed. The passage has many subtle special-effect combinations and a lively instrumental music score. The revealing, slightly forward sound of the Axiom in-walls made it possible to hear all the effects with remarkable detail and clarity. Subtleties such as the log creaking, branches breaking, and the pitter patter of the possums’ little feet running on the log were well embodied. As the chapter progresses there are several dialog exchanges between Manny, Ellie, Sid, Diego, Crash, and Eddie. All of the characters voices are uniquely different and vary in tone. The W150 in-wall speaker handled all the dialog exchanges beautifully. Every voice was clear, intelligible, and natural sounding. As the W150 produced the dialog, it did not play over the W22’s that were playing the cheerful musical score in the background. The entire system sounded very balanced; all speakers in the system including the Axiom QS8 surround speakers sounded nearly identical. The effects in the chapter sounded clean and dynamic.

 

Movie soundtrack evaluation: Take Two “crank it up”

I really wanted to hear how the Axiom W22’s, W150 and QS8’s would handle an aggressive soundtrack at very high listening levels. I cranked up the volume on the Yamaha receiver and selected chapter 24 The Damn Breaks. This chapter is a virtual torture test for loudspeakers. The chapter contains special effects, dialog exchanges, and a sophisticated fast-paced instrumental musical score. The chapter begins with the ominous cracking and roar of the ice in the dam. As the chapter continues, water begins cascading out of the dam, laying a path of destruction and devastation throughout the land.  The Axiom speakers, working as a system at very high volume levels, reproduced the cued special effect pans, musical score, and dialog exchanges in this chapter with a high degree of accuracy and effortless precision. It seemed as though there were no limits in the system’s dynamic capability. The W22’s, W150, and QS8 speakers blended with the EP-600 subwoofers perfectly. Throughout the chapter, I moved my listening position left, right, forward, and back. I found that moving to the right or left more than about 4 ft collapsed the front soundstage a little. A seated listening position of about 10-12 feet back from the front speakers was optimal in my room, but this can change depending on room configuration. Overall, the performance level obtained with the system consisting of W22 front main speakers, W150 center speaker, QS8 surrounds, and EP-600 subwoofers with movie soundtracks was outstanding. The system excelled in reproducing huge dynamic swings, and had a high degree of accuracy, just a touch below what you would hear in a high-end box bookshelf speaker system. It was certainly better than any conventional in-wall that I have heard to date.

 

It’s a wrap

I find it very hard to believe that I have not heard or read any significant information about the new Axiom Architectural Series hybrid in-wall speakers. Every once in a while an A/V manufacturer constructs a product that many publications outright dismiss. This often happens because journalists look at the price point and automatically look past it based on their own personal bias that audiophile products must meet a specific price threshold. The Axiom speakers I reviewed totally blow this analogy out of the water because these unassuming speakers blow the doors off many so-called audiophile in-wall speakers at that audiophile price threshold.  The W150 and W22’s excellent performance, build quality, small stature, and ease of installation place them in a league of their own considering the price. The speaker’s slightly aggressive forward sound may not be suitable for some in very bright rooms, but this is a design characteristic that makes them so darn special for people who like revealing speakers and dynamic home theater sound. If you are considering an in-wall speaker system it would be absolutely crazy not to check out the Axiom Architectural speakers. The Axiom hybrid in-walls can cost less than many mid-priced conventional in-walls, depending on configuration, and absolutely kill them sonically. I guess the burning question here is: Did I like Axiom in-walls? No, I didn’t like them, I loved them.  The bottom line here is the Axiom W22’s and W150 when mated with a good subwoofer absolutely kick butt and if you don’t at least consider them for your in-wall project the only butt you will be kicking is your own.

                  

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