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AXIOM Multi-input
PASSIVE PREAMP
Walker Mod Axiom's
Upon meeting Thom Walker in 2003 I knew right away I had found a friend and colleague. Thom's passion for audio was overwhelming to say the least and I more/less found myself looking into a virtual mirror whilst chatting with him. I offered Thom a position with Luminous Audio that he was far over-qualified for, but in the end, he accepted. Sometimes it's about audio you see. Thom began building Axioms and assisting me with auditioning prototypes and before long, he took home an Axiom only to fall in love. Being the long-suffering audiophile who liked to tweak things, Thom began "fooling around" with his Axiom. He knew I had designed the Axiom around great parts but to a particular budget. Thom thought; "what if I disregard the budget and build one for myself regardless of costs?" Well, he proudly approached me with his masterpiece a few weeks later with a ridiculous grin and asked me to listen to them. Of course I took them home and swapped them into my system in place of my personal Axiom (which had already been slightly tweaked of course). The difference was unbelievable and I distinctly remember calling him that night to discuss the changes. The primary change was swapping the already respectable Alps blue pot for the uncompromised smooth/conductive surface potentiometer made by TKD in Japan. DIY'ers have known this pot for decades as simply the best if you desire smooth and continuous control. Thom had access to some of the most expensive and exotic wire in the world working for Luminous Audio and he ultimately decided on our 6/9's ONO cast copper as the Axiom was inherently so detailed and open in the high end already. He also determined that isolating the chassis made a difference in the speed and clarity of the Axiom so he incorporated some home-made Sorbothane feet and Iso-mat damping sheet internally. Well, we now have Sorbothane feet custom-made for us specifically for the Axiom. The final, most difficult, and second most expensive change was to sway from the excellent quality custom made, brass RCA jacks we use on our standard Axiom and utilize the amazing Vampire pure copper CM-2F connectors. The CM-2F was designed to be the highest quality RCA jack in the world and we agree. With 90% of the RCA plugs in the world, this is the finest we have heard. Milled from pure copper, Teflon insulated and flash gold plated, the flag ship from vampire is fantastic! The result of the modification is mind-boggling to say the least. Better bass definition, more open top end, and jaw-dropping sound staging are just a few of the improvements to be heard. We invite you to audition Thom's handy work if you are in the market for a near cost-no-object passive pre at a very affordable entry fee of $399 for the stereo version and $599 for the XLR mono pair.
Hence, the "Walker mod" Axioms.
Happy listening, Tim Stinson
Axiom History
Axiom Testimonials
Thom Walker's bio:
I am jazz historian. At the University of North Texas, I studied under Dr. David Joyner. My main topic of study was the Gil Evans and Miles Davis collaboration from 1959-1962 focusing on the recordings of Quiet Nights and Sketches of Spain. While at UNT, I also had to the opportunity to work with and under many of the notable jazz educators of the 20th century, such as Dan Hearle, Neil Slater and Paris Rutherford. Each one of these professors enhanced my knowledge and love of this American art we refer to as jazz.
My formal university education also included double bass performance, studying with Jeff Bradetich, Rusty Halloway and Ed Mikenas. Other aspects of my education included composition and arranging, studying under Bruce Mahin, Cindy McTee, Phil Windsor and Paris Rutherford.
Throughout the years I have developed a large personal collection of early American music (blues, jazz, gospel and country). My collection exceeds 2000 records and approximately 1000 compact discs. Several pieces of my collection have had to be digitized and preserved for future years of use and I have done all of this work myself using a Sonic Studio system.
As for my system I tend to lean the more esoteric builders of Hi-fi constantly looking for pieces that recreate sounds that I heard while in recording studios, in TX. I have worked for various recording studios in the Southwest and on the East coast recording and performing with various musicians ranging from gospel to rock.
My part-time work with Tim and Luminous Audio is actually a period of relaxation for me. I have found it has brought me even closer to my love of music in a very tangible way through my work. Creating the Walker-mod versions has been an extremely uplifting and rewarding experience. They truly must be heard to be believed.
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