Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Need advice on subwoofer

The new VTF 2 is a 12" driver compared to the STF 2 with a 10" driver. I would opt for the new VTF 2 in a room of your size. I have both the VTF 2MK1 and a STF 3, it is all but impossible to hear a sonic difference. As far as the output it's no contest the STF 3 in the hands down winner.

>>I now realize how much there is to learn about subs. Thanks for the advice -- now I don't know what to do.

Don't let us worry you too much. We're just trying to give you as much info as possible before you purchase so you aren't always wondering afterwards if you bought the right sub. We're talking about relative nuances here -- but if you're like us those nuances can sometimes keep you up at night after making the purchase decision.

>>Maybe go for Hsu VTf-2?. My budget is $500-600 (shipping/tax incl)

Yeah -- for your room, budget and listening preferences I would probably lean towards the VTF-2 Mk 3. The new EP350 v3 is also looking very good but doesn't quite fit your budget, and the EP-175 is supposed to be real nice for music but probably won't keep up with the VTF-2 for movies. Note that the Hsu Mk2 and Mk3 are very different subs.

Only issue is if you have any kind of deep carpet in the listening room -- I always find the Hsu spikes / feet are too short to keep the woofer out of the carpet pile. If you lived in Canada you could just put the sub on four hockey pucks but I don't know what you would do south of the border.

>>Very diplomatic, John. Your last sentence surprised me!

I purchased the SVS (a 20-39PC+) when the older EP350 was the top of the Axiom line and I wanted something with a bit more deep bass extension. It was a relatively easy decision, although the shipping was a pain.

Nowadays it would be a much tougher choice because Axiom, SVS and HSU all have great offerings. Fortunately I have no money to spend on audio right now or I would probably be ordering an EP350v3, an EP500 or 600 *and* a Hsu VTF-3 HO with the ugly box

There are a couple of new subwoofer companies that started in car audio but are now making subs for HT/ Music which are generating a lot of buzz for their excellent performance at relatively low prices. The aren't exactly beautiful, and they can be a little larger, so be sure to check dimensions to see if they would work for you.

The first sub I'd like to offer for consideration is the Elemental Designs (eD) A5-350 ($600)

Here are some subwoofer rankings by an enthusiast who is very knowledgeable. He makes it clear that these are merely his educated opinions, and are meant to be a help in narrowing down your choices, rather than recommendations or "the last word." As you can see, in his opinion, the A5-350 scores very well and goes for a reasonable price. Every 3 points represents a 15% increase in performance.

At the moment he is putting an Epik Valor ($549) through it's paces. His testing isn't complete yet, but he's reporting a below 20Hz frequency response, and has given a preliminary music score of 47 (virtually the same as the A5-350).

I think you would find either of these subwoofers to be excellent performers, and a heck of a bang for the buck.

DISCLAIMER: I have an Axiom EP500, and couldn't be happier with it. It is a fantastic performer.

Thanks to everyone for the comments. Buying equipment sight unseen (or sound unheard) is tough -- but the internet defintely helps.

In case anyone cares, I went with the Hsu VF-2 Mk3 today. Should be here soon. Now I guess I need to get an SPL meter.

Mark

You made a good choice, you'll be happy with it.

>>I went with the Hsu VF-2 Mk3 today
>>Now I guess I need to get an SPL meter.

You might have to get the SPL meter from SVS

Seriously, SVS still has the Radio Shack analog SPL meters advertised for sale on their web site. They may have run out years ago, but it might be worth checking.

That's where I saw them! I couldn't remember for the life of me who was still advertising them. Sonicboom up here in Canada has them on their website with test discs, if I remember right.

I can borrow the one from work. Not sure how good it is (from VWR scientific) -- a standard supplier for lab equip.

I wonder if the spikes will be long enough for the carpet here. I might take bridgman's advice and use the hockey puck approach.

That is the sub I ended up with. Its nice and probably a lot bigger than you imagine.

M60s/Q8s/HSU VF2.3

Enjoy.