Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners EP 350 vs. EP 500

It makes you wonder how many 'reviews' are simply based on hearsay or plaguerized from another source (mag, internet babble). As Fred pointed out, charts don't lie. I would suspect a lot of these people might be embarassed in a real A/B testing, regarding many brands, not just Axiom. Owners of the high $$ speakers would be less likely to do this I'm sure.

Bob. There have been a lot of advancements in subs in the last few years and it is probably the fastest changing and most competitive part of the industry.

Even in the DIY industry where two years ago there was only one supplier of large high excursion high quality drivers. At the time they were considerably more expensive than the competition. Now there are at least 4 different suppliers of extremely high quality high excursion drivers and relative to two years ago, they are very inexpensive.

There are commercial subs out there that reach a little lower than the EP600 and perform a little better for HT. They are appropriately priced.

If you look at the Craiglist people, I think you will find that they belong to the high spl extreme performance crowd that really belong more in the DIY arena: not Axiom's target market.

The MFW15 was poised to be a giant killer. It seems to have more than its share of issues.

With there being more and more good 15" drivers on the market, I would look for more changes and improvements in this arena.

Personally, I really agonized over this one and was not 100% on my decision to go with the EP350. As I have learned a lot more about sub design and have had a chance to use mine, I am convinced it was a good decision for me.

The EP350 seems to have more low end performance than the -3db point indicates and I am probably getting close to the same output at 20Hz as similarly priced competitors.

The big plus of the 350 is that it integrates so easily/well with my mains and delivers very clean upper bass.

You can pick up an SVS PB10NSD for cheap that reaches 20Hz, and it offers good value for HT, but, from reviews I have come across, gives up clarity for music to get there. That is a function of physics. To get a 10" driver down to 20Hz means you have to push it really hard. This introduces significant distortion and reduces clarity/detail.

Bottom line, Axiom is a music/sq first company and this is reflected in their design choices. That fits well with what I want.

Yes.

If you are really interested, buy the book by Toole that Johnk quotes from. I picked up another book on acoustics ahead of this one, but will get the Toole book soon.

Thanks Fred, I too was agonizing a little. I'm glad I ordered the EP350, can't wait till Tuesday when it arrives!

Dana

Agonizing. That's a good word.

I'm glad I could help.

Guys, don't agonize over the purchase of an Axiom sub, they perform great, as it is said, you can't believe everything you read.

For reference, last year I compared the EP600(mojo's) to the EP400, EP350v3, SVSPB12-nsd, SVS PB13-Ultra, Velodyne DLS5000R, Hsu STF3 and my old D-Box 350. I have also compared the EP350v3 with the Paradigm DSP3100, EP350v2 and the Paradigm to my old D-Box sub.

Jay,
Someone on that other forum thought that Axiom subs were overpriced and that there were better for less money. What's your take on that.

I do think they are somewhat overpriced, the same as I feel their amp(s) is(are) overpriced. I especially feel the EP400 is way overpriced, but I am not the one making them and have no idea how much it costs them to produce.

I do know there are many subs and amps out there for less that perform as well, if not better,IMO, and I stress, MY OWN OPINION.

I think that's mostly a holdover from a few years ago when Axiom WAS priced high in comparison to sub-only companies that offered comparable/better performance for the money.

Since Axiom revamped the 350, though, I mostly think that blanket statement is far less true than it used to be.

That said, if I were to buy the two subs that I hope to add to my HT someday, I'm primarily looking to Outlaw where I can get two subs rated to 16Hz +/- 2dB for $1200. I'm always surprised that the Outlaw subs don't generate more discussion for low reach at a good price...better than what I've seen from Axiom, Hsu or SVS. Of course, for my small room, low reach is more important than huge output....