I put together a dedicated HT room past summer in a 2500 cubic foot room with 2 M80s, a VP-150, and four Michaura M55s. I was quite happy with this set-up but wondered if I was missing something by not having a subwoofer. After reading endless discussions and reviews, I bought the EP-500 two weeks ago. I wanted to post my experience here in order to help those who may be considering this sub and to also express my gratitude to Ajax (Jack), jakeman (John), and dllewel (Dave) in graciously helping me to set it up properly.
I initially placed the sub between the right front and center speakers, put the source amp at -5dB for the LFE, set all speakers to small, switched the sub to flat mode, and then calibrated the sub to 73dB with the RS SPL meter (not 75dB because of the 2dB underestimate for low frequencies associted with this meter; in my opinion, the variability from meter to meter probably makes this subtle, but well known, discrepancy unnecessary). The sub ended up with its volume between 6-7 o'clock. This is apparently where most people end up with this sub's volume knob. To my dismay, the bass did not seem to be significantly better than when LFE was assigned to M80s before the sub. Turning up the volume on either the source amp or the sub caused rattling of the room without satisfactory bass. I was advised (all of the advise was from the three guys above) to place the sub in the primary listening position and then listen from potential spots where the sub could be placed. I had heard about the importance of placement for subs, but did not realize how important this indeed was; I ended up placing the sub behind the center channel (which sits on a stand located below a projection screen), equal distance from each of the M80s. I re-calibrated each speaker and sub again, and was happy to find out that this spot improved the bass effect. However, the improvement did not seem to be worth $1200. I was then advised to use the different EQ settings on the sub designed for different size rooms; Axiom recommends full for small, half for average, and flat for large rooms but does not go into detail about what these room sizes are. I picked up a few DVDs with reportedly good bass and listened to the same scenes at all 3 settings. It was clear that the half setting was the best for my room as it significantly tightened the bass without the rattling. With the sub in its optimum position and set to half, I now think the EP-500 justifies its cost. The take home message for me was that the placement and calibration of the subwoofer, including its room settings, were paramount in extracting its prodigious power fruitfully. Again, I would like to thank Dave, Jack, and John for their immensely valuable advice and look forward to learning from all of you in this forum.
John
