I managed to sneak away to the media room today for a couple of hours to take some detailed measurements with the 600 as well as the old Earthquake.
Rattles and hums continue with the 600 (no response from Axiom yet by the way)
, but for purposes of the measurement, it seems to be functioning well enough.
Below are the comparison curves: EP600 is blue/green, Earthquake MKIV-12 is purple.
Settings:
EP-600 was measured with XO at 100, trim=full, as that gives the flattest response in my room.
The XO on the EQ sub was set too high, so I think it's safe to ignore the readings above 100hz (for both subs really). There is no trim setting on the EQ.
Both were calibrated to ~75 db reference volume to begin. As a side note, the gain on the EQ was nearly maxed while the EP-600 is nearly at min. I mainly used the computer's gain/line in volume controls and did not otherwise change any gain settings once the initial SPL calibration was done to ~75 db.
The way that the curves mirror one another tells me that I've clearly got some work to do in the room to smooth response. Further, from ~18hz to ~25hz, sound from the EQ is non-existent, where the EP starts a subtle rumble around 18 and builds from there. Around 30hz up to 90hz, the EQ sub bounces up even higher than the Axiom to around ~85db while the Axiom stays closer to the 75db target level.
So... what does this tell me?
Since I'm mostly a rock/alternative/country music listener, I think I actually like the higher SPLs that come out of the Earthquake in the mid to high-bass range, though for HT the Axiom sounds better hands down. The volume difference below 30 hz is definitely noticeable, but is it $1700 noticeable when it's musical performance still leaves me wanting more? Granted, if I ever wanted to turn the gain up and blow the windows and doors off the room, only the 600 gives me that option
. The EQ sub is largely tapped out for this size of room.
I realize the value question is likely something only I can answer, though any input/advice/wisdom from the rest of you after looking at my response curves is appreciated. I'm guessing an equalizer like the BFD and room treatments would both help, but I'm not sure how much to expect.
Thanks folks.
Jason
