Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Advice for the Noob

I have had my M22s (walnut/coffee stain/satin finish)for about 2 weeks now and they look and sound great. My plan is to build what will likely be a 3.1 HT system. The configuation of my room makes rears/surrounds problematic. The room is approx. 16 X 16 w/ 10' ceiling. My listening is 50-50 music-movies. The receiver I'm looking at is the Denon AVR 591 which seems to fit my budget and needs well. For the center I'm thinking VP150, but wonder if the VP100 is really all I need. The sub is where I am at a complete loss. I've been looking at Axiom, Hsu, and Elemental Design among others, but I'm not sure exactly what I should be looking for. Is the receiver a good choice? What about the center question? The sub, I just don't know. Any advice? Am I on the right track or have I stumbled into a fool's paradise?

thanks, jerry

Welcome!

Do you have a budget in mind for your subwoofer purchase?

range of $400 - $600

Outlaw LFM-1 Plus looks good to me. I'm thinking about buying one for someone with a pair of M3's and no other speakers.

CatBrat, what exactly should I look for in a sub? I know frequency response, power rating and such and I can compare the numbers, but what I don't know is what my needs really are. It's too easy to get the big eyes and buy more than I need. I'm trying to avoid that and at the same time get a good quality sound. I listen 50-50, but the music is more important to me than the movies. What is it about the Outlaw sub that attracts you? I really am new to all of this. Initially I was just replacing my speakers in a stereo system, but thought a basic HT would be nice to have as well.

thanks, jerry

All I can do is relate what I know, which isn't a whole lot on this subject. I wanted to stick with Axiom on all of my speaker purchases, because I believe in what they make, wanting the flattest freq. response that I can get for the money.

My first purchase was the EP175, which is a 10 inch sub with a 175 watt amp. I was only wanting a sub that would complement the M22's that I currently have, without adding too much bass and making the sound bass heavy. I also like to play my music and movies fairly loud, at around 80-90 db or so, depending on what I'm listening to. I discovered that the little 10 inch woofer and 175 amp, just couldn't keep up.

Next I ordered the EP350 and returned the 175. With it's 300 watt amp and 12 inch woofer, it's everything I was originally looking for, and more. With the volume on it turned down a little, I get the complement that I was looking for. With it turned up a little, I get the extra boost for explosions, etc. that help make movies a little more enjoyable. But with the special vinyl that I had mine done in runs right at $830.

I don't know how flat this Outlaw is, that's one thing I haven't discovered yet. But at 350 watt, and 12 inch woofer, it might be the equivalent of the EP350. Except the Outlaw is downward firing which I don't have any experience with, so for me it would be an experimental purchase. They make a size smaller with a 200 watt amp and a 10 inch woofer, but I'm afraid I would run into the same problem I had with the EP175.

I ahve a Denon 1910 (791 equiv) and I *just* set up my LFM1-Plus last weekend... one warning, the LFM1-Plus is a powerful unit. Though my room isn't big, weighing in at 10x14x8.

I hooked it up, set it to max extension mode (down to 18Hz) (figured I didn't need too much volume in my room) and set the Volume to 4. I put in Pixar's "UP" and went to the Storm scene. I swear the pictures almost jumped off the wall!

Turned the Volume on the sub down to 3 and ran Audyssey. Even with the Sub's Master Vol at 3 my sub channel gest set to -12.5dB.

I still need to tweak the position, volume and recalibrate before I comment on tightness and quality of bass but I can certainly vouch for the fact it goes LOW and does it LOUD. From what I understand Front firing vs Down firing makes no difference. Down Firing is better if you have little kids that might put things in ports though...

Also, the Denon 1910 puts my movies at an uncomfortably loud volume at -15dB on the Dial. I imagine the 591 will fill your room just fine.

However, having said all the above, your room is ~5100 cubic feet and mine is only 1100 so you have a lot more space to fill. Really I just wanted to blather about how happy I am with the sub.

snazzed

From what Snazzed has said then perhaps the Outlaw LFM-1 (not the plus) would work for my intended purpose. The room it's going to be in is rather small, a little less than my living room.

I didn't see anything about a return or upgrade policy on their website. Is anyone here familiar with their return and upgrade policy, or even if they have one?

Outlaw is pretty good with their C/S I would suspect it to be similar to Axiom as are most ID companies.

I have an Outlaw LFM-1 Plus(I believe the LFM-1 was discontinued), an excellent sub that is basically a slightly modified HSU design at a better price. I have a combination of front firing and a down firing sub in the LFM-1 Plus and from a performance point of view, the differences in the designs are very slight and hardly noticeable.

Outlaw has the same 30 day return policy as Axiom.