Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater subwoofers

i just ordered a epic 80 system for myself and am really looking forward to hearing these bad boys but as i read thru the posts i see alot of people are getting different subs instead of the axiom, is there that much difference and should i cancel my sub and go outside for this?

go for it. i have the ep350 as well as others and it performs well.
dan

my EP350 does very well. in fact, for my apartment, it does too well, but that's because my apartment is small

i have heard a velodyne and an hsu sub. i wasn't too impressed by velodyne but the hsu was very, very nice. if i could start all over again, i'd give SVS a try, just based on the comments of other board members. But this is not to say the EP350 is a bad sub. It's quite good.

I have an ep350 and it shakes the room - I have no performance issues what so ever. I think many people that post to this board have built their system buying piece by piece because of the cost of these great speakers - Hence people getting different subs. Also too, if you get the system complete, you get that 5% discount. Some threads I read stated that when the EP350 is calibrated, they could tell no difference between the HSU and the EP350...

good point steveo.. i dont think anyone is really 'disappointed' with their EP350.. just a lot of people have purchased what they feel is 'their' choice for the best sub..

i look at it like this.. some prefer a lamborghine, some prefer porsche.. but they are both pretty damn fast!!

bigjohn

I just got my Epic 60 system, without an Axiom sub. Based on comments here, I went with an SVS sub (PS1-ISD) that, with shipping, was only slightly more expensive than the Axiom 350. There is a lot of praise for the Axiom subs, but I just decided to buy from a sub specialist. I'm very pleased with the SVS sub. The Axiom may sound just as good; I have no way of knowing. If you order five Axioms (speakers but no sub), you still get the 5% package discount. Buying the Axiom sub gives you matching appearance throughout your system.

Greetings,
I did a post a while back comparing the EP350 to a few other subs. My conclusion was that it is the equal of an Hsu STF-3 on music, but came up a bit short on demanding home theater applications like the infamous Darla scene. Just my opinion...

i appreciate everyones input, i like the idea of a completely matched system so i'm gonna try out this way for at least 29 days then if theres an issue i'll try others
thanks

New to the forums here (just ordered my Axiom speakers today) and I had a follow up question on this thread.

Has anyone heard the Outlaw LFM-1? Apparently Dr. Hsu consulted on the design (not sure if Hsu is making them for Outlaw or if Outlaw is making them themselves). At any rate the specs sound good (similar to the Hsu STF-3), the CNET review is great, and the price ($579) is a little less than the STF-3 (it looks like Outlaw pays shipping).

So...before I go order myself a Hsu, has anyone heard the Outlaw or even heard anything about it?

My mistake...Outlaw does not pay shipping (in fact, a whopping $67 for UPS Ground!). They will pay return freight if you decide you don't like it within the std 30 day return window. So, total cost turns out to be a little more expensive than the Hsu STF-3.

Wonder if HSU is doing the Outlaw as an OEM arrangement. Congratulations on the Axioms by the way - you're gonna love them.

As far as this Outlaw sub goes, my first thought is similar to those Hertz commercials - "Did you rent from Hertz?" "Not exactly". For the slim price difference, the STF-3 IS an HSU and emilinates a lot of worry.

"As far as this Outlaw sub goes, my first thought is similar to those Hertz commercials "

I know Outlaw makes great equipment (amps/preamps) and they focused on satisfying music listening needs first (although a 12" 25 Hertz sub is going to be no slouch on HT). I had a Boston Acoustics PV700 and it just sounded boomy/muddy in my room. I am guessing that the Hsu would be great but in the end I am less interested in volume than I am in a great soundstage.

My Axioms are the M22's L/R, VP150 for the center, QS8's for the surround. From everything I am reading on these forums as well as all the reviews I've checked out it is going to sound great - can't wait! Now if I can just find the right sub to make music performances come alive...

What is the size of your room (and adjacent space)? Have you also looked at SVS subs? In general, be sure you don't come up short on youtr choice of subs.

If you call HSU and SVS, you will find Customer Service that is very similar to the excellence Axiom has.

It's a big room - it is an open concept kitchen + family room. In total, the space is 37 x 13 x 7.5. There is a dining room (about 12 x 14) and an entryway (9 x 7) adjacent to this space (no closable doors). The whole area is far from ideal but I'm not ready to upgrade the house just yet! Would love to have a dedicated HT/Music room but that is not in the cards at this point.

Looked at SVS and not sure the size of 25-31 is going to work for me (read: my wife). Waiting to hear back from Hsu as I used their room configurator questionnaire.

Not sure what your opinion of the SVS cylinder subs is, but they do have a smaller footprint.

It's the height more than anything as it would be visible behind the back of the love seat (sits in the corner of the room). Perhaps I could disguise it!.

Btw, is corner placement a problem with SVS at all? The pricing is great so maybe that's a route I should explore further. I am somewhat restricted in where I can put a sub (again, I know that's not a good thing).

In most cases, the corner is where you will place your sub. I've got an SVS 20-39 PCi (in the corner) and it sits behind a Lazy Boy and is completely hidden.

Make note that SVS offers more than just cylinder subs. They also make the box kind as well. Something else to consider in all of this.

A sub in a corner is good for SPL, but usually not good for sound quality.

REALLY?? i was always told that one could create the best sound waves by putting the sub in the corner. learn something new everyday.. i already have a corner picked out once my system gets here, but i guess i will have to rethink that idea..

this just seems to get more and more complicated every day..

bigjohn

Yeah...placing it in the corner just acts as a megaphone to amplify the sound. People recommend it because of the emphasis on SPL...which IMO, is just wrong. In some rooms, it could very well be the best place, but for sound quality, it usually is not the case.

well, i have a room that is 28x26x8.. with a vega LW-12 sub. i know, not the best sub(which has already been discussed), but its what i got.. the vega does put out plenty of sound, but i just figured i would need all the help with SPL since the room is soooo big.. this sub does have a tendency to be 'boomy', but it can be adjusted and works fine..

bigjohn

Yes...that is a big room.

A good option is to place the sub close to the seating area.

Optimal placement of a subwoofer entails some complex tradeoffs, so it is difficult to generalize about corners, etc. I recommend this white paper from Harman Kardon for an explanation: http://www.harman.com/wp/pdf/Loudspeakers&RoomsPt3.pdf Then experiment with some test discs and a sound meter.

John, as Tom Nousaine, among others, has found, the corner(except in square rooms)is generally the best place for a sub to obtain both volume and smoothness of bass. All room resonances are excited in that location. It's been my personal experience as well.

I just got my SVS PB2-isd last week and have been playing around with placement quite a bit on this bad boy.

I found that with the sub in the front corner it sounded really thin, so I moved it to the back corner. There it sounded overly deep and muddy. After a few more moves it finally ended back where it started and after a little tweaking with phase all I can say is holy cow batman.

Darla almost took the house down this morning and Matrix Revolutions is just a sub fest. Incredible. The amazing thing to me is that this bad boy still integrates really well with music.

Kudos to SVS, they build a hell of a sub.

Dave

what it is the darla scene i see everyone mention???

It's a scene in "Finding Nemo" where a Little girl (Darla) taps on the glass of an aquarium. It is an incredible LFE (Low Frequency Effect) which rattles walls, and is considered a good test of a subwoofer's ability.

"It's a scene in "Finding Nemo" where a Little girl (Darla) taps on the glass of an aquarium. It is an incredible LFE (Low Frequency Effect) which rattles walls, and is considered a good test of a subwoofer's ability."

And a good test of the structural rigidity of your house. You'll find rattles you've never heard before.

Dave

thanks once again for all the info.

still sitting and waiting...................