Hi all,

At Axiom, in the course of developing the EP500, EP600 and EP400 DSP subwoofers over the past few years, we've been experimenting a lot with subwoofer drivers, enclosures and amplifiers. So it was only natural that a post on the message boards a while back served as an impetus to re-do the EP350 sub.

The resulting EP350 v3 is almost an entirely new subwoofer--and its performance is very much improved, so good in fact that it surpasses a competitor's sub (one with three letters and a huge, clumsy enclosure) and rivals the EP500. Don't get me wrong--the EP500 still goes deeper, plays louder, and is more linear, but the new 350 v3 is a very close competitor.

Here's the dope on the EP350 v3: It uses the EP500 enclosure and the same driver. The internal amplifier is not DSP-controlled and, at 300 watts, has 100 watts more output than the old 350. But the new 350 v3 has a nifty circuit inside that, well, gooses the performance without making the sub boomy, flabby or annoying.

As I write this, I'm looking at my handwritten notes from the double-blind listening tests I did in June to Sub #1 (EP350 v3, the new one); Sub#2 (existing EP350) and Sub#3 (big clumsy box, three-letter brand).

On a great acoustic jazz track (French jazz pianist Jacque Loussier playing jazz Bach), I noted: "best-defined string bass of all three subs; excellent!" On a rock selection, I said "lots of punch, truly great bass". For the existing 350, I noted "very good, but not quite as powerful or linear as #1 (the new 350 v3)".

On pipe organ: "Very deep bass, excellent" (new 350 v3). The competitor's sub got this from me: "very like #1 (350 v3) but not quite the equal".

The price of the new EP350 v3 is $758.

Regards,

You guys are SO looking to empty my wallet!

So it's the same price as the "old" 350?

Great news, Alan!


Mark, trade in your old one and buy two new ones!

Hi Mark,

Yep. I just checked the "old" 350 page, and it says $758US. And that's what the new EP350 v3 is priced at.

Alan

It's listed as 200W on the products page, Alan.

This is very interesting news...when I do finally get my "real" HT, the chances of an All-Axiom system seems to have risen substantially.

I am glad you took the advise about moving the driver into the EP500 enclosure...this sub is looking like a real winner at that price now!!!

I can't wait to see some reviews! If this v3 had been around when I ordered my system in January, I probably would have ordered this sub instead...

I am very excited for Axiom, they finally have (what sounds like) a formidable price competitor to that 3 letter company we all know, sounds like this sub will ship for nearly the same price as the PB-12! Add to that much more musicality, and its a no brainer!!! And it looks way cooler than the old v2, the new v3 has the huge port under the driver...I think the EP500 is the best looking sub on the market, now the EP350 looks just like it!

I have a question for the Axiom team...why not rename the sub to the EP300 (seeing as it has 300watts), why is the EP350 the name? I think it would seem more suitable to have a list of 300, 400, 500, 600...I guess you guys probably have stockpiles of manuals for the EP350...

This is intersting news for me as well because I have had getting a sub in the back of my mind for a while now but to get a really good one is just out of my reach. This new Ep350 is bringing that reality that much closer

Its too bad though that the two biggest competitors I can think of both have three letter names. And both have models with big clumsy boxes.

Great news, Alan! I have the same comment as Brandon about the two 3-letter brands. I'd lean more towards the one with all caps as my guess, though.

I may have to make a new purchase very soon......

Very cool, this is one of the things I remember seeing variations of at the picnic.

Just an FYI, there seems to be a couple pages that need to be updated. First the Subwoofer product page, and then the subwoofer compare cuts off the 600...(US and Canada)




Almost forgot, the EP400 has the dimensions for MM and Inches in the wrong spots...

Well that narrows it down

I would more combine "clumsy box" with the all Caps company, than the other one...the other one is more known for musicality.

Is there a "clumsier" box than that horrible Turbo contraption?

hmmm, you have a point...

Ah, a change in the enclosure such that the EP350 now sports the new port design.
Perhaps the new EP350 is really the version i wanted sans port chuff when i bought it so many years ago.
Now why DID that take so long?
Could it have been the amp design taking up so much time?
The outdoor speakers?
The in-walls?
The extra flats?
The accessories?
Planning trips to Cowtown?
Anechoic chamber build?
Laying out plans for Ian's future jet?

Get your priorities straight eh Axiom?

I agree, Priorties not where they should be, the factory should be moved out here, so you could just visit muskoka country.

What ever happened to the idea of a second one out this way anyway? Oh wait a minute, things went boom and prices went sky high, never mind.

Does Axiom have any plans to replace the EP125 8" woofer with the same enclosure and design as the EP400, but without the DSP amp and a much less powerful amp?

It may be an option for those that don't need 500 watts of amp power but want a tight sealed sub for music listening.

Woo hoo !!

Alan, this is great news. This is the "EP400" I kept whining about (350 electronics in a 500 enclosure), plus a better amp and a "nifty circuit". I love nifty circuits

I can't wait to hear the reviews on movie content -- I bet it really shines there as well.

EDIT - is there any chance the frequency response numbers are left over from the v2 ? My guess was that the lower tune point of the EP500 enclosure would improve the deep bass extension and move the -3dB point down a few more Hz.

Curious if anyone has purchased this beast and what they think? I also noticed the specs, specifically weight, is different on the main EP350v3 pages, versus when you open up the "compare all subs". I think that refers to the old 350 weight. Just curious if there are other spec typos?

As some of you know I've been pondering exploring having multiple subs in my room, in addition to the EP600. Since the new 350 has impressive specs, rivaling close to the ep500, and goes up to 150 hz and does not have the brick wall problem, it might be a good compliment to my room.

3 EP350v3's placed on the side walls and rear wall with the ep600 on the front wall might really help even out the low freq's. The price point from the factory outlet is attractive, the 400 and 500 are just a little high for the budget, especially since I'm trying to save for the new 1400 amp.

Phew.. I had to re-read your post. At first I thought you were talking about lining 3 EP350's along EACH WALL!

I was thinking to myself "Why would anyone need 9 ep 350's and a 600"

Randy, you're crazy. But yes, it sounds like a great idea. I'm also curious what owners of the new 350 have to say.

Randy, I noticed some time ago that the amended instructions in the EP500 manual relating to "crossover" state that when the control is set to bypass, the "crossover"(actually low-pass, not a full crossover)is 150Hz. This indicates that the fixed "brick wall" filter has now been set to 150Hz rather than 100Hz. It would seem that few buyers of the EP500 would be using speakers small enough to require sub output up to 150Hz, but anyway it's there now.

Yep John, I was aware of that also. The problem is my 600 was purchased prior to this change, and it has the brickwall filter. My graphs show a drop off above 100hz with just the one sub, and I was thinking by purchasing some 350's to place along some of the other walls, it might help flatten the entire room response for all listening positions. The 350's go up to 150 it appears.

Is this brickwall filter something that a firmware update can change? Via the USB port? Is Axiom finally going to take advantage of that upgrade potential?

Well, I have the EP350v3, and as far as physical characteristics go, the shipping label lists the weight as 62 (lbs, I assume, as there is no way it weighs 62 kg). Of course, the box also describes it as only a 200 watt 12 inch powered subwoofer.

Pre-printed boxes are the curse of any manufacturing business. You either have to throw out a lot of boxes every time you change the product, or roll the v3 box into production around the same time as the v5 subwoofer

I've always been confused about Axiom sub power ratings. Are the power ratings peak or continuous?

surely they are RMS?

I am trying to budget for my home theater before I even buy a house, but I have pretty much all but settled on Axiom, I in particularly like the M80 towers and QS8 surrounds, what I am not sure on is the sub/subs. I have ruled out the EP600 based on cost, even though I am sure it would be awesome. Thus, I had settled on the EP500, and was rather content. Until of course, I started thinking about a two sub arrangement. If one EP600 is too much money, then two EP500's is WAY too much money, so I got to thinking, maybe two EP350's. Here is my concern.

The EP350 does NOT go as low in frequency response as the EP500, and I REALLY want that deep bass and WoW effect, whether I am entertaining with music or movies. On the other hand, two EP350's have the potential to give more listening positions a flatter bass response. I don't want my room to sound good in just a limited number of listening positions, but at the same time I want that real low bass that I have read about in EP500 reviews.

So, in this forum's opinion, should I go ahead with two EP350's? Or should I start with an EP500 and go from there? If I am satisfied with the EP500, I can add one further down the road, or if I am not satisfied trade it back via the 30 day trial period.

As a side note, is the 30 day trial applicable for the outlet items?

I have the EP500 and it is great. I also have a second sub that I built from parts I purchased from Parts Express. The second sub really does make the bass smoother throughout the listening area. I personnaly do not think both subs need to be the same. Get the EP500 and go from there.

I agree with Joey. Depending on your room, you may not need a second sub to flatten the room response.

30 day trial is applicable to FO.

The specs on the 350 are not totally updated as Axiom has not completed lab test in an anechoic chamber on the new sub. This new sub has a Dynamic power supply which the older model did not. In Alans blind testing the new 350 did almost as good as the 500, and beat the other two 3 letter brands.

Thanks for the help.

Also, sirQuack, I really liked your setup and hate to go off topic, however, do you find the VP150 has a hard time keeping up with the M80's?

I have read articles recommending two VP150's because the M80's can put out so much that just one VP150 has a hard time competing.

In my modest size room (2150 CF) the VP150 has no problem.

You can adjust the center level as needed to ensure equal output across the fronts and center.

I think most people who advise using 2 vp150's do so because they have large screens, and having one above or below the screen can cause the dialogue to be 'disconnected' from the screen. Having two vp150's (one on top and bottom) can center the dialogue directly in the middle of the screen.

I have not noticed anything with my 150 that would indicate I need two (although it probably wouldnt hurt)
Sir quack may have better advice since he has an 8000+ cf room

Unless I missed something, I don't think the 500 was included in Alan's test. It was the original 350, new 350, and a 3 letter brand.

Did I miss a thread?

Thanks for the input, I plan on having as large a screen as my (non existent) living room will accommodate, but I don't imagine having a huge room, as such I will take your advice and start with one, and add a second if needed.

I will of course call Axiom before making the order to be sure that all of my ordering is in line with my theorycrafting.

In my discussions with Alan, there was a 500 in the tests as well.

For movies my VP150 has no problems keeping up, as the purpose of the center is for dialog anyway...

I have 2 VP150 and it is better for music and also for movies, but not because the VP150 has trouble keeping. It is just a "vertical spatial" thingy.

Making sure they don't interfere with each other (cross-firing) is the main thing (I made the mistake of angling one up and one down and it took me two good days to find out what was wrong with the sound). Now I have the bottom one straight and the top one barely firing downward and the sound stage is perfect.

If I could have 1 VP150 directly accross the screen, I would probably never have felt the need for a second one. But as I was waiting for my replacement A1400 and not wanting to push my 805 too far with a 3Ohm load, I expiremented with the difference between top and bottom. I slightly preferred top, but both gave me a slightly skewed instrument positionning (one too high, the other too low). Now it's great!

Okay. That was my 2 cents on dual center!

I use 2 M3s, one above and one below the tv for the same reason as EF (spatial). Both on there sides with the tweeters on opposite sides.