I received my EP350 about 2 weeks ago and I noticed that the driver is different then what is pictured.

The sub sounds awesome to me, I was just wondering if there was a change.

The sub pictured shows a black cap in the center of the sub and mine looks just like that of the EP500 driver.

Just wondering

Hey Josh, welcome, make sure you take my Axiom Polls on my website if you haven't already I'm curious about your question also, I got my Axiom speakers from the Factory Outlet about 6 months ago and mine looks just like the EP350 on the product page, with the black center on the woofer. Man I hope they didn't improve the woofer design, although I like my EP350, that would upset me

I know the EP350 says it has an Aluminum Woofer, and I assume the EP500 does also, but the product page does not come right out and tell you that, well I guess you got lucky, maybe they put EP500 guts in your EP350?

M60's VP150 EP350 4-Qs8's
Denon 2805

Yes, Josh, welcome, but keep it quiet about your sub. They apparently sent you by mistake one of the test samples for the new EP400(which has by coincidence been suggested in another thread here)which uses the EP500 driver in the EP350 enclosure. Just kidding, of course, and have no real idea, but Axiom does occasionally make running changes without announcement.

Thanks for the replies guys... I am in love with the set up. I kind of wish I would have gotten the 60's though...

Upgraditis.... again

I wonder if it is just cosmetic? The EP500 woofer does look cooler in the product page pic...

ps: you had me going there JohnK about the EP400....

im embarressed to say he had me for a minute too. :}

My EP-350, which I received 2 weeks ago, also has the "no black center" that the EP-500/600 has. They probably just haven't updated the pictures. They all use the same size driver, so...

Surely they don't all use the same DRIVER! If so, then the 350's just become a significantly more interesting option...

The only way to be sure is to take the driver out and compare it to Axiom's pictures of the EP5/600 driver...

Does the 350 look the same as the pictures in the other respects? (ie, the general size, gorilla ports, etc)

Yes, All else looks the same.

time to get some aluminum paint.

Actually a to replace my black hole would be to cool.

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Axiom does occasionally make running changes without announcement.

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"We fear change. Change is bad!" Garth

maybe Alan from Axiom will jump in here and explain the change, maybe I should have not purchased from the F.O.

Would you post a picture of your woofer for us?

I suspect before long......most of the Axiom speakers will feature the drivers without the black center caps.
That "type" of driver is showing up in many speaker mfg.'s ads.

Well that looks like a EP500 driver doesn't it? Now I'm holding my breath to see if they'll let me swap my old driver out for a dollar or more.

Wonder if the driver is the only change?

Yeah, I just upgraded to the 500 from a 350 and they looked identical, except for the box size and weight. Wonder why the change for the 350?

Have any specs changed on the EP350 since this new change?


If you haven't already, please take part in my Axiom Speaker polls

Looks to be the same specs... doesn't way the 70 or so pounds the 500 does. But that could be because the amp is bigger.

I wonder what would happen if I gave it more power

i have to say that is extremely interesting..? it does look like the same driver in the 500/600, so i am curious if they have made a change in the type of drivers they use across the board. i mean, do the new 125 and 175 also have the 'rounded' look? hopefully alan or amie will pipe in and give us some info.

i would think they would want to change the image on the website? it could be taken as slightly misleading..

bigjohn

I just returned my EP175.. it had the black dust cover. So I am unsure.

I hope they can chime in soon as well.

Seems to be the 500 driver, look at how big the 'black foam thing' is (dunno the correct name for it). … Compare it to the original 350,. the 350’s is significantly smaller.
Looks like you got a nice deal there, this deserves a new ep350 v2.0 user review... looking forward to that …

~Jaime

Seems to be the 500 driver, look at how big the 'black foam thing' is (dunno the correct name for it). … Compare it to the original 350,. the 350’s is significantly smaller.
Looks like you got a nice deal there, this deserves a new ep350 v2.0 user review... looking forward to that …

That's what I have too. Maybe I won't upgrade to the 500, after all!

i just received my fo 350 and it has the 500/600 driver (no black center) it sounds great the 500/600 all use the same size driver so they probal=bly figured why buy 2 different drivers. besides its the box and the digital proccessing that make the difference on the 500/600 also the 350 still has the 2 round ports as opposed to the single rectangler port of the 500/600. i wish the towers looked the same that would be cool.just my observastions for what its worth.
Jake

Just a business observation here.....I would guess that the drivers are now the same- not necessarily the internals, but the drivers.

It is cost effective to have less parts utilized within a great product range.

I believe the 500/600 use digital amps...probably much better than the analog amps in the lesser series.

wow, i just looked at mine and its the 500 driver too! the kinda slipped this one past us, huh? i wonder when they did the switch, cause i got mine a couple of weeks before christmas. maybe i WONT get that 500 like i was thinkin... well MAYBE!

and i wonder if/how this affects the posted specs and freq response curves? (pssst! Ian/Alan, maybe a pretty pic of the curve along with an M60?? hook a fella up? )

Had me Hook, Line and Sinker!
Wow! An Experimental EP400! Cool.
I was on my way downstairs to see what it said on the back!
TjB

Yup,
Just went downstairs to look, and I too have the solid driver w/ no black insert in my brand new 350.
Looks just like the driver in the 500, in the same chassis as the 350.
I wonder if this has something to do with why I am so confused about my reaction to this sub, which I think is just awesome, while so many other posters seem to think it is a bit under-powered compared to the 500 and other subs out there?
TjB

"maybe I should have not purchased from the F.O. "
That is where mine came from, and I have the solid -no black center- driver. Mine got here a couple of weeks ago, "fresh off the line" as described from Amie...
TjB

Now the question... does the back look like the amp plate from the 350 pictures, or like the amp plate from the 500?

no the back is still like the old 350 i think they just found a new design for the driver and like myself & bb said its just a business decision not to by 2 different parts for the same job.

That's what I figured. I just hoped that Axiom might be doing a stealth EP400 on us...

Well, they sort-of did that. Depends on what the EP400 is

I'd love to see a comparison of the EP350 v1 and v2, along with, say, a VTF-3 and a PB12 or whatever they're calling it these days. Throw in a 500, and there we go.

No, I don't have the money, house, or SAF to do that myself, thanks!

Which brings me right back to one of my earlier thoughts regarding why I was left shaking my head about the somewhat lukewarm reviews this sub has gotten on these pages compared to the rest of the options in it's price range.
I have NOTHING to compare it to except my old Polk PSW300 (which was pretty much just a boom boom box with no articulation). But I can tell you that I am as thrilled with my EP350 as I am with the rest of my setup. It was the one item that I sat on the fence about the longest - 350 or 500 - and I am glad that I got the 350. It is perfect for my listening needs & my space, and goes as low and loud as my Sweetheart lets it! ;-)
TjB

So, I keep checking back here, hoping that someone from Axiom will have chimed in to illuminate us.
Nothing yet...
Alan? Ian? Amie? Brent?
TjB

ditto

Well, I got an email from Brent with an answer to the mystery driver in some of the 350's, but I'll wait a day or so and see if they pipe up on their own...
If they don't. I'll ask him if it OK to post his answer, but I do not want to quote him without his permission.
TjB

The suspense is killing me I wonder if it is Good, Bad, or the Ugly?

Why didnt you just say "how do you keep an idiot in suspense? Ill tell ya later" your killing me tell us please.lol

I talked to Axiom on the phone yesterday and was told it's the same driver.

We also talked about swapping out the older 350 driver for the new one and although it can be done it isn't cost effective.

I paid $300Cdn for my 350 (used) and I would still be better off to sell it and buy a new 350 with the newer driver. Btw the new driver does play a little lower as well.

Ford...you've got me scratching my head.

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...and was told it's the same driver.

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...talked about swapping out the older 350 driver for the new one...

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Huh?

Not to speak for Ford, but what I think he meant was:
I talked to Axiom on the phone yesterday and was told it's the same driver as the new subs.

Sorry for the confusion spiffnme, Mark is correct, the new EP350 has the same driver as the EP500/600.

Ah...been a long day at work. I should have been able to figure that one out on my own.

Dang, now what is guy to do, I've liked my 350, but sometimes wish it had a little more performance, and I'm worried once I move everything down to my new ht area which is much bigger, I'll be unhappy. I've had it less than 6 months and it is like brand spankin new, as I've really babied it, but I'm a bit disapointed that they have made this change, esecially if it is true that it plays lower and has the same driver as it's big brothers.

There's always the trade-in policy.

I thought the trade-in was only for the thirty days?

Well, I gave them a couple of days to jump in here...
So I'll just pass along what Brent told me;
(Sorry Brent if this is out of line!)
Below is my question to him, and his response;

TjB; "So, Are you guys all sitting around trying to decide what you are going to tell us about the change in drivers in the EP350, or are you coming up with a new name for a new sub?"
Brent; "You are an astute man.
The driver is a temporary replacement and will not be ongoing in the EP350. Essentially it is the same driver without the dust cap."

Pay particular attention to the part that says this is temporary, and will not be an ongoing replacement.

My guess is that they ran out of the 350 drivers, and decided it was better to ship subs with the 500 drivers rather than enduring a long out of stock, and possibly losing some orders. Perhaps they are/were going to be out of the correct drivers for quite some time?

And, I also do not really buy the "Essentially it is the same driver without the dust cap." thing.
If it were "essentially" the same driver, then why would they bother buying both?
I simply cannot imagine Axiom undertaking a project like the EP500/600, with all of the technilogical innovations that it included, and then just using the same driver from the previous generation subs. From what I have able to glean from the several months of research I put into buying these speakers, and the short, but involved time I have spent on these forums, this just does not seem like something that Axiom would do. Does it?
I certainly do not want to put words in anyone's mouth at Axiom but I think they simply ran out of the 350 drivers, and thought, "Hey, the 500/600 driver will fit, and some guys will get a little bit of a bonus, even if they don't notice! No harm, No Foul..."
What they might not have counted on (which I would have thought they would have seen coming from a mile away, considering these threads, and the folks who post here)was someone noticing, and then posting that observation, with the predictable results of those who got the 500 driver Crowing over their unexpected windfall (Guilty as Charged - Sorry!)and leaving those who did not get the new driver wondering if they got gyped - when they actually got exactly what they had ordered.
In the end I think that Axiom, being the great company that they are, with, (in my experience, and by EVERYONE'S accounts here), a tremendous record of customer service, came up with the best and quickest solution to see that their customers got their precious new subs in a timely fashion, and like so many other Good Deeds, it has come around to bite them in the behind!
Personaly I kind of feel bad that they are in this sticky little situation, cause they all seem like such nice folks, and certainly do not deserve ANY bad Karma in any form what-so-ever. And I kind of feel guilty about being a part of it all...
But I sure Ain't sending my "Experimental EP400" back!

This has resolved for me the question of whether to upgrade from my 350 (w/500/600 driver) to a 500. I did SPL readings down to 16 Hz and it was actually a little above the flatline (which I set at 80 dB). It's pushing well!

Seems to me you’re making this all much worst than it really is. So Axiom decided to improve one of its product lines; what’s the big deal? We all should be glad for, don’t we? You brought the point of the people who recently bought the ep350 and got V1.0. Well, they got what they paid for. So, why is this a ‘sticky little situation’?

~Jaime

No, no, no. I'm not trying to put a negative spin on this at all.
And I do not in any way think that it negatively reflects on Axiom.
I just think that it is a shame that there is now the "What If-itis" that some owners of the regular 350 are feeling (as expressed by some of the posts above), when, by all appearances, all Axiom did was make a quick change of an out of stock component in order to get product to eager customers.
I was not trying to be negative towards Axiom in any way at all. Not my intention.

It would also have been nice if they (Axiom) had of addrressed this on the board when it was first raised.

While Alan does post his experiences and advice, there seems to be a great delay in anything official when an issue is raised. Not that I am singling out Alan, but it would be nice to see more participation from Axiom in general.

Without the fancy-shmancy "digital amp" (which I suspect is using some EQ-ing to achieve it's amazing performance!), the driver itself probably doesn't make a lot of difference.

In this case, I wouldn't think that anybody has been ripped off or give a free bonus, other than the cool aesthetics of the capless driver.

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In this case, I wouldn't think that anybody has been ripped off or give a free bonus, other than the cool aesthetics of the capless driver.

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I dunno, I think it looks nicer.

I was able to fix that with my older driver, though, with silver spray paint from Home Depot.

I was going to use a can of paint and a brush, but I decided that the spray can would give a more professional look without those "brush lines" and everything. Since it's a metal driver, I sprang for the extra buck and used Rustoleum. They say aluminum doesn't rust, but why take the chance?

Now, for those of you that are taking this serious, I say: "Smarten Up! Everybody knows that you shouldn't do something like this without priming first!"

Great idea Mark!! Just curious though...what's the recommended break-in period for Rustoleum?

Mark,

On my drivers, I first..CAREFULLY smashed in the black center caps....and THEN painted them with the "correct" aluminum silver roofing paint.
With this method, they look ALMOST like the new drivers.

LT

This is what I love about this forum: all the smart people.

I never even thought of the roofing paint in terms of waterproofing the sub!

Excellent idea!

I agree with you tjb, not bad intensions taken, not sure why others see it that way. I do agree it would be nice if someone from Axiom would comment on the change. I will say while checking "whos online" I've noticed a few, no names mentioned, Axiom people reading the thread.

I kinda feel bad by bringing this thread up. I searched and found no answers.

So much for my curiosity..LOL

Hang in there my friend... I’m sure that Axiom is either making a new deal w/ the the old woofer‘s distributor or hiring a photographer to update their site. What would it be?

One photo could be for gourmet cooks who like music in their
kitchens; One shot would be with the woofer of an EP600
facing up, on a particularily hot number, cooking Chinese.
With a 600 there's room on either side of the woofer for
condiments and utencils. It's a natural!

Rich.

keep your grill on, problem solved .

you don't think you can just wok right in here and solve it so
easily, do you?

I love it. Beautiful...
That is what I love about these pages.
A couple of posts ago we had this huge Conspiracy on our hands, with Sub Freaks frothing about the "E" EP400, and in the course of what, less than 10 posts, we have gotten to installing EP600's as Counter top cooking untensils and wondering what the break-in time is for Roof Paint!
I love you guys.
TjB
PS: Did I mention that when I was unpacking and setting up my M60's that I found secret crossover bypasses in the rear foot mouting holes, and when I looked into the ports on the back there were little pixies that looked just like Pete Townshend with the cutest little Strats?

You got the pixies too ? I read on another board that they were escaped elves from the Axiom assembly line and that security was increased after my speakers were shipped.

Now I'd read on a post about three years ago, or perhaps a little longer, that the Pixies-or rather a little critter with a Scottish name or herritage, similar to Pixies, was originally intended for the M22s(a small speaker more suited for the littler of the little people)and the M2s, but quite addaptable to the M60s, were being utilized to help control higher freq (Short wavelength)sound problems.
As they are not too bright themselves, they tend to attack and absorb "Bright"to compensate. They are also not timid, but perhaps just a little bit foreward or aggesive, just a bit.

I'm not sure who posted it, someone with a Scots/Canadian background, I believe.

I can't help you there. I'm half German and half Irish, living in Canada.

Half Itallian, half English Exiled in Florida.

16X27X9

Geez, we should trade places. Everyone up here seems to be half Italian, half English, and really cold

Well after months of construction I finally unboxed my EP350 and noticed that I the back control plate is identical to that of the EP500!

I didn't know anything was out of the ordinary because I had gone through the user guide packaged with my 350 and the diagram of the back controls were all listed.

It was only when I went to look up the user guide for the 350 on Axiom's site did I notice that it doesn't have the USB port and Trim knob listed!

In looking at the user guide for the EP500, I noticed that the diagram of controls is identical to what is installed on my EP350!

Now I've discovered this thread, but I'm at work so I cannot pull the grill to check the driver or view the included user guide to make sure it says EP350, but it looks as though I was able to obtain an update/hybrid EP350 from the Factory Outlet Store!

...I shall call it "Franken-Woofer"!

Confirmed!

Frankenwoofer has a smooth aluminum driver (no black dust bubble in the center) and the same back plate (USB, Load etc.) as the EP500!

[...it's alive... it's ALIVE!]

What, no picture?

When Axiom had their anniversary/picnic we saw some test models of the ep350.
Upon asking they were testing to see if it was worth while financially to have the same components in all subs and if there was a benefit in sound/performance.

I'll be sure to post some when I get back home from work.

One thing I've noticed between my new EP350 and my old 15" Cerwin Vega?

The EP350 blows it away!!!

I had both subs hooked up with the volume (on each box) at maximum (levels controlled through my receiver).

I ended up having to turn the volume on the EP350 down to about 50%, while leaving my CV at 100% to achieve the same SPL from each!

...now I'm thinking once I get some bills paid off, that I should sell of my CV and start saving for a second EP350 (or better yet, a 500!)!

Axiom has me sold! This is darn good stuff!

This thread cannot die with such an unsatisfactory ending. Any conclusions on the "temporary changes"? Are they really temporary?

Agreed. Before we all get excited it's probably just the PLATE they are sharing between 350 and 500, not the electronics BEHIND the plate, but it's still a step in the right direction.

EP400 here we come

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This is what I love about this forum: all the smart people.
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<br>I never even thought of the roofing paint in terms of waterproofing the sub!
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<br>Excellent idea!

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Don't most subs come waterproofed. Kinda defeats the purpose if they aren't.