The EP600 is one of the finest sounding ported subs around. Those are all good questions which though well covered in the manual are not easy concepts to grasp at first.
Firstly Phase. Aside from the technical explanations, I like to think of it as a switch that synchronizes the in-and-out movement of your sub's woofer with the woofers in the main speakers or with the drivers in another sub. Depending on distance and time the in and out movements will be "in" phase or "out" of phase. Ideally they will all be moving together at the same time, though this is easier said than done particualrly if the sub and mains are positioned in different parts of the room. If the drivers are "out" of phase the resulting waves can cancel each other so pay particular attention to getting the woofers in phase even if that means moving the sub to a less preferable location. When subs are out of phase people often complain of weak bass. Try the phase switch in both 0 and 180 positions to see which position gives you the loudest bass at the prime listening spot. Invariably that is the best position for the switch.
Next Trim. The trim settings are a great feature which all subs should have but few do and is one of the great attributes of the Axiom subs. All rooms have room gain at lower frequencies which can result in a bloated response down low. The EP subs boost response above 33hz to compensate for the effects of room gain and flatten the response to compensate for the natural room gain. This feature is particularly useful to users who don't own an equalizer. I believe we will see more and more manufacturers incorporate trim settings into their designs and it is one of the many features which set the Axiom EP line apart.
The EP600 is a fabulously articulate sub and a tribute to Ian and Tom's ingenuity though it must be setup properly. If you don't have some diagnostic tools like an SMS equalizer, start with setting the trim flat and laying it in your prime listening position. ( I know its heavy but it will save you a trip to the weightlifting gym.
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Next crawl or walk around the room while playing a bass track you are familiar with the mains off until you find a place along the side or front wall where it sounds best. Place the sub there. Turn on the mains and flip the phase switch to where the bass sounds loudest. Next turn the mains off and measure the loudness with a radio shack metre.(You have to buy one, it is an essential item). Turn the trim switch up until there is less volatility in the metre. Adjust the crossover frequency at the receiver/processor to 1.5X the lowest +/-response of the mains. Measure and adjust the mains and subs volume to the same DB and enjoy.
