You bring up some good points about the various type of subs and how to and where to spend your money, but for the record and whatever it's worth, back a few years ago I was in a store looking at the Paradigm line of subs(I have had several of their speakers and still do). I compared, what is now a legacy sub the PW2200(which I still have) and the new Paradigm "Seismic" line they were just bringing onto the market. The issue of unusually powerful amps in these "mini" type subs(seismic 12 is approx 14" square) is because of the immense amounts of power required to engage the "passive" radiators in these units that apparently are needed to, theoretically, assist in attaining as low a frequency as possible in what is a relatively smaller than usual cabinet. I ended up buying the PW2200($500 less) because the seismic 12 just couldn't handle that REAL deep bass at high output levels. Two EP500's(approx 19x15x19 in size)will give you that real DEEP bass(without distortion)let alone the EP600, that you could never attain in the seismic 12. My opinion, anyway.
