Micah et al, back on the sub loudness topic, my own use of my EP500 is to have it calibrated in the way that I learned was intended, i.e., that you shouldn't be aware that the sub is even operating as a separate entity, but that the speakers seem to be putting out a lot more bass. Although I recall joking with Peter B. after we got our EP500s that setup was uneventful except for sweeping up the fallen plaster and broken glass, in fact if I wanted to I could play it at a level far above a normal balance. I'd briefly checked possible levels with bass test tones and measured as high as 116 dB with room gain.
It's unclear why some subs which are apparently less capable on an objective measured basis, give some an impression of greater "loudness". Boominess at certain frequencies? Higher distortion simulating loudness?
As to the setting on the sub control which varies loudness(as discussed before it doesn't vary the fixed amplifier gain, but simply allows more or less voltage from the source material through to be amplified), it apparently has been modified in more recent units so that a higher setting is needed to let more voltage through(this is a variable resistor). If in fact now a 50% or higher setting lets the same proportion of the incoming voltage through as did a setting around 25% on my EP500 and other older units, this doesn't affect maximum output in any way and certainly essentially all of the incoming voltage is let through at the maximum setting. There's no reason why the Axiom numbers for maximum anechoic and in-room levels would have been reduced.
