Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions EP500 setup and volume levels

Guys:

I am a newbie in this forum, but a happy Axiom owner since 1yr ago. This is my first post, but I follow closely what is going on in the board.

I am calling now for your assistance with the setup of a EP500. I started with the EPIC 80-350 and I upgraded to EP500 and M22's in the rear (no EP350)... pretty good!! but I have had enormous problems trying to get the EP500 to work the way I expect it to work.

Actually I contacted the Axioms about the issue, because I want to replace it, but before going that far, I need some feedback...

The problem I am facing is with controling the output volume of the EP500 and the detail of the bass coming out of it. If I set the knob just at 9-10 o'clock and start calibrating the sub, I end up with -12dB in the sub and the rest of the speakers around +6dB... that's just wrong!!! But if I turn the sub just a little bit down in the knob, then I get almost no sound out of it, unless the recording is playing a louder note, so the EP500 reproduce it only above certain threshold of input... I dont know if I explain right... but I am trying.

Also, lets put the EP500 knob more than 9 o'clock and use only -6dB in the preamp... then, bass reproduced from the EP500 is not following very detailed the music... I mean that the M80 are doing a better job around 60-100Hz than the sub!!! And switching the DSP-EQ to "Full" or "Half" (to increase the response above 33Hz does not help, actually it sound 'better' in "Flat"). And the volume is overwhelming to hear and its too boomy and involving.

Below 60Hz, I cant set up this sub.. is just booming the room and do not follow the rest of the bass above 60Hz... its very annoying in other words...

So guys, if somebody faced this issue trying to setup the EP500, and fixed it with some positioning/x-over/setting, please let me know. The EP350 did not gave so much trouble as this one...I also tried the High Level input, and same results, if not worse.

I live in a single bedroom apartment, with 20ftx14 of living/dining combined without walls (I have no dining, I eat in the coach, so I could place the HT!!!!). The apartment rattles below certain frequency, as my neighbors already told me, I am thinking of listening the sub outdoors whenever I have the time for it, with a 30ft cable, to take away room resonance.. do you think that will be a good test? Does the sub need a room to sound good?

I will wait for your responses before going ahead and replace it for a new one. Whenever I do the outdoor test, I will post the result, I guess, unless somebody reply that is not useful.