Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater SVS PC+ 20-39 and EP600

Anyone compared the two ? Any ideas on the differences ?

Nat - I have no experience with any of the SVS subs but I have had the EP600 for a few weeks now so I will give you my impressions of it. Bear with me as I am still learning how to describe audio performance using the correct "lingo". The EP600 is much larger than I was expecting and it dwarfs my M60s. I was immediately impressed with how musical this sub is. My listening area is 13.5 x 17 x 10 feet. The EP600 sounded so clean and deep and powerful in the initial spot that I put it in that I have not attempted any other placement of it. I can't imagine it sounding any better than it already does! I previously had a HSU VTF-2 that I was very happy with but the EP600 is FAR superior. I can't imagine needing a second sub or ever feeling the need to upgrade to improve the low end of my system. Hope this helps at least a little.

I would think the PC Ultra would be closer to the EP500 but not as close to the EP600.

Agreed. I own an SVS 20-39PC+, am very happy with it, and would trade it in a heartbeat for an EP600. Size does matter with subwoofers -- Axiom subs have always tended to be smaller than the competition and have paid a bit of a price in terms of output and extension, but from every report the 600 is a "no compromises" beast.

I don't know exactly how the EP600 driver compares with the SVS lineup -- ie whether the driver on its own is closer to the drivers in the Plus line or the Ultra line -- but all indications are that the EP600 is way up there in terms of performance and headroom.

Even the EP500, with its relatively small enclosure (one of the few high-WAF high end subs) seems to be performing very well. My guess is that the 500 is probably a better comparison to the PC+ than the 600 is but I haven't had a chance to hear them together yet.

I will be unable to attend the GTG in Sept. I would be interested to hear your views of the 500 vs 600 if you are going. I have the "bug" to upgrade my BC EP500 to the EP600 and I think Axiom has an upgrade price.

I'll ask if I can bring my 20-39PC+ to the party

After looking at your avatar John, there's no need to ask. Just come in with guns-a-blazin!

David: I can't imagine needing a second sub or ever feeling the need to upgrade to improve the low end of my system.
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I said 3 years ago when I got the PC+ ..

Thanks for the comments though.

Sorry, I should have provided more detail. I am in upgredities over the Sub. I am contemplating an upgrade to my 3 years old PC+. That upgrade is to either the Axiom line or to continue with the SVS line.

My comparison is the PB2/Ultra vs. EP600. The PB2/Ultra has excellent drivers by all accounts and two 12 inch drivers in a relatively smaller inclosure and no DSP. The EP600 has DSP and USB connections ... etc. I do not know what the value of these features are, but it looks like I will continue with the Axiom line when they go into audio equipment and that feature May come in handy. Too many iffs.

How does the top of the line Axiom Sub compare with top of the line Ultra SVS sub. Not in loudness (my PC+ is running in 1/3 volume and I have never bottomed it), but in quality of bass and clarity.

There was an interesting thread over on AVS (I think) a few days ago talking about the 2 driver SVS boxes vs. single driver. I found the thread via a link from here, will see if I can dig it up. The comparison in this case was single driver Ultra vs. dual driver Plus.

The main point (backed by the SVS principals) was that the 2 driver SVS boxes tend to have a higher tune point and will generally play louder but not deeper than the singles. The conclusion was that a single driver Ultra was probably the way to go unless you were hitting the SPL limits, in which case the 2 driver Plus was the way to go.

I don't know what the tune point is for the 2 driver Ultra but it would be interesting to find out. Bottom line seemed to be that you can stuff ports and get a sloping, deeper response but if you want a flat deep response you need a bigger box with a lower native tune point.

I have not seen a good head-to-head comparison of the EPs vs. the SVSs (nor, in fact, have I even seen a good SVS vs. Hsu comparison either). Next time I get some free time I guess we need to organize a sub war -- I think we have enough variety on the board here to get a pretty good group of subs together.

EDIT - I just took a quick look at the SVS pages. The single driver PB Plus and Ultra have a native tune point of 20 Hz and enclosure volume close to the EP600. The dual driver Plus and Ultra have an enclosure that is less than 20% larger, and a native tune point of 25 Hz. If you are looking for deep and smooth rather than loud I would think hard about sticking with the single driver subs (whether SVS or Axiom) rather than the "/2"s.