Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater PICS !

Avalanche 18's, made by Ascendant Audio.. All they appear to be, and more !
It's said it takes more speakers with an IB to give that same pounding that you get with a box.. What they don't say is that pounding is the 1 note the box is tuned to.. Most of the punch in a sound system comes from a well designed and set up set of mains..
It's like a kick drum and bass guitar.. You can't have one without the other.. When a bass and drummer are locked in to each other it can't be beat.. If the bass and kick are not together, you got nothing baby..
Sure, I would love to had a couple more 18's someday, but for now twos more than enough.. I don't even have it powered right, and I'm crazy about the sound ! Jazz never sounded so pure.. I give a lot of credit to the Axioms.. They truly are great speakers..

Simple molly bolts thru the drywall ceiling, small link chain, and screw eyes into the tops of the speakers..
The screw eyes go in slightly to the rear, so when lifted, the speaker hangs forward.. You can then attach a line from the back of the speaker to the rear wall to pull it back to get the angle you want..
Result: No floor to color the sound, and non-parallel walls to the speakers standing wave.. (I sound so high tech! haa)

Hey, that's my old stomping grounds, I lived in HB for 20 years, used to walk my dog to the pier daily

I hear ya man.. Cost is always an issue.. I waited a long time for the deal on the 18's.. And I'm still waiting on the amp.. But with the ib, I can add to it, be it more power or more speakers.. It's modular ! And anyone can build the manifold or baffle board.. It's sooooo easy..
Oh yeah, attach a grill, and it looks like a wall vent.. Check out the IB web site for all the details.. Lots of pics of all the set ups, etc.. http://ibsubwoofers.proboards51.com/index.cgi

I’ve got to quit reading these boards……….I’m now sitting here thinking that I don’t need that bath tub in the spare bedroom’s bath so that I can build one of these things.

Thanks for the info though. Gives me ideas for the next house. Too cool.

So I’m assuming that sub placement is no longer an issue with these IB systems and one could plumb a cabinet duct just about anywhere in the room?

Is there any sort of amp that can run these with remote capabilities? – I didn’t get that far through the web sight.

>>I’ve got to quit reading these boards……….

Me too. I was driving past an RV store yesterday and saw all the trailers and motor homes with bump-outs. Normally I just drive right past, but this time I was thinking "hmm, a retractable manifold, wonder how many woofers you could fit in that ?".

I remember reading somewhere on the 'cult IB' site that it’s recommended that you do the sub crawl using a box sub to find a preferable location. Still, IB location is somewhat less critical than a sub box because of the xover setting is usually much lower than a box. However , I’ve seen a lot on the IB site, that you do need to worry about wave cancellation , which sometimes is related to location & wave reflection.

Some truth to what you say, and some misconceptions.. All subs should be 'placed' and not just plunked down.. The method of putting the box in the sweet-spot and then crawling all over the floor does work.. The IB adds walls and ceilings to the mix.. So, just as Alex suggests using a ladder to check on surround placement, the same applies to the IB..
As for the crossover point being lower, not so.. A sub is a sub.. The type of installation does not change the laws of physics.. Box or IB, 8oHz is 80Hz.. Crossover settings are determinded by the speakers (mains,surrounds,center,subs) abilities, the room acoustics, audio source (movie, music), and your own personal tastes.. 80 hertz is common as most agree that is the point human hearing fails to be able to determine direction.. But again, that is subject to debate, your milage may vary..
Wave cancellation issues:
Sound waves start from a given source (mains,subs,etc) and proceed to bounce all over the freq'n room ! There are lots of excellent sites you can check out, so no need for me to go off on that one..
Ok, I will try one example
A 4 sided body of water (the room).. Rock thrown into water.. (It doesn't have to be rock, jazz or blues will work just the same) But I digress..
Now, here is the part everyone fails to get, the ripples or waves don't move ! They form a peak(s) in one place, and a valley(s) in another.. Peak: Strong signal.. Valley: Weak singal.. You with me ? (I'm not sure right now if I'm with me ?) In other words, as soon as a wave travels from the 1st source, freeze the water ! Get it now ?
But, as we all know, the wave reflects and moves back across the pond (room) creating another 'standing' (frozen) wave.. This 2nd source wave will add too or detract from the 1st wave, boosting the signal, or cancelling it.. Needless to say (but I will) there are an endless amount of reflections going on.. Up down sideways and everything inbetween.. Yeeee Hawwww !!
Remember, this is just 1 rock (sound source).. You try throwing mains, surrounds, a center and a sub or two into that pond, and firing them all up together, you gots yerself a sit-u-aaaaaa-tion..
OK, ok, bottom line, one has to take a few readings around the room, (ratshack meeter/pc/free software) find what's going on with the peaks/nodes, and then fix it as best you can.. Move speakers, move furniture, acoustic panels, etc..
One of the best things you can do to manage a sub is to purchace a Parametric Equalizer, or BFD as it's more affectionately know.. More on that here: http://www.behringer.com/DSP1124P/index.cfm?lang=ENG
Well now, that was easy Time for my nap..
Ta..

Mikey, Mikey, wake up. One question... how much does the sound/frequency/sensation of the LFE change in your room if the garage door is open vs. closed. In other words, the port is open vs. closed? Just a thought.

Whoa, man those black 80s hanging from the ceiling/wall almost look demonic ... but slick as heck. How did you manage to ever get them up there and how do they sound compared to being on the floor? The IB is also slick setup and I'm wondering if you get any more sound carry over into the garage area?

Thanks for the pics and the sound wave explanation, I cracked a smile reading it.