Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Axiom EP500 vs AVI 123 MFW15 subs

The MFW port is kind of flared, it has been rounded over on the edges.

Surprisingly enough when I am playing the Ep600 at decent levels theres quite a bit of port noise, Which my unscientific guess thinks is caused by the small parts of the port where the seams are which are not completely flush with the rest of the port. I thought about putting some painters tape over the seams to smooth it out but never got around to it. Its not really a chuffing sound, hard to explain really... The port is so big that it doesnt have alot of pressure coming out of it, I mean its hard to feel the wind on your hand unlike a smaller port.

That is exactly what I found. If you were willing to pick up from a UPS store in Buffalo you could probably knock off 150-200 in shipping, but you still have the duties.

Since you are in TO, shipping from Sonic boom is nothing because you can pick that sucker up. They are up near 404 and the 407.

John, a proper slot port is a lot more than a hole in the sub. It is a way to eliminate port noise by increasing port area. Both ported and sealed have their own advantages, and a well designed sub of either flavour can sound very good. At least, thats what the concensus seems to be in the DIY sub crowd.

I agree with you on the Craigsub ratings and sub comparisons in general. Unless you can do a proper side by side a/b comparison its of limited value.

Has anyone in the Axiom crowd from Toronto or south western Ontario bought an MFW15 yet? I would love to do a comparison to my EP350.

I purchased 2 MFW-15 subwoofers back in February. They were 2 for $999 and they also had a 10% off coupon you can purchase to use on the subs but then you would have to pay upfront with no refunds. I went for it and the duals cost $1222 Canadian including shipping.

The shipping time for these was really poor....i didnt receive them til the first week of June. Yellow Freight handled the delivery and called me to let me know I had to clear the subwoofers with customs before they would deliver them. I had to pay another $120 for taxes but there was no duty.

I am no subwoofer expert so I can't compare them to the EP500 but I just have to say these things POUND. Movie watching is now a different experience altogether. They sound much better to me than the local theatre does and I can feel the bass in my chest. They were well worth the wait! 2 is overkill for my theatre room but the price for 2 was too hard to pass up.

Kind of flared? Makes a big differece in how its flared and the type of flaring since it directly impacts air turbulence inside the port. In turn the amount of air turbulence creates colouration, frequency artifacts and other port noise The vortex flared ports in the EP subs are very quiet from what I've heard so I wonder if indeed there is a problem with your port.

A slot port design can be effective if its flared at both ends and all edges are rounded. Flares help by compressing air into the body of the port inside the sub and expanding it upon exit.
The problem of internal edges also needs to be addressed. It gets more expensive but the slot can be very effective if its edges are rounded and its flared. In effect flaring and rounding edges increase laminar flow causing the slot to behave much like a cylinder. Most slot ports I have seen are not rounded on all edges or have minimal rounding or flaring which makes them noisier than cylindrical ports.

By the way there is also turbulence inside the cylinder port which is another reason why vented subs will always have a characteristic bass sound compared to a sealed alignment. Its just a heck of a lot less than in an edgy slot. I've put my ear against a lot of ports. No question about the audible difference between an edgy slot and a flared cylinder port with similar area openings. Its the primary reason I have always passed on subs with slot ports.

The EP500/600 count as slot ports, though, no?

Yes, but they're flared and rounded.

No. The Axiom vents are Vortex flared ports with no edges. Halfway between a slot and a round cylinder if you will. The MFW-15 has a typical long edgy rectangular slot on the bottom of the enclosure with some rounding on the bottom opening.

wow, never realized the shape and size of the slot made such a big difference...

A second EP500 was not in my budget which is why I own dual MFW-15s. I have had them since April 12th.

The EP500 is an excellent sub. One new MFW-15 is its equal IMHO. I bought my Axioms after a conversation with Craigsub. I talked to Craigsub about the MFW-15. He said his reviewers put a single MFW-15 as an EP500 on steroids.

I was satisfied with the EP500 but I felt I needed a second sub to level out the sound in my room. Craigsub said two MFW-15s on opposite ends of my room would blow me away.

I am extremely satisfied with the new subs for HT and music.

I am sad that my EP500 sits in the corner unused.

I will use the 500 for you!