Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater how much to spend on a sub?

The question about multiple subs is going to depend almost entirely on your room (both size and configuration). My opinion is that the mid-level subs from SVS, Hsu, Axiom, Elemental Designs, etc. would be a good place to start. You might find that one EP350 is quite sufficient. One of the great things about doing business with Axiom is that if - after getting an EP350 - you decide within the 30 day trial period that you really just want the EP400 or EP500 instead, they will make it painless to upgrade.

I recently upgraded a 7 year old 325w SVS sub to a new 750w SVS sub. I had moved to a home with a living area of over 7k cu ft.

The new sub puts out more power and to a lower frequency. Makes a noticeable improvement in this size room for movies. Music is not that much different since the older sub covered those freqs present in most music tracks. I think the extra power (from 325w to 750w) is most useful on the lowest frequencies present in movie tracks.

In your size room 300w might be enough depending on how loud you like to play your movies. Axiom sub's seem expensive to me but they have great policies on trade-in, warrantee, and service.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Yes.

My first (home) sub was a ~$300 Kenwood 10", 400W sub. Your typical mass-market big-box store sub. I was amazed at the thump and bass that it would put out when it was paired with a set of full-range speakers. A couple of years later, I bought some smaller bookshelves, and had a heck of a time getting any sort of midrange warmth in my system. I bought M22's to try to remedy it. Helped, but still really cold.

By that time I was looking to this group for advice, and several people recommended that I dump the Kenwood and get a "real" sub. I did my research and bought on an $800 SVS PCi+ 12" 20-39. Blew. My. Mind. It completely changed my system. I had no idea how much upper bass warmth and lower-bass punch & impact I was missing, and how much that added to both movies and music. Movie explosions changed from just being this loud boom/rumble to actually having dimension and nuances to it. And the power, holy moly. I've actually managed to break my house* with the power of this SVS sub.

The most chilling demonstration came when playing Yo Yo Ma - his cello simply came to life in my living room. All those low frequency harmonics that my old sub couldn't produce were now present. Stunning. It nearly brought tears to my eyes.

A sub may only really "stand out" when watching a movie, but I say that they make a pretty serious difference just in music too. Absolutely ZERO regrets in buying that sub. Other than being curious as to how much better an even MORE expensive sub would be.

So yes, put some money into a good sub. It's worth it and you will be able to tell the difference. Since this is an Axiom forum, of course you're going to get a lot of recommendations on Axiom's subs. The EP500 & EP600 are said to be amazing. I have not heard either. If you feel you need an all-Axiom system, by all means, get one and be content knowing you've got one of the best subs on the market.

But there are always other options. I'm completely happy with my SVS sub. And HSU Research is another one you should look into. As with Axiom, both HSU and SVS make subs that offer tremendous value for the money.

Good luck!

*Seriously. My home has old casement windows that have weights behind the walls attached to ropes to help open/close the windows. I've had several of those ropes snap during LOUD sub passages.

There is lots of good advice so far. On one vs two subs, the trade offs are:

With one more expensive sub you can get something that is going to reproduce the really low movie effects (below 20Hz) better. The cost is less smooth in room response. You may be able to find a good sub placement for the main seating position, but the response will be less even for other seating positions.

With two lesser price subs, you will give up something on the bottom end, but you will get a more even response across all listening positions.

If its just you, buy the biggest sub you can afford and enjoy subwoofer nirvana from your throne. If you have other people watching with you AND they actually care about low frequency stuff in movies, consider two smaller subs.

One final thought. I didn't care much about earth shattering rumble before I got a sub. In fact, all I cared about was that I wouldn't miss anything in music. Once I started watching movies with my new setup I developed a new appreciation for movie LFE.

eD has some nice offerings also.

Does your living room open up to hallways or a kitchen or dining room? That will play a large roll in the impact of your sub.

Out of all the speakers you buy I feel you shouldn't go cheap on the sub, especially if it is going to be 80% for movies.

If you are looking for more recommendations there is a ton of information under the subwoofer category on audioholics.

I would spend the money on either diy or go with one of the internet direct companies. This will give you more bang for your buck. Set a limit you want to spend on a sub and grab the best one you can in that price range.

Mike, your question about whether you'll be able to tell the difference between a $350 sub and a $1100 sub can't be accurately answered in the abstract. The first variable is of course which particular $350 model or $1100 model. In audio equipment, as in everything else in this world, you very often don't "get what you pay for". A more expensive speaker or sub may or may not be audibly superior, and when it is better there's a noticeable tendency(especially on the part of the new owner)to exaggerate the degree of difference.

If you take it into context of this thread and the brands mentioned which can be categorized as great subwoofer manufacturers the cheaper offerings do not compare to the more expensive models. For instance SVS PB 10 vs the SVS 12 or SVS ultra or the Axiom EP 125 vs EP500...no comparison when it comes to overall performance.

speaking of subs, I thought this ED sub looked pretty interesting:
http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?t=0&products_id=891
I wonder how it compares to the ep800?
It is about the same price, has dual 13" drivers instead of 12", 1300 watts instead of 800, and weighs about 100 pounds more.... I don't think it has a DSP chip though.

thanks for all your replies.

i plan to get 2-M2's and a VP100.
I might go with the EP400 due to it's small size.

I think the wife would prefer something smaller.