Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Is the XLF DSP worth the extra $500

EP350 V3 vs EP500 V2.....

Is the XLF DSP worth the extra $500?

With my small room (11 x 10.5) I'm thinking this would be a benefit? Or do I just want to spend more?

Also, always thinking of another room in the future so want to make sure I'm covering all my options

Thoughts?

Thanks

Jeff

Having a sub controlled by DSP is beneficial, imo. It most certainly helps protect it, but only you can decide whether it's worth the extra $$ or not concerning the EP 350 vs EP 500. Keep in mind the EP 500 is also more powerful, so you're getting more than just a DSP controlled EP 350.

Your room's pretty small, the 350 would be plenty I would think.

The EP350 is plenty volume wise for that room. The EP500 will play a little lower and give you more impact in movies.

Nothing is worth an extra $500.

I've been having a hard time deciding on which sub for my living room and I think I've finally settled on the EP500. My living room is 17 x 11.5 x 9.5 (9.5 avg of 8 to 11 vaulted. 1857 sq ft), and one end opens into the dining area.

The 500 is the correct choice. Even more so if you watch a lot of movies.

You will not be disappointed by the 500. It can rattle a room to pieces with it's power but can be wonderfully subtle for music. I can't imagine needing more power or more accuracy than it provides.

I upgraded from the ep350 to the ep500. I like to run the sub a little hot and wanted to make sure I would never over exert it. The DSP makes sure i don't ruin the sub. If I were to do it all over again I would most likely buy the svs pb13-u. But that doesn't mean I'm not happy with the 500. It's an awesome sub.

The specs on the svs pb13u looks phenomenal, although it costs more than the ep500. It also has a lot more adjustments than the ep500 has. I'm going to have to study this one a little more. I don't like the idea of losing Axiom's customer service on a product, though, so for me the ep500 may be worth it just for that.

Edit: Price wise though, I would probably rather have the ep600 for about $100 more than the pb13u. So, I think I'll just stick with the EP500.

For 30 bucks less than the 500 I would get this beast or for even more savings this one.

Do you work for ED, lol

I don't know anything about these subs. Does anyone here have any experience with them? How do they compare to axioms and svs? I know I could google it, but I decided to Axiom it instead.

Heh... a few weeks ago, he would have been recommending Hsu.

I have the PB12-NSD and it is pretty freakin good for the price IMO.

My buddy has an EP350 which is great as well, but the SVS does a little better for movies and is A LOT cheaper than the EP500.

EDIT: I should mention my room is 1700 cubic feet. I have had it big time cranked on U-571 scenes and the like and never had an issue.

Isn't the EP500 a bit smaller than the PB13U?

A few years ago, several of us got together at myrison's home and listened to an EP600 and PB13U side-by-side. We all heard the differences, and Jason ended up keeping the EP600.

I was originally going for the ep400 because I wanted something small for the living room because it will probably be out in the open for everyone to see it. (Edit: and the best placement might be rather low, under, or near the W100 center) The ep500 is 5 to 8 inches shorter than the elemental designs pictured here. I'm getting the in/on wall speakers to save space. I still might go with the ep400, at least to test, to see if I would be satisfied with it. I'm not too concerned about top performance in that particular room. I'm going to be redoing a large bedroom later for that.

Here's make take on the money part.

Tiny room, but maybe at somepoint in a larger room, will the 350 or another brand do it, I would image so.

The sub for me is important for music, but this is about movies.

If the EP500 DSP, makes the Sub, "smoother", safer, better sounding in movies ........

Well $500 is a weekend away, couple of days of memory, the $500 extra for the Sub will last for years......

I don't have money to burn, lots of projects and wants, but I would rather make one right purchase and wait for the second, than two "wrong" or cheaper purchases......

But if the DSP is more hype than reality, I've keep the $500!

So that's more to exactly what I'm asking.

Jeff

Just my thoughts, for what it's worth.

I notice that they have a graph you can click on for the EP400, EP500, EP600, but none for the lesser models. That right there tells me that the frequency response on the EP125, thru EP350 are not as even as the others.

The loudness for 350 vs 500 are almost the same in decibles, but if you are going to play it loud, or in a bigger room, then the 500 would be the better choice because it has DSP.

So, I would say, if you want a more accurate and cleaner sound, go with the 500. If not, and you want to save money, go with the 350, because it will sound good also. Probably the only way you would even notice the difference is if you got used to the sound of the 500 first.

Just to confuse everyone even more, if you really want to spend more money...

Don't buy an EP500, buy two EP350's, or PB12 NSD's, or eD's, or whatever else. Same output as a 500, more headroom and smoother response.

Could have, even the Hsu is a better deal than the Axiom subs. IMO they (Axiom) are over priced for what is offered. I still think the Hsu is a very good sub and I could easily recommend them to anyone looking for a good bang for the buck sub.

If you like your Axiom, that's cool.



You recommend Axiom, do you work for them

I remember reading that thread...
Gee, that wasn't THAT long ago was it? I say 1 year tops.

Heh, I'm just yanking your chain, Rick. You recommend the good stuff you own; so do I.

Having not compared the 500, 350, VTF-2, or just about any other sub back to back in the same room, I got nothing to say here. I likes my 350, but I suspect I would likes an eD or a Hsu or an SVS, too.

If you really want the biggest bang for the buck, buy yourself one of these beauties, build a small box - say 10 cu.ft. - hook up 2,000 watts of power and strap yourself into your couch.

Are there already good, detailed step-by-step instructions on how to build subs using these drivers? Micah, are you going to build one? Could be fun.

Yep. There are lots of guides and designs out there, from the simple to the very complex.

Really, there is more to choosing a sub than the best performance for the $. Things like size, how well the sub matches the rest of the system ...

There are lots of ways to get to good bass.

+1 for Murph's post. Plus - if the sub is going to be visible and you want the finish to match.....

While the ep500 is a very good sub, I still want an ep800.

Alas, Does not pass the WAF.

I forget, you probably mentioned it, but if you have kids, specifically ones "young enough to accidentally" or "old enough to on purpose" crank the volume knob, then DSP might be a worthy protection on your investment.

Murph, that's a great call! That is one hazard I have not considered and my sub positioning makes it really easy for my almost 3 year old to do that. Do you think duct tape will work on the volume knob too?

Great - I go from masking tape repair to duct tape prevention! There's a message in there somewhere...

The duct tape alone should ward off any munchkins messing were they shouldn't, no dsp needed for that.

As a PB13 Ultra owner I can highly recommend it. It works great for movies - reaches real low and is smooth enough for music to almost equal Axiom's offerings for music playback.

Only kid here is me with beers, I'm thinkin more dangerous than a 3 year old

And that message is "cable ties are not the right fix for this problem"

Hey Rick, have you ever heard the EP's? Just wondering if you have compared them to the other subs you've liked. I haven't, other than my Outlaw and think the 500 blows it away.

Can't say I have, but I have the Hsu STF-3 (same as the Outlaw) and the same priced eD is considerably better.

I have talked to a couple of folks that have done direct comparisons with the EP 500 and the older Hsu VTF-3 and they liked the Hsu over the 500. We all have our preferences I guess.

And, as an added bonus, you become an honorary lifetime member of the Moose Lodge.

Is it wrong to cable tie your children? You know, just to keep them safe.

Well I pulled the trigger and got a EP500, I read alot of reviews, outside of the axiom site, and based on my room size, 2 subs would be tough, I know I won't be unhappy, and if I dont know anything different (besides my 10" JBL) I will be happy so Im good.

Thanks to both of you

Depends whether you get caught or not.

I still can't get the hang of hearing nylon zip ties being called 'cable ties', I've been in the aviation industry for many years in both the maintenance side and the flying end of things and as long as I can remember tie wraps have been used for aircraft wiring long before they showed up in law enforcement or the consumer marketplace and since day one I've always heard them being referred to as 'tie wraps' ... or ty-wraps as I believe they were originally called.

No pasa nada.

I have always heard them called 'Zip Ties'

Sorry about the zip-tie thing. My bad.

Of course, I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, not breakfast, dinner and supper.

And - being the nonconformist that I am - I pretty much use "soda" and "pop" interchangeably. But it's only a "coke" if it's "Coca-Cola", which it never is at my house.

Many restaurants demand their customers secure their necks with the use of "Black Ties".

"Every girl crazy bout a sharp dressed man."

I thought Thai wraps were a California thing.

There's something wrong with a burrito that has peanut sauce and bean sprouts in it.

So wrong that it's right, though.

It'll be wrong again in a couple of hours.

You turn into a burrito with peanut sauce at midnight?? Stay away from peter then. His avatar looks hungry.