Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners IMPORTANT INFORMATION EP600 SUBWOFFER

I purchased the Epic 80 home theater system with the EP600 back in October. The system works perfect for my needs EXCEPT for the EP600. Since day one I had a popping nose whenever I turned the sub volume past the 1 or 2 o’clock position. The popping would occur during extreme bass soundtracks on movies. I would assume it occurs during music playback as well but haven't tested it.

Over the course of three months I have been in contact with Axiom to fix this problem. Here is what we tried:

1. Replaced the speaker. (Didn’t work)
2. Replaced the amplifier. (Didn’t work)

Now, after replacing everything in the speaker cabinet they discovered that there was a problem in their software that controls the sub amplifier. (Really? Do other EP600 owners know this?)

So now what?

3. Replaced the amplifier again with a "fixed" amplifier but this time I had to remove and reinstall the speaker with it. (Didn’t work completely)

Result? I still had popping but not nearly as frequent.

So now what?

Axiom worked out a good deal with me to upgrade to the EP800 so here I give them credit. This was my suggestion because I am so impressed with their other products and believe this problem is just an anomaly with the EP600. I will receive my EP800 in a few days and look forward to a non-popping sub.

I'm wondering why Axiom hasn’t had a flood of complaints from EP600 owners. I know that I can't be the first guy to turn the sub volume past 1 or 2 o’clock and listen to deep bass movie soundtracks. The Axiom website states: "Crank it up - XLF makes the EP600 unbreakable!" and “The Intelligent DSP wants things to go smoothly all the time - no bumps in the road." And what about the glowing reviews? Don't the reviewers put the speakers through rigorous testing? I checked out the frequency response chart on www.audioholics.com and apparently everything works great however in reality it does not. I must be special because no one else has discovered this problem or they have not reported it. How long has this sub been tested and sold anyway? Another thing, I purchased the recommended AV receiver for this specific speaker system and all wiring and components are new. I even had everything professionally installed through Axiom's recommended installer in my area.

I'm VERY happy with the rest of my system and Axiom has provided excellent support through this ordeal (thanks Brent and JC) but I cannot recommend the EP600 to anyone at this time. I just don't think they have all the bugs worked out yet. Hopefully the EP800 is up to the task.

Sincerely,
Da-Drifter

Probably because they incrementally update their speakers and probably DSP software trying to improve things over time and not all EP600 sold have the software glitch. Probably slipped past QC because there standard testing protocol didn’t catch it but more in depth troubleshooting when trying to find the source of your problem did.

Not sure about the amp you have but the one that came with my EP500 has the capability to receive firmware updates probably in anticipation of this very type of thing. I’ve already had to update the firmware on my BDP-83 twice.

So my best guess is the reason there aren’t a ton of reports is most likely because not that many people have the problem.

You are the first I have heard of any EP600 issues. That said, I'm sorry you are experiencing issues.

However, rest assured Axiom will make it right. I would definitely take the upgrade offer on the EP800 and move on to deep wall shaking bliss!

Dana

What surprises me is the fact that even after the second time I installed a new amplifier the problem wasn’t completely fixed. I just didn’t want to go through more time and work on my end until they get it right. I’m confident that they will and probably already have but I have had enough. I don’t want blood just a good powerful trouble free sub. My first and only home theater audio was a Bose 5.1 with the tiny little cube speakers and sub. I just spent over 16K on a new home theater system and the Epic 80 7.1 is at the heart of it. I have had my eye on Axiom for a couple years now and haven’t read any bad reviews so naturally I’m disappointed with the sub issue but all the other speakers are awesome. The good news is that the EP600 is working well enough now that I can get some sort of feel for the potential of it. I haven’t turned up the volume past 2 o’clock because when it pops (just occasionally now) it’s like being slapped in the ears. Even at this level the walls of my house shake…:) So I’m thinking that an EP800 set at 3 or 4 o’clock will be more then I’ll ever need. I can’t wait, after 3 months I’ll finally be able to experience the complete system.

Just curious. Isn't the 12 o'clock position at half volume? If so, it would seem like the 4 o'clock position would be at full volume. I may be wrong, but I doubt that any subwoofer would be playable at full volume without some problems. That would be like turning your receiver up all the way it would go and not expect any problems.

My Paradigm sub is at 1/4 gain, not sure how sensitive the gain is on the Axiom, but that's an important point you brought up there, Brian.

I think he meant 9:00 or 10:00 o'clock. However, he should be able to turn the volume up on any Axiom DSP controlled sub to 1:00 or 2:00 o'clock with no issues. As long as he is not over-driving the input signal to the sub with his avr's sub level out, hopefully it's not at +5 or something...

I have my EP500 at 2:00 o'clock for months now without any pops whatsoever. Sub out level set to 0. FYI

Dana

Turning the sub's volume control up all the way, is worse than turning the receiver's volume up all the way. I can play my receiver at -0 dB without too much trouble (I'll more than likely get trouble from the police).

But the subwoofer's volume control is designed to make it so full volume on the receiver equals full output from the sub's amp. Voltage levels for the sub-out vary from receiver to receiver. All sub maker can do is design a control to try to cover the all the variances. The right setting is the one that makes the sub produce an output level exactly equal to the main speakers regardless of the volume control on the receiver.

Turning a sub's volume control nearly all the way to get more bass is a mistake.

I apologize, I’m not an audiophile (not even close) but I did experiment with both the AV receiver sub level adjustments and the physical volume control knob on the subwoofer. I followed the instructions with the Axiom sub and with my receiver. Since Axiom admitted it was there subs software in the amplifier I put the question to rest. But I’m confused. I really don’t understand the whole + or – DB from my Denon receiver. Why not 1-100% volume control? Why not crank the sub all the way up and control the output 1-100% on the receiver?

I don’t understand the relationship between my receiver’s volume control and the physical volume control on the subwoofer.

Drifter,

First, what receiver do you have?

Your sub out level on your avr should roughly be set between -2 and +2. If your avr has auto room level/calibration, you should start there. Then use the sub's volume to adjust to your listening taste.

This all should have been done by the professional installer when they setup your system.

Dana