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EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
#358499 11/11/11 03:09 PM
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Well....I give up. Don't post too much on this board but thought I needed to at least pass the info along.

My EP -600 is once again all but dead. Output is down to about nil. It is on it's 5th amp that is now dead. I won't be putting in a 6th.

There's a lot more info here from previous posts:

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthre...7495#Post337495

I don't abuse my audio equipment. I have an almost 20 year old M&K MX-200 sub that still works great. Puts the EP-600 to shame. Same with a bunch of other equipment. Everything is hooked up to power protection. Rarely do I ever play anything at "reference" levels. Just normal home use. Mostly music. Also have a bunch of other Axiom stuff. 2 rooms full. M80's, VP-150, M22's, Q-8's and 4's and an EP-350. All of them work just fine.

But IMO the new amp design on the new subs....EP-600....is crap. Sorry folks but you really missed the ball on this one. There's just no way I should be on my 5th amp, let alone needing a 6th. Go back to the old analog design. It was SOOOO much better.

Seems you are trying to save $$ by utilizing a cheaper / less quality amp design. Not good. I've said it before and will again. I'd rather drop an extra couple hundred dollars in the first place than have to deal with endless dead amps.

In their defense the folks at Axiom have always been good to deal with and truly do want things to work. Wish it did. But weeks / months of down time are just too much any more. Time to move on.

2 - HSU ULS-15's on the way.

Last edited by Robert_W; 11/11/11 03:11 PM.
Re: EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
Robert_W #358500 11/11/11 03:28 PM
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Wow. That is a shame.... Both that you are dropping Axiom for their sub line, and that you have had so much trouble. Those two HSU 15-inchers will be quite impressive.


Farewell - June 4, 2020
Re: EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
nickbuol #358501 11/11/11 03:50 PM
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Yeah, I really am bummed. But in a way happy as I'm moving on to better sound.

Honestly, when I first got the EP-600....with it's first amp design. It was an absolutely wonderful sub. No complaints at all. Loved it.

Ever since the new design on the amps it has been mediocre at best. Never been the same.

And I'm not posting this in a "bashing" sort of way. I like these folks. They have been good to deal with. However I can't be alone in this regard. there must be others out there having amp issues. So maybe if enough of us post the problems Axiom might step up with a better designed amp.

But enough is enough for me any way. Can't justify replacing it (amp) again only to know it will still be just "OK" and never like it was originally.

Such is life....

Re: EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
nickbuol #358502 11/11/11 03:51 PM
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I had a problem back when I got my EP600v2, but the replacement amp has been going strong since then with now issues, and I really work it hard. I guess if there is no cost to you, not sure why you would not work with Axiom to get a replacment, very strange that you gone through that many amps, I see a pattern.


M80s VP180 4xM22ow 4xM3ic EP600 2xEP350
AnthemAVM60 Outlaw7700 EmoA500 Epson5040UB FluanceRT85


Re: EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
SirQuack #358505 11/11/11 04:23 PM
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And I'd be truly happy if I could figure out what that pattern is.

I've tried everything that I can think of to get it to work and or figure out why it's dying.

I have multiple dedicated 20 and 30 amp circuits to my audio / video area. All of it on good quality protection. New home with good wiring. I've tried hooking it up to different ones.

I've taken the driver out of the EP-600 and put it in my EP-350....it works great. I've taken the driver out of the EP-350 and put it to the EP-600 amp(s)....on multiple occasions now every time one of these new amps bites the dust....nada. Mind you 2 of these replacement amps were DOA!

I have 3 other subs in my home including the EP-350. Every other one of them works fine when I hook them up to the same cable that runs the EP-600.

My M&K MX-200 has been hooked up to the same system (Outlaw 990 pre amp) for the same amount of years playing exactly the same material and it just works. Period. Original amp. And it's 20 years old give or take a year or two.

I've tried balanced and un-balanced. Same results. I've tried running both subs RCA on a split Y cable and or one balanced the other RCA....nada. I've tried just one or the other and not running two. Same results.

Do I like to crank it up once in a while? Yup. But rarely for very long and never to any kind of levels that I would consider damaging to anything.

The sub has been in the same spot since day one.

The only thing that I can think of is that I leave it in standby and don't turn it physically off at the switch. But that shouldn't be a problem. If it is then there shouldn't be a standby mode!

I just can't come up with anything else other than poor quality amp design. But I'm all ears to suggestions.

As far as cost...well...the last set of replacements costs was in the hundreds of dollars cause the original amp was not 5 years but 3 on the warranty. And yes, the 6th one would still be covered as it has been less than a year. (Only got a year on the last replacement)

But there's a lot more than just the monetary cost here. Down time....again....and again...replacement hassle...and just the fact of knowing that even with a new amp replacement it still won't work like the original....is just too much now. Remember....this would be the 6th amp!

Just don't want to deal with it any more.



Re: EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
Robert_W #358506 11/11/11 04:30 PM
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Bummer. I don't blame you for moving on. I have been very fortunate to have one amp in the five or so years that I have had my EP600.

Re: EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
davidsch #358509 11/11/11 05:16 PM
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I'm not going to quote anything but a purely subjective observation here, but of all the posts i've seen on Axiom products over the years, the most complaints of failures i've read about seem to be with the EP600. Again this is just my observation of posts i've seen with complaints relating to a technical problem as opposed to a general irk about sound quality, dislikes of the vinyl finish, or whatever else.

The first few months i had M60s, i had to get two drivers replaced. They were making a buzzing noise with certain frequencies and this is something i would not have expected from a new product. Since having them replaced, there's been no issue and i'm still happy with the sound quality as they anchor our main HT setup.

However, I am still not the biggest fan of our EP350 sub because again, at certain low frequencies, the port chuffing noise is an audible fault. A partial fix was to secure some speaker baffle material over the inside of the ports to reduce the airflow speed which has helped to mute the chuff noise. It's been awhile since i've watched LOTR though, so maybe i'll give that a go this weekend and remind myself why i'm still contemplating some kind of replacement after all these years.
In fairness, Axiom did address the port design in newer versions and i've been leaning towards the EP500 or a Hsu as a replacement.

Some products just don't work for some people. Sometimes there are just random lemons in the bunch.
What can you do?


"Those who preach the myths of audio are ignorant of truth."
Re: EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
chesseroo #358512 11/11/11 06:04 PM
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It seems like this particular unit might be a good one for Axiom to take back as an experimental unit to see what could possibly be wrong with it. Wouldn't expect full price, since you did get some use out of it, however problematic over the years.

Re: EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
CatBrat #358513 11/11/11 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted By: CatBrat
It seems like this particular unit might be a good one for Axiom to take back as an experimental unit to see what could possibly be wrong with it. Wouldn't expect full price, since you did get some use out of it, however problematic over the years.


All of the previous amps were sent back to them. Open up the new box, take the new amp out and stick the old one in and ship it back. I even asked that some one let me know what the verdict was with the dead amps via email, phone, what ever. I never heard a thing from them. And believe me, after numerous phone calls and emails they knew how to contact me.

I'm not asking for anything this time. I'm done with the sub. Hopefully Axiom will take this all into consideration and fix the problem / design for the future and others.

Actually I'm donating this thing....and my M80's / VP-150... to our local high school. (This thing dying again was the catalyst to replace the whole front end. So "in transit" are new Polk RTi A9's, a CSi A6, and the aforementioned ULS-15's. Time for something new. For now I'm keeping the QS8's as 90% of my listening is stereo music.} We live in a very rural town and the kids in the music dept / shop class don't have much. They can put the speakers to good use and make a project out of trying to fix the sub. If they blow it up it doesn't matter. They'll learn something trying. I think I might even be able to use the donation as a tax right off. Maybe not. Either way it's good for the kids and the music dept.

Re: EP - 600 Dead. Again. 6th amp needed.
Robert_W #358515 11/11/11 07:40 PM
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This is disappointing to hear. It is very unusal to have the recurring issues that you have had and I am hopeful that you would remain a part of the Axiom family.

I can attest to the performance of the EP600 which I have had from inception. It has performed flawlessly over the years and with the introduction of our new amplifiers, I replaced my working original amplifier and have never looked back. I get the same performance with the new amplifier as I did with the old and find that the new amplifer actually lets me adjust the gain on the subwoofer amplifier with greater accuracy.

If you would email me, brent@axiomaudio.com, I will see if I can find a history of the replaced amplifiers for you.


Brent Tombari
Axiom Audio Expert
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