Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Subwoofer and receiver both humming

I had a similar problem (hum) years ago when I purchased my EP350 Subwoofer. The hum was caused by the tv cable from the wall outlet connection to the cable box. My local cable tv provider installed a ground loop coaxial isolator in the cable between the outlet and cable box inlet. Problem solved.

I took the amp off and I don't see any capacitors or anything that looks damaged other than what appears to be a plastic screw showing some burning on it. If you look at the picture I attached it's the philips screw, I'm not sure what function that screw serves?

[img]https://ibb.co/fMMmXq7[/img]

Years ago I was given a Reel sub that didn't work, the driver and amp were bad. My brother gave me a sub that used to be in his car that he no longer used so I bought a plate amp from parts express and put everything together in the Reel sub box. It made for a cheap sub that has worked well for me in my basement. I just tried attaching the driver from my axiom sub to that amp and there is no hum so if the "trade up" option is still to expensive, I'm thinking I can just buy another plate amp since my driver seems to be ok still. I'm thinking this route would likely be much cheaper.

There doesn't appear to be any clear info on my axiom amp or driver in regards to wattage.

On the amp it says: 120V~ 60 Hz
On the driver it says: 10ACB-4-80LY120-20

I'm trying to look for a replacement plate amp but I'm not sure of the specs on my driver. I searched for "10ACB-4-80LY120-20" but haven't been able to find any info yet.

I'm guessing 10ACM means 10"
4 means 4 ohms
80 & 120 are the watt range???
not sure what the 20 would mean

Am I grasping at straws or am I onto something?

a guess from the serial number that it is an EP175....if I read that correctly.
Use that and your date of purchase in the trade up calculation, skipping the serial number portion.

I'm a novice myself but could it be a case of a blown subwoofer? That could lead to distorted sounds from what I know here.

Jumbo, the yellow plastic screw is a trim pot and it does look a little crispy. There is something suspicious going on there. To the right of it is a transistor and a capacitor (C19). Have a good look at that capacitor - to me it looks fried. Or it could be the transistor was getting hot and that discolored the plastic on the trim pot and the capacitor.

That number you found on the driver may as well be a message from an alien civilization.

You can't just buy any old amp and mate it to a driver. It's not just about impedance and power.

I looked at that capacitor again, it looks perfectly fine to me.

I heard back from Axiom today and BBIBH is correct, my sub is an EP175. The trade up value exceeded my expectations. I think with some convincing of my wife I might be able to get her on board with an EP125. At the moment, I have this sub in a small living room but there is a good chance we will be purchasing my in-laws house in the next 2-3 years. If/when that happens, this sub would be getting installed in a much larger room. I haven't actually measured it but I would estimate it's close to the 20x12x8 size that is ideal for the EP175, however the ceiling is much taller, its probably 8' on the ends but it peaks up to probably around 16' in the middle of the room. Do you think an EP125 would be sufficient for a room that large? I've never used a sub that was "undersized" for the room it was in so I'm not sure what it would sound like. I use the sub primarily for watching tv/movies, I don't care nearly as much about it when it comes to music. I enjoy the full surround experience when it comes to my tv.

Mojo, why do you say, "you can't just buy any old amp and mate it to a driver." Is that not essentially what people who build their own subs do? Do you not just buy an amp that matches the specs of the driver?

Hi Jumbo

The EP125 will help a lot, even in a 20 x 12 x 8 room.

Jumbo, controlling a woofer to achieve articulate bass is more than just nominal impedance and rated power. Otherwise, the only thing that's achieved is one-note boom as in car subs.

The 125v4 is practically identical in sound pressure and low frequency reach as your older EP175. One will do just fine for your 2000 cu ft space. Take advantage of Axiom's generous trade-in offer, choose the wood finish you want and enjoy.

This is the review of the EP125v4 I think I provided to Axiom but don't see on the product page:

"I run 2.2 using dual EP125v4 in cherry chestnut with M2 on-walls in my 1920 cu. ft. living room. They are tight, smooth and totally musical. Victor Wooten, Kraftwerk, Dan Fogelberg, Yazoo, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers...all full, tight, nice mid-bass and controlled lows even at volumes that I'd never play. Clapton's Change the World has such a wonderful pop and articulation.

The 125v4 has a really nice mid-bass touch but it doesn't sacrifice the textured growling I have with my sealed Axiom subs. It's not like a one-note mid-bass punch. The sound is very nice. Very engaging.

The 125 would be very good for movie effects as well as music in a smaller room like my living room. It's a very good double-duty sub. It's such a small size too. With its trapezoidal shape, it's easy to fit it under side tables, etc. I like having them out in the open though where I can take in the cherry chestnut.

I like the 125v4 better on some tracks than the 500v4. For example, Another one bites the dust sounds better to me on the dual 125v4/M2OW combo than on the dual 500v4 and 800v4 I have in my main room with the active LFR1100. The bass is far more engaging on the 125v4 for some tunes. It has to do with the perceived greater mid-bass but not so "peaky" that it is of the one-note type that can be distracting or over-whelming.

These subs have made a previously good presentation even better. Now it just sounds so much cleaner and more tactile."

I wonder what happened.

I'm going to trade up for an ep 125. Going to do so this weekend.

Would you guys say the ep 175 is worth the extra $200?