Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Subs: Difference between music and movies?

The generally accepted tradeoff between air movement and minimal moving mass (ie: small punchy drivers) among bassists is a 10" driver. That's why you see a lot of 4x10 array bass cabinets.

Bren R.

I have heard (quite some time ago) that the SVS subs are considered to be (slightly) tighter than the Hsus. This surprised me, considering the attitude of their websites, but hey... Virtually all SVS subs are 12s.

Bridgman,

I have also read several reviews as to how "musical" the PSB subs are. My local hi-end dealer even told me about how those (along with Athena's) are his favorite budget subs. My dad has the 5i and is does seem exceptionally tight. Hopefully in a few months I can do a shootout between his 10 inch 5i and my 10 inch STF-2. That same dealer admitted that the Hsu would go deeper and he deeply respects Dr. Hsu (as he has met him several times at CES). My vote would go for Dual STF-2's. Ultra clean, tight, and deep bass.

>>That same dealer admitted that the Hsu would go deeper and he deeply respects Dr. Hsu (as he has met him several times at CES).

The dealer I purchased the PSB from also sold Hsu subs (I went there for an STF-2) and preferred the Hsu for HT use. At the time I was looking for 90-100% music so they suggested the PSB over the STF-2.

Now that I know how good DVDs can sound through good speakers (my friends with HT tend to have great picture but crappy sound) I'm mostly using the sub for HT anyways, so in hindsight the STF-2 would probably have been a slightly better choice.

Ya, I have a feeling that the PSB subs are a "Little" tighter, but I think the Hsu's are a good trade-off for tight bass and low rumbles. I'm happy with my decision. Plus, for some reason I don't like the idea of a non-downward facing woofer.

Let me throw into the mix a very critical factor. Sub placement, sub calibration...and a huge one is sub equilization. High end subs, such as SVS (which I have) are designed to give a flat response (meaning no peaks in the Hertz spectrum). That's all fine and good, but when room acoustics and sub placement are at maximum, you may still run into an unbalanced sub frequency. I, for example, purchase the Rives Audio CD 2, which I'd recommend to anyone who uses the Radio Shack SPL meter and did a reading. Low and behold I had a spike of 6 decibals in the 50-60 Hz range! That's huge when playing at loud volumes. That will make any sub sound boomy.

So keep that in mind when shopping.

OK, still trying to decide the best option for a sub. I even wrote to Axiom yesterday, and got a reply from Alan as to which he thought might be best for my needs, but I want to throw a simple question out to all of you.

Despite many recommendations for an HSU or SVS, I think I've narrowed it down to two Axioms, the 175 VS. the 350. Although the other brands are initially, comparatively less expensive, that's pretty much offset by shipping costs. Plus, for good or for bad, I really do like the fact that the sub will match the finish of the rest of my system. Since I KNOW I need to get the sub out of my current corner placement to tighten the sound, I have no choice but to put it in a very prominant, visible place.

I really think (as did Alan from Axiom)that in my small 13' x 13' room, the 175 would do just fine. But as I've mentioned before in another post, I might be moving this whole setup to a finished attic that would be approximately 35' x 22' a couple of years down the road. Taking that into consideration, I don't want to "under buy".

So, the question: The 350 is not much more cost, nor much bigger physically, but is it "overkill" in a small room? Remember that my priority is tight, musical bass as opposed to hitting the lowest notes. If a sub is larger than needed for a particular room, do you just turn it down a bit or does it inherently become a bit boomy and/or sloppy as it couples with the room?

The other speakers will be M60s, VP150 and QS8s.

if there is a chance of moving your HT to a bigger room in the future, then yes, buy the 350. it does have a gain adjustment, so you can just adjust it down if needed, for the smaller room.

bigjohn

In a room that size, you may want to consider buying one now, say the EP350, and then after you move buy a second matching sub (another EP350). It's going to have to push a LOT more air. One sub won't cut it. At least one of the current Axiom subs won't cut it. The new models they have coming will kick your butt here or there.

I guess in all of this, what is your budget?

Mark, given the prospect of the large attic room, I'd opt for the slightly higher initial cost of the EP350. Its extra capability will not pose any problems in your current room, and it would seem like the perfect sub for your future attic installation. As MFT said, if you find that the larger room really taxes the EP350 (which I kind of doubt), you could add a second one later.