Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Sub Question

Hi All

This is my first post here so I want to first of all thank you all for the great information that flows through these boards. And thank you Alan for all the help you've given me thus far via e-mail. So much to learn!

I recently joined the Family Axiom with a pair of incredible M22tis and will soon purchase a VP150. I use a Yamaha RXV630 receiver to drive everything. I'm slowly replacing an AR satellite (HC6) system I mistakenly bought a few months ago. One item I bought as an 'upgrade' to the satellite system's subwoofer is an AR PR1212 subwoofer. Fine with music, not so with HT - the explosions in U571, for example, rumble from my head to my upeer chest cavity and stops there. I want to feel my stomach in at least a little bit of turmoil when those explosions happen - so back goes the AR PR1212. Budget is an issue (as I guess it is to one degree or another with everyone) so I've been contemplating an HSU VTF-2, the SVS 25-31 PCi or perhaps one of Axiom's upper two models. My system use is 60% HT and 40% audio. Thanks for any feedback.

Phil

PhilK

I would buy an EP350 if I were you. I just picked one up, and it's far better than most 12 inch subs I have heard. It is unbelievably tight, controlled, and loud.

SVS subs are good, but very, very large. I much prefer the look of an EP350. I recently read on another post that someone did a direct comparison between SVS and Axiom, and preferred the Axiom. Don't forget, SVS' are the size of small water heaters.

HSU is also good but I have never heard of someone preferring HSU over Axiom or SVS.

I agree with Patchwork. Like you my short list included Axiom, Hsu, and SVS. I decided to go for EP350 because I believe its performance-price ratio is better than Hsu and SVS. More so if you are buying Axiom's matched home theater system which in my calculation is 5% off regular prices.

Besides, I was turned off by SVS business attitude. If you read their SVS news page, they wrote "We can't reveal just what subs will or won't increase at this time, nor can we say (even in private e-mail) what final prices will be on the 22nd. You should assume that prices will go up, though at least a couple may not, we're really still crunching the numbers" I read it as "We do not know our costs, we do not know how much we want to charge you yet, we do not know which subs will increase in price, a couple may not but we cannot tell you which ones, you should assume that you would pay us more starting on the 22nd" Despite the bulky sub, their products might be good but I sure would like to deal with a compay that knows what it is doing.

Hey Phil, take a look at the reply I got from John Henderson back on 21 Nov.. It's here under the same catagory, page 2, SUB-jective thoughts.. He had the opportunity to do a side by side on a couple of heavy hitters in the sub world.. Take a look.. Hope that helps..

Thanks for the responses. There was a review that I found at e-coustics.com that compared Axiom's 350 with the HSU VTF-3 and SVS 25-31PCi. While he concluded that all were good, this particular reviewer put the SVS at the top. I'd like to avoid the SVS - it's so darn big! In reading consumer comments, the HSU and the 350 suffer from chuffing when pushed. If chuffing is like the sound that a whale makes from its blow hole, then that drives me nuts. When I play the trailers (my HT test)on the Lord on the Rings DVD, the 8" AR chuffs like crazy. The 12" didn't, but like the 8", it can't go down to the depths that I want it to. Man, I hate budget constraints. This just ain't easy!

Phil

well, yeah, i hear an SVS wil chuff less on lord of the rings than and EP350.. but an SVS is more expensive, and it is not nice to look at. It's a throw up at this point!

The AR PR1212 that I shipped back today was rated down to 20hz. I went to, pardon the expression, Circuit City during lunch and listened to a Velodyne CHT12 (their low man on the totem pole series). It is rated down to 25hz. However, the Velodyne rumbled in my belly, the AR couldn't come close. However the Velodyne was a bit muffled, rumbly and kind of 'sloppy' sounding where the AR was tighter and more composed. Unfortunately, it just couldn't reach down to the bottom like the Velodyne despite its specs. I guess I'll just have to take a plunge in some direction at some point. BTW is anyone familiar with Energy's subwoofers?

Hi Phil,

Be very skeptical of subwoofer low-frequency response claims. They tend to be very optimistic (20 Hz from the AR? In their dreams!!) I think I told you in an email what happens to once fine-quality brand names that get swallowed up by large conglomerates driven only by profits and not performance.

By the way, the Velodyne "sloppiness" might well have been a product of room/placement interaction. It's often hard to separate those contributing factors.

Regards,

try vmps if you want a nice sub-no port chuff(passive radiator)they make small and big ones - i have the vmps large with a 100 wpc amp.

My Mirage Bipolar BPS 150 is a dual 8 inch sub. Goes down to 22Hz. Pretty musical and tight due to smaller 8 inch drivers but it gives a very loud low tight bass. And there definitely does not have 'port chuff' because there are no ports.
http://miragespeakers.com/products/currentproduct/bps/bps150/index.htm