Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Subs to avoid??

One cheaper sub you should NOT avoid is the Sony SWM40. I have one and it is a phenomenal value. I read rave reviews about on the net and purchased one from Sears for 200. I would put it up against any other sub out there!

I was in Future Shop yesterday and i overhead a salesman try to push a Polk setup to an obviously uninformed family. He started with the Polk RT50 and then went on.
He let them hear the 'power' of the Polk subwoofer. It sounded like someone pounding two heavy couch pillows together. Then he turned it up, and the thing started to rattle and distort. And that's when he used his sales line,
"Hear that? That's distortion. If you spend even $200 more you will get a better system and if you have the system for 13 years or more...."

Ugggh, make me barf.
The nausea was overwhelming, so much so, i ran out of the room laughing. I wonder if that guy lost his sale...

Here are some stories about subs and systems. My first sub was a Kenwood SW300 10" unit which matched up beautifully with the various systems that have passed through my office. I swapped out a pair of Polk RT25s up front and Mission 77ds in the back for 4 Michaura M55s (beautiful rosewood M22 type speakers). I was watching one of my favorite DVD movies, Dream Work's Time Machine, spectacular music and effects tracks, and blew up the Kenwood sub. I mean, it blew little pieces of rubber a surprising distance from the sub. I replaced the Kenwood with a Dahlquist PDQ 15" sub and am very, very pleased with this unit. BTW, they are just about the last good buy to be found on uBid.com. Got mine for just under $100 plus shipping. For music I use a Philips SACD 1000 source. It's pretty darn dramatic.

I called Kenwood about a replacement woofer, and was told that I had to buy the amp and speaker because they are a "unit." I finally took the thing apart and found a conventional speaker hooked up to a separate amp. (not all customer service is like Axiom!). Just ordered a 10" woofer from partsexpress.com - those folks were very helpful.

The Kenwood will go with my garage system. I just picked up an incredible vintage Pioneer SX1010 receiver - a thing of true beauty, perfect condition. I'll hook up a pair of M3Tis or Michaura M55s and drive it with a discman until I sort it out.

I have a pure stereo system in my living room, a modest Antique Sound Labs MG S1 15DT 5 watt per channel SET tube integrated, a modified Ah! Njoe Tjoeb CDP, a pair of M50 like Michaura M66s and a little Velodyne 8" sub (CHT80). This system is the sweetest one I have and since I don't get out that much, the sweetest I've heard. But, the Velodyne only goes down to 35 Hz and although that helps the very bottom of the M66s, I could use another octave. So, I just ordered the Vance Dickason Titanic 10" subwoofer kit from partsexpress.com, supposed to be very sweet and musical and good for 24Hz. I'll report back on both the partsexpress modified Kenwood and the Titanic 10" as soon as I get them fired up.

My main system enjoys two subs, arranged in stereo - a 1640 watt Klipsch LF10 and a 10" Velodyne CHT100, out of an Outlaw ICBM bass manager, driven by an Onkyo TXDS797 THX, and helping a pair of Michaura M665 (M60 like speakers) up front, a pair of M22 like M55s on the sides and a pair of Mission 77ds back surrounds. The twin sub arrangement is very smooth and produces wonderful bass which integrates nicely with the speakers.

This sytem is sourced by the Toshiba SD9200 DVD Audio/DTS Progressive scan unit. It is really impressive.

Anyone considering a HT system with M60s up front should not hesitate.

One last system - I'm putting together an office system for my secretary. She'll get the Velodyne 8" when the Titanic comes. I picked up another vintage Pioneer, an SX727, and am ordering a pair of Axiom M2Tis.

She'll need a nice CD changer with a remote. I'm open to all suggestions.

Anyway, subs which are musical, which make tight, accurate bass are terrific. Subs which chuff and rattle are not hifi.

So, for all the subs and speakers and watts, I have to tell you which system is the most pleasant for listening to music. It is the 5 watt per channel tube system with a pair of M50 type speakers helped by a little 8" sub (really a mid) woofer. The sound stage is enormous, imaging is precise and it is sweet, sweet.

Happy new year, fellow Axiom fans!!

Technics SL MC-4. Lucky secretary, but now how will those pleadings ever get done?