Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Ian and Tom Video interview re: A1400-8 & EP400.

Hey guys,

This just went up today at audioholics.com.

the Video has a really nice shot of the new computer speakers in a gorgeous finish...A very informative interview!

Enjoy!

Click me!

Looks like Ian isn't a big fan of eq'ing software to even out bass response

Thanks for the link, Hutzal!

Interesting bit there is that Ian says that a single EP400 doesn't have all that much output (of course, all that much output for Ian vs all that much output for me...), but has great output when you start using multiple subs.

great interview.. very informative and those comp speakers look sweet!

I believe he meant compared to the relatively huge EP600 which has powerful output. Keep in mind that the EP600 with its 12" driver and 600W amp is over 5x as large by volume as the 400 with an 8" driver and 500w amp.

Regarding output, one way to look at it is that the EP600 is twice as loud as the EP500 which is twice as loud as the EP400. You would need to colocate a pair of EP400s to match the output of an EP600, the extra 6db coming from the coupling effect of the 400s in close proximity. Separating the subs by much more than a couple of metres loses much of the coupling effect but you get better smoothing of room nodes. That's why he is recommending the use of multiple 400s, ideally 4 of them, as the best HT sub solution which reduces the need for electronic equalization and provides all the output you would want.

A 10dB change in SPL is perceived as twice as loud.

When I compare the 350/400/500/600, their performance is only marginally differentiated. Why would anyone buy anything other than a 400 given the information in that graph? The 500/600 need to be more differentiated in my opinion.

Has anyone tried running dual 600W amps on their 600 ?

Mo, John may have been referring to the acoustic power being twice as high, rather than the result actually being subjectively twice as loud(generally said to require a 10 dB increase, as you point out), although he did use the term "loud". The 3dB increase which two widely separated speakers playing the same sound produce does involve twice the acoustic power(and twice the total amplifier power)but the 3dB increase, while noticeable, is far from the subjective "twice as loud" standard.

Hey Mojo I was referring to output and SPL A doubling of sound pressure level means the audio signal level is increased 3 dB ie. there is twice the acoustical energy. However as you mentioned our hearing does not work linearly and that 3 dB or doubling of SPL does not seem to sound twice as loud. Our perception of twice as loud occurs at roughly a 10db increase even though a doubling of SPL occurs with a 3db increase.

It would have been more precise to say the EP600 has about twice the max SPL of the EP500 which has twice the max SPL of the EP400 as can be seen from the specs on anechoic and in-room SPL. http://www.axiomaudio.com/specs_subwoofers.html



Depends on your perspective. A doubling in SPL means alot in your audio system. A more powerful sub means less likelihood of compression other things being equal. For me the difference of 3db output and 3hz extension between the 500 and 600 is very significant in that the 600 can output twice the energy and run deeper. Between the 500and 400 the gap narrows in extension but the 500 can still output double the energy of the 400. The 6db difference between the 600 and 400 is nearly 4x the acoustical energy being output. Those differences for a single sub may not appear like much on paper but they make a BIG difference in your audio system.

What I find interesting is the discussion of how 4 600s and 4 400s sounded so similar in a moderately sized room.

Hi John. Thanks for also adding the clarification. We must have been typing at the same time.

Jake, you've listened to and played with more subs than me so I trust and respect your opinion.

I'd really like to get my hands on a 400 and compare it to my 600 in my 4,000 cubic foot space. I'd like to hear and feel for myself if there is a significant audible difference.