The ep500 came in yesterday. I'm sending back the ep350 today.
I can say that the 500 really is an upgrade. It seems much more powerfull and seems to go much deeper.
I have it in the same position as the 350. When I used to do the frequency scan I did not really hear / feel the 350 until about 45 hz. I feel the 500 starting at 18hz. I even like it more with music. It actually seems less boomy (Not that the 350 was really boomy). It just seems more controlled. No matter how loud I play movies I'm no longer afraid to push the sub too hard. Some of you remember that I had clipping problems with the 350, which was the main reason I decided to upgrade. I am happy I did.

I do have a question.
Is there no "auto shutoff" feature on this sub like on the 350? If so, do you guys turn the sub off when you're not using the system or just leave it on?

Enjoy your upgrade! As for the auto-shutoff, I can't answer that (without some research anyway) as I am one of those bad, non-Axiom sub guys. When I got my Axiom speakers, the bigger subs from Axiom weren't being made yet.

I don't know about recent ep500. Mine does not have an auto-shutoff. I am using the 12V trigger (also connected to my A1400) to turn on/off.

350 has the auto sensing shutoff, not the 500 or 600.

I think I remember reading that with a digital amp the idle power is so low that auto shut-off was not required.

I wonder. My EP350 heatsink gets warm at idle when I forget to turn it off.

No auto shut off on EP500 ???

Could be an nice feature to add on the next version of the EP500

hi hi !!! the it will probably make it the first sub ENERGY STAR.

The Axiom EP500v2 powered subwoofer offers the state-of-the-art most advanced "Auto Shut Off/ON" device possible. In fact, it can't be improved; it is the ultimate solution.

The reality is that the EP500v2 goes into a Shut Off/On - SLEEPING MODE even between notes which it has to reproduce. It is an "INSTANT ON/OFF" solution.

Ain't Digital Wonderful, folks?

It could be improved.
But maybe only by making it not require power at all....

Stupid perpetual motion machines. Always perpetually non-existent.

Perpetual motion machines do exist. They're so difficult to discover exactly because they're moving targets.

I always thought Rosie O'donnell's mouth was a perpetual machine

If that were the case, men would be lining up to meet her.

Or it could run on kinetic energy like my Seiko kinetic chronograph watch. The movement of the woofer could keep the battery charged.

Here's an idea! Use the woofer's motion to generate power. Hell put a miniature fan in front of the woofer to generate more energy and return it to the grid!

Using speakers to generate power is about the most inefficient thing you can do. Speakers themselves are highly inefficient at converting electricity into motion. A lot of energy is lost as heat.

Ooo, ooo, use the heat to generate the power, then.

Yeah.... STEAM!

That might sound crazy, but I was actually just reading an article on motorcycle racing where they were explaining how they could use the heat stored in the brake rotors to help power the bike (they were talking about a future generation of electric motorcycles)... it all went over my head, but they talked about it none the less.

I watched hulk the other day on the ep500. The driver was moving so fast and so far ... in an almost violent manner. Perhaps I could use that somehow to power the sub. But really I could see the driver moving even with the black material cover on(meaning it was hitting the cover). Is that normal?

It is when "Hulk Smash!!!"

Seriously though, I don't think that I've ever seen mine hit the cover but I wonder, was it really hitting the cover or was there enough air being displaced to make the cover move? I suspect that if it did touch the cover, you would have a nasty flapping, vibrational sound that would let you know for sure. It does move violently though when it's being heavily utilized. That's how it does it's job.

You may very well be right.

I don't have the 500, but I can't imagine Axiom put the cover closer to the driver than the accepted travel length of the motor assembly (I think that is the right part of the voice coil?). You sure it was hitting the cover, or was it just that you could see the drive through the cover? It is normal to see the driver move rather violently.

The ep500 is a violent sub. Cool.

I don't have the 500, but I can't imagine Axiom put the cover closer to the driver than the accepted travel length of the motor assembly (I think that is the right part?). You sure it was hitting the cover, or was it just that you could see the drive through the cover? It is normal to see the driver move rather violently.

They do travel very VERY far! I don't know if they come out far enough to touch the cover either, but I've taken my cover off plenty of times and watched them move (the dual speakers are really fun to watch because they oppose eachother... while one is traveling out, the other is traveling in... it's really neat), I get a kick out of that!

That doesn't sound right. I didn't think you could do a push/pull in one direction. Maybe that's why it's so quiet. (could be totally wrong, completely wrong, and/or utterly wrong).

I agree with Ken. Is one wired out-of-phase? Having one cone push while the other pulls means they'll cancel each other out...

Well if they ain't supposed to do that then something is DEFINATELY wrong! LOL

Micah, seriously check that out. That might be the problem....

Really? You mean everyone else here with an EP800, the drivers both shoot out at the same time? If so, then mine definately needs changed.

I guess it could be a design thing, but more likely, the wiring on one is reversed. I would think they have to push and pull at the same time. Typically, when you put two subs facing one another, you can play with the phase (push/pull) to obtain optimum setting. But pushing *and* pulling on the same sub seems odd to me.

Micah, if you're certain that's what's happening, it has to be wrong and the drivers are wired out of phase. Drivers moving in opposite directions while playing the same frequency partially cancel.

See? Told ya!

You posted something helpful before the fourth page??

I wasn't sure if I'd be on the forums tomorrow, so I thought I'd better just in case!

If one driver isn't connected right now; it'll move in the opposite direction. That is when the powered one pushes out, the volume of the enclosure increases so the unpowered one gets sucked in. But if you were seeing this while both drivers were supposed to be working, then yeah, I think one's wired out of phase...but which one?

Thats an excellent question you should PM alan about for a technical response. I usually see him on the forum in the morning so he would see the PM then. Then you can post it in here. I am interested in what they have to say about that.

Wow, so all this time my sub has been wired out of phase??? This is crazy. Let's make a little list of all the things wrong with this sub shall we...

1. Bad amp.
2. Bad left side driver
3. Bad right side driver
4. Drivers wired out of phase...

Hmmm... is there anything else that they could have possibly done wrong to this sub before sending it off to me? I'm beginning to think Zimm is right, maybe I should have just sent this thing back. $2300 dollars for a sub that whateve could have been wrong, was done wrong??? Ridiculous!!!

On a positive note, I'm actually quite happy with the way it sounds as it is. Can you imagine what it will sound like once the new driver arrives and I get them both set in phase??? This shall rival the day God grabs hold of the devil and throws him down a bottomless pit on the awesomeness scale!!! Wihoo!!!

Just had to say it didn’t you…


Enhance your calm, John Spartan. Or at least take some downers before firing it up.

Am I the only person that sees a problem with this? Home Theater was plug and play before that even existed. You don't have to rebuild your sub to get it to work. Hell I'm shocked beyond belief Axiom has not insisted you accept a new model just to kill this damn forum saga. Then again, I only own the QS8 so I have consumed much less Kool-Aid.

(but I have a lot of stuff stamped Monster Cable, so I may have built up an immunity to Kool-Aid)

Apropo of nothing, my $50 Monster Cable digital coax cable (from 2001 but never used until last week) does not work at all. $50 for a cable as thick as a python and it can't relay 1|0|0|0|1. WTF. A metal coat hanger could pull that off - right John?

Charles, you're entirely correct on the wire hanger excellence (the plastic ones definitely degrade the sound quality). Furthermore, if some rusty fence wire is available it makes for a superb alternative.

Inspired by these scientific investigations of Al Magnani and Mick Loney, some time ago I undertook soaking strands of spaghetti(San Giorgio)in a hot saline solution to increase the electrical conductivity. Upon hooking up the strands in my system they worked, but I found the sound quality to be too "grainy". I then disconnected them, applied Ragu, and found this alternative application to be more satisfactory.

Suddenly, I'm envisioning $100 Monster brand coat hangers for sale at BB.

Personally, I've found using spaghetti for your speaker connects isn't a very good idea if you own a dog. If you're not a pet owner then go for it though. And remember to add some hamburger or italian sausage to the Ragu to thicken the midrange and give the woofers a meatier bottom end!

I'm slow, but I'm catching on.