I'm working on a special project trying to turn an used subwoofer driver into something that at least physically resembles my EP500.

I have a CNC router and access to the black veneer, so making the actual speaker cabinet won't be difficult. Plus I can buy an extra grill to put on the front of it from Axiom. But I'm looking for an less expensive option for a sub amp and I came across these:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-752
and
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-806

I'm just assuming that Axiom wouldn't sell a EP500 amp for much less than $750.00. And these are soo cheap.

Anybody ever heard a review of this stuff?

I'm worried that I might totally ruin the great sound of my Axiom Epic 80 500 7.1 system by paring it up with some sort of low quality amp. So if it does that, I'll probably just use the "fake axiom" subwoofer in the garage or something.

Have you checked out hometheatershack.com or the diy section of audioholics. A lot of people there really seem to like Behringer amps like the A500 and the EP2500.

Wow... those things are cheap. Maybe a bit too cheap? I'm totally lost when it comes to amplifier quality, unless I hear it with my own ears I'm skeptical... but those things are cheap.

Yeah for about the same price as those plate amps you can get the EP2500 or 1500 and it will be far better. I originally had the Ep2500 for my subs but returned it a week later when I found a pair of used QSC RMX1450's locally for a great price. The only thing is you'll need a crossover as they dont have them built in like the plate amps. But if you then got something like the Behringer DCX2496 it would be far better and more versatile than any traditional sub amp.


Also, if you want to get any bit of performance out of your DIY sub you'll need to build the cabinet to match the driver's T/S parameters and what tuning frequency you want. Its not just as simple as building a box to put it in. People on the shack or audioholics or AVS can probably help you out with box specs.

You underestimated my sneakiness, my EP500 copy-cat speaker cabinet will match the driver I have perfectly.

And I'll be using the subwoofer output on my reciever, so it will do the crossover work.

I've got a DIY sub that I built a few years back using one of the Parts Express 500W plate amps and a 15" Adire Tempest driver. The performance is very good, but as Haoleb noted you have to build the enclosure to the specific driver you're going to use. Just because it's the same size as an EP500 driver does not mean that's the correct or optimum enclosure. If you can find the driver manufacturer's website, they might have some suggested enclosure designs. Otherwise, use a speaker design program to come up with the right size and shape. WinISD is one.

In order to get the best performance out of your sub, you really need to put some thought into it. The construction process is not particularly difficult, but you need to be very attentive to the dimensions and details. Sealed boxes tend to be smaller, play lower and are more accurate, while ported boxes play louder and can be specifically tuned to certain frequencies.

As far as the Parts Express plate amps, I think they are a great value. You can save a lot of money building your own sub. I'm very happy with mine, and in fact, I prefer it over my EP350v2.

Sealed boxes are usually smaller but they definetly do not play lower and its alot of hearsay that they are more accurate. A properly designed ported box can be just as accurate as a properly designed sealed box. There are many poor examples of both on the market which is where I think alot of the misconceptions come from.