Setting up a new Axiom Audio EP500 v2 Subwoofer!

[Suave]

I just got this 12-inch Axiom Audio EP500 v2 bad boy shipped to my house this morning - will be upgrading my 10-inch SVS PB10-NSD. I feel like I've been long due for a subwoofer upgrade!

I unpacked it a few minutes ago and will be hooking it up this evening. I report my first impressions in this thread in the next day.

In the meantime, here are couple of pics:

[Brad]

well i guess thats the last we'll hear of you for a day or two!

i watched "up" the other night on my new dual sub setup...when the house lifted off...whoa man. awesome.

[Suave]

Okay - I setup up the EP500 in my home theatre yesterday and fiddled with it for a good portion of the evening so that it blends appropriately with the rest of my speakers.

When I first connected it, my speakers produced a 60 Hz ground loop hum - which can happen when components with different grounding systems are connected together. Sometimes the ground loop hum can be a real pain to eliminate but luckly Axiom provides a "ground loop" screw at the back of the sub which can be removed. Removing the screw got rid of the hum for me!

After playing around with the placement and volume level, I sat down to listen to a few multi-channel recordings including Pink Flloyd "Dark Side of the Moon" (SACD), Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" (SACD), Legends of Jazz (Blu-ray) and Rolling Stones "Shine a Light" (Blu-ray).

First impressions (compared to the SVS sub that the Axiom replaces):
- improved bass control/handling
- better bass articulation - individual bass notes, even very similar tones, were clearly distinct
- a much more musical sounding bass - notes played on a bass guitar sounded like metallic strings, not just low bass notes. Bass notes decayed naturally.
- much deeper bass extension
- Pink Flloyd's "Time" bass line never sounded better (in my room)

So far, I couldn't be happier with the upgrade!

I'll post more findings after watching some Blu-rays (hopefully this evening).

Anyone have any suggestions for movie passages with good bass extension?

[SoundGame]

A big congrats to you Suave on the new sub - looks like a real beast...did you just order online?
The Watchmen has some wicked bass, as well as The Dark Knight...the scene with the car chase under the highway overpass with the shooting and all...a real workout for any sub.
As well, The Day After Tommorrow Blu-Ray scene just when the giant wave come over the City of New York also generates sub bass i.e. 20Hz and under...I have the Blu-ray myself. If you don't...HMV is giving $5 off on it with trade-in of any DVD - I think it would only be $15, possibly $10...worth the cash, in my opinion, as a tester at least.

[audit13]

Has the SVS been put to duty in another system? I purchased the same SVS sub a few months ago. My decision to purchase the SVS was based on Canada HIFI's favourable review.

[Spudso]

Suave - the shaking camera effect of Cloverfield is nausea inducing, but it has some of the most subterranean bass I have ever heard. Equally impressive are War of the Worlds and The Incredible Hulk ( 2008 )

[Brad]

i saw cloverfield at the largest auditorium at the AMC yonge/dundas..it was about 1/3 full on a monday night. the level of bass was epic.

Has the SVS been put to duty in another system? I purchased the same SVS sub a few months ago. My decision to purchase the SVS was based on Canada HIFI's favourable review.

im not too sure what you mean by this. does the fact that suave might no longer use the SVS sub in his main system mean that you are enjoying yours less?

[audit13]

..im not too sure what you mean by this. does the fact that suave might no longer use the SVS sub in his main system mean that you are enjoying yours less?

Not at all. I'm still impressed and amazed at the quality and quantity of bass output for its price and size. I was just wondering if he continues to use his SVS, that's all.

[Suave]

audit13 - I ended up selling the SVS sub on the internet after I purchased the new sub. The SVS sub was a really great product for the money - there's no question. I got a good couple of years of enjoyment out of it.

I chose to go with the Axiom Audio EP500 v2 sub as the replacement because I had spent some time playing with its larger brother, the EP600, and it was simply the best sub I've ever heard. The EP500 is much smaller in size but it uses much of the same tech as the EP600. Also, I figured that it would be nice to support a Canadian company that makes pretty kick ass subwoofers.

Spudso - I agree with you about the nausea inducing camera work in Cloverfield and yes this scene has some really great bass!