Axiom’s newest addition, the $1,100 Epicenter EP400 DSP subwoofer will launch in March!
Next month, Axiom will introduce the Epicenter EP400, a new, compact high-performance DSP subwoofer. The EP400 delivers extraordinary bass extension as deep as 23 Hz in smaller rooms such as dens or bedrooms, using a much smaller enclosure than a conventional subwoofer.
Borrowing the same DSP technology from the larger, well-reviewed Axiom EP500 and EP600 subwoofers, the EP400 uses a powerful 500-watt internal amplifier coupled to a tough long-throw 8-inch driver and custom DSP algorithm to extract maximum sound pressure levels as high as 116 dB from an enclosure barely taller than Axiom’s M3 bookshelf speaker.
Like its bigger DSP brethren, the Axiom EP400 uses a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and “algorithm” – a custom-written digital roadmap — to model ideal deep bass extension then modify the 400’s performance to deliver real-life volume levels with powerful bass extension that exhibit excellent “linearity” or smoothness. The algorithm, which is programmed with the woofer’s specific traits, applies power from the amplifier to automatically correct any potential deviations away from ideally smooth bass response. And since its digital code also contains the output and cone-excursion limits of the driver and amplifier, it automatically protects the EP400 from being overdriven into distortion.
Epicenter EP400 DSP Subwoofer Specs
| Enclosure: | Bass Reflex |
| Max Amp Power: | 500 Watts |
| Crossover Adjust | 40 – 150 |
| Phase | 0 & 180 |
| Woofer Size | 8″ |
| DSP Controlled | Yes |
| Line In and Out | Yes |
| Balanced Line In and Out | Yes |
| High Level In | Yes |
| Room Trim | Yes |
| Dynamic Power Supply | Yes |
| Anechoic Resp. +/- 1.5dB | 28-150 |
| Anechoic Resp. +/- 3dB | 25-150 |
| Room Resp. + 3dB/- 9dB | 23-150 |
| Max SPL Anechoic | 106 dB |
| Max SPL In Room | 116 dB |
| Dimensions HWD inches: | 13.75 x 10.5 x 16.8 |
| Dimensions HWD mm: | 349 x 266 x 422 |
| Weight (lbs) each: | 48.55 lbs |
| Weight (kg) each: | 22.02 kg |
Contacted at Axiom’s head office in Dwight, Ontario, Axiom president and chief designer Ian Colquhoun outlined the design philosophy behind the creation of the new compact sub: “The EP400 was produced to fill a specific need that was being requested of us over and over. This was to pack real subwoofer performance into the smallest possible enclosure,” he said. “It was not created to be a less expensive version of the EP500; in fact, if you do not have any concern with the enclosure size, then the EP500 would be the way to go. What the EP400 enables is that the master bedroom or den can have subwoofer response as powerful as the home theater room, in an enclosure small enough to tuck in a nightstand or under the bed.”
Used in combination with any of Axiom’s compact bookshelf speakers — the M2 v2, M3 v2 or M22 v2 — or their in-wall equivalents, the W2, W3 and W22 — the new EP-400 effectively extends sound reproduction across the entire range of audible musical frequencies to levels that approach the subsonic region, and, if desired, at realistic output levels as great as 116 dB SPL.
Priced at $1,100, the EP400 subwoofer will be available in Axiom’s standard in-stock finishes — Black Oak, Boston Cherry, Light Maple or Mansfield Beech — or in our wide range of custom vinyl or real-wood finishes.
