Has anyone compared the Epik Conquest to the Elemental Designs A7-450? Both seem like great choices and I'm trying to decide between the two.

The Epik Conquest is not available at the moment. Not sure Chad (owner of Epik) will start selling them. If you plan on getting either one of the subs, your best bet is the ED.

The Epik Conquest or Elemental Designs A7-450 now have very similar designs and amplifiers, but if the the Epik Conquest is no longer available, it will make the decision easier.

Does anyone know if they both offer similar performance?

Has anyone at least heard the updated version of the Elemental Designs A7-450? Any thoughts?

Has anyone at least heard the updated version of the Elemental Designs A7-450? Any thoughts?

Have you considered the SVS PB-13 Ultra. It didn't need to be redesigned after only one year.

ribbit had both the A7-450 and the PB-13 Ultra. He ended up ording more PB-13 Ultras. I lost count.

spyboy you need to stop. I know someone who sold his ultra for an eD. The only 2 complaints or negatives I have heard about the A7-450 were from dealers for other companies. I know another person who has owned most of the big boys talked about here and prefers his DIY eD 190v.2 to them all. It is all subjective but you seem to focus on 2 people who sell non eD subs. That is wrong. I own eD 190v.2's as well and are awesome. Why don't you ever give my experience with them. Don't tell me my sono's are built better because that would be absurd.

spyboy you need to stop. I know someone who sold his ultra for an eD. The only 2 complaints or negatives I have heard about the A7-450 were from dealers for other companies. I know another person who has owned most of the big boys talked about here and prefers his DIY eD 190v.2 to them all. It is all subjective but you seem to focus on 2 people who sell non eD subs. That is wrong. I own eD 190v.2's as well and are awesome. Why don't you ever give my experience with them. Don't tell me my sono's are built better because that would be absurd.

If I had a nickel for every time I'd seen that phrase on this forum...:D

The Epik Conquest is not available at the moment. Not sure Chad (owner of Epik) will start selling them. If you plan on getting either one of the subs, your best bet is the ED.

Agreed, if those are the only two in the running for his purchase the Conquest unless purchased used is out of the running for awhile.

I'd love to have either of them!

how different from the Conquest can the Dynasty be? the Dynasty is available, maybe the Dynasty would work for you.

nvm, i just realized that the Conquest has a 1000 watt amp, while the Dynasty has the 600 watt amp.

I really hope the Conquest is revived at some point.

My current one looks so lonely all by itself. :D

The only 2 complaints or negatives I have heard about the A7-450 were from dealers for other companies. I know another person who has owned most of the big boys talked about here and prefers his DIY eD 190v.2 to them all. It is all subjective but you seem to focus on 2 people who sell non eD subs. That is wrong. I own eD 190v.2's as well and are awesome. Why don't you ever give my experience with them. Don't tell me my sono's are built better because that would be absurd.

i'm sure you did not mean it that way BUT it's looking like i'm ripping on eD because of my current status as an SVS dealer.

i was NOT a dealer for SVS when i got "disappointed :rolleyes:" with my eD's. it was actually after the fact that i saw how good the build quality was on the ultra's and thought that if their entry level products had the same quality, i could sell them in my country.

in fact, i approached eD first to get their products to sell here where i am. i guess i was fortunate to have gotten 3 eD products before anything got anywhere with the offer to sell here.

edit: dates added for facts
i ordered my A7-450's nov. 2007
got the eD's and ultras feb 2008
became official svs dealer feb 2009

to be clear ... it was eD who pushed me towards SVS. the first two ultras i got was for my dad (he doesn't even use them, i made him my guinea pig as i had already blown my dough on eD) simply to compare my A7-450 (ultra killers). the product was unsatisfactory and the after sales customer service was worse. nuff said.

side note: i had a high of 6 ultras. now only with 5. i'm thinking of replacing some of the boxes with cylinders to save on space.

peterpioli,

Talk to both companies in depth about their product. Ask them about your room size and use your gut. If nothing else discuss possible return options if your not happy.

When it comes to big 18" drivers with a lot of power the rules are pretty simple. Big box, lots of power, good extension, keep distortion down, and limit it before you break it.

As long as you don't plan on doing something incredibly silly like taking the subwoofer driver out of the box and ripping it a new one I imagine either one will work pretty well ;)

Ribbit,
That was not the intention. I remember you were very pleased with the power of the eD until they broke. You can't compare a broken eD with a working SVS. Evden if you have them(had) them repaired it leaves a bad taste in your mouth so you will be biased even if you heard an eD that blew you away. You have to remember that when the Ultra first came it had a bad amp and it took a while to get new ones and fix all the ultras sold. You had one of the first eD's so why not expect any problems when SVS had them. My problem is not with you anyway, at least you had them and svs and you can give any comparisons you want. Spyboy never experienced either and just gives your experience like that is the only eD on the planet. That is all. BTW, I love SVS and think their subs are great. They started me off on real bass and their customer service is great. I also have eD products and will say the same of them.

Has anyone compared the Epik Conquest to the Elemental Designs A7-450? Both seem like great choices and I'm trying to decide between the two.



Seems the DRAGON would be more of a comparo model right?

Ribbit,
That was not the intention. I remember you were very pleased with the power of the eD until they broke. You can't compare a broken eD with a working SVS. Evden if you have them(had) them repaired it leaves a bad taste in your mouth so you will be biased even if you heard an eD that blew you away. You have to remember that when the Ultra first came it had a bad amp and it took a while to get new ones and fix all the ultras sold. You had one of the first eD's so why not expect any problems when SVS had them. My problem is not with you anyway, at least you had them and svs and you can give any comparisons you want. Spyboy never experienced either and just gives your experience like that is the only eD on the planet. That is all. BTW, I love SVS and think their subs are great. They started me off on real bass and their customer service is great. I also have eD products and will say the same of them.

again with the insinuation that i was/am biased with the comparison.
while i no longer wish to discuss eD, i did not compare a broken eD to the SVS. the drivers were making mechanical noises from the getgo; the two A7 amps had way different input sensitivities and two new drivers were sent. the two new drivers had the same mechanical noise, so i put them away and never to be used as HT subwoofers again. these are facts, and no amount of bias for or against will change that.

i'm a subwoofer hobbyist first before svs dealer. and even as an SVS dealer, what you guys think of eD or SVS does not matter to me because it absolutely does not affect me. i just wish to give the facts of the matter and debunk that i am/was biased.

peterpioli,

Talk to both companies in depth about their product. Ask them about your room size and use your gut. If nothing else discuss possible return options if your not happy.

When it comes to big 18" drivers with a lot of power the rules are pretty simple. Big box, lots of power, good extension, keep distortion down, and limit it before you break it.

As long as you don't plan on doing something incredibly silly like taking the subwoofer driver out of the box and ripping it a new one I imagine either one will work pretty well ;)

eD drivers could not take high xmax from the getgo (in the box) and even the new drivers couldn't as well, so that pretty much leaves the drivers at fault. and i took the drivers out of the box with permission from eD. oh that's right you own eD and know of every step of my situation. (you have the same chat logs i do)

next time, put a signature in, instead of marketing and trying to hit below the belt at the same time :rolleyes:

I will say I have no idea what was wrong because I have 8 of those drivers and none of them make any noises. Again, you must have had bad luck with yours. Anyway, I apologize and I know you are a sub enthusiast first and welcome your thoughts whether I agree or not.

Seems the DRAGON would be more of a comparo model right?

The Dragon is a sealed 18 inch sub. The 2 in question are ported 18's.

I will also say the X-max of the driver is enough to have more power than a SVS PB12/plus/2 in 25 hz mode which is it's highest output mode. In 16 hz mode it was not even close in output.

I will say I have no idea what was wrong because I have 8 of those drivers and none of them make any noises. Again, you must have had bad luck with yours. Anyway, I apologize and I know you are a sub enthusiast first and welcome your thoughts whether I agree or not.

i guess subwoofers are not as simple as slapping a driver, amp and a box together. it could very well be either of the 3 or a combo of 2 or 3 of those parts.

edit:
i honestly would not like to post anymore about eD as i've already wasted too much time and money on the issue.
so please stick to the facts instead of trying to guess what my intention was so that i can go back to lurking.

I was talking to Spyboy and never mentioned your name actually, but again, I apologize. BTW, this topic is about eD's new A7-450 since eD redesigned all their subs(many of them anyway) not just the a7-450.

The Dragon is a sealed 18 inch sub. The 2 in question are ported 18's.



I hallucinated the S from a7S450.....!!!!:eek::eek:

I'd still like opinions on the Elemental Designs A7-450. Anyone? Why would I'd buy a Epik Conquest (if I can get one) instead of the Elemental Designs A7-450?

I'm apologizing you weren't happy with the product Mike. That's not really below the belt. It's not a game Mike. It's peoples lives.

I'm not a walking billboard and I'm not up selling product.

Hope your business is doing well!

I'm apologizing you weren't happy with the product Mike. That's not really below the belt. It's not a game Mike. It's peoples lives.

I'm not a walking billboard and I'm not up selling product.

Hope your business is doing well!

Hope yours is doing well too. (i mean it really)

i was just protecting my reputation.

The more I research both the Epik Conquest and Elemental Designs A7-450, the more I’m starting to think the Elemental Designs A7-450 is the better subwoofer. The drivers seem similar and the Elemental Designs A7-450 is slightly bigger, but the A7-450 has a more powerful, better designed amplifier with ICE Power Integration.

Any thoughts?

If the Conquest is not available then the choice is easy. How much are they? What about the submersive?

The more I research both the Epik Conquest and Elemental Designs A7-450, the more I’m starting to think the Elemental Designs A7-450 is the better subwoofer. The drivers seem similar and the Elemental Designs A7-450 is slightly bigger, but the A7-450 has a more powerful, better designed amplifier with ICE Power Integration.

Any thoughts?

Are you aware that in tests of two Ed subs with the LT1300 watt amp, the tester tripped the circuit breaker every time the sub was turned on?

This does not seem to be wide-spread AFAIK, but you should know about it.

Are you aware that in tests of two Ed subs with the LT1300 watt amp, the tester tripped the circuit breaker every time the sub was turned on?

This does not seem to be wide-spread AFAIK, but you should know about it.

Even on a 15amp circuit properly wired of course you should not trip the breaker with this amp. This is not an issue in my opinion.

Even on a 15amp circuit properly wired of course you should not trip the breaker with this amp. This is not an issue in my opinion.


Please try telling that to these people:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/a7s-450

Who say under "Cons"

"Large inrush (current) may trip common household lines when powering up."

Please try telling that to these people:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/a7s-450

Who say under "Cons"

"Large inrush (current) may trip common household lines when powering up."


There had to be something wrong with his wiring and box. I have dual A7S-450's with the LT1300 amp plus a HSU MBM-12 mid bass sub along with other assorted items (lamps, timers, fans) running off one 20 amp breaker with no issues. So I would suspect faulty wiring at the reviers home.

Bill

There had to be something wrong with his wiring and box. I have dual A7S-450's with the LT1300 amp plus a HSU MBM-12 mid bass sub along with other assorted items (lamps, timers, fans) running off one 20 amp breaker with no issues. So I would suspect faulty wiring at the reviers home.

Bill

I'm just quoting what they published. When an incident like this happens it falls on the manufacturer to contact the reviewer (through the entity that published the review), to explain that there must have been something wrong.

When Tom Nousaine tested the J L Audio F112, there were some measurements that didn't coincide with what other F112's were doing. There was an acknowlegement that the F112 in question had been shipped around several times and that it had been damaged in some way (to produce the test results in question).

Back to the review of the A7-S450 , it may be worth noting that the reviewer had previously tested a subwoofer with a 1,000 watt amp (without tripping the breaker even once).

Leaving the review without any further comment from Ed may not be the best way to deal with this kind of issue. That's just my opinion.

Like I said earlier, this may be some kind of isolated case. Still my experience with Ed and half-baked reviews is pretty lame.

If you know of any written explanation by Alex or anyone else at Ed please point me to it.

Spyboy,
Your experience with eD is none, just what you read. Seems like what you read is just any negatives and not the countless positives. Why is that? Are you a pessimistic?

Surely there is an current draw spec for the amp, no? What is the number at turn on?

Pete, Ive been eyeing on the Conquest for a while now but they dont make them anymore so I bought 2 a7-450 and will be here in about 5-6 weeks well see how it does.... let me share you the email i sent to eD comparing the Conquest heres the email

On Sep 15, 2009, at 9:32 AM, Brett Bell wrote:

Hello S,

With that comparison, you'll likely see that the A7-450 after it was redesigned with the custom hand built driver actually has a bit more performance potential due to the design. The cabinet will be a little more efficient, and the amplifier we use will give more power. Those features coupled together should for all purposes give the A7-450 the advantage. We even have a customer that has 4 A7-450's, he has them stacked two in each stack in a room that is 20' x 30' I think he said. He actually has the review posted on the A7-450 page as well, the most recent one to ship received his 2 weeks ago and he was floored by not only the output but on how accurate the A7-450 was with quick gunshots, kick drums, etc.

Thank you,
Brett Bell
Elemental Designs
Marketing Director
641.792.2501 - Ext 201.
brettb@elementaldesigns.com


On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 1:49 AM, S wrote:
Hi Brett,
this is the sub ive been eying ever since but since its not made any more im wondering if its about the same specs or better? http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/C2.pdf

Thanks
S

I'm just quoting what they published. When an incident like this happens it falls on the manufacturer to contact the reviewer (through the entity that published the review), to explain that there must have been something wrong.

When Tom Nousaine tested the J L Audio F112, there were some measurements that didn't coincide with what other F112's were doing. There was an acknowlegement that the F112 in question had been shipped around several times and that it had been damaged in some way (to produce the test results in question).

Back to the review of the A7-S450 , it may be worth noting that the reviewer had previously tested a subwoofer with a 1,000 watt amp (without tripping the breaker even once).

Leaving the review without any further comment from Ed may not be the best way to deal with this kind of issue. That's just my opinion.

Like I said earlier, this may be some kind of isolated case. Still my experience with Ed and half-baked reviews is pretty lame.

If you know of any written explanation by Alex or anyone else at Ed please point me to it.

You sound like a major hater of eD, You seem to write about it as though you own it yet you don't. Funny how that is. Do you work for SVS or something? Because I wouldn't find that the least bit surprising if you did. Many companies have their marketing teams go on forums to debunk other brands so that theirs remain on top. You seem pretty determined about explaining all the negative points of eD. That's like saying riding motorbikes is dumb, and you never rode one. If you look for it you can find it, just like I can find people who have had problems with AV123, SVS, Epik, etc....