Official Epik Subwoofer Thread - Page 582

You certainly have a valid point. Prospective Epik customers need to take into account all factors when purchasing. On the plus side is outstanding performance per dollar and Chad always comes through eventually vs the negatives of often very slow response to issues and likely higher than industry average amp failure rate.
I knew all of this prior to purchasing my Empire. It's also why it's the sub for my bedroom system and I have an SVS for my game room system and dual Submersive HP's on order for the main HT. I considered quad Empires which are an awesome value but in the end I opted to spend more not only for performance and aesthetics but for reliability.
When encouraging those with issues to be patient yet persistent I wasn't excusing the negatives I listed above. Just trying to keep the peace.
Once Epik gets big enough to hire customer service staff and source more reliable amps their prices will go up and performance / dollar ratio will drop somewhat (like SVS, Hsu, etc which are outstanding companies). You can't have the rock bottom prices of a one man show and give the immediate near-24/7 support of the big boys, something has to give.
Good luck to those with outstanding issues. Keep the forum updated on their resolution.

+1. Well said. I did get an email response on my amp issue and received a phone call from Chad as well. Yes, it took a while but I knew/understood/weighed the risks vs upsides when I chose Epik. I believe it's a small company with large potential that is currently facing some growing pains. Customer service is indeed key for me, and it's rare you get a chance to speak to an upper level manager in a company when having an issue, so it went a long way to hear from Chad. However, I do understand the frustration of no response, and my years in the customer support business have taught me that this is the largest source of frustration for dissatisfied customers. I hope Epik can iron out these wrinkles while there is still time a I think their products still offer an excellent value.

One of the biggest problems facing comsumers in this day and age is how many products are MADE IN CHINA!!!! No wonder so many products fail. That's the real issue.

That's because Americans buy them as fast and as cheaply as they can be made....doesn't say too much for our intelligence, does it? China quality is much improved each year, too, just as Japan and Taiwan did in their day...

Main difference is China is a communist country though and no one knows o what extent they will keep their people in poverty to keep rock bottom prices. Only time will tell. But ya, most people seem to value cheapness in the short term these days. Not value over the long term.

Really? Communism and China themselves are no argument here. How about the conditions in, and products from, US-governed and operated places like Saipan. All so a product can bear the "Made in the USA" logo. Are those any better?

I would say no, it's not better. Also, let's maybe not get all political, this is supposed to be for our tech needs/loves on the forum. I know I went there first, but I'm asking for a take back . Id rather talk the, I argue with my republican relatives enough about politics, ha.

Communism? China? Heck, they're giving us some basic capitalism lessons. Capitalism can do it's share of creating poverty, just move the jobs to another country, just like we did.

Agreed

Could not have said it better myself. Well done, but when are we going to do something about it?? I love my Dual empires and would have paid more for a better more reliable amp, and the Empire with a better amp and a bit higher price would still be a great bang for the buck. IMHO.

Well said.

The horror!

Wow, Epic needs to handle their amp issues better or they will lose potential customers like myself. I was thinking dual Empires but not if current customers are not being helped.

I am a MFW-15 owner with a couple failed amps so I know the horror and would not to go through that again.

I would not be afraid to buy the Empires. I have the Duals and I would buy from Epik again. The other sub manufacturers are more than likely also using amps made in China as well. What is not made in China now a days? (Far and few). Seems the USA has forgotten how to make stuff here (everyone wants cheap) cheap is better than good. I have heard many times "well I can buy 5 of those to the one made in the USA", I would rather just have the good quality product. I guess it comes down to what you are looking to purchase, look this is a hobby you don't have to buy this it's not life or death I would rather have the best product made and if it's a matter of a bit more money than lets do it. I am done now, sorry for the rant.

I couldn't agree with you more. I just received my Legend the other week, and despite it being a great sounding sub, the auto-switching functionality was broken right out of the box. That shows me that the sub wasn't tested AT ALL. ZERO. I emailed them Tuesday...no response as of yet. And it sounds like some others have waited MONTHS.

What's up with that?

And the response time is pretty bad. All these people saying the pros outweigh the cons are full of it when it comes to handling customers' issues.

I'm not gonna sit here and bash Epik into the ground, because my sub sounds great, and it functions, just not 100% like it should. But they need to take a serious look at quality issues, if they're shipping subs that are broken (like my auto switch) straight from the factory. That should never happen, not even once. If they spent even half as much time/effort on QA as they did on packaging these things, they'd be a much more reputable brand.

Not to mention, a little QA work seriously cuts down on time AND money spent on customer service. They literally go hand-in-hand with each other.

This is all true. Maybe switch to a better amp. Then there would be less calls for repairs and more for orders.

Excellent point on the QA going hand in hand with CS...many businesses no longer understand this, and the bigger ones just seem to say screw you, we're going with an acceptable percentage to us on QA and good luck on getting quality CS (and many times you have no shot at emailing, or even snail mailing, complaints let alone breaking through frustrating voicemail driven phone systems).

Not being in the know as to exactly how Epik operates, hard to say just what they need to do, or have been doing, or can do still, but they do appear to need to do something. To do 100% QA on those amps does appear to be in order at this point, even considering that this is a forum where you'll hear more about failure than success.

I gotta wonder how well their amps are QA'd as well as packed for shipment at origin. I can't imagine, being in the import business, that their supplier takes anywhere near the care in packing as Epik does for a complete sub, and poor packing can definitely affect electronics standing up to shipment. Who knows what the supplier's efforts for QA are.

Just curious, has anyone bothered looking at the origin markings on one of these amps that have been swapped out at home? While the odds are origin is China, can anyone confirm?

Hopefully they can step up, and if it costs more to assure a better quality amp or QA and to provide a bit more CS, I think they can afford to and still have an attractive price; I'd still be a customer with some additional costs to assure quality.

If you remember the Epik blog post, it stated that their container was selected to be inspected by US customs. That blog post is now gone, But only overseas shipments usually arrive by container if transported via ship. Otherwise, the only OTHER place they could come from is south of the US. The amps are NOT from Canada.

Not unless they are made from maple syrup or aboots.

Yes, I know, it was mentioned in this thread, too; I commented on how the Customs exams work...I'm a customs broker/freight forwarder. Could originate in Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, etc. If from Mexico more than likely it would be by truck, although some might confuse a full truck exam with a container exam.

If you'd actually spent time in a Chinese city or two over the past decade, and I'm not referencing Hong Kong BTW but rather any Chinese city, you'd realize out of touch your supposition is. Most of the world's new millionaires and billionaires are coming out of China and India these days and if you don't think that is a sign that capitalism has already firmly established itself, you are daft. Now if only the average white self entitled North American uber-consumer shared the work ethic of most Asians...

Regards,
MTB Vince

I really don't want to argue world politics and finance and the affects on a tech forum. So we'll just have to agree to disagree on what you wrote.

With the way things are going, and in order for the US to stay competitive,that may all change.

lol.

What the.......................well, I didn't read too far back here so not sure what all the hoop la is about but HEY, I've had my Epik Empire for almost a year now and I am soooo glad I got it. Was on the fence between double Legends or the a single Empire, still wondering if the +2 Legends would have worked better for me but no looking back now. I use a fraction of my Empire and if I want to P*** off the 'ol lady, I just put in Tron Legacy and watch the chips fall LOL

I have a hum issue with my Empire. It is only heard when the volume is past 1/4 (leave mine around 10 o'clock) and after the sub amp senses a signal. I have my sub in a far corner so I tried an extension cord to the front/main surge thinking this would alleviate the hum. No go. Still hums. I have my roof antenna coax fed into the surge, out and into the back of tv. Should I try connecting the main cable straight to the tv?

Epik states their amps are a no hum ground loop free design..

Do you have a long RCA cable run?

Wes, is your sub plugged in with other components or straight into the wall on it's own plug? If your amp is doing something it shouldn't, Epik will do the right thing.

I was experiencing a problem with my amp, Epik sent out a new one with a return call tag as well as a wire crimping tool. I swapped out the amp (pretty easy task even for the novice such as myself) and returned the tool with the old amp and all has been well ever since.

Yes, the cable is 20 feet long. It's a Monoprice cable too. Really inexpensive. I was using BJC cables with my previous subs. Sold those off and didn't want to spend the $40-50 again.

Yes, plugged into the same surge as all other components. I have another surge I could plug into the same outlet if you think it might help.

I bought the sub used and Epik doesn't tranfer warranty. I'm pretty sure it's not a major issue anyhow.

Yeah, I would at least try plugging the sub into it's own outlet. I have all my gear plugged into a tripplite bar but my sub is plugged directly into the wall.

See what you see.