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Official Epik Subwoofer Thread - Page 584

post #17491 of 19475
11/15/11 at 8:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bhodge10 View Post

My review of the Epik Empire

To start with, here is my setup:
Large family room (26x19x15' cathedral ceilings)
Onkyo TX-SR876
Aperion 6T front towers
Aperion 6C Center
Aperion 5Bs for rear - bookshelves
Aperion 8 sub (no longer used)

To start off, I had ordered the Empire back in August, so I was bummed that it took a while to get the sub. When it finally did arrive, I had the choice of either going to pick it up from the shipping company that day or I could wait till they deliver the next day. Since I have a truck and I work about 5 minutes away from where the shipping company is, I naturally decided to pick it up the same day.
...

Thanks for the review - I am glad things are working out for you as well.

My Empire arrived yesterday and given this thread traffic lately RE amp issues, I was a bit concerned / second-guessing with my much anticipated purchase.

I'm happy to say that with about 6 hours on it, so far so good with everything, including Auto power. My Empire replaced a DefTech SuperCube III, so it is indeed quite a contrast in size (and output), though proportionally it looks right at home next to DefTech BP2000 towers. We put on Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense and heard (and felt) bass lines that we hadn't heard before. Big grins here so far...
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post #17492 of 19475
11/16/11 at 1:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by StevenLansing View Post

Didn't the vanquish use the same amp as the Empire?

Not sure, but I don't think so
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post #17493 of 19475
11/16/11 at 2:19am
Own an Empire and just moved to a house (from an apt. with a fairly open floor plan, including dining room and kitchen and hall leading upstairs) with a very spacious and open living (w/ a high ceiling)/dining room, kitchen, entry way and 2 halls (leading to 3 bedrooms). Everything is carpeted except for the dining/kitchen area, which contains marble slabs for flooring. I hear ported subs are more appropriate for such spaces and that sealed subs rely on room gain to enhance their punch. I like the Epik...and haven't heard it (singularly) yet in its new environment, though I suspect it will need supplementation. An additional Empire working in tandem would hopefully be enough, which is preferred over attempting to undergo the hassle of selling my current one. I won't be able to afford it for a long time, if ever, mind you. ;0 Any opinions from owners who use Empires in open floor plans?
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post #17494 of 19475
11/16/11 at 3:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

Own an Empire and just moved to a house (from an apt. with a fairly open floor plan, including dining room and kitchen and hall leading upstairs) with a very spacious and open living (w/ a high ceiling)/dining room, kitchen, entry way and 2 halls (leading to 3 bedrooms). Everything is carpeted except for the dining/kitchen area, which contains marble slabs for flooring. I hear ported subs are more appropriate for such spaces and that sealed subs rely on room gain to enhance their punch. I like the Epik...and haven't heard it (singularly) yet in its new environment, though I suspect it will need supplementation. An additional Empire working in tandem would hopefully be enough, which is preferred over attempting to undergo the hassle of selling my current one. I won't be able to afford it for a long time, if ever, mind you. ;0 Any opinions from owners who use Empires in open floor plans?

I don't know your CF but I have a open floor plan and Dual Empires double stacked and corner loaded did it for me.
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post #17495 of 19475
11/16/11 at 2:48pm
Good to hear. The whole house is around ~1500 cubic feet. I need to measure the living room size. Is that not your theater room at the blu-ray.com link?
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post #17496 of 19475
11/16/11 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

Good to hear. The whole house is around ~1500 cubic feet. I need to measure the living room size. Is that not your theater room at the blu-ray.com link?

That's a very small house.
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post #17497 of 19475
11/16/11 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

Good to hear. The whole house is around ~1500 cubic feet. I need to measure the living room size. Is that not your theater room at the blu-ray.com link?

I think you calculated that wrong. 1500 cf is NOT very big at all. Maybe the size of a smaller bedroom.
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post #17498 of 19475
11/16/11 at 3:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

Good to hear. The whole house is around ~1500 cubic feet. I need to measure the living room size. Is that not your theater room at the blu-ray.com link?

Sure that you aren't confusing cubic feet with square feet?
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post #17499 of 19475
11/16/11 at 3:24pm
Yes, you all caught me off-guard...SQUARE feet indeed.
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post #17500 of 19475
11/16/11 at 5:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

Good to hear. The whole house is around ~1500 cubic feet. I need to measure the living room size. Is that not your theater room at the blu-ray.com link?

Thats my new HT. Here is a pic before I had the HT built.

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post #17501 of 19475
11/16/11 at 9:19pm
Very nice...impressive upgrade as well. ;-)
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post #17502 of 19475
11/17/11 at 3:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 View Post

Very nice...impressive upgrade as well. ;-)

Thanks
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post #17503 of 19475
11/17/11 at 7:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by z3scott View Post

As an owner of a pair of the Empires (one currently with a broken amp awaiting response from Epik), I purchased them aware of some of the issues, particularly with earlier gen subs. People said Epik has always done right. They do build an excellent sub for an excellent price.

That said it is inexcusable no matter the size of the company to ignore emails and calls for support. I communicated with Epik prior to the sale regarding their implementation of the balanced input and Chad readily responded.

The suggestion one needs to call repeatedly in order to get results I find ridiculous and people considering the product should be aware of the potential downside of owning a product from a company that handles customer support in such a manner. It is disheartening to hear of others seeking service having a long wait for it.

I will continue update the thread on Epik's resolution of the problem.

Cheers

As promised I wanted to provide an update.

I sent another email Monday 11/14 (am) to Epik with reference of my 11/3 initial request for support and an attachment of my original order. I mentioned having left a voice-mail (11/10), requesting help with amp that included it buzzing in the message as well.

Chad did call and leave me a phone message in the early afternoon Monday apologizing for confusing my service issue with another and confirming he would make it right and for me to call. I attempted to reach him that afternoon but got the voice-mail. I thanked him for finally responding and suggested he could review my previous call to hear what the amp was doing. If he needed additional info for troubleshooting the problem to please call or he could send a replacement amp as he mentioned in his message to me with the necessary tool and instructions and I would take care of it and return the tool and defective amp.

I haven't heard back via phone or email but did receive a Fedex tracking email form Epik which I assume is the replacement amp.

I'm hopeful that Epik/Chad can grow out of this phase of inability to communicate effectively with customers. I actually believe short term they do so at the peril of their survival in the long run. Rather than having the thread cluttered by posts such as mine seeking help or others posting a reluctance to invest in Epik products due to problems or the definite deficiency in communication. Problems happen... how they are resolved and how timely that resolution is of critical importance for infant companies to succeed. I am happy with the product performance for sure.

I don't buy the theory that at a small company something needs to suffer in terms of service, product quality or communication that some here postulate in this situation. I spend more of my time in the 2 channel realm and it is populated with many small operations that provide incredible service, product and communicate effectively. Mark O'Brien (one of the founders of Rogue Audio) usually answers the phone and always responds quickly to emails, Kevin at KAB does so and does all the work (or at least most of it), Steve at Herbie's Audio Lab is incredible in his response. Their companies success's are founded on the total package. Hsu and SVS started small too.

Steps down off soap box

Cheers to a safe arrival of the new amp
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post #17504 of 19475
11/17/11 at 10:39am
All,

I'm just embarking on my subwoofer hunt and have narrowed my choices down to either the Empire (or 2) or the Rythmik F15 (or 2). I find myself waffling back and forth depending on the latest thing I read. For about the same price, Servo vs. Non-servo, 1x 15" vs 2x 15", 370W vs 600W, SPL, musicality, bass accuracy for music, etc. Then this Epik amp crisis seems to be unfolding. I am looking for both high quality bass in music (I listen to DVD-Audio a lot) as well as a real punch in movies (just built a HT with drop down 106" screen). Thoughts? I haven't seen too many people who have heard both and can compare directly. I will post something similar to the Rythmik forum to get their take. I know this is a tired subject, and believe me, I've been reading these forums like crazy! My room is about 12x18x9, with open access to the kitchen at the rear. So perhaps 4000 ft^3 conservatively. I am integrating with a pair of ADS 1530s (2x10") which can go quite deep in their own right.
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post #17505 of 19475
11/17/11 at 10:57am
antagron, definitely would recommend 2 subs for your 4000 or more cu.ft. listening area. Any chance you could downsize the CF by putting in a door to the kitchen to seal it off? I'm guessing your kitchen area is around 1500- 1800 cu. ft.? Those ADS probably can dig down,but won't it really matter if you cross them over at 80hz. Let the subwoofers handle the lower stuff
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post #17506 of 19475
11/17/11 at 11:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by z3scott View Post


As promised I wanted to provide an update.

I sent another email Monday 11/14 (am) to Epik with reference of my 11/3 initial request for support and an attachment of my original order. I mentioned having left a voice-mail (11/10), requesting help with amp that included it buzzing in the message as well.

Chad did call and leave me a phone message in the early afternoon Monday apologizing for confusing my service issue with another and confirming he would make it right and for me to call. I attempted to reach him that afternoon but got the voice-mail. I thanked him for finally responding and suggested he could review my previous call to hear what the amp was doing. If he needed additional info for troubleshooting the problem to please call or he could send a replacement amp as he mentioned in his message to me with the necessary tool and instructions and I would take care of it and return the tool and defective amp.

I haven't heard back via phone or email but did receive a Fedex tracking email form Epik which I assume is the replacement amp.

I'm hopeful that Epik/Chad can grow out of this phase of inability to communicate effectively with customers. I actually believe short term they do so at the peril of their survival in the long run. Rather than having the thread cluttered by posts such as mine seeking help or others posting a reluctance to invest in Epik products due to problems or the definite deficiency in communication. Problems happen... how they are resolved and how timely that resolution is of critical importance for infant companies to succeed. I am happy with the product performance for sure.

I don't buy the theory that at a small company something needs to suffer in terms of service, product quality or communication that some here postulate in this situation. I spend more of my time in the 2 channel realm and it is populated with many small operations that provide incredible service, product and communicate effectively. Mark O'Brien (one of the founders of Rogue Audio) usually answers the phone and always responds quickly to emails, Kevin at KAB does so and does all the work (or at least most of it), Steve at Herbie's Audio Lab is incredible in his response. Their companies success's are founded on the total package. Hsu and SVS started small too.

Steps down off soap box

Cheers to a safe arrival of the new amp

Z3 Scott,
While I agree with the vast majority of your post including "service, product quality and communication" do not have to suffer at a small company there is one variable I mentioned that was not addressed. Price. Once Chad hires another couple of people to communicate with customers more timely and respond to their needs it will have to show up in the price of the products. The reason he's slow to respond and he can't keep stocked is pricing. There are no subs out there that does what the Empire does at $799.
Now I agree with you and many others who say they'd be willing to pay (~$50-100) more per sub for more prompt service or a more reliable amp but I don't know if we're in the minority or majority.
Either way your points are well taken.
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post #17507 of 19475
11/17/11 at 11:08am
Somehow above post was duplicated so it was deleted.
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post #17508 of 19475
11/17/11 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HTFanboi1200 View Post

antagron, definitely would recommend 2 subs for your 4000 or more cu.ft. listening area. Any chance you could downsize the CF by putting in a door to the kitchen to seal it off? I'm guessing your kitchen area is around 1500- 1800 cu. ft.? Those ADS probably can dig down,but won't it really matter if you cross them over at 80hz. Let the subwoofers handle the lower stuff

No, I'm afraid I can't seal off the kitchen, though there is a short dividing wall which helps contain the sound somewhat. Any thoughts on Epik vs. Rythmik? I'm getting replies in the Rythmik forum, I bet you can guess which they recommend.
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post #17509 of 19475
11/17/11 at 12:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by capecodorthopod View Post

Z3 Scott,
While I agree with the vast majority of your post including "service, product quality and communication" do not have to suffer at a small company there is one variable I mentioned that was not addressed. Price. Once Chad hires another couple of people to communicate with customers more timely and respond to their needs it will have to show up in the price of the products. The reason he's slow to respond and he can't keep stocked is pricing. There are no subs out there that does what the Empire does at $799.
Now I agree with you and many others who say they'd be willing to pay (~$50-100) more per sub for more prompt service or a more reliable amp but I don't know if we're in the minority or majority.
Either way your points are well taken.

Thank you however I don't feel any need to address "price". That is the manufacturer's job. Btw it wasn't me that wrote of any willingness to pay $50-$100 more. I'm not saying I wouldn't though. We as owners and potential owners need to weigh the feedback given for a product and make our own decision on whether to entrust our dollars to that company. The company is responsible for it's reputation as a result of allocating their costs appropriately, as they see fit. The mfg will reap the rewards of those decisions, not?

You yourself in effect said in an earlier post you decided to go with an alternative product due to concerns on issues with Epik, (my understanding of your comment anyway). That is the broader concern in my mind at least. That should be a message Epik takes to heart.

I reviewed their website once again and can not find any disclaimers that service and customer contact response are relegated to second class status because we're getting such a great deal. After references to we and us under the Company header on the Epik site it states clearly:

"Our customer service and manufacturing team compliment our designs and products, by diligently working to build high quality product for our customers. We are dedicated to making sure our products get to them safely, as well as providing them with technical support after it arrives. Together, we work as a team to bring our customers the best products for the best prices with the best support possible."

http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/company.html

Perhaps we just have to agree on some things and respectfully disagree on the "price" issue.

Regards

PS I'd like to possibly buy a couple of Legends if I could sneak them past my SO and get them hidden. Alas that will have to wait until the room grows in size. I told her I was buying two "smaller" subs (21 months ago) to Replace my old Energy 18" that I gave to my son.
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post #17510 of 19475
11/17/11 at 12:58pm
There's a great subwoofer shootout thread here that has a number of great subs in it, including the Empire and a Rythmik, but I believe it's the ported one,FV15. Since you can't put a door in, maybe a acoustic blanket can be put up when using the system?
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post #17511 of 19475
11/17/11 at 3:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by z3scott View Post

Thank you however I don't feel any need to address "price". That is the manufacturer's job. Btw it wasn't me that wrote of any willingness to pay $50-$100 more. I'm not saying I wouldn't though. We as owners and potential owners need to weigh the feedback given for a product and make our own decision on whether to entrust our dollars to that company. The company is responsible for it's reputation as a result of allocating their costs appropriately, as they see fit. The mfg will reap the rewards of those decisions, not?

You yourself in effect said in an earlier post you decided to go with an alternative product due to concerns on issues with Epik, (my understanding of your comment anyway). That is the broader concern in my mind at least. That should be a message Epik takes to heart.

I reviewed their website once again and can not find any disclaimers that service and customer contact response are relegated to second class status because we're getting such a great deal. After references to we and us under the Company header on the Epik site it states clearly:

"Our customer service and manufacturing team compliment our designs and products, by diligently working to build high quality product for our customers. We are dedicated to making sure our products get to them safely, as well as providing them with technical support after it arrives. Together, we work as a team to bring our customers the best products for the best prices with the best support possible."

http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/company.html

Perhaps we just have to agree on some things and respectfully disagree on the "price" issue.

Regards

PS I'd like to possibly buy a couple of Legends if I could sneak them past my SO and get them hidden. Alas that will have to wait until the room grows in size. I told her I was buying two "smaller" subs (21 months ago) to Replace my old Energy 18" that I gave to my son.

Great post.

I too want a pair of Legends. Even though I live in Canada, I still hold back because I have seen issues with amps and they will void the warranty if it crosses the border EVEN if I'm willing to help with shipping... why is it the things you want, make sure it's damn near impossible to get?
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post #17512 of 19475
11/17/11 at 4:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by z3scott View Post

"Our customer service and manufacturing team compliment our designs and products....

Chad - if you're reading....use "complement."

Unless you guys sit around talking about how great you are
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post #17513 of 19475
11/17/11 at 6:04pm
Well, my replacement amp arrived today. As mentioned a couple of posts up, I received a tracking number about 2 days ago, and was pleasantly surprised to find it waiting for me today when I got home.

I tell ya what, working with the tiny space the amp goes in is a pain in the ass. That's not knocking the product, it's just how it is with stuff like this. However, the instructions say to use the crimping tool to cut the 2 wires to the speakers. This was literally impossible to do, because there was nowhere near enough slack on the speaker wire to be able to pull the amp out and reach in with the tool. I could move the amp out maybe 3 inches tops.

I instead opted for some modeling cutter tools to snip the wires, then once I was able to work with the space, for the most part it was easy. Maybe my sub just had short wires? I dunno.

Anyways, the new amp works great, AUTO ON/OFF works properly, and it still sounds great. I'm satisfied....as long as the amp doesn't go crazy.
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post #17514 of 19475
11/18/11 at 3:08am
All the people swapping out amps, could you please take a look at the section on the inside where the auto on/off switch is located and compare old with new.
Looking to see if any components look different (I believe there's 4? on a little board). Wondering if they are using the same ones or if they have changed?
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post #17515 of 19475
11/18/11 at 7:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackbuzz View Post

All the people swapping out amps, could you please take a look at the section on the inside where the auto on/off switch is located and compare old with new.
Looking to see if any components look different (I believe there's 4? on a little board). Wondering if they are using the same ones or if they have changed?

When I swapped my Legend amp out a few months ago there was no difference between new and old.
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post #17516 of 19475
11/18/11 at 10:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BayouBengal View Post

When I swapped my Legend amp out a few months ago there was no difference between new and old.

I was hoping something on the auto on/off control board was different, because if they are still using the same parts from same manufacturer for replacement amps I believe there will be more problems.

Something is causing the switch to "freeze" either off or on, my 2 legends have had 3 such freezes (2 followed power outages) coincident?

I have been able to "reset" them by toggling control and or turning off and on at the same time with main power switch, you will hear a click when it happens.

For now, as long as I can "reset" I will wait until I am closer to the 3 year warranty timeline, maybe by then they will be using different amps or at least different components on the switch control board.

For the record, I'm not overly concerned, someone with electronic background could probably tell me how to bypass switch and just use main on/off to power it up. I would still purchase them again.
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post #17517 of 19475
11/18/11 at 10:54am
I should have added, anyone purchasing Empire or Legend my advice is, before plugging in and turning on place auto on/off switch to auto and never touch again unless it "freezes". Only use the main on/off switch from then on.
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post #17518 of 19475
11/19/11 at 7:52am
I have an Epik Tower i would like to get rid of. Anyone local Kent, WA. PM me.
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post #17519 of 19475
11/19/11 at 8:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackbuzz View Post

I should have added, anyone purchasing Empire or Legend my advice is, before plugging in and turning on place auto on/off switch to auto and never touch again unless it "freezes". Only use the main on/off switch from then on.

I second this advice. Never touch the auto switch once it is working correctly. I have found that it only caused more problems.
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post #17520 of 19475
11/21/11 at 10:54am
I don't like the idea of leaving my two Empires in "auto." It just seems a waste of power. I manually power them up and down each time, just like my mono block amplifiers for my other speakers. I can see using the auto function if the placement of your sub makes it impractical to power up and down but it just seems like a waste of electricity.

It would be nice if Epik made some acknowledgement of the amp issue, at least on this forum, despite being so freaking awesome in support of their product when we need it. (They really are wonderful about it)

Perhaps some point in the future they will offer a recall or an "amplifier upgrade" to all recent Epik customers for a nominal fee. I mean, are all these amps failing for the exact same reason? I love my subs so much I can't believe how much they add to the whole movie watching experience and part of me wants to believe that those reporting amp problems are outnumbered by about 100 to 1 by those who have no issues whatsoever.
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