Official Epik Subwoofer Thread - Page 634

Neither do I think he is DEMANDING anyone to visit Chad to put HIS speculation to rest. He wasn't being a troll either. ON IN II woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Even with a poor CS, I'm sure Chad will explain himself one day. Im still waiting for a 2nd Legend to go duals. Lets go CHAD!

i'll give them another month before i buy DUAL-SB12-NSD

Why wait? You're just punishing yourself...

Grr....

Does anybody know how to get replacement amps for an Epik Empire? I have one Epik Empire that functions perfectly fine and another that doesn't.

Judging by this thread (and the fact that Chad has not returned any emails or phone calls for the past 6 weeks), I am likely not going to get one from Epik. What is annoying is that it appears that Chad has time to delete my post from the Epik Facebook page but he doesn't have time to answer my email or return a phone call.

The good news is that since I have one Epik Empire that functions perfectly well, I have plenty of deep bass for my room. I would be willing to wait for him to get replacement parts as long as I knew that something was eventually coming. I'm willing to pay for the replacement parts.

The complete lack of communication is particularly frustrating

That sucks.. Have you looked into taking the amp to a local repair shop to see if they can fix it? Send the bill to Chad

Otherwise, check out the amps at Parts Express, or consider an external amp. I can make some recommendations if you go down this path, but it is a little tough not knowing the driver specs.

I can't believe people are still defending Epik and their customer service. I wouldn't care how cheap they sell their subs for, stuff like this is unacceptable.

For those of us who actually own Epik products - AVS has made it a lot easier to ignore members. If you click on the name on the left(while logged in) you will see the block option at the end of a popup box.

http://vistar.lifeing.com.tw/front/bin/ptdetail.phtml?Part=SD_50&Category=100388

This seems to be a very similar amp to our amps... The replacement I got has model SD-500 on it.

Like what was mentioned, you can get a stand alone amp at PE that is made by Dayton. As for myself, if my amp end up crapping out after the
warranty period is over. I think I will buy a plate amp with bass boost and screw on 2 pieces of leg and place it
flat inside my entertainment cabinet. Since the empire has a separate enclosure for the amp section, this will be
a good and inexpensive option.

Here's one that I favor.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-807

Does not look like the updated amp I got from Epik for my Empire, altho think it does look a bit like the one it replaced.....but not sure. Also rated 500w instead of 600w. Sounds like the bass boost might be about right, which is the devil in buying another amp that isn't tuned the same way as the Empire's.....

PS Also, without the amp in place it's not quite sealed due to the wire hole, mine could have used a bit of filler, the wires were a bit loose...not sure that would make any real difference without the plate amp in place or not?
Edited by lovinthehd - 1/20/13 at 7:04pm

So are both Epik Empire drivers wired in parallel for a 4ohm load? Should be easy to find out with a $10 multimeter.

My replacement amp says 500w on it and you are right, that link is more like the older version..but who knows.

I didn't see a rating on the amp when I installed it. Where do you see it?

As much as I love Epik and their subs (I have an empire n had a Conquest, father has Dragon) there isn't any excuse not to respond and fix any issues customers have with their subs. It sucks to have a product not working right and not getting any help from them to resolve the issue is frustrating and unacceptable, especially if its been 6wks.
Chad will resolve the issue but this should be handled ASAP. Even if he's out of replacement amps he should let you know that they're back ordered and will resolved when new amps come in.
As far as the rest of his business and how/when he starts taking orders and releases product is totally up to HIM and his business plan. We may not like it but it has been VERY successful for him as his business continues to GROW each year. At least he's not like ED and others who put profit and growth above quality and sustainability of his product. It's an odd way to do business by being closed to restock n build subs for a couple months but this has been his MO for the past 5+ yrs and has worked for him very well.
Also if you haven't been a buyer for a company you don't realize how ordering works and the time frame it takes to get product.
You usually order your product for the year and season 1 YEAR before its released.i would have to order product for 2012 summer at the beginning of the 2011 season and if we sold out of the product it was next to impossible to get those items in again unless the manufacturer has extra items in stock.
Now for custom made items like drivers, baskets and amps that turn around time is very long as they are CUSTOM made and not stock parts so that is where the delay comes from gettin those items in. They can't just be replenished by a phone call as they need to be CUSTOM made and fit into the production line after the manufacturers previous commitments are filled.
Ocasionally the manufacturer can fit in some orders but that is rare and very difficult to do.

Just wanted to explain how the ordering/fulfilling parts process works for 90% of companies and almost 100% for custom made products and I have over 25yrs in this area.

Just some food for thought and I hope chad gets this amp issue resolved ASAP.

Still wanting him to make dual 18" sub and holding my breath that this will be the year as getting rid of my Conquest was the biggest mistake I've made when it comes to my hobbies!!

GOD I MISS that THUMP!! Nothing I've ever heard hit better!!!

Since the empire has a separate enclosure for the amp section????

Both my Empires did not have separate ( or sealed) amp enclosures. Once the amp was removed, you could see the drivers! Perhaps I misunderstood the statement? If I ever have to replace amp---- I am going to disconnect the amp internally and leave it in place to seal cabinet and maintain internal cabinet volume. I also think he is using way more than 5db/ boost at 20 Hz...

Mike

My Empire has a separate amp enclosure from the main cabinet, cannot see the drivers when replacing the amp unless maybe you used a tiny camera that could fit thru the hole drilled for the wires. Maybe the first gen didn't have a separate amp enclosure (it was part of the description from when I first shopped for mine, had mine for over two years now).

Future(potential) Epik customer here...

Since I've been researching real sub woofers, I like what I've read about the Empire.

However, it seems their customer service is...sub par..So I've read. I figure though, If I spend $800 on a subwoofer, the CS should be pretty darn good! Or at least I would hope! I hope this isn't the case with Epik, I REALLY want to get an Empire IMO, when I make a purchase the CS is just as important as the product itself, if not more important.

Plus I like the way the Empire looks, plain and unassuming till you turn it on!

I bought a pair of Empires when they first came out and know that one of them have a separate amp enclosure when I had to replace amp.

I was also looking at becoming a Epik owner until i started reading a few things that were very concerning about their customer service, so i started to look at other ID companies. If you're concerned about Epik CS and have a budget of $800, I would suggest with going with maybe a PSA XV15. Take a look at the link, below 50hz these two subs are almost identically.
http://www.data-bass.com/data?page=system&id=88&mset=95

Not really; the Powersound, while a good sub, doesn't even register at 12.5 hz like the Empire does in the Data-Bass test parameters, nor does it match spl capabilities at the upper end of the FR. Close, no doubt, but with the dual driver dispersion I'd still give the vote to the Empire. PSA is also a very unproven company, no one knows it's financials any more than Epik (and Epik has the longer track record).

Are you trying to say PSA is no better then Epik as far as customer service goes? Because that is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I had the amp on my PSA XS30 damaged in transit, which wasnt even their fault and i already have a replacement amp on its way to me free of charge! try getting a replacement amp out of Epik! And considering who owns and runs PSA you're wrong about your assumption and their track record too. And you're right the Empire playing louder at 12.5hz, but prove to me that there's maybe more then 5% of all content that's produced that even has stuff below 15hz.
Edited by jbrown15 - 1/22/13 at 10:55pm

Mine had a sticker on there that reads" Model: SD-500
500W

I always thought the empire line came with the same design in terms of the cabinet. pretty interesting....... yeah I think there's more than 5db boost...but still better than no boost at all I guess

Thanks, I've actually started to research the offerings from HSU in their $1,000 range like the VTF-15H and ULS-15...

I've just read so many good things about the Empire. I just hope something will change before I go to purchase, so I'll continue to monitor this thread to see if we hear some good news!

I would just hate to get two or three years down the road and have something blow up and have my phone calls/messages be ignored by the manufacturer

I inserted comments above.

Well, that's the tradeoff you agree to if you have the opportunity to purchase an Epik product. The Empire is a pretty well-designed subwoofer that has impressed those in-the-know and is a really good value for what they sell for. They were a steal at the sale price. But, you must be aware that it may be hard to get in contact with them if service is needed. This has been ongoing for years and should not be a surprise to a well-informed consumer.

If you want to purchase a sub now; there are plenty good internet direct options available such as, HSU, Rythmik, PSA, Outlaw, SVS, and others that you are able to buy from. You can even call them to do so.

You have trouble reading English? Where in my post does it say anything about PSA CS?

I had no problem getting a hold of Chad when I had an amp issue after a year on my Empire, he shipped it out and sent a crimping tool to help, paid for the return of the old amp as he wanted to check it out.

PSA is a new company, who knows how long they'll be around? Since it's a former SVS founder he probably knows what he's doing, hopefully he's properly financed.

Now go away and be a PSA fanboi elsewhere...

Thanks, maybe I'll check that out next time I have a tool in hand near the sub...

You're hilarious, I think I'll stick around......so I can continue to read replies from a fanboy such as yourself. Should I expect some cyber bullying from you next because I don't own an Epik sub but still post in this thread?

Thanks, I do admire my sense of humor (humour for you). Cyber bullying? No, but when you can't keep something straight I'll be glad to help out. You could explain how a properly packed sub gets the amp damaged by the carrier? One thing about Epik is their packing is excellent (and I'm in the freight business, so just a little experience there). Good packing is something a seller does have control over.