Jump to content

Duel Epik Empires


joshjp

Recommended Posts

Just do it, it will be great!.

  1. Multiple subwoofers will always perform better than one. Although you can
    get more bass output with multiple subwoofers, the real reason you should use
    multiple subwoofers is to smooth out the bass response across the room for all
    positions.

2. Placement of two or four subwoofers is even more important than placement of one
subwoofer.

Later this year I am looking forward to running duel Legends and move my 15in sub to the basement theater which will then have two subs.

True.

I have a quad of Epik Empire. Several reasons for four.

For me, the first objective was simply low(er) distortion. In most systems it's fairly easy to see the sub driver diaphram moving back & forth. All things being equal, the further the driver cone has to move, the worse the transient response becomes, as well as how the decay is controlled. Don't forget that each cycle the driver cone has come to a complete stop and reverse direction. The longer the distance it has to travel, the more and more difficult this becomes. And of course when large cone excursions are required, pitch and clairity due to Doppler distortion will be affected.

One also has to remember that a Klipschorn (which is what I'm using), being designed for 1/8 space, is essentially equivalent to a speaker 8 times its size or 8 "conventional" drivers (direct radiators). Using a quad of dual 15" subs gives the equivalent (for the most part) of a single Khorn. An additional 8 15" subs (another four Epik Empire) essentially only gives me an additional 3dB of output. The required floor space, cost, etc. isn't really worth it in my situation. In a bigger room, maybe.

The other issue is that with multiple subwoofers distributed across the room there are fewer room mode issues. Where one sub's output may be getting some cancellation due to room interactions, the other subs will still be providing some output with minimal loss of response. Its easier to achieve a smoother and more extended response with multiple subs in different locations as opposed to one very high output and/or larger sub.

I looked a lot of alternatives and as hard as might be to believe, four Epik Empire were the low cost solution and easiest to implement and integrate. For me, the company is local so I could easily pick them up, or return them if I wanted to. And since I had the money and could afford it with a no risk 30 day trial I went ahead with it to see what impact it would have on my setup. For the best performance, they did in fact require some DSP EQing, but even with that it was still the low cost solution.

Since aqcuiring them I've also implemented three Behringer DEQ2496 for the subs, center speaker and the Khorns. Getting everything time aligned has made things more coherent and having multiple EQ "house curves" to select from has proven beneficial for certain recordings and types of music.

Needless to say, everything has been raised a notch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 50
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

How would duals compare to a Danley DTS-10 ?

To me, the Danley tapped horn subs have a completely different kind of sound. And I must say, that for me, I don't like it. To me they sound very compressed and lacking in dynamic sensitivity. And from what I've seen, the distortion curve is all over the place, extremely high at some frequencies and very low at others. Perhaps this is what's provding some of the coloration and inconsistancy of sound that I hear. If all you're after is buildings blowing up, explosions and such as in HT they may be your cup of tea. All I can say is that in my experience, after 20+ years recording chorale and orchestral music live in concert and playing the bass semi pro on an off for 40+ years, I don't like the Danley subs. It's your ears and you're the one who has to listen to it so the choice is yours. I only bring this up so you have another point of view for things to listen for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Artto,

Thank you for the quality of the response. I have a pair of Jubilees and feel they need a little help in the bottom end. So far I was able to borrow a Klipsch RSW-15 and it sounds good. Since they are no longer made I thought I would look for something else. ( I have to return this one soon ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An early pic. They are currently a little further away from the Belle and each pair a little further apart. They are time aligned with the Khorn drivers (including the throat length). The Belle EQ is -15dB @80Hz and below and the Khorn's EQ is -15dB @30Hz and below. Originally I was feeding each pair from the L&R XLR outputs of the preamp but I'm now using the preamp subwoofer output with a "Y" splitter to the Behringer L&R inputs. I did this primarily so the DEQ2496 RTA display would more accurately show what was actually coming out of the subs.There was too much mid/treble being displayed before even with all the EQ cut and low pass shelf filter.

post-10840-13819740065262_thumb.jpg

post-10840-13819770716658_thumb.jpg

post-10840-13819797906044_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jp congrats on the 2nd sub bro. I bet that sounds amazing man. Big Smile

Yea there great now, im glad i bought the first one from you, now im much happier, i just need the SMS-1 now. How do you like it with Duals?.

I really like it. Great tool easy to use and makes setting up your subs so easy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

An early pic. They are currently a little further away from the Belle and each pair a little further apart. They are time aligned with the Khorn drivers (including the throat length). The Belle EQ is -15dB @80Hz and below and the Khorn's EQ is -15dB @30Hz and below. Originally I was feeding each pair from the L&R XLR outputs of the preamp but I'm now using the preamp subwoofer output with a "Y" splitter to the Behringer L&R inputs. I did this primarily so the DEQ2496 RTA display would more accurately show what was actually coming out of the subs.There was too much mid/treble being displayed before even with all the EQ cut and low pass shelf filter.

Artto.... Those subs look like HSU ULS 15's not empires. Am I mistaken?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...