Overrated?

[MooseKnuckle]

I used to own an older Eden WT400/410XLT, and was extremely happy with my tone. Is Eden Just getting a bad rap being owned by Randall/Washburn now, or have they really gone downhill?

[groooooove]

eden has a bad rap?

[lomo]

I love Eden gear although I have heard service has fallen behind the competition. The thickness of the competition has also greatly increased over 10 years.

[Colledge123]

i was under the impression that eden gear was some of the best around....

[T. Alan Smith]

Originally Posted by Colledge123

i was under the impression that eden gear was some of the best around....

Back in the 90's, certainly. Outside of SWR, Trace Elliot, Hartke & GK, there wasn't much competition. Never owned any Eden gear, but played it as much as I could back then. The Traveller with a pair of 2x10's was my dream rig.

[raymondl3]

I have been using Eden gear since '95. I own a '95 WT-500 and a '94 WT-300. I have only owned one cabinet, the D115XLT. It was post Washburn. I think it sounds great. I have noticed a change in the quality of Eden products at a local retailer. The carpet is a little different, cheaper looking. It has a "stretched" look compared to the slightly fuzzier lush look of the old cabs. I have seen a few new cabs in the store that have air pockets in the carpet or gaps in the seems. I have witnessed at least 3 breakdowns in the store on new amps; one of them was a WT-800; another one was a metro combo. I think the David Series cabs and amps still sound great, but I am concerned about the quality and reliability after seeing the stuff I mentioned. If I were looking for an amp, I would not buy one later than 2001 / 2002. There are differences on the back of the amp that tell them apart.

[T. Alan Smith]

Damn shame.

[Yools]

In the late 90's my main rig was a BBE 383 preamp and a1000-watt Carvin power amp into a 410XLT cabinet. I loved that rig, and selling that cabinet is probably one of my biggest regrets.

I have not heard anything about a loss of quality or reputation in Eden gear, but I would not be suprised - that almost always follows a buyout from a large corporation.

-Y

[bobcruz]

As an Eden user and observer for nearly 10 years, what appears to be happening is that the new owners have starved the company and no serious R&D is getting done, so the company is essentially standing still with its prior designs while the competition is moving forward. While some of those prior designs are still pretty fantastic, that's an unsustainable business model in the long run. Watch for great deals on closeouts and discontinued models. I recently picked up a new WT405 for just under $500, shipped. Too bad it's been discontinued, it's one of Eden's better (and most reliable) amps.

[Bluesy Soul]

My impressions are that over the past ten years at Eden:

1) quality control has deteriorated which has resulted in some cosmetic degradation (especially speaker cabinets) and, more markedly, in diminished reliability (especially electronics); and

2) while sound performance may not have actually decreased, it has been passed by. Smaller, lighter, less expensive and better sounding amps and cabs have all been introduced and are in their third and fourth generations.

It is admittedly difficult to keep up in so many areas when you offer a full, wide range of electronic and loudspeaker products. As always, IMHO, YMMV, etc.

[raymondl3]

They are attempting to keep up with current trends like lightweight amp and cabs, but IMO they should just make continue to make the models that made them great - but with the quality of old. I don't think any of the new amps and cabs from company (fill in the blank) sound better than Eden.

[Rocky]

I tried several Eden amps including the world tour 800 in the late 90's, and I thought they were highly overrated then. IMO they are highly overrated as far as power output is concerned too.