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Epifani Quest Discontinued?

#81
Mine is here too. But I can't help but to notice these two very obvious holes on the sides... for the rack ears.

So, did it cost $1499 BEFORE and STILL didn't include rack ears? I could understand if they were included at the $1499 but not included at the $499 price...

I'm off the rack ear and foot pedal thing. :crying:

It sounds freakin' amazing. :hyper: :D
 
#84
I went ahead and ordered mine on a leap of faith. I've been impressed with Nick's speaker cabs so I figured that I'd like the pre. I'm thinking that the Stewart 2.1 might pair well with it.

Those in the know...tonally where would you place this pre? I know that they all have their own sonic signature and all. Say comparing to: Aguilar, Eden, Demeter, Read, Kern...etc.? A more like XXX and less like XXX would help.
 
#85
Jerry J said:
(...)
Those in the know...tonally where would you place this pre? I know that they all have their own sonic signature and all. Say comparing to: Aguilar, Eden, Demeter, Read, Kern...etc.? A more like XXX and less like XXX would help.
Click to expand...

going from burly, tubey, crazy colored on one side of the spectrum to hifi, clean, fast, accurate, uncolored on the other:

read purity, kern ip777, aguilar 659, demeter vtbp-201s, eden nav, aguilar 680, demeter hbp-1, epifani quest ii, avalon u5.

but if you have an epifani cab of any ilk, it behooves your butt to get the quest or the 502 head.
 
#88
todd 4ta said:
Are the functions on the footswitch also available on the front of the preamp? Is the footswitch so you don't have to reach over to the preamp, or will you be missing some switching capability without the footswitch?
Click to expand...

yea, you're not missing anything w/ the footswitch.

sometimes, i wish nick would just gimme a cheaper version w/ just a channel switch. but alas...
 
#89
jokerjkny said:
going from burly, tubey, crazy colored on one side of the spectrum to hifi, clean, fast, accurate, uncolored on the other:

read purity, kern ip777, aguilar 659, demeter vtbp-201s, eden nav, aguilar 680, demeter hbp-1, epifani quest ii, avalon u5.

but if you have an epifani cab of any ilk, it behooves your butt to get the quest or the 502 head.
Click to expand...

I concur on the "if you have an epifani " part... I have two T-112's and 2 T-110's... pair a 12 with a 10 on one side of my CA-9 and pair the other 12 & 10 on the other channel for 900 W of headroom on both sides at 4 ohms.... whoa momma!!! I am very impressed.

And I agree that it is articulate and fast, I thought I'd miss the tube... But I don't... I don't have a footswitch and I probably won't get one... so it's no big deal....


Joker, where would you pu the F1X... over near the Kern? How about the BBE B Max?
 
#90
Mario Lewis said:
Mine is here too. But I can't help but to notice these two very obvious holes on the sides... for the rack ears.

So, did it cost $1499 BEFORE and STILL didn't include rack ears? I could understand if they were included at the $1499 but not included at the $499 price...

I'm off the rack ear and foot pedal thing. :crying:

It sounds freakin' amazing. :hyper: :D
Click to expand...

The Quest pre listed for $1499 but sold for $1049.
 
#93
bass_extremes said:
Hey guys, now that your talking about the preamp I was thinking of getting a epifani ul502c(2X10 combo). but I was also thinking about getting a yorkville xs400t (2X10 combo). In your opinion do you think that the epifani is worth 1500 dollars more? but of course I will try these before I pick one but would you suggest one over the other?
Click to expand...

Definately, you get an outstanding pre and a great output of 600 watts that pumps a thump.
 
#95
Mario Lewis said:
I concur on the "if you have an epifani " part... I have two T-112's and 2 T-110's... pair a 12 with a 10 on one side of my CA-9 and pair the other 12 & 10 on the other channel for 900 W of headroom on both sides at 4 ohms.... whoa momma!!! I am very impressed.

And I agree that it is articulate and fast, I thought I'd miss the tube... But I don't... I don't have a footswitch and I probably won't get one... so it's no big deal....


Joker, where would you pu the F1X... over near the Kern? How about the BBE B Max?
Click to expand...

wow,

that must be a KILLER rig.

and i thought i forgot something. but yea, i'd stick the alembic right btwn the kern and the aguilar. gets that glossy slick sound of the kern, but not quite as gooey fat.

little OT:

also, the Dem VTBP is a little tougher to place. i liked it best in the hifi, clear, airy yet thick voicing i used it, which landed it on my spectrum (presence cranked, nice goose of bass, 60Hz switch), but it also IME seems to share a bit of that burly Read tube fatness. not quite as thick, but pretty similar to my ears.
 
#97
VintageBT6Lover said:
Who will be using the Quest with the Stewart 2.1? Just curious about how well they match up. What are your favorite amps to pair with the Quest? I know the CA9 and the PLX's are TB faves. What else?
Click to expand...

I have all three of those (Stewart 2.1, CA9, PLX 3002), so I can give them a run down with the Quest, but it might not be right away (my PLX is running monitor duty in my PA rig; but the CA9 and the Stew are right on hand at home).

Tom.
 
#98
jokerjkny said:
wow,

that must be a KILLER rig.

and i thought i forgot something. but yea, i'd stick the alembic right btwn the kern and the aguilar. gets that glossy slick sound of the kern, but not quite as gooey fat.

little OT:

also, the Dem VTBP is a little tougher to place. i liked it best in the hifi, clear, airy yet thick voicing i used it, which landed it on my spectrum (presence cranked, nice goose of bass, 60Hz switch), but it also IME seems to share a bit of that burly Read tube fatness. not quite as thick, but pretty similar to my ears.
Click to expand...

I would agree on the Alembic. After years if insisting that I have a tube in my pre section, I'm a new fan of solid state pre's and this is a good one.... the Epi Q2 is VERY solid state... no tubey gooey-ness, and that's fine with me. It's VERY quick, VERY articulate, and not overdone in any areas... not too heavy in the bass department, and not too harsh and brittle in the treble areas.

That bright blue light is kinda cool too.... The power switch is a throwback... but we're talking cosmetics... performance wise, for $499 - brand spanking new right out of the box... you can't beat this. And I'd agree with Joker again on the placement of this pre right next to the U5. It has the U5's quickness and accuracy BUT WITH TONE CONTROLS.... 2 SEPARATE CHANNELS!!! :hyper: :hyper:
 
#99
I spent some time with mine this morning--A/B'ing it with

power amps:
SoundTech PS802
Crest CA-6

other preamps:
SWR Interstellar Overdrive
Trace Elliot GP12SMX

cabinets:
EA VA-210b
Aguilar GS410

First impressions: I am glad to have the Quest to add to the arsenal. One of the truths I've found (for me) is that while lots of tubiness sounds great at rehearsal volume, on the gig I like to hear more note definition. Hence, I expect the pre to serve me well in that regard.

Construction: First rate throughout. Solid, quality materials. I would have prefered to have continuously-detented knobs, but that's just a personal preference. The jacks are very tight with a Monster Cable, so they are probably 'actual' size--Monster has a rep for oversizing their jacks slightly.

Gripe: One gripe only. The master volume pot has a slight 'wash' to it. Not crackle, but it isn't the cleanest pot I've ever heard. Not sure how long these preamps sat in storage, so some oxidation is understandable. If it gets worse (it probably won't, since I'm using it now) I'll open it up and blast the pot with cleaner.

Noise: I am kind of a paranoiac about s/n ratio. The Quest seems on the quieter side of average in this regard. It's at least as quiet as the rest of the good gear I've tried.

Sound: As mentioned above, it's clean but a warm kind of clean. Nicely voiced, but without the kind of 'harnk' you get from some of the more rock-oriented preamps. That will please some, but may not please others. When A/B'ing against both the SWR and the Trace (both known rockers) I was amazed that the Quest sounded like the proverbial 'blanket being lifted'--particularly on the top end. That kind of 'nice treble' versus 'harsh treble' is what I've come to expect from Epifani gear. This came through especially nicely with the EA VL-210b with it's two 5" midrange drivers.

Conclusions: Like a few other Tb'ers I've tried just about every preamp out there. I like what this unit offers, in terms of clear, crisp tone with very useable EQ. If the rest of your signal chain includes good gear that you LIKE the sound of, it will allow more of that sound to pass through. If you have less stellar gear and rely on a preamp (e.g. Ampeg SVP-Pro or Sansamp RBI) to inject a lot of your tone color, this will not be your ideal choice.

PS--WRT rack ears, I ordered mine Monday and got them Thursday. They are REALLY nice--not just bent steel, but stainless steel with a lovely matte black 2-space handle. These are quality components and I have no problem spending $30 on them--Nick's probably not making much profit on these.
 
#100
What the heck, I just went ahead and ordered the rack ears and footpedal. I have had two phone conversations with MF, and so far, I have received no help whatsoever on their deceptive advertising regarding the foot controller. I'll keep at them, though, I and I will be sure to report back with the results.

Tom.
 

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