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Epifani Quest Discontinued?

#103
Mario Lewis said:
Available from MF also?

I guess it's a one channel amp only?

950w @ 2 oHms, 750w @ 4 oHms, 550w @ 8 oHms

Nice that it goes down to 2 ohms...
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I don't know, but you would think that they will sell through MF, since they sell so much other gear through them. I'd try to find a smaller, 'bass only' store, though, if possible.

Tom.
 
#105
beings that my budget only allows for one preamp, i had a shootout between the quest and my 201s, with the quest coming out the winner. the epi (to me) has a smoother, fuller tone, is just as quick, never harsh, more versatile, and just as solidly built. the only area the i enjoyed more on the demeter was the more open high end; but with that comes a harshness which i was constanly trying to eq out with my bass. after awhile on the epi i was pleasantly surprised to get the exact sound stuck in my head which i've been chasing for a few years now; and i know a nice piece of gear doesn't make you any better, but i just felt so much happier with my tone it made my playing more confident and added to enjoyment of my pracitice.
the only complaints are of course the lack of rack ears, and that even when i have the output muted, if it is turned off prior to the power amp i get a winding down type sound and a small pop. i will just have to get used to changing my gear shutdown procedures.
i am really pleased with this peice of gear!!!:hyper:
 
#106
tombowlus said:
I don't know, but you would think that they will sell through MF, since they sell so much other gear through them. I'd try to find a smaller, 'bass only' store, though, if possible.

Tom.
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OUt of curiosity.... did anyone contact any of the "bass only stores" to see what THEY were now going to sell the Q2 for? If they still have it for $1049 or whatever the street price is, they're probably going to have them for a while....

Not that I ever saw one in stock anywhere, only the 502's... but still... I bet SOMEBODY had one in stock and just realized.... hey, wait a minute.... :eyebrow: I'm goinna have this thing for a while....:crying:
 
#107
Mario Lewis said:
OUt of curiosity.... did anyone contact any of the "bass only stores" to see what THEY were now going to sell the Q2 for? If they still have it for $1049 or whatever the street price is, they're probably going to have them for a while....

Not that I ever saw one in stock anywhere, only the 502's... but still... I bet SOMEBODY had one in stock and just realized.... hey, wait a minute.... :eyebrow: I'm goinna have this thing for a while....:crying:
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I think you are right, and if I were an Epifani dealer, I think I would not be very happy at all about the MF 'dump.'

Tom.
 
#109
tombowlus said:
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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There's nothing like having a barrister persuing a "deceptive advertising" claim. You go get'em Tom.:) I don't expect they will come though but it's fun thinking that they are going to have to come up with some excuse or change their ad.

Great reviews guy!!! I'm happy that I've got mine on the way. I'm going to pair mine with the Stewart 2.1 and a pair of T112's or my NYC T310. Good grief that should sound great, eh?
 
#110
Jerry J said:
There's nothing like having a barrister persuing a "deceptive advertising" claim. You go get'em Tom.:) I don't expect they will come though but it's fun thinking that they are going to have to come up with some excuse or change their ad.

Great reviews guy!!! I'm happy that I've got mine on the way. I'm going to pair mine with the Stewart 2.1 and a pair of T112's or my NYC T310. Good grief that should sound great, eh?
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MF took their description straight from the Epifani website. One would think from reading it from there that it comes with the foot switch and as a bass gear head, one can't imagine that the friggin thing - a preamp of all things - doesn't COME WITH rack ears either attached or included.... So, it's not all MF's fault. I LOVE the guys at Epifani and I am a convert to their products, but the packaging/ marketing/ and grouping of products seems to have defaulted to DUNCE MODE for this one...
 
#111
Dr. PhunkyPants said:
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..
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Yes, I meant to say this earlier, but great review! :)
 
#112
Mario Lewis said:
MF took their description straight from the Epifani website. One would think from reading it from there that it comes with the foot switch and as a bass gear head, one can't imagine that the friggin thing - a preamp of all things - doesn't COME WITH rack ears either attached or included.... So, it's not all MF's fault. I LOVE the guys at Epifani and I am a convert to their products, but the packaging/ marketing/ and grouping of products seems to have defaulted to DUNCE MODE for this one...
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I believe that MF bought all the Quest pre's only, no ears or pedals.
 
#113
How does this compare to an Avalon U5? I have a Focus SA power amp (Series III) and a Bergie HT112. I am currently using a programmable BDDI as a DI/preamp. It's very portable, and sounds good, but I think I miss having a better preamp. I was thinking of getting another Avalon, but maybe this is better? Same price.

Tom - any thoughts?

I play pop/rock/jazz.
 
#114
MacGroove said:
I believe that MF bought all the Quest pre's only, no ears or pedals.
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I'd be willing to bet that the "bass only" dealers for Epifani did not stock these preamps. They probably just ordered from Nick who drop shipped to the customer. The box candy was probably added before shipping and Epifani just held the goodies out.

I wonder who actually built these for Epifani. Wouldn't it be funny if St. Louis Music built these???:hiding:
 
#115
Jerry J said:
I'd be willing to bet that the "bass only" dealers for Epifani did not stock these preamps. They probably just ordered from Nick who drop shipped to the customer. The box candy was probably added before shipping and Epifani just held the goodies out.

I wonder who actually built these for Epifani. Wouldn't it be funny if St. Loius Music built these???:hiding:
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No, Nick built them, the Quest's weren't selling like the 502's were so he discontinued making the Quest. Everyone went for the whole package, the 502UL.
 
#119
Yeah, I've moved away from the seperates. I had Aguilar and Demeter pres with PLX power amps and then down-sized to heads only and have actually been thinking about getting a Focus III 2R to down-size even smaller from my current Eden WT550. WHEW! That was close! I think I'll put the $500 towards that instead. Thanks!
 

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