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Double Bass Epifani UL-110? Comments?

#21
Belated Easter greetings to all!

As a well qualified member of the "Geezer" sect of the DB players, I'm always looking for a lighter rig. This past weekend I played a marathon Saturday night Vigil service and then a regular morning service at church using my regular Acme B-1 and Focus II. I also added an Aggie GS 112 to move some more air as there were more bodies present to absorb all those wonderful low freqs.

After schlepping the gear my back tells me to "lighten up" if possible.

The UL 110 appears to be some 10 pounds or so lighter than the Acme B-1. Has anyone had both to offer a comparison, Adrian, perhaps?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Warm Regards, Alex, aka phlybass
 
#22
phlybass said:
The UL 110 appears to be some 10 pounds or so lighter than the Acme B-1. Has anyone had both to offer a comparison, Adrian, perhaps?
Click to expand...

The one thing I don't like about the UL110 is the large footprint even though I guess I could stand it up on its end if I wanted to. And even though it is lighter than the B-1, it is larger and therefore more cumbersome to carry. All that aside, I found that while the B-1 is more accurate especially in the mids and highs, it is more sterile sounding than the UL110 which has a pleasing but not exaggerated warmth to it. I wouldn't even describe it as warmth. It is more "natural" yet the B-1 is more "accurate." How can that be? Well it's sort as if with the B-1 it sounds like a hi-fi recording but with the UL110 it sounds as if the sound is right there. The B-1 low end can be exaggerated especially if the input has exaggerated low end.

I'm not sure if that helps. It's a toss-up IMO.
 
#23
Thanks for the reply Adrian!

I think I know what you mean with regard to the difference. I sort of characterize the difference in Hi-Fi speakers that way... Mission vs Klipsch, Sterile vs Real presence. To my ears the Klipsch's have a sort of pleasant distortion that adds reality to some program material.

Thanks again for the info,

Alex, aka phlybass
 
#24
I tried both the Epifani 1x10 UL and 1x12 UL and ended up buying the 1x12 UL. I was originally attracted to epifani for the weight, so I was actually leaning towards the 10. However, I think the 12 is only 5 lbs more (maybe 7?) and for that you get a TON of extra power. I for get what mine actually handels (800w?) but it's enough for almost any gig I play (with the exception of big electric bass gigs).

In addition, the first head I used with it was the AI Focus. I guess those heads appeal to some people, but to me it just didn't cut it. It was certainly powerful enough (and very light) but it was voiced so flat that to me it just didn't have enough presence. It almost sounded too natural (if that's possible)...and it totally did not work with electric bass.

I eventually settled on an Eden Traveler. This is heavier (20lbs.) but still very easy to get around and I don't mind it at all. It sounds great wth both basses and seems to have as much clarity as a Walter Woods. You don't see a ton of DB's using them...but I think they're worth looking into...
 
#28
Right on man,
I couldn't have asked for a better answer then that. I am contemplating either the UL110 or a second 1x8 to couple with the LDS. Since there is such a huge difference in the sound whether it is on the floor or up I kind of figured having both might be the way to go...for now until I hear the mythical new EA 2x8...
 
#29
I posted this already but thought to put it on the Epifani section of the "Newbie" links top get maximum response. I think I already have the answer but wanted give the "gear heads" a shot too.

I'm a little confused about the speaker cabinet efficiency issue. For instance, I'm an upright player in small combos, mostly jazz or church liturgy gigs using a 30 yr. old, carved German bass and Underwood p/u. I think I want either a Low B-1 or Epifani UL-110 for my Clarus III but I've read that Low Bs are not that efficient. I assume this means I will need more power or have to turn up the volume knob on my amp to get the same sound output as another cab that is more efficient. Right so far?

I recently acquired the Clarus III and for now am running it through one of my Carvin PA cabs (Model 822, 12", 8 ohm). I like the amp a lot. It sounds clean and undistorted at all volume levels so far. The volume control on the amp has never been turned higher than the 10 o'clock position. The range begins at the 7 o'clock position and goes around to the 5 o'clock position. Until I've experimented with different cabs I don't know if this Carvin PA cab is efficient or not. I'm wondering where or when this efficiency issue is going to affect the sound, if at all.

I rarely ever have to double and if I do, it's always been a low-volume kind of gig. No loud bands or wild drummers. An occasional big band but most of the time the volume requirements are not high. I'm coming from 15+ years of using a 15" Polytone Mini-Brute III with a Fishman pre-amp. Any comments or shared experiences are much appreciated. Thanks much.
 
#31
Yea the brightness issue...there are some situations where it is just too much. I roll off a whole lotta of the high end, but mics mixed into it sound very clean and nice. I really want to try the UL110.
 
#33
Just another plug for the UL110. This is such a great cab. I've been using it now in a vertical configuration standing it on one of the small ends with the handle toward me. It's so much better in every way with the tweeter closer to me and the controls of the Focus (which sits on top) closer to me. Smaller footprint on stage too. I find the sound of the UL110 quite magical - just a little woody warmth but not really voiced in any particular way. And for the weight you just can't beat it.
 
#36
Just throwing in my $0.02

I just ordered two UL110's that will be running off a GK700RB. I was very impressed with one UL110 and the GK that I tried in the shop. I'll be using 1 for quartet gigs and 2 for big band gigs. These will probably be replacing the 2 Aguilar GS112's I have but I'm keeping both for a while to A/B them in different playing situations. I liked the sound of the UL110s better than my Aguilar but the main reason for the switch, for me, is portability. Trying to streamline my rig down a bit..

I'll post up a review once they come in and have played a couple gigs with them.
 
#37
I have an aggie 112 and the epi UL110, and for double bass the epi is just so much better--the aguilar has a little mid scoop that tends to take a lot of the acoustic character away from the double bass. I really like the Aggie 112, but it has a much more distinct "voice" that the epi
 
#38
The Epifani UL-110 is no longer in production. I'm trying to find a second one. I've written them at Epifani but didn't even receive a reply to the inquiry. I've scoured a few lists but with no luck yet. I thought maybe the gear forum on TB might turn one up. Any ideas would be appreciated. I won't expect this box to take on the mystique associated with other products like a VL-208 but I want one to pair with the one I have.
 
#39
Roger Mouton said:
The Epifani UL-110 is no longer in production. I'm trying to find a second one. I've written them at Epifani but didn't even receive a reply to the inquiry. I've scoured a few lists but with no luck yet. I thought maybe the gear forum on TB might turn one up. Any ideas would be appreciated. I won't expect this box to take on the mystique associated with other products like a VL-208 but I want one to pair with the one I have.
Click to expand...

I used to own two of these, and two UL-112's, and they are great cabs. If you can't find a matching UL-110 (or perhaps even if you do find one), I would strongly suggest that you consider the UL-112. While conventional wisdom would suggest that you always pair up matching cabs for the best results, every now and then, the "mix and match" approach really scores, and the UL-110/UL-112 combo is one of those situations, IME/IMHO. In fact, I found that the UL-110/UL-112 combo was noticeably better in terms of tone and volume than a double stack of either cab. I am aware that this shouldn't be the case, but when we tried all three combinations at a GTG, everyone in attendance agreed that the mixed stack was superior.

YMMV, of course.
 
#40
Tom,

Can't thank you enough for the feedback. Over the course of my membership on TB I've looked over your site pretty thoroughly. I vaguely recall you had a 110(s) for sale. I'm not sure I had mine at the time but your comments and those of others, most notably David Gage at NAMM a few years back, were probably what brought me to buy the 110 cab in the first place.

It's a very impressive array of cabs on your website. I suspect that some of the gear heads reading your post will discuss this 110/112 type of match, probably with other speaker cab examples. I apologize to the forum if I get something started. Have the speaker manufacturers ever discussed this kind of arrangement? Maybe even drurb will weigh in. I'm certain we can't sneak this post by him.

I really like the idea of the 110/112. I can use the 110 by itself, the 112 by itself, or the combination of the two. VERY cool!
 

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