hey all,
spent a few weeks with my new Epifani UL502 head, and am extremely impressed. if you want hifi, stop what you're doing and buy this amp. its a detailed and articulate beast that'll expose every bit of whatever bass you're playing. is it the "Avalon U5 w/ EQ section" like i've touted before? maybe. but hyperbole aside, like the U5, it is very hifi, and yet, definitely its own thing.
Link Removed
Link Removed
Tools
Sadowsky V-5 swamp ash / maple
Fodera Imperial-5 Fretless walnut / kingwood
Epifani UL210 & UL310
Acme B-1, B-2, B-4
Auralex Gramma Pad
Alessandro cabling
EQ & Tones
what's striking is that after spending plenty of time with this amp and the Epifani sound, i'm realizing there's this "woody" upper mid aspect i've always noticed, yet couldnt put my finger on. but given these two pieces of epi gear together, its now all the more apparent. it's this soft woody clarity in the upper mids that seems to be a trademark of the Epifani sound. and what a great sound it is! instead of a blob of low end frequencies, that woody feel adds a tight yet interesting complexity to the ol' bass sound.
breaking it down, the highs have all the hifi airy feel you'd want. the 3kHz and 6kHz switch is very handy, cause you can cut out the more harsher 3kHz, or add them in for a more cutting sound. with the 6 kHz, you can dial in a more airy presence that's gorgeous with my fretless and even my good ol' Eminence EUB.
the semi parametric mids knob does an equally great job of either adding punch or eliminating those annoying mid frequencies that bug ya. not quite as precise as my iAMP, but does the job admirably with a nice musical feel. also, while using the UL cabs, if i center the freq. knob around 800Hz, i can get a psuedo "NYC" cab like sound! pretty cool for those who miss that tone.
the mid cut knob is great for getting that slap sound, but for me, it was great for getting a nice subtle fingerstyle sound for slower songs and ballads.
but what's really cool is the lows knob. the initial turns of the knob seems to add warmth, while the more extreme settings starting around 3:00 seem to extend the low end making for a more window rattling, room shaking kinda background of lows. quite cool!
its quite different from the more familiar fattening, swelling up like sound found in most amps like Aguilar's AG500. to put up a crude analogy, its like a clear chicken broth kinda low end with the epi, while most others, aggie included is more thicker and clam chowder like. geez, i hope that made sense.
again, its all about that hifi clarity. kinda reminds me of how the Fodera Pope preamp fills in the lows, and yet the Epi head takes it further by adding in said background of room disheveling extended low end. what's really cool is jacking the lows knob on my sadowsky for that more familiar rich low end, and then using a bit of the Epifani lows for a warmer sweeter sound.
The Two Channel Debate
while like most gents, i thought two channels would be one channel too much for my needs. but the Epi changed my mind. being able to go from one drastic sound to another with one flick is very handy. i.e from an aggressive fingerstyle sound heavy in the punchie low mids that i set for channel 2, to that aforementioned sweeter subtle sound for channel 1, i can go from assaulting to soothing in one press of a button.
Cabs
needless to say, the head sounds best with the Epi cabs. really brings out all the hifi detail you could ever want. and while the head sounded terrific with my Acme cabs, the real magic is with the epi cabs. sparkle, fatness, glory, heroic battle victories, its all there. besides being made for each other, they bring out one another's potential in the biggest way.
but the Acmes arent any slouches either. actually, while i thought my iAMP would be the only head i'd ever use with the acmes, the Epi head does a great job, too. the parametric mids knob does wonderous things. and with 600 watts @ 4 ohms, drives it aplenty for my lower middle volume gigs. interestingly, while with the Epi cabs, the semi parametric sounds fat and bold, with the acme, the sound is a little more "pointed" shall we say, like the Q is much narrower when used with the Acmes.
Complaints?
firstly, i wish each channel had a separate "volume" control, not just gain control. sometimes, with certain gain and EQ settings, the volume differences are too drastic. i.e. that subtle fingerstyle sound may be too low a volume compared to the more louder in your face aggressive sound.
also, i dont understand why both channels cant have the semi-parametric middle EQ? its great to have, and would make the amp infinitely more versatile.
and of course, the DI needs to be protected. seems like a HUGE oversight not to be done, especially given realworld gigging. but i did find a nice workaround by using the "preamp out" and sending that to the DI box. works like a charm.
Conclusion
other than these minor niggles, this is a terrific amp! if you own an Epi cab, you need to do yourself a favor, and get this amp. it really brings out the goods in the Epifani sound.
spent a few weeks with my new Epifani UL502 head, and am extremely impressed. if you want hifi, stop what you're doing and buy this amp. its a detailed and articulate beast that'll expose every bit of whatever bass you're playing. is it the "Avalon U5 w/ EQ section" like i've touted before? maybe. but hyperbole aside, like the U5, it is very hifi, and yet, definitely its own thing.
Link Removed
Link Removed
Tools
Sadowsky V-5 swamp ash / maple
Fodera Imperial-5 Fretless walnut / kingwood
Epifani UL210 & UL310
Acme B-1, B-2, B-4
Auralex Gramma Pad
Alessandro cabling
EQ & Tones
what's striking is that after spending plenty of time with this amp and the Epifani sound, i'm realizing there's this "woody" upper mid aspect i've always noticed, yet couldnt put my finger on. but given these two pieces of epi gear together, its now all the more apparent. it's this soft woody clarity in the upper mids that seems to be a trademark of the Epifani sound. and what a great sound it is! instead of a blob of low end frequencies, that woody feel adds a tight yet interesting complexity to the ol' bass sound.
breaking it down, the highs have all the hifi airy feel you'd want. the 3kHz and 6kHz switch is very handy, cause you can cut out the more harsher 3kHz, or add them in for a more cutting sound. with the 6 kHz, you can dial in a more airy presence that's gorgeous with my fretless and even my good ol' Eminence EUB.
the semi parametric mids knob does an equally great job of either adding punch or eliminating those annoying mid frequencies that bug ya. not quite as precise as my iAMP, but does the job admirably with a nice musical feel. also, while using the UL cabs, if i center the freq. knob around 800Hz, i can get a psuedo "NYC" cab like sound! pretty cool for those who miss that tone.
the mid cut knob is great for getting that slap sound, but for me, it was great for getting a nice subtle fingerstyle sound for slower songs and ballads.
but what's really cool is the lows knob. the initial turns of the knob seems to add warmth, while the more extreme settings starting around 3:00 seem to extend the low end making for a more window rattling, room shaking kinda background of lows. quite cool!
its quite different from the more familiar fattening, swelling up like sound found in most amps like Aguilar's AG500. to put up a crude analogy, its like a clear chicken broth kinda low end with the epi, while most others, aggie included is more thicker and clam chowder like. geez, i hope that made sense.
again, its all about that hifi clarity. kinda reminds me of how the Fodera Pope preamp fills in the lows, and yet the Epi head takes it further by adding in said background of room disheveling extended low end. what's really cool is jacking the lows knob on my sadowsky for that more familiar rich low end, and then using a bit of the Epifani lows for a warmer sweeter sound.
The Two Channel Debate
while like most gents, i thought two channels would be one channel too much for my needs. but the Epi changed my mind. being able to go from one drastic sound to another with one flick is very handy. i.e from an aggressive fingerstyle sound heavy in the punchie low mids that i set for channel 2, to that aforementioned sweeter subtle sound for channel 1, i can go from assaulting to soothing in one press of a button.
Cabs
needless to say, the head sounds best with the Epi cabs. really brings out all the hifi detail you could ever want. and while the head sounded terrific with my Acme cabs, the real magic is with the epi cabs. sparkle, fatness, glory, heroic battle victories, its all there. besides being made for each other, they bring out one another's potential in the biggest way.
but the Acmes arent any slouches either. actually, while i thought my iAMP would be the only head i'd ever use with the acmes, the Epi head does a great job, too. the parametric mids knob does wonderous things. and with 600 watts @ 4 ohms, drives it aplenty for my lower middle volume gigs. interestingly, while with the Epi cabs, the semi parametric sounds fat and bold, with the acme, the sound is a little more "pointed" shall we say, like the Q is much narrower when used with the Acmes.
Complaints?
firstly, i wish each channel had a separate "volume" control, not just gain control. sometimes, with certain gain and EQ settings, the volume differences are too drastic. i.e. that subtle fingerstyle sound may be too low a volume compared to the more louder in your face aggressive sound.
also, i dont understand why both channels cant have the semi-parametric middle EQ? its great to have, and would make the amp infinitely more versatile.
and of course, the DI needs to be protected. seems like a HUGE oversight not to be done, especially given realworld gigging. but i did find a nice workaround by using the "preamp out" and sending that to the DI box. works like a charm.
Conclusion
other than these minor niggles, this is a terrific amp! if you own an Epi cab, you need to do yourself a favor, and get this amp. it really brings out the goods in the Epifani sound.
