NEW Epifani UL-110/112 stack, break-in

definitely,

when i got my UL310 cab brand spankin' new from the shop, i thought at first it had blown speakers or something.

but i ran my ipod thru it via my mini PA setup, and within a few days of doing that, and constant gigging, the cab opened up gorgeously! low end filled in, and the tweeter smoothed out even more. its now my fav cab.

 

I know the joker is a big fan of break-in. I've owned about a million new cabs... always took them right to the gig. Never noticed any change in sound from the first night to the next. Sure doesn't hurt breaking it in, but I would think less than 1% of players do. The idea of a tweeter sounding different due to break-in is a new one to me

Regarding your 110.... any single 10" cab is not going to cover a gig, break-in or not. However, the 112 will, and a number of people have mentioned the 110/112 Epi combination is cool. IMO, the 112 is so light that I would eventually consider swapping the 110 for another 112. Two 112's will sound louder and punchier than the 112/110 combo. My guess is, after you've used the single 12 for a few gigs, you will find less and less use for the 110, and should eventually consider trading for another 112.

Anyway, the EpiUL stuff just sounds great. Congrats and enjoy.

 

*shrug*

just calling it like i hear it.

FYI, this has happened to me w/ both my UL210 pair, and my minty fresh UL310, both of which i received this year. dunno, maybe its this particular vintage.

but again, when these cabs were brand new, i found myself reaching for the "low" knob to compensate for what i felt like was a lack of booty. also, the high end was a touch shrill, which i'm attributing to the tweeters.

like i said, when the breaking in was done, WOAH NELLY! like night and day.

 

Well... anyway, after he pushed that little 110 for an evening, it's probably way broken in I was interpreting the thread originators comment as thinking that if he 'broke in' the 110 it would sound significantly different. I don't think that would be the case. A single 110 for electric bass in even a soft setting is a dubious situation. It seems to me there would be very little reason to not use the 112 as the stand alone cab, and add the 110 for larger gigs (and eventually, again, swamp the 110 for another 112 to create a light, compact and versatile rig that would handle everything but the largest gig).

 

I use this rig and love it, love it. Ken's right (as always). The UL1x12 is a great, big sounding standalone cab and adding the 1x10 takes it up a notch for louder gigs. Two 1x12's would definitely handle everything but larger venues.



I can't see using the 1x10 alone...it will cut very low volume upright gigs but even then I find myself missing the punch of the Berg 1x12. The 1x12 is so light that hucking the 1x10 by itself doesn't make much sense...unless you're walking 15 blocks in subartic NYC climates.

W

 

I own two T-110UL's and two T-112's (non-UL's). I realize that the T-112UL's have more upper midrange presence than the T-112, but from the little bit that I played one up at Low Down Sound, I still think that the T-110UL offers a more upper midrange and high end clarity. This is why I like pairing it up with the T-112. IME, the T-112/T-110UL is one of the best sounding combos of Epifani cabs. I have also heard the T-112UL/T-110UL combo (up at LDS), and I thought it was similar overall to my combo, but with slightly less low end punch. I didn't really notice the enhanced upper midrange of the T-112UL, and this may have been "masked" somewhat by the T-110UL. My two T-112's together sound killer with the right amp (the Walter Woods Ultra being the best), but with others (iAMP 800, Thunderfunk TFB400, etc.), they don't have the upper midrange presence that I prefer. It may very well be that two T-112UL's sound very different in this regard, though, and I would definitely defer to Jae and Ken on this point.

Regardless, I think you have a killer new rig! Enjoy, and let us know how it works out in the long run!

Tom.

 

I've started using my 110UL/112UL combo more and more, and I really think the 112UL needs that 110UL for the most dynamic sound possible. I used the 110UL solo with an MK500 for a house party one time (I wasn't intending on playing all night with one cab, it just worked out that way) and it was awesome. I let someone else play my bass and I went outside and that little box was still rockin the house.

As far as a break-in period, I haven't noticed a change, but then again I'm pretty clueless about these things. So I guess I have nothing to contribute...sorry...

 

point taken and agreed to,

the 110 can only do so much, and most 1x10's (acme B-1 excluded) sound like nothing more than thick guitar strings when pushed to louder extremes. the low end isnt there. and yea, the 1x12 is a better cab for that situation.

 

I've owned a variety of Epi cabs and never had a problem of a break in time, they sounded great right out of the box.
You'll be real please with the 110 and 112 together. For the smaller venues you will probably use the 112 like KJung mentioned. I've used the 112 for many gigs and sometimes added the Epi 115 to really round out the bottom. Now it's just my 410UL and me.

 

Not to disagree with KJung, but I'm with joker on this one.
There have been a few Epi UL boxes that I thought were
not right from the factory, only to realize that the more I
played them, the better they sounded. The 110UL is a
wonderful little box capable of much more than one would
expect. The 110UL/112UL combo sounds different than the
310UL, or 210UL. Thats why I need them all. But again,
my experience is that Epi speakers sound MUCH better after
they are broken in.

 

Interesting.... I need to pay closer attention next time I buy one of those cabs! In my situation, since I immediately got them out on gigs in multiple rooms, the difference in room acoustics probably overwhelmed the 'break-in' effect over the first few days. I honestly have never heard any difference in sound at the beginning of a cabs life. However, I've never just played on in the house over a number of days, where I could really isolate the change in sound due to break-in versus differences in room acoustics, etc. I guess the main point is... all of us on this thread love the sound of those cabs!

 

I thought there was something wrong with my Schroeder 1210 when I first played it -- sounded kind of farty in the low end, like one of the woofers was blown. Not a problem anymore, and I love the cab.

Not sure what could possibly account for this, but that's what I heard.

 

Brad, when you gonna get us some sound clips man????

 

in my case,

i knew the speakers were brand spankin' new. heck, i watched nick break 'em out of the box, and pop 'em right into my cab.

but, if you order cabs from various dealers, no doubt they've most likely been sitting on the floor and played and played and played, contributing to their breaking in. so when the cab reaches your house, they've already reached a lovely tender golden brown.

 

My experience has been that speakers always need a breaking in period.

 

Not to offend anyone (Joker), but could it possibly be, that over the short period of time you spent breaking in the cab, that instead you just became more familiar with the cab's specific tonal nuances that were at the beginning somewhat different and awkward to your ears, compared to what you were used to/expecting?

I would like to hear one of these cabs (new) A/B'd with a "worn in" one... anyone care to try?

 

In my experience, it was unmistakable -- the speaker sounded broken for the first few hours.

 

sure,

anything's possible. heck, i do this with ALL my guitar speakers, too, and the differences are just as dramatic.

but again, i guess it could be all relative.

and speaking of golden brown, when in the heck will that turkey be done!!!