Audiocontrol Epicenter

[RobGMN Premium Member]

I remember seeing these in endless adverts and in more than a few IASCA cars back in the day.
Often considered, never bought.

Since they predated consumer-grade DSP by a fair bit, how were these analog wonder-devices "analyzing" the music, then adding "missing" bass back in, in real-time?
Given the processing power it takes a for noise-canceling headphones to do the obverse, it seems to me that it would have all been techno-hype for a circuit that simply EQs the bass appreciably.

Anyone in the know?

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[ThxOne Premium Member]

The Audio Control Epicenter specifically has a limited bandwidth from the mid 20hz - mid 60hz. I know that it detected bass harmonics in that range and recreated the "underlying fundamentals" feeding them back into the signal path. As to what kind of circuitry accomplished this, no clue.

 

[administrator]

I think this deserves a lengthy back and forth debate!

 

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

The tech for the Epicenter was to restore sub bass to vinyl records. Sub bass on vinyl can cause the needle to jump the track, so vinyl recordings often rolled off sub bass frequencies. The Epicenter took upper bass harmonics to recreate the lower sub bass harmonics. From an SQ standpoint they serve little purpose in car audio since we're not driving around with a record player in the car. Additionally, even if we did have record player in the car, cabin gain tends to restore the miss sub bass for us.

OTOH, when subs were new to the car audio world, Epicenters were kinda cool to exaggerate the low end. Back in the 80s early 90s I don't think we knew (or it wasn't common knowledge) that exaggerating upper sub bass frequencies (~30-60hz) got you a lot more bang for the buck.

 

[spokey9 5,000+ posts]

OTOH, when subs were new to the car audio world, Epicenters were kinda cool to exaggerate the low end. Back in the 80s early 90s I don't think we knew (or it wasn't common knowledge) that exaggerating upper sub bass frequencies (~30-60hz) got you a lot more bang for the buck.

Lower is still more impressive...it's way easier to get loud than getting really low

 

[1aespinoza Premium Member]

Given the processing power it takes a for noise-canceling headphones to do the obverse, it seems to me that it would have all been techno-hype for a circuit that simply EQs the bass appreciably.

Maybe the consumer grade DSP's processing IS the hype. We may have been fooled all this time and Clark Gable has been truthfully warning us.

 

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

Lower is still more impressive...it's way easier to get loud than getting really low

True dat! I wonder how many subs have met an early death due an Epicenter.

 

[RobGMN Premium Member]

It can't be too bad a product. On the market continuously since at least 1989, I think.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

I believe the restoration circuit was patented in 1985 and ran out in 2005. I am curious when Soundstream and the like came out with their versions. I can see the Soundstream BX10 being talked about all the way back to 2009.

 

[Jimi77 Premium Member]

I believe the restoration circuit was patented in 1985 and ran out in 2005. I am curious when Soundstream and the like came out with their versions. I can see the Soundstream BX10 being talked about all the way back to 2009.

There was a company that had reversed version of the Epicenter. It took low end frequencies and then boosted the upper harmonics, which gave the auditory illusion of more sub bass.

 

[fa5chups]

Lower is still more impressive...it's way easier to get loud than getting really low

i agree, i got freinds who are louder than me but none got a box tuned tuned to 22hz haha

 

[spokey9 5,000+ posts]

15-18hz is where the magic is

 

[fa5chups]

15-18hz is where the magic is

18 shakes my lil *** civic
Got any songs you listen to that play rlly low?

 

[spokey9 5,000+ posts]

18 shakes my lil *** civic
Got any songs you listen to that play rlly low?

Anymore I just play bass I love you

It goes down to like 8hz

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

If you can stand the type of music it is... and I can, I encourage you to listen to the track (AA XXX) from album "The Teaches of Peaches" by Peaches. It has some good low end sub-bass tones.