Epicenter

[Hayabusa 10+ year member]

Actually, it does add bass even if there was none there. That's the point of the epicenter. You can make ANYTHING quad out. You pass it a full range signal, and it takes the midrange and extrapolates bass from that full range signal...adds it into the signal and spits it out the other side. I've got one that i pulled out of my car because it just doesn't fit in with my current setup (not looking for excessively loud) but it was impressive to hear in action...i had it on a punch CVR 10 in a custom ported box...2 of those 10's on the epicenter rattled shit off of windowsills in my house when tested. You set the frequency to center the 'bass restoration' and the width of the 'restored frequencys' on the device itself (wide and sweep...the curve looks kinda like a PEQ curve..it restores around that point but effects fringe frequencies too) then you have a nob up front that controls how much the epicenter adds into that area. You can set it ultra low with a small width and it'll just inject viciously low POUNDING *** bass into any song you want. It's ****ing hysterical to hear some 60's music with bass that makes your head hurt. In any case, turning the nob up very much will generally result in horrific distortion it's a toy imo, not practical for keeping any kind of sq unless finely tuned and used very sparingly

Negative... If there is no bass to restore the epic center can't restore it because that would be impossiable to restore something if it was never there in the first place. Quit spreading lies like it can turn water into wine...

 

[Lakota 5,000+ posts]

Won't add bass if there was non there to begin with...

That's kind of funny; me and Woody89 got a ton of bass off of classical music. I don't agree.

 

[rdzm50 10+ year member]

That's kind of funny; me and Woody89 got a ton of bass off of classical music. I don't agree.

lol

 

[Lakota 5,000+ posts]

Negative... If there is no bass to restore the epic center can't restore it because that would be impossiable to restore something if it was never there in the first place. Quit spreading lies like it can turn water into wine...

From what I've read, the epicenter predicts where the low frequencies should be, based on the mids. This makes sense, because the bass tends to not be very accurate. It seems as if there is a delay of the lower frequencies with the music.

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

That's kind of funny; me and Woody89 got a ton of bass off of classical music. I don't agree.

Some classical music has a pretty pronounced low end, telarc 1812 overture>late night tip

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Some classical music has a pretty pronounced low end,

I was just getting ready to say that....LOL

Anyways, yes, the Epicenter will "add" bass to a track. That's what it was designed to do. It takes frequencies and creates a lower fundamental frequency from them. It'll take an 80hz tone and create a 40hz tone, etc.

 

[MJ-tC 10+ year member]

Who makes them and what do they cost.

 

[woody89 10+ year member]

Who makes them and what do they cost.

Audiocontrol makes some nice ones. Not sure on price, wait for another reply. Many will know.

 

[thch 10+ year member]

Just what the hell is an epicenter anyways lol?

the epicenter is based upon a digital signal processing patent from the 80s. the patent is up IIRC, so there may be more interest in commercial subharmonic synthesizers again.

the epicenter is best described as an adaptive subharmonic synthesizer. long words, but accurate.

what it does is look for, say a 200hz and 300hz and 400hz tone. if it finds these tones, but cannot find a 100hz tone, it will add a 100hz tone into the mix -- this tone is a factor of 200, 300, ect... but is lower. thus is is a sub (lower) harmonic (integer multiple) which has been created (synthesized) and added to the music.

textbook subharmonic synthesisers do a poor job with vocals though. and can often lead to booming bass that follows no rythm and sounds out of place. the epicenter's patent details how this issue is resolved. that is where the "adaption" comes in -- the effect adapts its parameters to the music.

now from a technical standpoint, this process shouldn't be required. bass shouldn't be lost, and if it is lost, it should follow a linear model in which case an EQ could fix things. this probably wasn't as true back when the patents were filed in the 80s though. and i guess some creative signal processing might affect things for the worst.

 

[forbidden 10+ year member]

Bass is rolled off at the recording process. What the epicenter does is digitally restore missing information. While ideally yes, it prefers a full range signal, it has and will do wonders even if given a low pass signal. Correctly pointed out above as to how it works is simple. It looks for octaves to extrapolate the signal. It already has the signal to work from remember, it is there, it just may be missing amplitude at the lower frequencies or it may indeed have been rolled of at 6, 12, 18 db octave at the recording process. Now this is not a brick wall filter that shuts off low bass, it means that the frequencies are there, they are just not pronounced.

What it does it takes the lower frequencies and for lack of better words, digitally remaps the lower frequency spectrum. If you are looking for a 40hz note, it starts about 4 - 5 octaves up and digitally extrapolates what the wavefrom should look like. So it goes looking at the range of frequencies at 40hz, 80hz, 160hz, 320hz, 680hz and finally 1360hz should it go up 5 octaves. This is when having the full range signal to work with is beneficial to work with as there is much more to derive a more accurate waveform from as compared to 120 hz and down. Once it has reconstructed the wave form digitally, it reinserts it into the signal and onwards to the amp it goes.

Now the epicenter has a control for it. It is best used in moderation, as volume levels go up and you move closer to the mechanical limits of the sub, using a epicenter may take you past the mechanical (and thermal) limits of the sub. Hence the old name for it, sub destroyer. If you are abusing the old control knob of the epicenter, you are going to go through subs. Use it in moderation and enjoy what it can do for your system.

Remember the chicks ***** on Airplane? That is what an epicenter used properly can do to a system, it can take you from having bass to getting shaken like a bowl of jello in a earthquake.

 

[headless 10+ year member]

Negative... If there is no bass to restore the epic center can't restore it because that would be impossiable to restore something if it was never there in the first place. Quit spreading lies like it can turn water into wine...

I think you should read about the product before you bash someone who actually owns and understands it.

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

I have an Epicenter, and after reading the many useful and truthful posts on caraudio.com, ive learned to always top its tanks off with SPL fluid before burping by subs.

 

[Kickerkitty 10+ year member]

lol

I have an Epicenter, and after reading the many useful and truthful posts on caraudio.com, ive learned to always top its tanks off with SPL fluid before burping by subs.

 

[Hayabusa 10+ year member]

I think you should read about the product before you bash someone who actually owns and understands it.

I know many people who own one and have seen many in action and to me they are nothing more than a bass restoration box... Hell it even says that on the box and the epic itself.

 

[Kickerkitty 10+ year member]

Well I know many people with a Dodge, see many people use them, but have never owned one myself.

I however own one and I can tell you this. The audio sounds way better WITH it inline, than NOT. If I bypass it directly from my 880PRS at the same 5 volts, the music sounds noticeably WORSE. This being the case with a well known SQ deck. And I am not even talking about turning the knob here, just the basic signal.

So, I am entirely unclear as to what you are trying to prove here?