Got my Epik Valor today!

Erik Tracy
Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
edited November 2008 in Subwoofer Hookup & Bass Management
Got my Epik Valor subwoofer today! Yippee!!

Fedex showed up with a huge box - I took it into the garage to unbox it.

I knew it was much bigger than my Polk PSW303, but in person the thing is a beast!

The size makes it hard to pick up - and it is darn heavy at 85 lbs so I had to drag it into place with a towel - good thing I have hard wood floors :p

I've run YPAO on my yammy to recalibrate my setup and am playing with some of the other settings for phase, xover, level, etc.

So far, I've played a couple of CDs and the cable music channels for initial impressions.

Peter Gabriel's "Sledge Hammer" is a demo track - check it out! Lots of deep bass and clean mix with good layering for imaging.

Compared to my PSW303 - the Valor hits lower, breathes easier at higher volumes and allows me to hear the bass notes.

I'm going to 're-borrow' my kids PS3 and go for some bluray discs - like Iron Man to give it the LFE workout/review.

Still spending time getting the right setup - but so far - this sub ROCKS! :D

H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
Post edited by Erik Tracy on
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Comments

  • MikeC78
    MikeC78 Posts: 2,315
    edited November 2008
    WOW, Congrats on the sub! Here's the question....

    HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET ONE?? Have connections with Epik?? If so, please PM me with the details.;)

    I actually want the Valor for the basement rig, but it doesn't look like I'll be getting one anytime soon according to the email I got from them.
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  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited November 2008
    Mike, what e-mail? Were you going to drive up to pick up the sub? If so and you want someone to go along, let me know.

    Eric, congratulations on the new sub. I can't wait to hear your impressions once you have a few movies with it under your belt.
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
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  • jaysonbarnett
    jaysonbarnett Posts: 257
    edited November 2008
    I have the caliber (which is the valor with a ported box) and all i have to say is i love that thing, and it is the center piece to my system. Here are some pics of mine and as you can see it is huge.
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=85839
    For music im not as happy but for movies i would not want anything else. Enjoy your new toy.
    Audio:
    Onkyo :tx-sr805
    Polk: rti8's
    Polk: rti4's
    Polk: fxi3's
    Polk: csi'3
    Velodyne: VRP 1200
    Epik: Caliber
    Video:
    Panasonic:TH-42PX60U 42"Plasma
    Power Conditioner:
    Monster Power    : HTS 3600 MKII Home Theater
    Dvd:
    Sony: BDP-350
    Game Systems
    WII
    PS3
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited November 2008
    Epik's out of stock on everything but the Conquest until further notice. Burnt through their inventory and their supplier's can't deliver until after the first of the year. If you got in, like Erik, before the OOS flag, then you'll get a sub. Rather than accept orders they can't fill without huge delays, they are being upfront.

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited November 2008
    Ron Temple wrote: »
    Epik's out of stock on everything but the Conquest until further notice.
    there you go Mike, you are just setting your sights to low. Explain to the little lady you HAD TO get a conquest - it was all they had. :p
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited November 2008
    Just finished watching Iron Man.....holy crap!!

    In my listening spot the difference between the Valor and the diminuitive PSW303 was amazing!

    I went a bit wild and went up to -6db for the action scenes.

    When Tony Stark got ambushed in the HumV - I let out an involuntary..WHoa!!

    And when he first emerges from the cave with the first prototype iron man suit --- #$#%#!!

    The Valor sure can hit hard and low - shook the walls, hit me in the gut, made the couch jump!

    It was almost as fun experiencing the LFE effects first hand as it was watching my family react to the low end *punch* :p

    And when listening to music - the bass mix sounds like a bass -with real musical notes! Imagine that! :)

    Still need to find just the right spot and level to blend it with my speakers.

    I'm somewhat constrained - given the size of this beast - where I can locate the sub. Right now it is along the front wall - just under my left front speaker mounted to the wall (pictures later) and pointing directly to my listening spot.

    But - given that - BIG difference in low end musicality and PUNCH.

    I set the volume to 12 o'clock and ran the avr YPAO and it set the sub level to about -4db!

    Ha!

    So, I'm running the sub WAY under what it could do. But for music, I am looking for balance and seamless integration - so for now - I'm impressed with the musical performance and for HT the grin factor is way up there!

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited November 2008
    MikeC78 wrote: »
    WOW, Congrats on the sub! Here's the question....

    HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET ONE?? Have connections with Epik?? If so, please PM me with the details.;)

    I actually want the Valor for the basement rig, but it doesn't look like I'll be getting one anytime soon according to the email I got from them.

    Mike,
    I guess I was lucky with when I timed my order.

    I placed an order back in mid-October before Epik announced being sold out.

    So it was 5 weeks from time of order to delivery.

    Sorry - not intending to rub it in - but life is kinda sweet right now! :p

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited November 2008
    Erik, sounds like a winner. You just got 2 gold stars added to your man card :D.

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited November 2008
    Ron Temple wrote: »
    Erik, sounds like a winner. You just got 2 gold stars added to your man card :D.

    Thank you, sir! ;)

    Sonic goodness is the mark - getting closer! :D

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited November 2008
    Had the Epik Knight in my grasp and canceled my order and went with Polks Micropro 4000. It took 4 weeks exactly from ordered to it was ready. I changed from the Knight to the 4000 because of size reasons.
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited November 2008
    Congrats on that bad boy. It sure sounds like youre having a good time there with it. Very nice buy. Epik must be doing pretty darn good to be sold out of everything, minus the Conquest which is another beast.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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  • MikeC78
    MikeC78 Posts: 2,315
    edited November 2008
    McLoki wrote: »
    there you go Mike, you are just setting your sights to low. Explain to the little lady you HAD TO get a conquest - it was all they had. :p

    I don't think the kids rig needs a Conquest.:eek:

    I'm looking for something reasonably sized, and that has good output for the buck. I don't know... I forgot that I'll be paying sales tax(IL) along with a couple tanks of gas If I go pick up the Valor... I think SVS and HSU actually have free shipping at the moment, and of course no sales tax for me. Decisions, decisions....
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  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited November 2008
    You back in town?
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited November 2008
    Sherardp wrote: »
    Epik must be doing pretty darn good to be sold out of everything, minus the Conquest which is another beast.

    It's gotta be frustrating, both for the buyer and seller, to be out of stock of virtually everything, especially during the holiday season. This problem plagued the owner's previous company -- Ascendant Audio. Epik has gotta be losing sales right now which affects cash flow, which, in turn, affects their ability to get restocked. It's a vicious cycle.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • MikeC78
    MikeC78 Posts: 2,315
    edited November 2008
    McLoki wrote: »
    You back in town?

    Nah, be back xmas eve for 30 days.
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  • rru2s
    rru2s Posts: 90
    edited November 2008
    congrats. I got my Valor about 2 weeks ago. I'm only using it for 2.1 with my Outlaw RR2150 in my living room (25' x 15', open to dining room, and 3 couches, 4 stuffed chairs, wall-to-wall, and 18 feet of heavy drapes, so I have no reflection problems.

    But the Valor comes alive with music. You can hear each bass note and it sounds just as musical as the midrange notes. String bass jazz is even better than live, for example, try David Bromberg, Downright Upright. And upbeat stuff gets you up off your chair and dancin'.
    Living Room system: 52"HDTV, 4 Mon.70s, Epik Valor, Outlaw RR2150
    Bedroom System: 2 Mon.60s,Velo VRP1200, HK3490
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  • Kex
    Kex Posts: 5,191
    edited November 2008
    leroyjr1 wrote: »
    Had the Epik Knight in my grasp and canceled my order and went with Polks Micropro 4000. It took 4 weeks exactly from ordered to it was ready. I changed from the Knight to the 4000 because of size reasons.
    Well, I didn't have the luxury of cancelling my order, but I did go with the Rythmik F12G instead because of size issues also (even when compared to the Valor). It's great to have so many good choices in sealed subwoofers at reasonable prices though (even if I had to buy used to get mine, otherwise it would have been a lot closer to $1,000).

    Enjoy it Mr. Tracy!
    Alea jacta est!
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited November 2008
    Kex wrote: »
    Well, I didn't have the luxury of cancelling my order, but I did go with the Rythmik F12G instead because of size issues also (even when compared to the Valor). It's great to have so many good choices in sealed subwoofers at reasonable prices though (even if I had to buy used to get mine, otherwise it would have been a lot closer to $1,000).

    Enjoy it Mr. Tracy!
    I think both you guys got great subs for the money.

    Kex, get your review up, set the filter to 14hz, experiment with the damping, high for less output, but better music, low for extention and phase to 0 (if it's in the front of the room), away you go. If it's got a PEQ, you'll need to run tones to get a FR from 16 - 160hz, then cut the biggest peak.

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited November 2008
    I took some pics of the Valor.

    Here's a pic of my rig with the tiny Polk PSW303 - it served me well:
    http://erikt.cts.com/Pictures/hometheater/home-theater-psw303.JPG

    Here's a pic with the Valor - which is like a small refridgerator in comparison:
    http://erikt.cts.com/Pictures/hometheater/home-theater-valor.JPG

    A close up of the Valor with grill:
    http://erikt.cts.com/Pictures/hometheater/valor-grill.JPG

    And for those that like HT ****....nekkid!!!! :D
    http://erikt.cts.com/Pictures/hometheater/valor-nekid.JPG

    So far - still in bass heaven!

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited November 2008
    It's only going to get better...that little Valor looks cute ;).

    You've got another octave of extention with probably better definition and certainly punch and pressurization. What's not to love?

    Looks better grill off.

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • obieone
    obieone Posts: 5,077
    edited November 2008
    I just read an email from Epik, and NO, they have NO idea when anything but the Conquest will be available!:(:mad::eek::confused:
    I refuse to argue with idiots, because people can't tell the DIFFERENCE!
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  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited November 2008
    Any special sales on the conquest to try and get them out the door? (since most people would be calling with a much smaller sub in mind....)

    Never really thought I would see the day when the SVS subwoofers were considered the petite size......

    Michael
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
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