Audio Control Epic 160 Bass restoration signal processor Review

This is a bit of old technology with a twist.

The Audio Control Epicenter has been around for a long time. It’s basically a digital processor to “restore” low frequency information lost in some recordings. The theory being, many recordings (particularly older stuff) mix down the ultra low frequencies in recordings since older equipment was typically not capable of reproducing it properly.

Initial impressions, good attention to detail and workmanship. I’ve always had good experiences with Audio Control products, and they’re some of the few pieces of electronics left that are made in the USA. Cosmetically it’s nice, and the user interface is pretty simple.
Downsides are the mounting brackets could have been a bit better. I was expecting a simple is-mount under my head unit, but the brackets were probably designed to screw in under the dash, flipped vertically the brackets are a bit taller than din size and wouldn’t fit in the empty hole under my head unit. Also width was a bit narrow for din size so even after I customized some brackets, it was a bit narrow side to side and additional fabrication will be needed to trim out the sides.

Another thing that was overlooked was any sort of numbers on the controls (frequency and bandwidth). These should have been market with their values in my opinion.

Beyond that, my overall impression is pretty positive. Playing with some older recordings (Beatles Abby Road, AC/DC Highway to Hell, and Black Sabbath) did certainly give them a bit more filling in, and the effect was pleasant.

Testing with a few hip-hop tracks was another matter. The song Diesel by Wu Tang clan was an absolute disaster. The normal sub 30hz bass line was (enhanced) with a harmonic up in the 60?s, which totally ruined the song. Some of my favorite tracks from the U-God Golden Arms Redemption CD were equally horrid.

The Voltage meter seemed accurate, and the readout on the SPL meter does seem sensitive enough to at least give an accurate indication of relative levels for EQ setting, and I have read reports online that it’s within 1db of the term lab meters.

So overall, a fun toy. The SPL and voltage readouts should provide a useful tool for testing and setting equalizers and such. If you listen to music that’s already bass heavy, don’t expect to use the “restoration” function, but if you like older music, you may find it livens up some of your older recordings that seem a little shallow at the bottom end. Also, make sure you have some robust subwoofers. The bulk of the “restoration” seems to happen from 45hz down and woofers can move a LOT so take care not to damage your equipment!

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Audio Control Epic 160 Bass restoration signal processor Review

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