Ryan from Ohio
10-15-04, 01:24 PM
Elemental Designs: eD (http://www.edesignaudio.com)
This is a summary of my previous Product Review from dates: 9/8/03-7/7/04
The subject eD 12K.44
Enclosure: To eD Specs- Ported
Power: Within eD Specs
Price: $155 shipped to my door
Overall Value: GARBAGE
Summary:
First let me say I had real high hopes on this subwoofer. ED seems to have a cult like group following their every move. From all the reviews I have read and all the people I had contact with it was portrayed to be one of the best Manufactures out there.
When I first got the first sub I was rather excited. It looked very nice, seemed to be of a good build quality. I went ahead and got a properly made to spec box that ED designs built. I powered this subwoofer within its reccomended RMS range.
After using the sub for about 4 months my amplifier mysteriously malfunctioned. I later found out that the subwoofer was blown. I beleive the subwoofer died in a dead short stage which fried my amplifier. Dead shorts in subwoofers are rare, but do happen. But this is where the story gets interesting!
3-15-04 ED Recieved the blown sub for warranty work.
3/24/04 I was told I would recieve a brand new sub in one week
4/19/04 Still no sub..... Week turned into a month....
4/23/04 Talked to Eric on the phone. Parts still out of stock, timeframe unknown. I was offered other deals but none taking into consideration the fault of their company. I can trade up for $20 for an O single 4 Ohm, $245 (off memory) for a big 8", $175 for an 12" A, or $200 for a pre-production 12 A.V2, 2 12" KX.4's even, or 1 12" KX.4 and a gallon of liquid deadner. All deals dont seem like a "deal" to me considering the facts.
5/3/04 Parts are in and your sub and it will ship by Wednesday 5/5/04
5/10/04 No sub arrived. If it shiped UPS on Wednesday it would be here today. I called eD.
"The subs shipment from the warehouse was shipped to us but the shipment has be MISPLACED".
MISPLACED? This is nuts people! This borderlines BS. Either they are full of CRAP or they have about the worse luck as possible as a company.
The worse part about it is they could give a rats ass about me not having a sub. They have my money, they have my sub (Now a paperweight). All i get are BAD DEALS for equipment that either:
A) Require more power than I can afford
B) Subs that are single 4 Ohm and hard to power properly on a budget
C) Cheaper subs and more of them to take up my trunk space.
I would HIGHLY ADVISE ANYONE who is thinking of buying a sub from eD to think twice!
5/19/04 New Sub finally arrives
7/7/04 Another ED sub bites the dust...
I took a look around last night. Figured a wire wiggled loose somewhere. The amps is on, the subs just didnt work.
So then I take my multi meter across the speaker wire (unhooked off the amp). It read infinite, which means its blown open.
Take the sub out and shake it, I can hear the rattle-again.
So what am I to do? Screw around with eD and wait another 3-4 months to get back yet another sub like this-or better yet their new K series which is cheaper yet?
Not me, not again. By the grace of an Xacto knife, screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers I ripped this sub apart. I wanted to better understand why they keep failing, and I found out why- I think!
Here is what I found:
http://www.caraudiocentral.net/images/ed2.jpg
That there my friends is <8 FEET of Magnet Wire AKA Voice Coil (Actually Voice COil is the whole unit!).Yummy!
http://www.caraudiocentral.net/images/ed3.jpg
This picture plainly shows why these subs keep failing. You can see the silver part on the inner diameter. This is the Former (What the Magnet Wire is wound on). This is just a THIN piece of aluminum. If you pulled it apart it would be in the shape of a rectangle. Theysimply roll it into a circle. Right at the seam where it joins it started to peel back. This in turn rubs on the Magnet structure- which actual helps peel it off more so. Then eventually the Magnet Wire will fall off since it has nothing to be wound on.
ENDING This subwoofer and Company are a complete wash out waste. Piss Poor customer service and ppor products make this Company one to STAY CLEAR OF!
Since this review they have come out with a tottaly new series of subwoofers. Judging by the quality of the previous ones, looking at the new lower prices and the material list I would advise to STAY AWAY from these newer subs also! The cheaper price comes for a reason:
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
This is a summary of my previous Product Review from dates: 9/8/03-7/7/04
The subject eD 12K.44
Enclosure: To eD Specs- Ported
Power: Within eD Specs
Price: $155 shipped to my door
Overall Value: GARBAGE
Summary:
First let me say I had real high hopes on this subwoofer. ED seems to have a cult like group following their every move. From all the reviews I have read and all the people I had contact with it was portrayed to be one of the best Manufactures out there.
When I first got the first sub I was rather excited. It looked very nice, seemed to be of a good build quality. I went ahead and got a properly made to spec box that ED designs built. I powered this subwoofer within its reccomended RMS range.
After using the sub for about 4 months my amplifier mysteriously malfunctioned. I later found out that the subwoofer was blown. I beleive the subwoofer died in a dead short stage which fried my amplifier. Dead shorts in subwoofers are rare, but do happen. But this is where the story gets interesting!
3-15-04 ED Recieved the blown sub for warranty work.
3/24/04 I was told I would recieve a brand new sub in one week
4/19/04 Still no sub..... Week turned into a month....
4/23/04 Talked to Eric on the phone. Parts still out of stock, timeframe unknown. I was offered other deals but none taking into consideration the fault of their company. I can trade up for $20 for an O single 4 Ohm, $245 (off memory) for a big 8", $175 for an 12" A, or $200 for a pre-production 12 A.V2, 2 12" KX.4's even, or 1 12" KX.4 and a gallon of liquid deadner. All deals dont seem like a "deal" to me considering the facts.
5/3/04 Parts are in and your sub and it will ship by Wednesday 5/5/04
5/10/04 No sub arrived. If it shiped UPS on Wednesday it would be here today. I called eD.
"The subs shipment from the warehouse was shipped to us but the shipment has be MISPLACED".
MISPLACED? This is nuts people! This borderlines BS. Either they are full of CRAP or they have about the worse luck as possible as a company.
The worse part about it is they could give a rats ass about me not having a sub. They have my money, they have my sub (Now a paperweight). All i get are BAD DEALS for equipment that either:
A) Require more power than I can afford
B) Subs that are single 4 Ohm and hard to power properly on a budget
C) Cheaper subs and more of them to take up my trunk space.
I would HIGHLY ADVISE ANYONE who is thinking of buying a sub from eD to think twice!
5/19/04 New Sub finally arrives
7/7/04 Another ED sub bites the dust...
I took a look around last night. Figured a wire wiggled loose somewhere. The amps is on, the subs just didnt work.
So then I take my multi meter across the speaker wire (unhooked off the amp). It read infinite, which means its blown open.
Take the sub out and shake it, I can hear the rattle-again.
So what am I to do? Screw around with eD and wait another 3-4 months to get back yet another sub like this-or better yet their new K series which is cheaper yet?
Not me, not again. By the grace of an Xacto knife, screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers I ripped this sub apart. I wanted to better understand why they keep failing, and I found out why- I think!
Here is what I found:
http://www.caraudiocentral.net/images/ed2.jpg
That there my friends is <8 FEET of Magnet Wire AKA Voice Coil (Actually Voice COil is the whole unit!).Yummy!
http://www.caraudiocentral.net/images/ed3.jpg
This picture plainly shows why these subs keep failing. You can see the silver part on the inner diameter. This is the Former (What the Magnet Wire is wound on). This is just a THIN piece of aluminum. If you pulled it apart it would be in the shape of a rectangle. Theysimply roll it into a circle. Right at the seam where it joins it started to peel back. This in turn rubs on the Magnet structure- which actual helps peel it off more so. Then eventually the Magnet Wire will fall off since it has nothing to be wound on.
ENDING This subwoofer and Company are a complete wash out waste. Piss Poor customer service and ppor products make this Company one to STAY CLEAR OF!
Since this review they have come out with a tottaly new series of subwoofers. Judging by the quality of the previous ones, looking at the new lower prices and the material list I would advise to STAY AWAY from these newer subs also! The cheaper price comes for a reason:
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!