| Testing. Testing. Is This Thing On? | Print This Article |
This report on Round 3 of Eden Nemesis Silver Series amplifier testing at US Music headquarters in Mundelein, Illinois was written by Edenite and forum member Jeff Carlson. Forum readers may recall that Eden Special Projects Coordinator Lane Baldwin tackled Rounds 1 and 2 solo, and took Jeff up on his offer to help out on Round 3. Here are some of Jeff's impressions from the June 27, 2005 test session.
Helping Lane Baldwin test the new Silver Series combos was a great opportunity to tour the US Music facility where a wide range of US Music product lines are manufactured &/or distributed. I should mention that I am a strong supporter of companies that involve their customers in public product testing. For example, I work with Ford SVT as a high performance driving instructor, where owners receive coaching in driving their SVT performance vehicles to the limit on road courses. In return, the company receives feedback on drivability, durability, and real world performance.
Eden has made a similar commitment to delivering high content, fully-tested value to every customer. Why? Because the products are designed to be used and to take it, not just look good in glossy ads. I should also mention that I bought my Eden WT550 and D112XLT cabinets (in early 2004) based solely on Eden's sound and reputation. Discovering the Eden forum came later, and just adds to an already satisfying ownership experience.
I arrived at the warehouse before 7:30am and found the parking lot already full, with employees focused on cabinet manufacturing, Washburn guitar setups, and stock management. The energetic Lane Baldwin greeted everyone by name and took only a few minutes to find the hardworking young men who would help unpack and repack the combos for us. The mercury was already rising, and the pictures show this turned into a hot, hot, hot workout for everyone.
Jeff Carlson & crew packing, unpacking, testing & sweating.
Our support team began rolling in pallets of N15S, N12S, N10S and N28S combos. The cartons were clean, durable, and well-labeled with no signs of rough handling from their voyage. Each amp is sealed in plastic, cushioned in closed-cell foam, and tested at the factory before being shipped to Eden. So our testing was just a final check to ensure the dealer and customer would be completely satisfied. We would also insert a warranty card into each owner's manual before resealing the carton. The team tirelessly unpacked, then repacked 250 cartons during the day-long test schedule.
 Jeff Carlson testing a Silver Series N12S. |
Lane brought a bad-boy-black Fender Mike Dirnt P-bass to the test, and set the pace with some very funky, authoritative riffing through every Silver Series combo he would test that day. For contrast, I brought a deep-sounding Ibanez SRX705 5-string with flatwounds setup for jazz, blues, and gospel gigs. I noticed right away how these Silver Series combos really jump out at you with serious tone and volume, even in a large warehouse with forklifts, fans, and machinery in operation nearby.
Lane gave clear instructions to test that every control on Main and Aux channels worked flawlessly. We also ensured speaker grills wouldn't vibrate and that the compressor engaged. We had 250 amps to test but there was still time to dish out our favorite grooves. One of our dedicated packers would frequently taunt us to "play some Primus!" or "Superstition!". To be honest, this was a hot physical sweaty job for everyone involved, depending more on our stamina and positive attitude (and frequent water breaks) than our mojo. |
How well did they work? The gain and EQ sections were responsive and, most importantly, faithfully reproduced the different sounds of two different basses. The cabinets were musical, and free of buzzing. Except for one, that is. We did set aside 1 amp out of 250 that did not sound right…a 99.6% pass rate.
When we broke for lunch, we found US Music owner Rudy Schlacher at his desk. He sincerely thanked me for testing, and urged me to "provide straight-shooting feedback." He went on to say, "I am sure that your comments and suggestions on the Eden forum are valued highly, too."
Webmaster Bill Henshell was also working hard through lunch on numerous projects. He's a talented bassist and multi-instrumentalist with great ideas, so keep watching the Wednesday "What's New" announcement. Also at his desk during lunch was Art Director Steve Jablonoski, who continued the warm welcome.
Other highlights included meeting David Nordschow (with family in tow) and USM COO Garry Gryczan. Seeing them on the shop floor also confirmed for me that the company is being led by enthusiastic professionals who strive to bring you excellent products and a total experience after the sale.
Although I am not writing a controlled product review, I was impressed that the entry level Silver Series is ready for real world, practical use. The N15S combo is the big brother with a 15" driver and larger cabinet volume, but still manageable to move around. The N28S, N10S and N12S were very cool, capable and loud as well, in a welcome, compact size.
Impressing the user with efficient design seems to be a common theme with all Eden products. Eden's design influence on performance should be apparent once Silver Series combos begin arriving at the dealers. Moreover, the customer can be assured that every amp leaves the factory in perfect working order. I learned first hand that it takes dedication and a lot of hard work to make that happen.
For further info on the Nemesis Silver Series combos, click here.