User's Manual

reProducer Epic 5 Active Monitor Speaker
Spacing
Your Epic-5’s do not only output sound on-axis! The passive radiator on the bottom of the cabinet will displace air. Please make
sure the gap to the surface is high enough to ensure the required fast airflow and nothing around the cabinet blocks the gap. A
use of the supplied spikes is highly recommended.
Besides, what else do you want to use them for? So, screw them in. This way you’ll always know where they are. They are
where they belong!
Sound Level
The linearity of human auditory perception is highly dependent of the sound pressure level, and the range for optimal linearity is
limited! We recommend a use of 83-86 dB Sound Pressure Level / SPL at the listening position. Staying in this range will
ensure you are able to make the right mixing decision for a long period of time. Please don´t exaggerate the level as this can
possibly damage your ears permanently!
With these values you can’t go wrong! Mastering engineer Bob Katz recommends working at 83 dB SPL (C-weighted, slow
meter setting), calibrated using pink noise for a single channel, 86 dB SPL for stereo (stereo combined using uncorrelated pink
noise). And account for listening fatigue. Take a break when you feel the need to raise the overall level. Rest assured, this
the right thing to do!
Fine Tuning and Room Adjustment
The listening environment usually has a big influence on the perceived sound quality. Depending on the position of the speakers
in the room and the properties of the space a correction may be needed, and what do you know? We have just the thing!
On the back side of the cabinet you will find two knobs that allow you to optimise the tuning of the Epic-5’s. Both Trims cut or
boost in a range of ±5 dB in 1 dB steps. The HF-Trim starts above 2,5 kHz, the LF-Trim below 250 Hz.
In a bright sounding room, with many flat and solid surfaces, you may need less treble. Use the HF-Trim-Knob (“High-
Frequency-Tune”) to attenuate the HF range. In a dark or boomy sounding environment, or if the listening distance is higher
than recommended, you can increase the HF component proportionally.
Not surprisingly the LF-Trim (“Low-Frequency-Tune”) works in a similar fashion. It will usually be the distance between the
cabinets and the walls that necessitates a LF adjustment. The original tuning was determined in a free (4Pi), anechoic
environment with the knobs in the middle position. Close to any wall this will change to a kind of boundary, 2Pi arrangement
with a LF boost. You can reduce this effect using the LF-Trim.
All the while maintaining excellent phase response!
Overload
When the white LED on the front plate turns red it indicates that your level is nearing the clipping point. Temporary red flashing
is acceptable, especially when working with audio containing a disproportionate amount of LF content. But when the LED is
more on than off you should grab the precision gain attenuator (not a simple volume control!) and back down.