EKO HPE-150 K.A.V.

There are so many features, I'm not quite sure where to begin...

First of all, I don't have the manual so I can only guess on some of the features. It does say "Made in Italy by EKO Recanati" on the back, but no relevent information concerning amp specifications; such as power output. I can only assume it is about 150 watts, given the "HPE-150" model number, although that may not have anything to do with it.

I guess it's easiest to start with the speaker system and cabinet...

The HPE-150 is a "combo" amp, with the amp and speaker system combined together in a single, closed back unit. There is one 12" woofer, two 5" midrange speakers and a single 3" tweeter type horn. There is also a 6" by 2" sound port on the bottom right corner. The combo itself is VERY heavy (78lbs). In fact I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said it was obnoxiously heavy for its size (aprox. 21.5"H x 21.5"W x 13.5"D), which leads me to believe that it is made of particle board, but I don't know that for a fact since it is covered in black tolex. To help in carrying this monster there are two handles located at the top of the unit, one on each end. Thankfully casters are also included to aid in rolling it around.

On the front panel of the amplifier section there is a myriad of knobs (30 to be exact), in basically two long rows, with six 1/4" inputs and two XLR mic inputs dividing them into four individual channels.

The top row is divided into three sections: "Tube Mono Channel", "Mono Channel" and "Master". The bottom row has two "Stereo Channel" sections and a third section with only two knobs labeled "Vol. Rec. Input" and "Vol. Rec. Out" (I'm currently unsure what they are for).

The "Tube Mono Channel" does evoke some curiosity. It seems to imply the use of a vacuum tube circuit, but there doesn?t appear to be any easy access the alleged tube (or tubes). The amp and speaker cabinet are both completely sealed with no obvious way to get inside - short of removing the grill, speakers and the head itself? a fairly daunting task for sure. It does seem to take a couple seconds for the amp section to "warm up" when you first turn it on, which is consistent with the way tube amps function, but that doesn't prove it's a tube amp... so it remains a mystery for the time being.

Besides that, both the "Tube Mono Channel" and "Mono Channels" have their own XLR Mic Input and 1/4" Line Input, along with separate controls for "Gain" "Low" "Middle" "High" "Effects" and "Volume". The "Master" section includes "Master Volume" "Master Effect" "Return Effect" and "Preset".

The "Master Volume" obviously controls the overall output of the system.

The "Master Effect" and "Return Effect" knobs seem to act like normal effects send and return controls and are used to adjust the levels of the built-in effects as needed. I can only assume these also control any external effects units patched into the rear panel. I am unsure if both external and internal effects can be used at the same time.

The "Preset" knob provides several digital effects choices, including various combinations of reverb (ranging from light to very heavy), chorus, flange and echo (including slapback echo). It is a rotary switch that goes a full 380 degrees in either direction. Besides the word "Preset" the only other labels to indicate the position or type of effects are four numbers surrounding the knob at 45 degree angles. Starting clockwise from the top, the numbers are: 6, 12, 16, 4... which tell me absolutely nothing. I just fiddled with it until I found a setting I liked.

Both the "Stereo Channel" sections have two stereo Line Inputs each (Left and Right)

I bought this thing on eBay (pretty much on a whim) without knowing a single thing about it before hand. The first thing I did when I got it was to plug my Fender DG22CE acoustic/electric into the "Mono Channel". I managed to get a surprisingly good sound right out of the box without much tweaking. Once I figured out how to set up the effects, there wasn't much I had to do but play!

I ran my acoustic guitar through all the channels (with controls set equally the same) and the voicing was very consistent, although the two stereo channels have noticeably less output than the two mono channels. I suspect they are designed for use with keyboards, which may not need as much power, although I admit I don't know this for a fact. I do know that you have to crank the "Gain" and "Volume" on the stereo channels to match the mono channel's output.

Another thing to consider is the lack of the "Middle" tone controls on the two stereo channels, which makes setting up the tone a little less flexible for certain instruments.

Aside from the obvious usefulness of tone, volume and effects controls, I find the gain controls to be extremely useful for dialing in each individual channel. This not only makes using a wide variety of sources possible, but helps to fine tune these sources to peak perfection.

I also ran a mic (a Shure BG2.2) into the "Tube Mono Channel". It sounded good, but not great, so I tried my Shure SM57 and voila! What a difference! The SM57 definitely works great on this amp (with my voice anyway).

The effects are a handy addition, although I'll probably only use reverb most of the time. The quality of the effects is decent and musical. Of course there is the effects loop in the back for external signal processors if desired.

In conclusion, the overall tone is excellent and I am very happy with the HPE-150 in this respect.

There were a couple issues that arose in the course of using this amp:

On several occasions I noticed a hum or slightly distorted sound shortly after it is first turned on. So far the noise usually goes away after I give it a firm bump. This indicates a possible short somewhere, which does concern me a little.

Also, on at least one occasion I couldn't get the internal effects to work. I am unsure what the problem was and it hasn't happened since.

Otherwise, the sound system itself has always worked well and it hasn't let me down in any significant way.

I have been playing for over 24 years. I own well over a dozen guitars, including several Fenders (Telecaster, 50's Reissue Strat, Toronado, Lead-I and DG22CE acoustic), Gibson Les Paul Studio, PRS Custom 24, vintage 1965 Epiphone Century archtop, Carvin DC200, Epiphone Casino VT and a couple other cheap-but-cool guitars.

My main amps include a Mesa/Boogie Rect-O-Verb, Carvin X-60A, vintage 1965 Ampeg SB-12 "Portaflex", Vox Pathfinder, Squier Champ 15GR, EKO HPE-150 and the relatively new Vox VBM-1 Brian May Special.

Well, how can I put this? ...the EKO HPE-150 is as impressive as it is impossible!

Great features and tone but heavier than hell. Definitely not convenient for regular use but can definitely get the job done. Do the phrases "Damned if you do, Damned if you don't" or "Love/Hate relationship" ring a bell? Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad I have it... I just dread ever having to move it!

Add the fact that there is practically no information or support for this item and one must seriously question the rationale of getting such a curious contraption.

I'll probably use my HPE-150 for special occasions and impromtu acoustic jamms... where ever an all-in-one PA system comes in handy. If you happen to find one for a good price, by all means grab it, otherwise I can't really recommend going out of your way to get one.

Good Luck!

Axeman