[EPI 100 Restoration]

On 12/30/2019 at 11:16 AM, Vicious-Poodle said:

Hello, Martin. I'm surprised that you like the EPI 100 given your praise of Dynaco speakers (not that I don't admire the restoration done here, great work) but these were really highly reviewed by Consumers Reports. I remember rude high pressure sales people, now out of business decades later, they denigrated the Dynaco A25 they had to demo against, along with the AR-2AX. 

Personally, I found them too bright (didn't an AR designer say "Who would want to listen to a flat to 20KH speaker?) and monochromatic: I couldn't hear details I heard on the USS driver Dynaco, differences between recording studios and techniques, voices weren't as pleasant, etc.

In fact, probably a better cheaper choice now is this much hyped Elac Debut, not as bright to me as EPI 100.

https://audioplacebo.com/elac-debut-2-0-b6-2-review/

I'm using Emotiva UMC-200 for digital sources, and changed to Emotiva BasX amplifiers, the Chesky demo disk is heart breaking because their recording techniques leave the big labels in the shade, I wish so many great singers and performers had engineers with their talents. 

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Demonstration-Disc-Critical-Listening/dp/B00002MXUH

Anyway, I wish you all a Happy New Year. I think the retro speakers might outperform in musicality many of these modern offerings but I wasn't fond of EPI. Not as bullet proof as the Dynacos.  Foam surrounds, etc. And that harsh character I noted. Accuracy is more than "flat" response, IMHO.

Harsh character...??? the Epi 100s?  No way.  That'd have to be your electronics, being revealed.

[EPI 100 Restoration]

The epi 100 is certainly one of the most classic speakers ever made, and deserve every accolade that they have garnered over nearly fifty years.  They sound simply beautiful, with any type of music, are highly resolute, dispersive, and non-fatiguing.  They are one of the true treasures in the history of hi-fi.

They are also a resounding success in terms of practicality because you do not need a sub with them, sure you can put one in optionally but it is optional, they are relatively compact, and, importantly, they are not fussy about exact set-up... bookshelf, even or crooked, on top of your laundry basket, just sitting on the floor: they just sound great pretty much anywhere.  And, they'll "scale up" the more precise you get with them, or as you "scale up" in amplifiers, but they'll even make a crappy old Goodwill Sony sound super; I would not hesitate to pair them with a McIntosh amp, and they would embarrass most much more expensive speakers, just like they have been doing for decades. 

As for the son, or anyone else, who thinks they sound "flat"... well, yeah: their frequency chart is flat.  That's the way the best speakers should be.  These speakers are appreciated over time... they sound good at first, but then as you live with them for an extended period, and that nice tight woofer and sweet wide tweeter tickle the inner depths of your ear, they sound better and better over time.  This sounding better over time is exactly the opposite of what happens with most speakers; most speakers leave you wanting to upgrade, after a while.  The epi 100s... well, not so much; these are speakers that grow on you, the more you hear them... I remember when I first heard them, they didn't jump out at me, which is exactly the point: ultimately, you don't want to listen to the speakers... you want to listen to the music.  These speakers get out of the way, until you realize after a while of living with them that nothing else out there really persuades you to "upgrade" from them.  There isn't much to "upgrade" to, honestly.  They have one of the best tweeters ever made, from a sheer listenability perspective.  

Plus, if you build a surround sound system for movies, based on these speakers... well, you'll be done.  Epi 100s all around, done.  Or 100s as main, and m50s with the same tweeter as center and surrounds (or the more commonly found m70)... relax: you're done.  But even just as a 2.0 or 2.1 for movie watching, well... it doesn't really get much better, until maybe you spend thousands, literally.

Over the years, with my educated ears, I've heard many many many speakers and setups; none have compelled me to ditch the 100s.  Recently, I got curious and auditioned a variety of speakers in the $3000 - $7000 range, and none of them persuaded me to upgrade; only the Heresy - IV was a contender, and only because it was simply different, not necessarily better.  Save the cash, or you can chase the rabbit forever... when you had all you really need in a classy practical package right there back at home.

Then, get them while you can, you can also easily update them with Human Speakers parts, handcrafted by a former Epi employee who worked w Winslow Burhoe.