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£750 - Speakers that sound like an ES14?

2nd hand tatty mk 1 chipboard single wired ES14s


like mine


stuff the ports with old wooly socks & change the tweeter cap with a polypropaline 2.2 uF .


Next question . . . . .

Cheers, HBS

;-[]

This. Replacing the aging electrolytic crossover cap with a good film/paper cap transforms the top end in ES14s.

Good speakers if you have the space to stick them in the middle of the room.
 
Not a bad bit of grave robbery. I had 3 pairs, keeping selling then regretting it. Eventually with a pair of the best single wired jobs with the original glued in bungs, a pair of Quad ELS 57 and a pair of Neat Vito Ultimatum on rotation for about 5 months the Neats stayed. Now if I had the skills to sort the slightly irritating splashy treble of the 14s as mentioned above things may have been different. Most ES14 nutters have gone to Yamaha which I will try when an immaculate pair shows up.
 
Primarily because the ES14 was made by an Epos that went bust. The Epos that now exists is effectively just the name and is owned by Creek, there is very little connection back to the original firm.

The original Epos was the high end mark of Mordaunt-Short which they bought in 1998 and the ES14 were made by the highly rated loudspeaker designer, Robin Marshall who eventually retired.

Also if they were made now, they likely be much more expensive and probably as a result price themselves out of the market and they aren’t exactly pretty with their industrial look.

Oh was that AFTER the Epos M12i/M5i? I thought that Epos was a successful company made good products
 
I had a pair of Epos Epic 5s on my 102/180 for a while and they were a major step up from the Keilidhs they replaced. Really “open” sound and great bass. Built to a price cabinet-wise though with pretend wood but a great sound at the price which was about the OP’s budget. Saw the last pair on eBay go for £350. I gather they didn’t make them for long.
 
Not a bad bit of grave robbery. I had 3 pairs, keeping selling then regretting it. Eventually with a pair of the best single wired jobs with the original glued in bungs, a pair of Quad ELS 57 and a pair of Neat Vito Ultimatum on rotation for about 5 months the Neats stayed. Now if I had the skills to sort the slightly irritating splashy treble of the 14s as mentioned above things may have been different. Most ES14 nutters have gone to Yamaha which I will try when an immaculate pair shows up.
I only heard them once very briefly about 30 years ago. What do they sound like compared with S8s liar sized two way boxes?
 
Oh was that AFTER the Epos M12i/M5i? I thought that Epos was a successful company made good products

No, all the Epos models that you mention are later designs that have nothing to do with the original company (other than the name). There are only two originals and they are the ES14, and later, the ES11. That’s not to say that later designs are not also good, but they were not designed by Robin Marshall.
 
I wouldn't say 14s have a thump in the bass at all, in fact they can be a bit light but have a very good tuneful bass, tight and agile.

The latter, bass tightness/agility, is often a consequence of the former, bass lightness.
 
No, all the Epos models that you mention are later designs that have nothing to do with the original company (other than the name). There are only two originals and they are the ES14, and later, the ES11. That’s not to say that later designs are not also good, but they were not designed by Robin Marshall.

That’s not quite accurate, the ES12, ES22, ES25, ES30 were all made by the original Epos, and I believe had some input from Robin Marshall. Thereafter the original Epos and tools had closed and the name was bought by Mike Creek of Creek Audio.
 
Are you sure of that ? I remember that even back before the launch of the ES11 (when Mordaunt Short bought him out) there was talk of RM leaving the company.
 
There was an online interview with RM in which, IIRC, he said that he had no involvement in any Epos designs after the ES11 - Can't seem to find it again, though... :(

Also, I seem to remember a much older interview (possibly in Hi-Fi Review?) where, again IIRC, he mentioned something about a speaker which predated the ES14, but was deemed (by dealers?) to be too large and/or expensive to sell - not sure if it ever made it into production? (although, perhaps my memory fails me, and it was never an Epos branded design?)
 
I seem to remember the OP asks for a new equivalent for about £750.

I'd have to say I've tried a handful of new offerings at or just above that price. Hated some and unmoved by the others.

Certainly nothing that would come close to the ES14. That is why I find pocket money classics on the bay that blow the modern squit OOTW!
 


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