I've heard many speakers. Most of them are too bright with my music, rock and metal. Even the Kef R500. Now someone told me try Epos. I don't know this brand. Here in Holland also not many dealers. I found a dealer at 100 km from me. Is it worth to go to this dealer to hear the Epos with my music? How are the Epos compared with a Kef R500? I'm looking at the Elan 30 and the K2.
Epos Elan perfect for rock and metal?
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Frank Harvey
Well-known member
No harsh and bright highes with rock and metal. I love a warmer fuller sound, but not boring. Otherwise a very old Kef Reference model one?
BigH
Well-known member
Epos is part of same company as Creek. Ive heard a few Epos speakers they were good but for me the treble was too forward, I did not hear the Elan so maybe they are different. I think for metal they maybe worse than Kef. I think your problem is the mastering of cds.
You think Kef R500 less bright and harsh than Epos Elan or K2? Epos has a soft dome tweeter. From Hifichoice:
Sound quality
In essence, the new Epos has a very musical sound. It’s not frantic, brightly etched and in your face; rather it’s quite laid back, assured and confident sounding. But whereas some speakers that exhibit these sort of traits end up sounding rather boring, the Epos certainly does not. It offers the enchanting combination of being relaxed in nature, but wonderfully engaging in action.
Even at fairly low levels, it locks into the lovely, lilting groove of Tom Tom Club’s Genius Of Love and bounces along. There’s a sense that the music is unexpectedly propulsive; the K2 really has an innate musicality to it that pop, rock, reggae and jazz fans will love. Still, this bounce doesn’t come at the expense of brightness, because it appears a very even-handed performer – something that really comes into its own with classical programme material. B&W’s latest 683 has a far more explicit upper midband that makes the track’s rhythm guitar work sound a little scratchy, for example. The Epos by contrast tones it down slightly, but the instrument in no way loses impact; instead one seems able to follow it better throughout the song.
It’s this counterpoint between rhythm guitar, bass drum, bass guitar, snare and hi-hat that makes Genius Of Love so sublime; everything’s so subtle and fluid, and not every speaker at this price point gets it. There’s also the dynamics to consider, and the K2 tracks these brilliantly; it’s not an overly compressed song, so you do really get to hear some light and shade in the way the drums are played, for example, and the Epos carries this very well. Its prowess with attack transients – the ability to catch leading edges of notes as they happen – allied to a dislike of sitting on dynamic accenting – is what makes this such a lively speaker, despite not sounding in the least bright.
In the same way you can hear the B&W’s Kevlar midrange cone and the Monitor Audio’s metal hybrid affair, so you can hear the Epos’ polypropylene one. This gives an ever so slightly warm and soft sound compared with these rivals, and it’s also rather forgiving too. Put on a bright, bracing song like Madonna’s Holiday and while many price rivals will ram it down your throat, the Epos steps back a little bit. Instead, the accent is more on the lower midband and bass, rather than further up. It gives the song a little bit more body, and a silkiness that other speakers at the price lack. This blends in with a couth sounding tweeter, that matches the smoothness of the mid/bass and bass drivers. Even the tinselly drum machine hi-hats sound sophisticated.
This seems for me very interesting compared with the Kef R500. And yes, i know the cd's a very poor. And i have Tinnitus, a tone on 8 hz. That's why i 'm very sensitive for highes.
Sound quality
In essence, the new Epos has a very musical sound. It’s not frantic, brightly etched and in your face; rather it’s quite laid back, assured and confident sounding. But whereas some speakers that exhibit these sort of traits end up sounding rather boring, the Epos certainly does not. It offers the enchanting combination of being relaxed in nature, but wonderfully engaging in action.
Even at fairly low levels, it locks into the lovely, lilting groove of Tom Tom Club’s Genius Of Love and bounces along. There’s a sense that the music is unexpectedly propulsive; the K2 really has an innate musicality to it that pop, rock, reggae and jazz fans will love. Still, this bounce doesn’t come at the expense of brightness, because it appears a very even-handed performer – something that really comes into its own with classical programme material. B&W’s latest 683 has a far more explicit upper midband that makes the track’s rhythm guitar work sound a little scratchy, for example. The Epos by contrast tones it down slightly, but the instrument in no way loses impact; instead one seems able to follow it better throughout the song.
It’s this counterpoint between rhythm guitar, bass drum, bass guitar, snare and hi-hat that makes Genius Of Love so sublime; everything’s so subtle and fluid, and not every speaker at this price point gets it. There’s also the dynamics to consider, and the K2 tracks these brilliantly; it’s not an overly compressed song, so you do really get to hear some light and shade in the way the drums are played, for example, and the Epos carries this very well. Its prowess with attack transients – the ability to catch leading edges of notes as they happen – allied to a dislike of sitting on dynamic accenting – is what makes this such a lively speaker, despite not sounding in the least bright.
In the same way you can hear the B&W’s Kevlar midrange cone and the Monitor Audio’s metal hybrid affair, so you can hear the Epos’ polypropylene one. This gives an ever so slightly warm and soft sound compared with these rivals, and it’s also rather forgiving too. Put on a bright, bracing song like Madonna’s Holiday and while many price rivals will ram it down your throat, the Epos steps back a little bit. Instead, the accent is more on the lower midband and bass, rather than further up. It gives the song a little bit more body, and a silkiness that other speakers at the price lack. This blends in with a couth sounding tweeter, that matches the smoothness of the mid/bass and bass drivers. Even the tinselly drum machine hi-hats sound sophisticated.
This seems for me very interesting compared with the Kef R500. And yes, i know the cd's a very poor. And i have Tinnitus, a tone on 8 hz. That's why i 'm very sensitive for highes.
jonathanRD
Well-known member
FWIW I listened to the passive K2 for quite some time at the Bristol Show, and returned later in the day to have another listen - as it was a speaker I was really interested in. I would agree with the HiFiChoice reviewer that it sounded quite laid back and relaxed. I didn't find it boring at all - it just didn't wow me - but I do accept that it's not ideal listening in a hotel bedroom. I was originally interested in the active version, but that version has taken too long to come to market and I have moved on.
DIB
Well-known member
Never heard the KEF R500's to compare but I don't find my Elans harsh or bright, if I did I wouldn't have bought them. I would describe them as smooth to my ears, but one man's smooth is another man's boring. It all depends on the recording of course.
Shoot me if Metal ever gets played on mine *biggrin*
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Shoot me if Metal ever gets played on mine *biggrin*
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