Epos ES-7N

[What Hi-Fi?]

Epos’s ES-7N standmounters are small, hugely capable and unfussy.

Epos ES-7N : Read more

 

[Gray]

Wouldn't hurt to show what they look like with the grilles on, would it?
And would magnetic grille fixing be too much to ask for at this price?

No mention in the review of the fact that, unusually, they only take 4mm plugs - which is something those with bare wires need to know.

But if they sound good, that's the main thing.

 

[mr_sneff]

I totally misread the price of these; I thought it was £189, which would be more in keeping with the styling. They look like budget boxes.

 

[Rui]

they do look good but the sensitivety today it seems a less interval on the frequency spectrum like in the past speakers had much more sensivety making them compatible with most of the amplifiers, like 100 to 110 DB´s,

but i have them like this and are ok or perfect like the late 80´s Sixies from tannoy the 605 and 611 models

, as more modern don´t have many speakers only three pairs since 1995 when i bought the cerwin-vega model who were the most power full ones ,the evolution of the AT-100,

that were not that well talked about but for sure they sound good with any type of music or sound character played through them, also have the Wharfedale Linton, transpull 1500 from Magnat and some CDM 7 from B&W, the oldest from this 3 set´s i refered

also from any source analogue or digital, like reels, records, cassettes , cd and dat cassettes, minidisc do sound good but not all types of sound seem that good with this digital format ,handy but not close to perfect as the DAT,

I for sure will try to listen to them in a near future, as i was already thinking of buying the Elac speakers tested here and they sound really good

 

[Alp]

I've had these speakers for three weeks now and I am enjoying them so much, I am going to try to explain why.

To address comments - they look and feel much more premium in person. In fact, I was surprised, they are very well built and inert. But they are not snazzy, in fact they are inspired by an East German speaker design from the 70s and I quite like that. Also, they come with adaptors for other type of connections but I'm not sure they'll work with bare wires.

I can try to give you an idea of how they sound by comparing to other speakers I've had recently. But I am an amateur and I will do it relative to my room: having them close to the wall is a huge benefit for me. I had KEF LS50 (original and then Meta) on stands, but that was impractical with toddlers, so I got a pair of PMC Prodigy 1 placed ~20cm from the wall, not ideal. I use room correction and some room treatment. Amp is currently a Nuprime AMG-STA.

Compared to the LS50 (from memory), they sound much more open and dynamic, even 'bigger', especially at low volume (~60 db at 1m). Soundstaging and separation is more precise and there is more depth. I love the upper midrange of the KEF but I never managed to make the bass sound clean and precise and not colour the low-mid, even with stands. These Epos sound much more natural and effortless, more transparent. The KEF do sound great but they need more space, a lot of current and volume. Even then, the bass on the Epos is cleaner and voices are better defined. Not really a contest IMO.

Compared to the PMC (A/B), the midrange is definitely more forward and 'sweet' in the Epos. The PMCs feel leaner and faster, but a bit more hollow/flat and definitely I notice that room correction is needed to tame the treble, at least for me. I think the Epos' midrange is more tonally rich, but a touch warmer for sure so a matter of preference. Also, the treble feels like it's more focused and with a darker background, perhaps with even more detail but definitely with less attack than the PMC. I think the bass is very different. The Epos' is musical but not thumping, you rarely feel it in your chest - I auditioned a pair of ATC SCM 11 and they had a similar low end musicality. The PMCs are more fun in that regard, but notes felt less cohesive somehow (less precise?) and always trying to go boomy in my room, definitely cannot be placed as close to the walls as the Epos.
In general, the PMCs extract a lot of detail and energy out of music (not a background speaker!), the Epos are inviting you in more. It may be the amp - I had an Arcam A15 with the PMC that was less forward but didn't have it for the Epos. I really like the PMCs, they are just so transparent with added fun - but I like studio monitors because I am used to them. 90% of my friends preferred the Epos. What convinced me to keep the Epos was imaging. They make it look easy, no faffing with placement, it just works. I prefer precise soundstage to very wide. I'd say it extends beyond the speakers but not as much as the PMC. But then you get more depth and amazing phantom imaging in some recording, it's almost spooky as it seems to come out of a very still background.

Overall - I would say ignore them at your peril. If you can place speakers on stands, far from walls etc, you are lucky! And for that use, they may feel overpriced compared to PMCs or ATCs (or your favourite £1.5k speakers). But if you need them close to walls, or cannot position them perfectly, these are great. I think they are designed to actually work well in a normal room in a normal house or flat, not just in an optimal position at 90dB. That's very refreshing, I only wish there was more competition!