Epos Speakers

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

I have a chance to pick up some Epos M16 speakers, but with no chance of auditioning. Has anyone heard the old M16 model?

If I were to describe my ideal speaker it would be a full warm lower mid and good bass, with clear but not overpowering treble. In addition, I would also say balanced, meaning no part of the frequncy range jumped out over the rest of the range. I may be describing an audiophile's dream and have slowly realised that the more you spend the better it sounds, but with diminishing returns each time.

I have also realised one of the most important hi-fi components is the room, and my KEF iQ7 sound passable in my second living room, which is perfectly square and smaller than my main rectangular room. These M16s would go in this second room, so bass will sound deeper and larger.

I hope that someone has heard these Epos in their hi-if travels, and could pass comment.

 

[Anonymous]

I have owned a pair of M16's, and if you after "full warm lower mid and good bass" these are not the speakers you are looking for.

I am certainly no expert but, IMO they are forward in the midrange and had a rather bright metallic sound, these speakers are also quite small so the bass is a bit deficient. They looked great, but in the end I replaced them with a pair of Dali suite 1.7 bought from ebay which were much less fatiguing. I used these speakers with a Nad c370 and now Arcam FMJ a32 but in the end they just didn't cut the mustard.

Originally cost £799 but now available from Superfi for £299 delivered.

Hope this helps

 

[Anonymous]

Wow, thanks Bert.

I haven't had a Nad amp since the original 3020. From the tone of reviews I get the impression that Nad and Arcam gear tend towards the warm end of the spectum, so if these sounded fatiguing with these, it might not be a good option.

I thought the old M16 might sound half decent because the M16i has had rave reviews, and assumed the M16 would be a solid start given it is the platform for the M16i.

I still wonder if these would be an upgrade to KEF iQ7's, but am now not so hopeful.

 

[mikeinbrum]

I picked up a pair of epos m16 speakers from superfi for the reduced price. I've partnered the speakers with an ARCAM A28 amp and CD17 cd player. Apart from taking a good while to run-in, I am very happy with the purchase. In fact, for the price, I am exceptionally happy! They are a great match to the ARCAM's tendency to be a bit polite and laid back, as the M16's do have a fairly up-front style. The bass weight is fine for me- it's surprisingly tight AND weighty for the dimensions of the cabinet. In my opinion it was the best that my £300 could have bought. Would I be as happy if I had spent £800? well- no. But for the price they are an excellent purchase

 

[crusaderlord]

I had some Epos M5 speakers for a while with a Nad system and then my Arcams.

At their reduced price point (My M5's were £225) i still think Epos are great value and will beat most other speakers at that price, and whilst the midrange and treble is more to the fore, this usually works pretty well with the warmer NAD and Arcam sound. However I didnt like them with Cambridge Audio for instance as it was much too bright - but then i didnt keep the Cambridge items i had on demo.

So if you are after value for money i would say these are a good investment. If you simply want overall quality then moving up to £700-£800 speakers will certainly improve the sound you get.

 

[drummerman]

TNTTNT:
I still wonder if these would be an upgrade to KEF iQ7's, but am now not so hopeful.

What exactly don't you like about the Kef's and what do you have them connected to?

I just had a pair your Kef's here which came free with some CA products. I was genuinely surprised just how good they where. I recently had ProAc standmounts and the Kef's gave little if anything away to them in the context of the system I've used them with.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I'm new on the forum and English is not my native language, so please forgive me if I make any mistake.

I've owned Epos ELS3 (great speakers!), M5, M12.2, and I've auditioned the M16s. I also have a friend who has the M22s. And I can tell you that the Epos have a very lean balance, and some may even describe their bass as overdamped. So, if you are looking for warmth, I think they are not the right choice. But if you are looking for timing, detail and definition, they will do. I have the iQ7 at the office, and they have a warmer balance, with a big bass (maybe too big); they don't time very well though. Actually, I'm not particularly fond of them; I think they are too polite, and transient reponse is really weak. IMHO, of course.

Regards,

Rod

 

[Anonymous]

crusaderlord: i still think Epos are great value and will beat most other speakers at that price, and whilst the midrange and treble is more to the fore, this usually works pretty well with the warmer NAD and Arcam sound. However I didnt like them with Cambridge Audio for instance as it was much too bright - .

I totally agree with you: when I had the M12.2s I used to match them with Arcam A65 plus and CD73, and the warmth and rolled-off treble of the Arcams tamed the brightness of the Epos, and provided extra body.

I've also had Epos/Creek combos, and while there is indeed a special magic to it, it all sounds too thin and lacking soundstage to my taste. Strange thing is that if you listen to an Epos or a Creek separately, they tend to be bright, but when they are together somehow the treble sounds really sweet. That's really a mystery to me.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all of you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. It was interesting to hear Rod's view, as he has heard both speakers.

To answer Dummerman's question, I am using the KEFs on my second system which comprises of a Marantz PM7200 amp and Marantz CD6002 cd player. My gripes with the KEFs are much smaller than they used to be. Before they were in my main lounge, which was long and rectangular. They sounded awful - Shouty midrange, ok treble and no bass or weight.

I moved them into my second room which is square and smaller, and they sound completely different. The bass vibrates the floorboards and sofa springs. The mid is still a tiny bit forward, and I wondered if the Epos would meet my goal of a balanced speaker with reasonable detail at discounted prices. By the sounds of it I think I will have bigger problems with the M16s than iQ7s, and the KEFs have become acceptable in a smaller room.

In addition, I ordered an XLR cable from Blue Jean in Seattle which arrived this afternoon. I hooked up to my Primare amp and CD, and used the liberated Chord cable with the KEFs/Marantzs, replacing the Cambridge Audio cable. The difference was stark, with a much cleaner sound coming out of the KEFs. It astounds me that a bit of copper wire makes such a difference. I don't understand how.

Finally out of interest, I tried this XLR cable out with the Primare kit. The sound pros on various forums suggested that it wasn't worth spending lots on a XLR, due to the way it worked. They also pointed out that it was this ordinary grade which got the sounds from the singer to the CD in the studio. I ordered a Belden 1800 cable with Neutrik connectors and the difference with the Primare was as What Hi-Fi suggested - Much cleaner and clearer. It did lose a tiny tiny bit of bass, but this may be due to less errant bass, rather than lack of it. I need to test out more.

I was hoping that these Epos would be a good buy, and to be fair it sounds like they may be at £300. It doesn't sound so promising at their original £800.

 

[Anonymous]

TNTTNT:.

I was hoping that these Epos would be a good buy, and to be fair it sounds like they may be at £300. It doesn't sound so promising at their original £800.

GBP 300! That's really cheap! You guys are very lucky; you can get excellent hi-fi at very low prices. In my country is not that easy to get those prices.

I think at this price they are really a best buy. If you don't mind the lack of deep bass, the lean balance, and the slightly shut-in sound, the Epos are really musical and enjoyable.

Regards,

 

[drummerman]

TNTTNT, my room has no sonic problems to speak of but it does err on the bass light side. I've had many different speakers here, Epos included (no M16) and I found the Kef's to be both balanced and musical, though it is definitively no boom box and deep bass is there, as you know and found out for yourself. I had both cheap Denon stuff and lower mid price CA components to use with them and with the CA's the increased bass control certainly made them sound even tighter.

Now, a little while ago I heard a small subwoofer, the original MJ Acoustics Pro 50 and was pleasantly surprised. Enough to buy one. Its cheap, small, fast and integrated smoothly with every speaker I've tried, Kef's included, even active AVI's at very high volume. It never disappointed yet always added just enough to underpin and fill in the missing bits with every combination. Switching it out of the system has in every instance made the sound deteriate ie. loss of scale, warmth, exposed treble and mids.

Perhaps try a sub. Imo one of the best investments.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a good idea. It's funny because I was looking at posts today around subs. There seems to be two camps - One which thinks that you can get some audiophile boxes for sub £500, and some which are adamant you can't. The BK and SVS fans were really sure a decent box could be had on a budget.

The fact that you see tangible improvement with your reasonably priced box fills me with hope. I really like deep controlled bass, and bought some PMC FB1+s for their reputation for scale. I am even thinking of adding a sub to these. At least I'll find out what frequency my sofa springs in tha room sing at...lol

 

[Anonymous]

couldn't agree more, don't think they're worth £800 though but at £300 definately. I've been wondering which amp to get next, I listened to these with both the Arcam and Rotel RA04, couldn't split it between the two- apart from price!