European Holophone Systems - "Soprano"

b_sdaddy

Well-Known Member
Dear readers,

Have started a dedicated thread for my newly acquired speakers.
As you may have read from the initial post; "Can anyone I.D. these speakers?" from 18 May 2020,
I have stumbled upon a FREE pair of these ultra-rare 1980's Monitors.

Designed in collaboration with the acoustics department of Brussels University, with the cabinets being handmade by a Belgium Violin Manufacturer, their sole purpose was to, as close as possible, replicate the sounds of a full blown orchestra in a domestic environment. And they came at a price! In 1983 they cost 75,000 Belgium Francs, equivalent of close to €4000 today!

Initial thoughts are that they perform exactly as they were intended. A high-end monitor. Sadly, they're a bit tired in the cabinet department. The customer was never expected to remove the grilles. As such caulk/sealant was used liberally to seal the drivers. The grilles themselves, were glued in place with dowels.

At 14kg each, and only measuring 80cm tall, they are manufactured out of chipboard with a real wood veneer.

I've already started to open them up. Initial findings, well take a look at the first batch of photos.

The surrounds look remarkably good for 40 years. Being as rich as the owners were, is there a possibility that he had them replaced? But the caulk was still original? Can you do this in situ?

And the crossover's not going to break the bank. 6uF & 0,33uF.

Thanks for your interest. DSCF7227.JPG DSCF7218.JPG DSCF7221.JPG DSCF7223.JPG DSCF7224.JPG DSCF7225.JPG DSCF7228.JPG DSCF7229.JPG DSCF7233.JPG DSCF7234.JPG
 
The surrounds look remarkably good for 40 years. Being as rich as the owners were, is there a possibility that he had them replaced? But the caulk was still original? Can you do this in situ?
Theoretically it's possible, but it would make things much more difficult. I suspect the surrounds are original, good quality rubber surrounds can last a lifetime if they're kept in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. It looks like one of the tweeters is missing its screws. These hold the front plate to the magnet, and should be replaced immediately.
 
Interesting speakers. For those of you not versed in the €, the BEF, inflation adjustments and such and just want a $ when new, it was $1500 the pair based on the given information. The BEF varied from 47-55 per USD and I used 50 in my calculation.

They use a 0.33µF bypass cap on the 6µF crossover cap. Easy to replace with a 6 film cap and not need the bypass cap, I'd guess.

Let us know how this turns out. I'll be checking back for more info.
 
Interesting speakers. For those of you not versed in the €, the BEF, inflation adjustments and such and just want a $ when new, it was $1500 the pair based on the given information. The BEF varied from 47-55 per USD and I used 50 in my calculation.

They use a 0.33µF bypass cap on the 6µF crossover cap. Easy to replace with a 6 film cap and not need the bypass cap, I'd guess.

Let us know how this turns out. I'll be checking back for more info.

you've answered one question before I asked it! 6 & 0,33? For 40 year old caps, one being 5% and the other 10%.... I was going to opt for just 6, after first asking.
 
Theoretically it's possible, but it would make things much more difficult. I suspect the surrounds are original, good quality rubber surrounds can last a lifetime if they're kept in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. It looks like one of the tweeters is missing its screws. These hold the front plate to the magnet, and should be replaced immediately.

Thanks for the info. Will investigate. Hopefully the other one still has its' screws for cross referencing..
 
you've answered one question before I asked it! 6 & 0,33? For 40 year old caps, one being 5% and the other 10%.... I was going to opt for just 6, after first asking.

So after much searching, I've found the original 6,0uF caps. Sold under the umbrella of Vishay.

The original specs: 6,0uF 250v ERO MKT1813 (+/-5%) & 0,33uF ERO Film Cap 250v (+/-10%)

Sadly, cant find the 0,33uF in original spec.

Million dollar question. With 40 years of development since their were made, and me not being a 'purist', would you opt for a 'modern' capacitor option?

Would performance be noticeable?

Can get 6,2's all day long, and considering tolerances, well within the window. Perhaps 6,2 & 0,1? Both readily available at just +/-1%.
 
So after a week, one is complete!
Stripped cabinets, repaired, stained & varnished.
Recovered grilles.
Rebuilt crossover with Mundorf M-Caps: 6,2uF & 0,1uF
Rewired everything.
Spent hours removing all of that caulk!
Resprayed/touched-up drivers.
Made foam gaskets, replacing the caulk, as now with the grilles removed, you'll see everything.

Initial listening suggests recapping was necessary.

Now onto the second one......

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Not being rude but what makes these so special? Looks like a standard set of drivers and a standard box with a very simple XO. Nothing wrong with that but what drives the price on these to be so high?

BTW really nice job on the restore!!! Now slap the goo back on them to make them original :>)
 
My thoughts exactly. For me to go out now and spend 3 months salary on a set of speakers would require them to be 'special'. Very 'special'.
Back in 1983, many did the same and purchased these.

The French say that Italian cuisine is just assembling great produce on a plate. Tomatoes, basil & mozzarella - beautiful.
The Italians can't understand why french cuisine requires 20 processes, 10 distinctly boring produce, such as a potatoes and a whole day in the kitchen to come up with Pommes Dauphine.

These guys obviously knew their stuff, but decided to go the Italian route.

They work. Infact, they sound great! The sound stage is amazing. Could I build my own from scratch and achieve anything close.?

No.

So rare, they're obviously 'keepers'. Nice to know a bit of their unconventional history.
 
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