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EPI 100 (1982) - Just impressed!

quantaloop

quantaloop

New Member
I bought and installed a near mint condition pair of EPI model 100 (foams were replaced with quality stuff and it's the ones with the red ring around the tweeter) and hooked it to my Kenwood KA-701 and Realistic R-8010. I am thoroughly impressed with the result.

I previously used Energy Connoisseur CF-30 and seriously did not expect the EPI 100 to be that much of an upgrade - if any - compared to the more recent CF-30s. Well, it totally is. I'm impressed with the mids and highs.

If I had known before that such a small investment would have improved both the sound and aesthetics of my music listening system, I would have done it way before!

I've been playing quite a bit of records this week and the only slight - though very real - disappointment would be how most double bass will lack a bit of definition on jazz records.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my excitement with folks who share the passion.
 
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I recall buying a new pair of EPI 60, removing the drivers and installing them in the doors of our 1980 Volvo wagon.

They sounded killa for a decade or more until the harsh conditions got to the woofer. I had them re-coned, installed them back in the cabinets (which were still new) and gave them to a friend who enjoyed them for a long time.

Now the doors sport Morel's and sound EVEN better

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240Door3_zpsdf52fffc.jpg


240_dynamat-1_zps150c7569.jpg
 
Sorry... did not mean to hijack the thread.

I had a pair of EPI 100 when I was in college. Drove them with a Phase Liner 400 / Citation 11 / Sony 366 reel to reel.... To dangerous to have LPs in my room at the fraternity house (saw to many wasted albums).

Throw enough power into the 100's and they are god like..... oh yea....

.
 
quantaloop said:
I bought and installed a near mint condition pair of EPI model 100 (foams were replaced with quality stuff and it's the ones with the red ring around the tweeter) and hooked it to my Kenwood KA-701 and Realistic R-8010. I am thoroughly impressed with the result.

I previously used Energy Connoisseur CF-30 and seriously did not expect the EPI 100 to be that much of an upgrade - if any - compared to the more recent CF-30s. Well, it totally is. I'm impressed with the mids and highs.

If I had known before that such a small investment would have improved both the sound and aesthetics of my music listening system, I would have done it way before!

I've been playing quite a bit of records this week and the only slight - though very real - disappointment would be how most double bass will lack a bit of definition on jazz records.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my excitement with folks who share the passion.
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This is due to a lack of power. The Kenwood doesn't have the ability to control the speaker as it needs to be. Note what KLH9 said above with regard to power and what he was driving his with. He is right.

The 100s will play and sound very good with just about anything driving them. However....if you want them to leave you standing in front of them with your mouth hanging open, you're going to need something with more authority to drive them.
 
Winslow Burhoe. He's a legend.

I'm the proud owner of Epi Model 20's (took drivers and installed in the cabinet-quality 201 cabs). With extra power, they are pretty damned hard to beat at most any price. Marzutra and Saea501 and I are all very big fans of the "module" sound (an 8'' woofer and that magic inverted tweeter).

You should read the thread on Marzutra's amazing Epi's. He did a fabulous restoration of a legend.

Congrats on your new acquisition, and don't be surprised if you add better and more watts, and have to eat your words. :thumbsup::rockon:
 
I've owned a pair of restored 100Ws for quite a while, and they still amaze me. They're in my bedroom system, so they don't often get cranked, but when they do I'm invariably impressed all over again. Win Burhoe surely created a low priced masterpiece, so good that he inspired the inverted-dome tweeters developed by Jacques Mahul of Focal (I own a pair of those too!)

Cheers,
Larry B.
 
spkrdtr said:
That would be Winslow Burhoe, the genius behind a number of speaker designs. You can read more about him at www.humanspeakers.com
. Here is a link to his most recent endeavor.....http://www.directacoustics.com/
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Has anyone here ever heard Winslow's Direct Acoustics speakers?
I've always been curious about them. Shaped like the 201/20+, but only a single 6.5" module instead of two 8" modules. Could they possibly be as good?
 
Back in the late 70's I had a stacked "Double Large Advent" setup which was great in the large room that I had then. I have 2 pairs of 100's and might set them up that way just for fun. Has anyone here tried this?
 
2526 said:
Replace the capacitor and experience an improvement.
Click to expand...

It's been replaced!

saea501 said:
This is due to a lack of power. The Kenwood doesn't have the ability to control the speaker as it needs to be. Note what KLH9 said above with regard to power and what he was driving his with. He is right.

The 100s will play and sound very good with just about anything driving them. However....if you want them to leave you standing in front of them with your mouth hanging open, you're going to need something with more authority to drive them.
Click to expand...

What minimum power would you recommend for these?
 
It isn't so much a recommended power number as it is the design of the power supply. All watts are not created equally depending on how the power supply is designed. A receiver and a properly designed separate power amp, both with a 100 watt per channel rated power output are going to perform very differently when connected to a demanding load. How fast an amplifier can charge a voice coil and, at the same time, recover it's power supply and be able to stop a drivers motion is where the difference can be heard. This is also where things start to become expensive from a design standpoint. Receivers are designed with a budget in mind first. Whereas, most power amps are designed from a performance point. Engineers are much more free to do what is necessary to achieve their performance goals.

Years ago Bedini made a 25 watt per channel power amp that would drive Mini Towers just about as loud as you'd ever want to hear them.. Yet a 25 watt per channel receiver would get sucked right into the speaker wires trying to do the same thing. Bryston made a 60 watt per channel dual mono power amp that will simply run away from most any receiver rated at twice that power. So, the answer to your question of minimum recommended power isn't an easy one to answer.
 
I run my 201's with a Sansui 9090db, restored by Glenn (Echowars) which clips at 161 wpc.

They sound glorious, but I still agree with Saea501, and one day intend to connect them to my M504 power amp (165 wpc, dual mono)
 
You have yourself a great set of speakers. I own a set myself and felt the same way about their amazing performance.
 
I'm new to AudioKarma but have been playing around with vintage stereo stuff for years. I recently acquired a set of EPI M100s that are in decent shape but with one dead tweeter. These are the rubber surround woofer models. The cabinets are ok, the price was right. I know HumanSpeakers has the masonite speaker to replace my bad unit, but, being in Canada, the cost is prohibitive. What I did was buy a pair of Sound Dynamics spun aluminum tweeters (no ferro-fluid, I understand) and made minor cabinet mods to fit these. They actually sound great. My question is, given that most EPI fans recommend replacing the cap crossovers with new 10uf units, would that still stand with the different tweeters? Is there now a different rating of cap that I should use? I am driving the system with a new NAD 356BEE integrated amp. Yes, I love vintage stereo stuff of all kinds, but there is something to be said for a solid piece at the centre of it all to base opinions and assumptions from. Thanks to any input, and I really enjoy the back and forth exchange on this site. Such a wealth of knowledge out there.
 
I owned a pair of Epicure m-100's way back when and like most guys moving up the audio chain let them go,i cant even remember to whom or the transaction.
Flash forward to a couple weeks ago I stumbled upon a pair again,first series with the inverted dome tweeter and woofer with the rubber surrounds,nice thick cabinets walnut veneer,bit scratched up but an easy fix.
I immediately unhooked the jbls in my second tube system and ran them for a day,everything tested/working well
I actually am amazed at the sound from these little 2-ways,no where near as efficient as what I use these days but great detail with 60 watts of tube power

hunter
 
I am on a quest to find the best sound for the lowest buck outlay, but not willing to give up on sound quality. I know the sound is out there. So far, I have bought and sold various Advents (Baby II, NLA, 1, 2 and3) and loved them, Klipsch Heresy 1 (probably not driving them with the right equipment), Boston A100s, KEF Coda, Cerwin-Vega D2. Had new Paradigm 9v2 (didn't impress unless driven hard, likewise Polk RTi10). Have some Paisley as well, and RTR 8 which are incredible. I am looking for that magic low volume sound (is that an oxymoron?) that thrills whenever you walk back into the room. Funny, today I am listening to a pair of Tannoy C-6 (Canadian made by API) that I bought for $20. Wonderful full sound, backed up by a Yamaha powered sub-woofer (long ago stopped looking for an affordable speaker that can cover all bases!).
 
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