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Epi 120 ?

e163

e163

Member
Saw a pair of EPI 120 at thrift store. Seems some folks here like those EPI's so I thought would check with you AKers. No grill, heavy, cabinets not too bad, surrounds shot. They were priced at at $25/pair.Here's the ?: The cone of the speaker seemed to have a clear plastic-like coating. Is this stock? I noticed a sticker on the rear from a repair business on the rear dated early '90's :scratch2:
 
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That's not a coating. Later TE series woofers had cones made from some wizz-bang flexible plastic/polymer material. TE/100's are decent, if not spectacular, little speakers, so I would think 120's would be as well.
 
I have a pair of EPI 120C that have paper cones...

Just a guess, but what you are describing doesn't sound like original equipment to me.

A photo might help....
 
hpsenicka said:
I have a pair of EPI 120C that have paper cones...

Just a guess, but what you are describing doesn't sound like original equipment to me.

A photo might help....
Click to expand...

OP didn't specifically say if they were TE series or not, but TE/120's look like this crummy picture, which shows a woofer like I was talking about:
 

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Yep, Toze's pic is exactamungally what I have out in the shed. Those shiny woogers are the real deal.

That's a very decent score for $25.00 and will be solid speakers after a refoam.
 
In the 80's EPI made the Time/Energy or T/E series. The woofers were made of foam paper with a lexan overlay glued on top. The surrounds were an extrnsion of the underlying foam/paper material. 25 bucks is a good price.
 
Not sure if this helps or simply obfuscates, but here's what an original EPI 120 (well, OK, an EPI 120C) 10-inch, paper woofer looks like. I just happened to have one, until recently.
 

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Yeah, looked like Tentoze's pix.
Thanks. Now there was also a pair of Pioneer HPM 40 for $40 there that didn't have the problem with the surrounds. Which would you go for? :scratch2:
I think I'm a bit out of control and I blame AK :banana:
 
I'd take on a pair of project EPI's, even from the later T/E series, over a six pack of those other ones, but I'm kinda hard-headed about such things.
 
Extrapolating from my HPM-100s (2 steps up) and EPI M100s (1 step down), I'd get the EPIs. That's assuming the EPI foam issue isn't a problem in some way I don't know about.
If it was HPM-100s, I'd lean that way.
 
I am a little worried. I am not very technical. I haven't soldered anything in more than 38 years! I read one thread where the person was having a heck of a time with refoaming. Frightened me, that's for sure.If I can get them you can be sure you'll hear about it 'cuz I'll be here asking for help :D
 
I'm with the others, having done A/B comparisons between a pair each of Pioneer HPM-40 Series IIs and EPI 120Cs, hands down the winner was the EPI. The sound was much smoother, esp. with the treble, and had deeper, tighter (non-ported design) bass. Granted the HPMs were more efficient, but not by a noticeable margin for most purposes.

- JP
 
The EPI speakers (at least the older ones) are very easy to refoam. The Lexan-coated woofers may be a bit tricker, but it can be done by the average refoamer. Gary Kaufman refoamed a pair of T/E 70's I gave him for his niece (IIRC) and reported no problems.
 
LOL Wank and PM,
I'll be sure to take pix. Hopefully they will still be there and I can get a price break: "Hey, these speakers are all ripped up!" :yes:
 
mhardy6647 said:
The Lexan-coated woofers may be a bit tricker, but it can be done by the average refoamer.
Click to expand...

I'd say I'm a very average refoamer, and even with installing the foam under the cone (ala original) instead of on top (ala most other speaks), it wasn't a big deal.
 
tentoze said:
I'd say I'm a very average refoamer, and even with installing the foam under the cone (ala original) instead of on top (ala most other speaks), it wasn't a big deal.
Click to expand...

Ditto that. The T/E 70's I just did were actually about as easy a refoam as I've done. Obviously the 70's aren't 120's, but I'd take HPM-40's over the T/E 70's all day long. About an hour with the EPI's was all I could take. However, I would expect the balance of the 120's to be much better, FWIW. - Mark
 
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