Suggestions for next speakers

[achelgeson]

I know recommendations are asked a lot here, so I'll make it short.
I bought some nice Epos Epic 2 bookshelf speakers which I am very satisfied with. They were on sale for $400 a pair, even their original $800 price is worth the investment. I wanted to ask if anyone here either owns or has heard the Epic 2s, or the other Epos lines like their new Elan line. I would like to get a pair of floorstanders for my next purchase, I can't really find anywhere near me to audition stuff from Epos, but I'm also interested in other brands like KEF, B&W, or maybe going vintage. Suggestions?
edit: Also, I forgot to mention I really like nice deep bass in speakers. I prefer warm sound without all that piercing treble detail, if that helps.

 

[Gang-Twanger]

What do you plan to use for amplification, how big is the room, and what kind of music do you listen to with them?

Sorry, this one slipped by us.

Right away, I would suggest the modern Wharfedale models. They get great reviews and they fit square in the middle of the "warm, smooth, lively" category. I have 5 pairs of the old ones myself (Pictures in the "Albums" section on my profile page). I like a cozy speaker with lots of personality. A real music-lover's speaker. Plus, the old ones are not finicky about room-size (Not sure what the story is with the modern ones, but I hear nothing but raves about the sound... I'd love to compare the new ones to the old ones sometime... The old ones like I have use cone-tweeters, but the company started using dome-tweeters around the mid '60's... Everything before that used the cones). I run mine with Fisher tube power. Warm, smooth, and very-musical. Non-fatiguing and great at low volume levels (Plus, they really nail the classic-rock and everything else from that era).

 

[achelgeson]

What do you plan to use for amplification, how big is the room, and what kind of music do you listen to with them?

Sorry, this one slipped by us.

Right away, I would suggest the modern Wharfedale models. They get great reviews and they fit square in the middle of the "warm, smooth, lively" category. I have 5 pairs of the old ones myself (Pictures in the "Albums" section on my profile page). I like a cozy speaker with lots of personality. A real music-lover's speaker. Plus, the old ones are not finicky about room-size (Not sure what the story is with the modern ones, but I hear nothing but raves about the sound... I'd love to compare the new ones to the old ones sometime... The old ones like I have use cone-tweeters, but the company started using dome-tweeters around the mid '60's... Everything before that used the cones). I run mine with Fisher tube power. Warm, smooth, and very-musical. Non-fatiguing and great at low volume levels (Plus, they really nail the classic-rock and everything else from that era).

Thanks for the suggestion! I definitely like the sound of that, especially since my view of "warm" sounding speakers would be too boomy or bloated for someone else. So the way you describe Wharfedale speakers sounds like I would like them a lot. I'm thinking the Diamond 10 line, like the 10.5 would be perfect, and pretty affordable for a new pair of floorstanders. I'll have to find a place where I can audition them.
In response to your question about amplification, I have both a new Yamaha A-S300 as well as a vintage Nakamichi TA-2A. Both output around 60 watts at 8 ohms. I'm currently using the Yamaha for the Epic 2s, plenty of power. As for the size of the room, small to medium, about 15x20 feet. I plan on moving all my stuff to my bigger basement. With the Epic 2s playing in that bigger room it still sounds great, could possibly use a tiny bit more bass, but I sometimes adjust the bass on the amp.
As for music, I listen to mostly pop, classic rock, 80s, acoustic, and a little soundtrack/classical.

 

[cubdog]

Keep in mind, and this is not to be taken as an insult, but Gang-Twanger will recommend Wharfedales to basically anyone on this site asking for a speaker recommendation. They are nice speakers, I like them too, but take a deep breath and settle in. You will, without doubt, get many recommendations and a lot of good ones. My only recommendation is that you take your time, listen to whatever speakers you can and don't rush the process. I see many who buy first, evaluate second, then repeat over and over. While this can be fun it also can get very expensive.

cubdog

 

[icenine]

Yeah and the old Wharfedales will give you a hernia if you are not careful they weigh so much. I had a of W70ds that sounded ok but the tweeters were not original...and the purple tweeters after 50 years will have to be replaced or fixed most likely.

If you can snag a pair of KEFs 104/2s on the cheap do so.....and if you really love non-fatiguing speakers Snell Type III Es are also great if you can get a pair but the woofers will need re-foaming and if damaged new drivers are not that cheap.

Of course a pair of DCM Timeframe 250s and a subwoofer is the key to much magic at a low cost.

 

[achelgeson]

Yeah and the old Wharfedales will give you a hernia if you are not careful they weigh so much. I had a of W70ds that sounded ok but the tweeters were not original...and the purple tweeters after 50 years will have to be replaced or fixed most likely.

If you can snag a pair of KEFs 104/2s on the cheap do so.....and if you really love non-fatiguing speakers Snell Type III Es are also great if you can get a pair but the woofers will need re-foaming and if damaged new drivers are not that cheap.

Of course a pair of DCM Timeframe 250s and a subwoofer is the key to much magic at a low cost.

Have you tried the KEF 103/3s? I found a pair by me, I was thinking of having a listen to them. I'm sure they would be at least a little similar to the 104/2s no?