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January 29, 2008 - 5:13am
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Epos mi series
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I got an email from my dealer today that they will be arriving in the US at the end of march. The midrange driver is different and there was a slight change in the metal dome tweeter. Also cabinets look a lot better than the older ones. I was about to upgrade my ELS-3 to the M12.2 but after hearing of this I might just wait. Maybe I will just upgrade all the way to the M22i depending on how good they sound once my dealer gets them in.
Thanks for the feedback! I re-read the product description and caught the details you mentioned. There are 2 Epos dealers here in Baltimore but, unfortunately, neither have any models for demo. Having heard a pair of Epos, years ago, I remember being most impressed. There are several dealers in southern PA and in NJ...I'll be contacting them to see if/when they'll be getting any of the new models in stock.
Keep us posted which model you decide on. Thanks again.
As a long-time fan of Epos, this line looks very exciting. Many small(and big) imporovements that will bring an already excellent line that much further up. To me Epos has always been the "Pro-Ac on a budget" line, but some of these new tower models get them closer to their bigger siblings, but I still bet for less money.
A good discussion can be viewed at the Creek/Epos forum.
http://www.eposandcreek.com/showthread.php?t=360
dbowker,
Thanks for the heads-up on the forum...went there asking about the new speaker line. Years back I heard a pair of M12s and was most impressed and beings I'm in the market for a new system I want to hear what floorstanders Epos is offering.
Not familiar with Pro-Ac but will check them out. I don't know of any dealers in the Baltimore/DC area so I'll do some research.
Thanks for the input.
Mike
I just got word that Epos has increased the prices across the board through the entire Mi line. The M22i got an increase of $500 over the 22.2 @ $2500. The M16i is now $2000 where the M22.2 used to be at $500 increase as well. The M12i is now $1200 with $300 price increase and the M5i is now $999 with an almost $400 increase. Honestly at these prices Epos has now lost their value for the money when compared to other manufacturers.
I am now looking into Quad and their L2 line which from what I have read have now gotten very good reviews. I will still be auditioning the new Epos but the dealer also carries Quad so with these new prices it doesn't look very good for Epos.
If Epos is still doing their crossovers the old way they always did..then there is no reason that Epos speakers could not 'slay' almost any competition. Why? The woofers are rolling off 'naturally', with no crossover. This means, only a capacitor on the tweeter, and thus a minimal 90 degree phase shift, which is half the normal amount of shift, in a regular crossover.
This means that harmonics AND fundamentals have 'transient phase agreeance' that is far beyond the majority of speakers out there. This means that the speaker will sound more dynamic, alive, lush, with drive, rhythm, pace, slam, etc.
This aspect of Epos speakers has always been their strongest point.
The caveat being that they have not changes this practice, of course.
Building high fidelity speakers this way requires woofer design skills that are beyond even the vast majority of driver supply companies. It is a delicate and near impossible balancing act, the evidence being that so few companies try it. The balancing act is in the perfect roll off of the woofer's high frequency output- naturally- with low distortion. It is mind-bendingly difficult to achieve.
One of the local dealers who carries Epos also sells Quad. I gave a listen to the 22L2 and they are everything the reviews claim. I've also had a chance to hear the Epos M16 (not the M16i) and found them quite enjoyable. As KBK pointed out there was a very natural roll-off...the cross-over as he stated - I guess. Hope to hear the M16i and find out if the price increase is warranted.
Did you end up auditioning the M16i? I'm also interested in the new Epos releases & can't wait to hear them (just need to find the time).
What did you think of the M16i if you did hear them?
Other speakers on my audition list are: Rega R3, Monitor Audio RS6, Mordaunt-Short Mezzo 6, KEF iQ7, Tannoy Revolution, to name a few.
Also...I'm spending most of my budget on the speakers so if you have any good recommendations on a good budget amp (I'm thinking NAD right now), I'd appreciate it.
Cheers!
PS - My room is quite large (30' x 17')
I did listen to both the M16 and M16i, but not via the same electronics so I couldn't tell any difference between them. Both sounded very nice, full range at moderate levels. I also listened to the M22 and these, too, had a great sound along with more bass.
The Rega 3 is the only one of these that I've heard...sounded different than the Epos but still a nice listen. Personal choice I guess.
I have been able to listen to the M12 driven by various NAD amp/cdp combinations and the sound was most pleasant. Through some speakers the NAD gear, sometimes, sounded a little bright. But through the M12 it was a very pleasant listen. Like yourself I plan on spending a majority of the budget on speakers and am considering buying NAD to drive them. Now it is just a matter of chooing the right Epos/NAD combination.
Considering the size of the room you have I'd go with the M22/M22i with an NAD 372(?) amp.