Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Old-home week.

I got in another pair of Eposes—updated from the originals. Sound is quite close to the Thiel CS1.2—both are equipped with metal-dome tweeters. The Thiels, being made in the US, are perhaps a better buy. And they don't need stands. The Eposes are $1200/pair, plus $200 for stands. I wish they cost $995/pair, in which case I could recommend them with greater enthusiasm. As it is, I'd have to give the nod to the Thiels. They look better, too.

I didn't have the Thiels on hand for direct comparison, so this is dicey. I think the Eposes image a little better—more pinpoint. They disappear a little more than the Thiels—I could close my eyes and not be certain where the speakers were. But the Thiels are probably a touch smoother. Very close, though. The Eposes struck me as a little rough-sounding through the upper midrange—a tad too steely on strings. This, primarily, is what distinguishes the Eposes from other, more expensive, metal-dome-tweeter-equipped speakers. The Eposes benefit greatly from tubes, which help tame the metal domes a tad.

Audition the Eposes—they're excellent examples of less being more. The very antithesis of the Acoustats. If you like the Eposes, go audition the Thiels, too, as well as the once-more-available British Fidelity MC2s, which are about the same size as the Eposes, have metal-dome tweeters, and cost only $650/pair sans stands. I expect to receive a pair shortly.