Americans might be forgiven if they haven't heard of Epos. A small, British specialist loudspeaker manufacturer, it was founded in 1983 by its designer, Robin Marshall—an ex-BBC engineer and a onetime consultant to Monitor Audio, according to Roy Hall of Epos's US importer, Music Hall. Their first model, the ES 20, didn't make it to the US, and was apparently a bit too pricey in the UK to make much of a splash there (about £700, $1300 at the current rate of exchange—a mint in a country with the patent on sub-$500/pair (UK prices!) two-ways). In 1986 or thereabouts, the new, smaller ES 14 was introduced, using updated versions of the same drivers in a smaller, ported cabinet. Music Hall only recently began importing the Epos into the US.

<B>STEVE EARLE: <I>Train a Comin'</I></B><BR> Steve Earle, guitar, harmonica, vocals; Peter Rowan, guitar, mandolin, mandola, vocals; Norman Blake, guitar, dobro, fiddle, Hawaiian guitar; Roy Huskey, acoustic bass; Emmylou Harris, vocals<BR> Winter Harvest WH 3302-2 (CD only). Steve Earle, William Alsobrook, prods.; Wayne Neuendorf, Mike Elliot, engs. ADD. TT: 40:01

Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius&mdash;arguably the greatest one of our generation. He designed and built the electronics for Mobile Fidelity's SuperMaster and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//interviews/478/">David Wilson</A>'s (of Wilson Audio) UltraMaster tape recorders, two of the three best analog recorders in the world. (The other is Keith Johnson's home-brew unit.) He designed the JC-1 head amp and JC-2 preamplifier sold under the Mark Levinson name some years ago. He designed head amps for SOTA, Michaelson & Austin (TVA), and has done consulting work for more high-end companies than you can shake a stick at.

Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius&mdash;arguably the greatest one of our generation. He designed and built the electronics for Mobile Fidelity's SuperMaster and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//interviews/478/">David Wilson</A>'s (of Wilson Audio) UltraMaster tape recorders, two of the three best analog recorders in the world. (The other is Keith Johnson's home-brew unit.) He designed the JC-1 head amp and JC-2 preamplifier sold under the Mark Levinson name some years ago. He designed head amps for SOTA, Michaelson & Austin (TVA), and has done consulting work for more high-end companies than you can shake a stick at.

Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius&mdash;arguably the greatest one of our generation. He designed and built the electronics for Mobile Fidelity's SuperMaster and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//interviews/478/">David Wilson</A>'s (of Wilson Audio) UltraMaster tape recorders, two of the three best analog recorders in the world. (The other is Keith Johnson's home-brew unit.) He designed the JC-1 head amp and JC-2 preamplifier sold under the Mark Levinson name some years ago. He designed head amps for SOTA, Michaelson & Austin (TVA), and has done consulting work for more high-end companies than you can shake a stick at.

Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius&mdash;arguably the greatest one of our generation. He designed and built the electronics for Mobile Fidelity's SuperMaster and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//interviews/478/">David Wilson</A>'s (of Wilson Audio) UltraMaster tape recorders, two of the three best analog recorders in the world. (The other is Keith Johnson's home-brew unit.) He designed the JC-1 head amp and JC-2 preamplifier sold under the Mark Levinson name some years ago. He designed head amps for SOTA, Michaelson & Austin (TVA), and has done consulting work for more high-end companies than you can shake a stick at.

Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius&mdash;arguably the greatest one of our generation. He designed and built the electronics for Mobile Fidelity's SuperMaster and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//interviews/478/">David Wilson</A>'s (of Wilson Audio) UltraMaster tape recorders, two of the three best analog recorders in the world. (The other is Keith Johnson's home-brew unit.) He designed the JC-1 head amp and JC-2 preamplifier sold under the Mark Levinson name some years ago. He designed head amps for SOTA, Michaelson & Austin (TVA), and has done consulting work for more high-end companies than you can shake a stick at.

Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius&mdash;arguably the greatest one of our generation. He designed and built the electronics for Mobile Fidelity's SuperMaster and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//interviews/478/">David Wilson</A>'s (of Wilson Audio) UltraMaster tape recorders, two of the three best analog recorders in the world. (The other is Keith Johnson's home-brew unit.) He designed the JC-1 head amp and JC-2 preamplifier sold under the Mark Levinson name some years ago. He designed head amps for SOTA, Michaelson & Austin (TVA), and has done consulting work for more high-end companies than you can shake a stick at.

Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius&mdash;arguably the greatest one of our generation. He designed and built the electronics for Mobile Fidelity's SuperMaster and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//interviews/478/">David Wilson</A>'s (of Wilson Audio) UltraMaster tape recorders, two of the three best analog recorders in the world. (The other is Keith Johnson's home-brew unit.) He designed the JC-1 head amp and JC-2 preamplifier sold under the Mark Levinson name some years ago. He designed head amps for SOTA, Michaelson & Austin (TVA), and has done consulting work for more high-end companies than you can shake a stick at.

Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius&mdash;arguably the greatest one of our generation. He designed and built the electronics for Mobile Fidelity's SuperMaster and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com//interviews/478/">David Wilson</A>'s (of Wilson Audio) UltraMaster tape recorders, two of the three best analog recorders in the world. (The other is Keith Johnson's home-brew unit.) He designed the JC-1 head amp and JC-2 preamplifier sold under the Mark Levinson name some years ago. He designed head amps for SOTA, Michaelson & Austin (TVA), and has done consulting work for more high-end companies than you can shake a stick at.