Ruark Epilogue II Bookshelf Speakers
Ruark Epilogue II Bookshelf Speakers
USER REVIEWS
[Mar 16, 2004]
Nathan the Limey
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Fantastic treble- perfect. Clear natural midrange. Lovely finish & build quality. Not a hint of boom until..
Weakness:
struggles when pushed for asked to do high SPL /low frequency. Rear ported, so can't be mounted in a bookshelf (despite being bookshelf size speaker) These are great speakers. I used them for about 2 weeks, with Audiolab 8000S/8000SX combo, Rega Planet 2000. The Audiolabs have a slightly forward/detailed sound, so this can bring out the best (and worst) in speakers. These Ruarks a not harsh in the slightest. Glorious treble & natural midrange, very taut but punchy, good detail, width & depth to the image. However, sending full-range to the Epilogue's put too much strain on the little bass driver- playing back modern heavy bass heavy material, causing sonic degradation. Ideally you'll want to use a av pre-amp that's good for "Hi-Fi" to filter out the really low stuff (to reduce port noise and driver flapping)- allowing it to play cleaner. For vocals, jazz, soft ballads etc the speakers handle it easily. If my musical tastes were jazz and vocals- these would be my first choice. I moved up to the Etudes as these played the LF cleaner. The difference between 14 & 18 cm bass driver helped it out. Similar Products Used: Ruark Etude, Kef Q15, B&W 601. |