simplicity of design that rivals fullrange single driver units. no crossover or multiple drivers to screw things up here.

none really unless you like the overly bright tweeter of many modern designs.

i had not heard a pair of epi''s for neary 30years when i stumbled upon these in an ebay auction. a classic indeed that is only now getting it''s just reward.

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bozak-ess-klipsch

Woofer is not too bad. Actually has decent specs. Make sure you refoam

Tweeter, cabinet, crossover, build quality, and oh,yeah: SOUND

I THINK ALL THE POSITIVE REVIEWS HERE ARE WRITTEN BY THE DEAF!!! I recently grabbed my sister''s old EPI 100s which she had from new. They needed some help - I''LL SAY! Anyway, the woofer in these is not too bad, but the cabinet is thin, unbraced and adds a lot of resonance to the sound. I pulled the "inverted dome" tweeters and threw them in the trash where they belonged. Lined the cabinets with convoluted foam, stuffed the enclosure with Accoustuff, rewired, installed PROPER binding posts and then a Dayton (Parts Express) 1" soft dome tweeter with a polypropylene capacitor @ 16uF (threw the old EPI 10uF cheap cap away too!) and hooked them up. ALMOST LISTENABLE! But the cabinets will still need bracing. If you are into vintage speakers, forget these. Get some AR''s, swap out the tweeter and rewire with new caps and listen to a REAL speaker. Another alternative is a Dynaco A25, and again, a new Morel MDT 20 tweeter drops right in! As for these EPI''s: THEY SUCK!!!!! The "laid back sound" is the result of a tweeter that only served as a crude prototype for what Focal is doing today. I am not a snob - there are some truly GREAT old speakers that can be bought cheaply enough, the Dynaco A25 is a perfect example. If you MUST listen to these junks, do yourself a favor: replace the poor fiberglass lining with a modern convoluted foam and damp the cabinet with Dacron fill or Accoustuff and PLEASE rewire and REPLACE the 20 year old 10uF capacitor with a polypropylene unit to be had for about $3. You can not go wrong by THROWING AWAY the "tweeter" and getting the Dayton Silkie from Parts Express (about $16 with a SILK DOME!) In stock form these are just TERRIBLE!!! If you don''t believe me, A:B them to the Dynacos, which incidentally, use SEAS and Scan Speak drivers!!! By the way ALL the EPIs and EPICURES had the SAME crossover: a 10 cent 10uF electrolytic capacitor - SOME ENGINEERING!!!!! R.I.P. EPI!

Similar Products Used:

Dynaco A25''s (stock and modded) AR 3a (ditto) Both KILL the EPIs

excellent deep bass,smooth midrange and a laid back treble that is very easy on the ears.Superior , robust build quality.Still solid after 25 years

Compared to modern designs these speakers seem to lack the clarity and definition of many newer speakers today but they are far more listenable and musical in the long run!

I can see why their is an almost cult like following for the classic New England Sound type loudspeakers.Speakers produced by companies like Advent,AR,Genesis,EPI and Avid all seem to have that magical mix of smoothness and musicality.My EPI 100''s might not be the most highly detailed in sound reproduction but what it does is reproduce music totally natural and musical with out being shouty!It has that quiet sort of nuetrality about it that doesn''t call attention to itself.Music is reproduce in a nice coherent sound picture that gently pulls the listener in, instead of pushing you away like so many of the modern speakers today with their hot tweeters and forward midranges.Granted the treble is a little subdued in the EPI 100''s but this is what allows them to sound so musical with classical music and jazz.This is the New England Sound; speakers with excellent bass,musicality,smoothness,and a laid back treble perspective.These qualities allow the speakers to be listenable for many hours with no sign of listener fatique! They aren''t as crystal clear as many modern designs but they definitely aren''t fatiqueing to listen to either!Many modern designs can''t boast this aspect of performance.I imagine if their was a way to get modern drivers for my twenty five year old speakers their performance would exceed expensive modern designs(upwards a $1000 a pair) If you ever see a pair for sale buy them and see what the cult following is all about.

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JBL s38, Cambridge model six

great sound

I was also surprized to see the reviews of this old speaker. I owned a pair and liked their sound very much. Unfortunately, the tweeters went bad and the woofer foam needed replacement so I tossed them while moving. Now I wish I had spent some time repairing them because they really were a fine bookshelf speaker.

clarity, dynamic range, transient response

none for a bookshelf speaker

I was looking to upgrade from an older pair of Norman Lab model 8's and have a tight budget so I was checking reviews on this site. Then I headed to the local pawn shops looking for Infinity reference series. I live close to Ft. Hood and there are lots of pawn shops around. I did not find any Infinity's I was looking for but I saw this pair of EPI 100's tucked away behind their little computer speakers. They were vinyl models, weren't impressive to look at, looked like they had been there a while, and were marked $29.95. I had heard of Epicure spekers but didn't know anything about them so I decided to check them out here. There were 5 reviews for Epicure model 4's and one review for EPI 100,s. They were all glowing reviews so I rushed back and grabbed these as quick as I could. These are the best sounding speakers I have ever owned. The clarity. dynamic range and transient response are great. The sound and impact of drum strikes are as life-like as I have ever heard. Just add a good sub for the low bass response and you can,t ask for better sound. If you ever run across a pair of these you will definitely be pleased with them. By the way for those who want to know, there is a company that builds speakers modeled aater the old EPI design and they do repairs on all EPI and Epicure models. There address is www.humanspeakers.com.

Everything everyone else has said.

None that I remember given what they cost.

Recent reviews of this classic have triggered a rush of nostalgia. I bought a pair of EPI 100s in the early 70s after incorporating a digital time delay system avaailable in a unique component made by Audio Pulse, Inc. While the Audio Pulse unit was truely ahead of its time, the novelty of ambiance extraction aand variable delay features eventually wore off. I sold the unit but kept the speakers.

My EPI 100s served me extremely well for over 15 years and finished their tour of duty, ironically, as the rear channels in my 1st Dolby ProLogic system. I know they were
far from perfect but they were simply a joy to own.

Similar Products Used:

Celestion, Advent,

Fabulous highs and lows

None

I bought these in college back in 1984. They were phenomenal then, and now. Interesting sidebar, back in '95 I went to Jamaica. Before leaving I thoughtfully gave my then stupid, spiteful, and bitter(unknown at the time)housemate permission to use my Vector Research/EPI T.E.100 audio system. When I came back several nights later, the music was blasting at ear-piercing decibels. I look at my speakers with the foam surrounds in powder form on the floor. When confronted by me, my inebriated roomate acted as if he was struck with a stupidity stick. He had the surrounds replaced, but at hi volumes it sounds like they're blown still. (Since then, I have ceased our friendship). The moral of the story? Stupidity and a great audio system do not mix...........

Smooth, Clean, Dynamic with excellent bass for a 2 way bookshelf speaker

old and need repair

Wow, surprised to see that the speaker was even listed. I've had my EPI's since the early 80's (not 1995 as the review templet limited me) and don't want to part with them. Unfortunately, the foam has separated from the woofer and you don't want to know what it sounds like. Now I have the task of forcing myself (yeah right) to go to stereo stores, listening to Polk, B&W 602's, Klipsh Reference 5, and Paradigm Monitor and reference studio models. Salesmen hear what I have and "Wow, a blast from the past" and it's unfortunate that EPI is out of business because they made a GREAT inexpensive speaker that really spoiled me. While another reviewer indicated the Consumer Reports did them in...it was actually just the opposite. For years it was their #1 speaker choice -noting the smooth, accurate response over the entire range - and ultimately what brought them to my attention. I've listened to some great high end bookshelf speakers, with the B&W my favorite, but none really replace my EPI TE100 Plus! I am going to try and repair/refoam the woofers, which for $30 I have very little to lose. The speakers are that good that you go to that extreme. Keep your fingers crossed!

PS - Wouldn't touch Consumer Report's current (Feb 98 issue) #1 Bose Acoustimas 5. One listen to them kept them off my short list above. What was CR thinking.

Overall sound, Value

None

I got these from a relative who no longer wanted them. They are the most accurate sounding speakers I have ever heard! I knew nothing about them because they are so old but I was told that they were made around 1978 and cost $99.00. They are very heavy and well built. I can listen hour after hour to any type of music and I cannot believe how good they sound. The audiophile 'snobs' have bypassed these gems.....it's their lost. If you find a pair, buy them. In my opinion, if they were selling for $1000.00 today , they would be considered a bargain!!!

Linear frequency response, wide high frequency dispersion, very low distortion at all power levels.

None.

I have had the EPI T/E 100s since 1984. I would not part with them for 10 times what I originally paid for them. Simply put they have the cleanest sound that I have ever heard in their class. I am amazed at the bass response that these speakers produce (frequency response 40Hz-20KHz). I have have always enjoyed their sound in a stereo setup. Recently, I paired them with a Klipsch KSC C-1 center channel and Klipsch 1.1s as my surrounds in a home theater setup. I am using a Pioneer Elite VSX-59 to power the system. In a word the overall sonic effect is fantastic. The engineers at Epicure probably never envisioned home theater, but these speakers sound great in it.