excellent reproduction of sound for the limited bass possible in a bookshelf design

none for the design

Everyone is listing their Epicures and EPI's here so here's my tale.My model 5's were purchased in 1979.They if I remeber correctly are a bit smaller than the 4's that alot of you own.They share the unique 1" air spring tweeter design and 6" woofer/midrange. Recommended power rating on these is 10-80 watts.Frequency response is given at 50 to 20,000 Hz. Yeah I would like a sub to go with 'em, but why do they sound better than any other loudspeaker I've heard in the mid and upper frequencies? I've replaced the woofer surrounds myself recently and they sound wonderful. The factory had to replace one tweeter and three of the woofer drivers over the first 6 years but thankfully there has been no driver failure since. I would recommend Epicure speakers to anyone shopping for vintage speakers!

Similar Products Used:

bad mini-system speakers(G.E. and Sounddesign)and some vintage Jensen bookshelf speakers which were still around to restore

This was one of the greatest steals in the history of audio and yet one of the saddest stories. Epicure made a line of speakers in the late 1980's and early 1990's, labled Model 1 through Model 5, that simply leveled all competition at bargain prices. Sadly, they had a run of speakers shipped with internal woofer cables not attached. Although it was a simple fix for anyone, even with little to no electronics knowlege, it was enough for "Consumer Reports" to blast the product and cause its downfall. (I can only assume that if Bose had made this same mistake it would have been ignored by all the major reviewers...) If you ever stumble upon a pair of these speakers used, BUY THEM! These speakers had it all: seemless imaging, dynamic power, deep bass, soft tones... I bought a pair of Model 4's, for $300, when I worked for a major audio retailer in Chicago in 1989. Even though we stocked the full line of KEF, plus JBL, and other "big" names, these Epicures were our finest sounding speakers. The model 4 was a 2 way monitor and my personal favorite. The flagship model 1's and model 2 towers were also outstanding, but I liked the neutrality of the 2 way design. I certainly hope that another manufacturer can bring out a comparable product in the future. This design should be emulated!

Imaging is superb and it is such a SIMPLE design. I agree with one of the other posts on this subject: Sometimes SIMPLE is BEST! Tight bass and drums and brilliantly crisp, natural highs! Set your EQ's right to preferred volume and what you're listening to and this speaker experience will open a whole new door! HONESTLY!(I have owned a bunch o speakers and I'm a fulltime DJ, I'd like to think I know sound...LOL!)

Truly haven't found any, yet!I would say you wouldn't want to put on the extra serving of bass on top of letting out on any "loudness" control on top of full out volume listening to rap.I don't like that muddyass sound anyway and whoever invented oughtta be put on The Green Mile! I like my bass and drums tight like George Clinton and Larry Graham meant it to be!

I bought my pair of Model 11's at a thrift store for $15.00! I was excited just by how well these beautiful speakers had been taken care of and I remember when I was younger hearing great things about Epicure. Was I EVER in for a surprise when I got these home!!! I hooked them up and to my surprise they just BLEW ME AWAY! They actually worked and PERFECTLY! This led me to open the front grilles to see just what was in these things and what I found was lots of medium large (obviously very insulated and ported cabinet with a 6 INCH WOOFER and a funny looking inverted tweeter (which upon first look I thought was pushed in). Went to the web and found the HUMAN SPEAKERS site to find I had stumbled into the best little deal in thrift shop history! I am VERY excited about these natural sounding speakers and I have been playing everything from classical to hip hop and all out Metallica through them and they love ANYTHING you put through them! Even some of my 50's vintage jazz LP's came back with a new life! You can hear Charlie Parker taking breaths when wailing bebop on the sax! You will hear subtle midrange things on certain recordings that you didn;t realize were there.This was my expreience with all the songs I tested them with in the first 30 minutes of hooking up!
I would highly suggest if you are lucky enough to find a pair of these gems,BUY THEM! I feel like a got $1500 worth of speaker for $15.00. In closing, I have asked myself EVERY time I play them, "Who the hell put these speakers out to pasture and WHY...?" Then I think of ALL the so called GREAT speakers I have owned with their so called fancy designs and smile and think,"I actually own these babies!" Any time anyone is in my home and hears these things (even in the background) they ask, "What kind of speakers are you using?" If people think this so called digital ready crap they sell today is ready for anything, they have yet to go back to 1970's and hear what REALLY sounded good. Thanks for reading! I'm KEEPING mine!

Similar Products Used:

Boston Accoustics, Infinity, Klipsch...SCREW BOSE...that's overpriced bourgeouis bullhockey!

good

tweeters

i have epi 120 te's
i blew a tweeter, and had a hard time finding a replacement.
DO NOT USE WWW. HUMANSPEAKERS.COM. this guy took my money, waited two months to return my speaker (because it was too hot in new hampshire for him to work) and when i got the wpeaker back, it doesn't work.
go somewhere else if you have epi's that need repair
by the way, they are incomparable speakers.

full sound, wide sweet spot

dry rot

I'm surprised to find that the best sweet spot for these old T/E 100+ speakers is the lack of one. It's Everywhere!

The full sound is still surprising with their shabby condition. Internal insullation is compressed, and the 8" woofers are suffering from dry rot. I wish there were good replacement components other than www.Humanspeakers.com

Similar Products Used:

Bose 501 model A

Full, rich sound. Handles full spectrum of music flawlessly. Reproduces sound the way it was recorded.

none

I purchased my Epicure Model 2's in 1988 while upgrading from an earlier system. I had been considering Bose, Boston Accoustics and Infinity for my main speakers when a salesman showed me the model 2's that were on sale. They immediately stood out and I bought them for $500 (I believe they retailed for $800). It is still the most proud purchase I have made. I just upgraded my system again to 'home theater' with Pioneer receiver,Sony DVD, and Acoustic Research surround/center speakers. The best component is still my Epicures. Guests and friends often compliment their sound. They work effortlessly and fill the room with full-spectrum sound and terrific imaging. The bass is tight and low and the midrange is very impressive. I have had no mechanical problems. My only regret was not purchasing the Model 3's when I had the chance. I was disapointed to read another reviewer describe Epicure's downfall. If you are considering buying a used pair I highly recommend them.

I am missing the specs on these speakers. If anyone else has this info on the Model 2's, please write a review or drop me an email.

Similar Products Used:

AR and Bose (overrated!)

I recently stumbled across a pair Model 4....First off I was impressed by the cabinet work....After plugging the speakers and playing my favorite tunes, I started to innocently look around and behind the speaker to see if any subw was somewhere! How childish! These are fairly small speakers with a giant sound.I have been listening and owning countless amount of speakers. These are just simply GREAT! nice stylish ported vent. I was so curious that I decided to open the cabinet to only find quite conventional drivers, and super simple crossover filter. After bolting the hex nuts I decided to accept the fact that sometimes simple can mean better.....If you need some fairly smal land efficient speakers that can also not get you in trouble with your wife because of taste or design, grab some Model 4!