Very detailed speakers, but not an unanimous reccomendation.
I have heard them sound a definite 5-star rating when plugged into very forward equipment (Naim CD3.5/NAC92/NAP90(x3)), as they are desinged to be very tonally neutral, and are designed on the end on Naim equipment)

When plugged into my Audiolab gear (CDM/DAC/S/PX/PX), however, they are terrible. Detail is immense, much more so than in the Naim system, but they are not even remotely musical. This is basically because an entirely neutral, analytical, balanced system like this has no soul! Here they would get a 2-star rating. Audiolab gear needs speakers which create the "air-guitar factor".

Overall, for technical excellence when in the right system, I would give them 4, but the problem is also that they do not go loud easily, and harden up a lot as volume increases. Also bass is not entirely as powerful as it should be (albeit very taut and rhythmic). So they only get a 3 I'm afraid.

Detailed, punchy and well extended bass, good rhythm, wonderful midrange and covers a wide frequency response; ie 38Hz to 22Khz. Great for jazz. In my opinion, this is the best Epos speakers to date.

Interesting to read the Greg's review.... I have auditioned the exact same system as him, and found the sound to be much too clinical. No warmth or airiness. I really thought that the Audiolab amplification matched it in spirit, so I kept trying different sources and eventually settled on a Micromega Stage 6 and DAC setup, and that seemed to be an excellent combo. In any case, I would strongly recommend biamplification as the speakers do need a lot of juice to drive them properly, and also to take advantage of the tri-wiring.... I started off with jsut the Audiolab 8000S and the 60W didin't seem enough to create a good soundstage and detail. Bi-amp definitely gave the speakers the life they were craving for to perform.
Overall, the speakers are about conveying music without any coloration and enhancements. The treble is fantastic, the timbre delicate and precise without sounding grainy or metallic. The midrange is superb, both voices and acoustic instruments sound realistic and three-dimensional without any added brightness. The bass could use a little more "umph," but it is taught and fast, no boominessa nd is well balanced with the rest. Maybe it's my cables (Van den Hul Snowtracks) All together, it delivers a rich sound with detail, power and precision. The only negative I can attribute to it is with orchestral recordings when it lacks slightly in airiness and openness--or is it beacuse of my 15ft high ceilings??--though horizontal soundstage is good.

I listen almost exclusively to jazz, and if you like vocals and accoustical instruments (studio and live) played back with detail, realism and liveliness, this is the best speaker at this price range, definitely among the many I auditoned. If on the other hand you like pop music and like a bright,shiny or heavy bass, go for something else.

Beautiful,Small,Light,BIG SOUND!

Low Bass

First a note about bass,these speakers go low and do so quickly,tightly,and with plenty of punch.If I felt the need I would add a veodyne 10" to my system,belive me this would cure any bass issues.

these speakers need high quality electronics to make them sound good. Period!! And dont over do it with the power! these epos 22's only need 100 watts max per speaker!!
Believe me when I tell you this because I blew the mids and had to replace them (I was stupidly driving them with 200 watts!) Since then I've learned to really appreciate these speakers. they take forever to break in ,but when they do they will reproduce all the subtle nuances and truly kick butt too!!! I listen to jazz and rock mainly and some r&b and classical.ES22's are a real steal right now to. I love these speakers so much I bought 2 more!

source equipment:
Cal Labs Icon mkll PowerBoss CD
McIntosh C15 Pre
McIntosh 7104 4ch Power Amp (100 watts per spk)
4-Epos 22's
Kimber cables
Audioquest Crystal Tri-wired

Similar Products Used:

Mirage M-3, McIntosh XR-5,XR-7's

recently purchased a set in cherry for $1395.00 new. after running them for over 40 hours they are getting better all the time. the bass has tightened up immensely. probably the most open, neutral sounding speaker i have ever auditioned. recommend using the spikes on any floor that is not concrete, otherwise bass can be overwhelming. the dealer said to try them out for as long as it takes, but i have no intention of sending them back. i have found that they are somewhat power hungry. i am using an adcom 555, 565, audioquest cables, nak mb1, and adcom 700dac.

I think Epos es-22 is the best loudspeaker that epos acoustics ever done.It givea great musical,sound-stage and more.If you have any comment ,please e-mail to me.

Rich sound, mid range clarity, tight bass

Needs good partner equipment, and lots of power

I have lived with the EPOS ES22's for over a Yr, and have been totally impressed - Not surprising, as I am a long time EPOS fan having owned ES11's previously.
I agree with many of the comments from previous reviewers, espceially the one on tonal neutrality.
I am not at all surprised at the number of comments on NAIM aplification, given the fact that these speakers were designed for use with NAIM equipment.
I am currently using these speakers with a NAC72 Hicap/NAP 140 pre-power, and Meridian front end. Although the combination sounds excellent, the way forward for me is a NAP250, or possibly a pair of 135 monoblocks. I have heard the EPOS with the NAP250, and the improvement over the lower powered 140 is unbelievable.
These speakers are just brilliant, and will support endless upgrades - definately 5 stars

These units are very British speaker typical. No coloration, no artifical enhancement. Just very exacting reproduction. The units are fairly compact and provide a very warm sound and are able to reproduce most kinds of music. I feel they are particularly strong with vocals; Fitzgerald, Sinatra or Lenox. Sound is quick/tight. Soundstage is much better than average. Since EPOS was taken over by Creek Audio, there are a lot of demo units that remain unsold at former dealers. They are a terrific value.

While not tempramental they really benefit from a good amp. I use a Conrad-Johnson Premier 11a (70watts) and my source is a Meridian 508.20 (with 24bit upgrade). Pre-amp is a Creek passive type that is really only a volume control. Gladly the Meridian remote controls the Creek too.

The tri-wire cabling is not required but preferred. There is provided a dodgy work around with gold bars and allow a single wire type cable. Tri-wiring is best. Could do with a bit more bass but EPOS has larger models es25 and es30 to address that.

I think that if you can buy them used or as demo units, these speakers can make any system sound better but they really hit their stride when coupled with a good amp and source material. Highly recommended and a terrific value

Similar Products Used:

I have only directly compared the new Audio Agile Step speaker system. Although more sensitive than the EPOS the EPOS remain superior; very warm, clean and clear sounding.