Refinement on a Budget
September 2006

The key to any good home audio system is a fine pair of speakers. Get a good set, and you can enjoy them for years and build a fun and wonderful system around them. You can try out different amplifiers and sources and mix and match until you get your perfect sound. The key is finding that perfect pair.

But what’s perfect? That’s all relative to you and your needs and preferences. There are many questions that need to be answered in order to figure out your niche – and even then, there are many speakers for each niche! Questions such as: How big is your room? Are you a bass freak? Do you want bookshelf speakers, tiny mini-monitors or large towers? What’s your primary application – stereo music or home theater? What kind of amplifier will you be using – tubes, solid state, an HT receiver? These are all important questions you must answer before you can go on your hunt. Once you’ve answered them, you can narrow down your choices just a tiny bit.

For me, I prefer larger sized bookshelf type speakers. Why? They match all my current criteria: I live in a small apartment (with roommates) and I don’t have a lot of space for large towers or a surround sound system. For me, even adding a subwoofer is too complicated. I like to keep things simple. I like music in stereo, and I don’t want my system to take up a lot of space. I want two speakers to do as much as they possibly can for me while taking up as little space as possible. Oh yeah, my budget: under $1,000.

My search led me to Epos Loudspeakers. Distributed by reputable Hi-Fi man Roy Hall of Music Hall Audio, Epos boasts a consistently solid and well respected line of loudspeakers. I decided to give their large bookshelf – the M12.2 – an audition. They fit my criteria and I’d seen enough raves about them online to

Just the Facts

The Epos M12.2’s are very attractive and nicely finished speakers. They feature a very attractive ‘real wood veneer’ available in light or dark cherry, or black. Mine were black. They’re substantial speakers, weighing in at about 17 pounds each. The overall finish is very elegant. Nowhere on the speaker can you see any evidence of Epos attempting to cut corners. They're very classy looking speakers. They sport metal grills, a feature I don't recall having seen before. I found them a bit odd because I was concerned they might interfere with sound, but when you consider that the purpose of the speaker grill is to protect the drivers, it makes a lot of sense. A rigid metal is without a doubt a more effective protector than some flimsy cloth. I used them with and without the grills, generally preferring them wihtout the grills.

Sound

They were great at displaying the strengths of each amplifier and responded well, but comparisons between different amps also revealed their weakness.

Across the board, regardless of amp or source, the Epos M12.2 offered a crisp, coherent and open sound. They were able to play to each amps strength and downplay their weaknesses - in short, they sounded good with every amp I threw at them. At the same time, however, you could hear tremendous differences between amplifiers.

I had good luck with my 20 year old PS Audio Elite Plus Integrated Amplifier. Music was full and lively across the entire frequency spectrum. The midrange presentation of the Epos is intoxicating. I've never heard instruments sound so lifelike. Each instrument takes on a life of its own, with power, authority and vibrancy. It all made for a truly three dimensional musical experience. On the high end of the frequency spectrum, things were not quite as perfect. Higher frequncies were extended and sweet, but by the same token, could be somewhat bright and strident. This aluminum tweeter didn't sugar coat things. It gives you the recording as is.

I also went against Epos recommendations (rebel that I am) and tried the M12.2s with a low powered tube amp. The AudioSpace Galaxy Mini is an EL84 based push-pull amplifier imported by Gini Systems. Pushing out about 10-15 watts per channel, this is far below Epos’ minimum power recommendation of 50 watts. Nonetheless, I wanted to try them with tubes. Music was nice and I got a taste of the the Mini’s tube goodness, but only a slight taste. Sound was textured and layered, like a delicious enchilada, but still a bit underwhelming. Instead of the whole enchilada, i got only a bite. Ok ok, i'll stop abusing you with this horrible metaphor.

I also found them to work very well with my Panasonic SA-XR50 ‘digital’ receiver. The Panasonic isn’t your typical receiver. Although it looks like any cheapie receiver, costs very little and weighs even less, it packs some serious technology – and punch. Its so-called “digital amplification” technology is extremely efficient and clean, with real power and impressive sound quality. With a good digital source, the sound can be really quite exciting. It even sports a nifty bi-amping feature, which allows you to essentially double the power to speakers with dual sets of binding posts, like the M12.2. The sound is not perfect by any means, but it makes for a fun little system. I use this unit in the living room as a stereo HT system

I took advantage of the bi-amping feature available on the Panasonic. In this configuration, each driver essentially has its own amplifier, and the results were fantastic. Bi-amping the M12.2’s proved to be a revelation, even with this humble consumer receiver. Music became absolutely huge, incredibly involving and fun. The M12's were unaccompanied by a sub, but they were able to create a very solid and powerful foundation in the lower frequencies. There were times when I was really cranking it that I would have liked a sub, but under most circumstances, I was happy enough without it.

Once again, as with the PS Audio, my only complaint was a bright and forward quality to the high frequencies. Especially noticeable with "hot" recordings or aggressive music like hard rock or hip hop. This could be attributed to the material, as the speakers excel at conveying the entire recording with a tremendous amount of energy. But it was an observable characteristic with every amp i tried excepting the low powered tube amp, and it was present with many types of music. With high energy music, this trait can be a bit fatiguing. But if you're in the mood, it sure is fun!

With movies, they were extraordinarily nimble at handling the material all over the movie spectrum - quiet scenes of tenderness and subtle emotion to dramatic music and over the top explosions. This made for quite a ride as you could be easily drawn into an intimate moment of dialog, and then blown out of your seat by a wall of sound exploding from nowhere. Who needs surround sound? I thought to myself.

Summing Up

The Epos M12.2's are a fantastic and fun set of speakers. With a good source and proper amplification, they can turn your music and movies into exciting and captivating events. They handle all kinds of material brilliantly. They're a bit sensitive to amplification and will show you the true character of your amplification - in addition to the character of your recording and that of the music they're playing. They are capable of both high intensity and intimate subtlety. They're a bit bright and forward, and will not dull or sugarcoat your recordings, but that quality seems to add to the excitment and involvement that they provide. Highly recommended.