Imaging, clarity, value for money

None really

My system comprises of Rega Planar 2, Arcam DV88 (I know it''s a compromise, but it''s a great sounding compromise!), Arcam A85. I''ve been having the ''speakers argument'' with my partner for about, oh the last 6 months! You know the one that goes, him ''My God, those floorstanding B&W''s would be perfect for my system'', her ''how much!, they are so ugly and disgusting and I don''t want them in my lounge, can''t we get some nice little Sony speakers that we can hide in the cupboard?'' And on and on, until.... I got these EPOS ES11 on their stands, for £200, bi-wired them up, and my God they sound so sweet, all her arguments have melted away! Huge amounts of thumping bass is no use to me as I have 2 small ones sleeping in the evenings, however a rich, clear sound scape, amazing image and clarity, and vocal reproduction that is insanely good!

Similar Products Used:

B&W CDM 1-NT. Considering these cost £750 new, the EPOS ES 11 trounces them!

Now replaced by the the ES12, which has new drive units, and has been well reviewed. I've heard both, and damned if I can tell much change.I'm sure if Ihad 'em side by side in my listening room, I could, but...
These have an elegant, refined sound that belie their low price (esp. since
buying 'em used is now your only option). Clear, clear, magic midrange, and a
treble that's hard to find any fault with. Typical of minimonitors, not much in
that lowest octave and a half or so, but what bass is there is of very high
quality, with no boom at all, if you set 'em up right. Setting them right means
good quality stands, 2 feet or more from the back wall, as much distance
as you can get from the side walls (at least 2 feet, preferably 3 or more) and
8 feet apart from each other and listener. Lock in the distance to the last mm.
Only slight toe in-they don't like too much. When you get it right, you'll know...they really can disappear. If you've a crappy room, some treatment like
RoomTunes might be necessary-I had to use a pair of RoomTune Deluxe panels @ the
rear wall behind them before I could get 'em to pull their disappearing act. Sure, I'd like "more" bass, "slam" etc. but in my small, reverberant room, it'd
be asking for trouble I don't need. Biwiring is mandatory, as are good quality
electronics-they'll chew up and spit out hashy midfi gear. Their ported mid/bass drivers require a relatively high damping factor-when I tried 'em with
a Music Reference RM 10, the lush midrange was to die for, but the high output
impedance of that fine little amp made these speakers sound drowsy, downbeat,
lazy. They love my new Bryston B60! At about 475.00 used, I don't see how you can do better.

Sound clarity.

I was very hesitant in buying ES11 because of its price. When my husband encourage me to audition the said unit,
I am very amazed with the performance.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Philips

Build, looks, control, detail

Bass shy at times

This is an excellent speaker when used with quality equipment. The speakers are very demanding of their partnering equipment. They are best used with smooth, warm sounding amps because they can be a little too revealing when used with partners with similar traits. My system comprises of the following: Cyrus 3 amp, Sony XB920 CD player, Ortofon SPK200 cable, Ixos silver interconnect.

Similar Products Used:

cyrus

Solid construction, bi-wire capability, wonderful sound

Foam grill?

I've found listening to the Epos 11 speakers to be a highly enjoyable experience. They are very musical and lifelike with a wide soundstage and precise imaging. Very accurate with perhaps a trace of warmth, they are never fatigueing. They can also go loud without any signs of stress (if properly amplified). In short, I can't imagine a better speaker for anything but the largest rooms. I don't really understand comments about these speakers lacking bass. Naturally, like any speaker, bass extension is going to be limited by the size of a driver cone and how much air it can move. But, given the size of these speakers, they go as low as can reasonably expected. If you decide to add a subwoofer you'll find they blend rather seamlessly. I've had good results with M&K as well as Fried subwoofers.

In comparison the Kef and Rogers both those exalted mini-monitors sound "dry" and boxy. The Wharfedales compare surprisingly favorably, but lack the focus and refinement of the Epos. Snells I've always found lifeless. As others have stated, Epos 11 speakers are very revealing and should only be used with quality equipment. I've found Adcom electronics to be a good match, which I use with a Rotel CD player and XLO cabling throughout. Also, plan on bi-amping as the speakers really bloom when you do so and it would be a shame not to hear these speakers at anything less than their best.

The only disappointment I've had with these speakers is that they came with chintzy foam grilles, not with the grilles meant for them, no doubt because I got them on clearance. I tried acquiring proper grilles through the distributor recommended to me by Audio Advisor, but was told grilles are unavailable. Any suggestions anyone might have for how I could get my hands on a set would be appreciated! (email clarks@northstate.net).

Finally, I will say that my rating is based on the price I paid for these speakers, $400, at which price they are undoubtedly the best I've ever heard. However, there are many speakers in their retail price range of $1000 which I haven't heard, so I can't say how they'd stack up against that more expensive competition.

Similar Products Used:

Kef 101, Rogers LS35a, Wharfedale Emerald 95, Snell

clarity

none that is noticable

Epos ES11 review-
My system comprises of an Arcam Alpha 5 plus cd player, connected to a Naim Nait 3 amp, using Ecosse Reference US1 (silver) interconnect, and Epos ES11 speakers, for which I was originally using the purple coloured QED Qudos speaker cable until I then changed the cable over to QED Qudos silver Anniversary, (which received 5 star reviews and awards), which did improve the overall sound quality and clarity, but was very bass-light. According to the reviews I read in What Hifi magazine they described the Epos ES11 speakers as 'Bass Shy', and I found this to be the case until I changed the cables again a few months ago over to Naim Naca 5. Now I have excellent bass, deep but clean, excellent clarity, mid and treble. I would not change my speakers as it would be difficult to find anything else to better the sound and clarity that I already have. I certainly don't have a problem with bass shyness any more, and I would advise anyone who does have problems to get the Naim speaker cable. These speakers are a perfect match for the Naim amp, the clarity and sound quality gets top marks from me. A truly top class performer.

Similar Products Used:

jpw

I have to post an addendum to review below. You're not going to know howwell these speakers (or any other mini monitors, for that matter) image until
you try listening to them in the near field. I've mine placed 6 feet apart, their woofer cones 39 inches from my umbilicus, slightly toed in. Used this way, there's no evidence of sound coming from the speakers. You get a huge
soundstage, stretching from one side of your room to the other, with laser sharp focus, once you dial in the toe-in. This is the best way to almost com-
pletely eliminate the effects of the room, especially if you have a difficult one. The downside is, the sweetspot is small-only works for one person, and it
can look dorky...since when did audiofools care about that? I'd give these speakers a 4 for overall sound, because even used this way, there's still that deep bass missing. I'd give them maybe a 4.5 for value.

bi-wire and bi-amp

NA

perfect match for my system:

Marantz PM52
Marantz PM711
Marantz DD82 DCC player
Philips CD850 CD player

Very clear and crisp.

Similar Products Used:

JBL, Bose

Lovely mids and highs

Not so much bass, but depends on stands and room, but ideally a sub is needed

Very enjoyable and picked up for a good price off e-bay. Using with a pioneer a400 and rotel rcd855. Probably a little too clear and will try to change cd player to marantz for better bass and smoothness. Awesome stereo imaging and soundstage.

Similar Products Used:

none really similar

with all the variables involved I would have to simply say musicality over a wide range of music and electronics

no floor shaking bass

I can only say that these speakers when compared with many others that I have used, recreate the feel of live music. I know that is very subjective, but that is the strength of these speakers. When placed very carefully they image in a way that is fascinating in its own right, just to hear that your recordings can do what these speakers allow. But they are not "gimmicky" and have no personality other than serving the music. I have used many larger speakers like the 130 pound apiece Real to real designs taht go down to 20hz and they don't make "music" the way these do. Dynamics are amazing on my system which includes a B&K preamp and a hopped up onkyo 504 the speaker wires are inexensive tara labs. The difference between quiet and loud passages was marvelous for such a small speaker. Biwiring is essential to hear what these speakers have. So natural that they NEVER create a desire to shut them off, they have none of the super-detailed abrasiveness that other "high-end" speakers can exhibit. It doesn't take an engineer to get sound from these, that is what amazes me about them, they seem to be able to handle anything you throw at them and make it musical. I had a system that included the Real to Reel designs speakers and it was so accurate that if the recording wasn't "perfect" it would show it, and it would show it clearly and mercilessly, to the chagrin of the audio engineers but sadly also to the listeners ear. The epos seem to somehow euphonically cover mistakes and make music from almost any material. I know that sounds impossible but it is nonetheless the way I "experience" these speakers. Although they are small I had never heard such dynamics from any speaker I had used. I bought many pairs of speakers and simply stopped after hooking these up. There was no need to buy anything and I still haven't auditioned anything that would cause me to want to change my speakers. My search for equipment turned into an appreciation and enjoyment of the great music already in my cd collection. If you love music the bass is sufficient, if you simply love loud bass then they are deficient if you are in a large room. IN a bedroom then have plenty of bass for my taste which indeed runs more to the clear representation of the midrange which these speakers seem especially able at doing. If you go from speaker to speaker and find some irritating in their clarity and especially if you are a musician (I am a professional) I can whole-heartedly recommend these speakers. If they sound funky in your system i woudl suggest looking at the wiring and system chain for the problem because these speakers are simply wonderful in their price class. I would look into dyna-audio also at this point in history, but if you can find a pair of these used, I think you will enjoy them as what they are - a small speaker with very clear, concise, emotional,dynamic, and musical presentation that doesn'r really lack for anything if your room is small.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Magnaplanar, Real to Reel, Mission, NHT, Linaeum, AR