I am 63 years old. I Still have my EPI 100's from the 70's. I have put them away, took them out, put them away, and took them out of the closet over the decades, and have bought many a modern Speaker thinking they would be better than the EPI 100's. I run a recording studio, and have bought nearly all of the major "studio monitors" of the day. Many of them costing over 20x more than the EPI 100's. Again, the same thing. EPI's in the closet. But, guess what. The EPI's keep coming back out and I wind up selling the monitors of the day and leaving the EPI's out for me to enjoy. They are truly magical. They do things other speakers of the modern day just can't do. I don't even mess with a sub with them. They are so well balanced on their own. Focal monitors of the day, appear to all of my friends who own them proudly, as they brag about the inverted dome tweeter in their monitors that Focal invented. I love showing them that I have had a inverted dome tweeter for over 50 years. They are shocked when I pull my grill covers off and they see the tweeter in the EPI. Many of my friends have cried. Their bubble shattered! I love it. They also can't believe the sound.
Identical to the EPI 100’s of the early 70’s were the EPI 90’s. Same cabinet and drivers except the 90’s had a walnut-flavored vinyl wrap and no tweeter level control. The secret to the EPIs was the fact that the crossover was just one capacitor on the tweeter, the woofer ran full range. Ed Burhoe, the designer, stated that the woofer was designed with a voice coil that had the desired inductance and served as a low pass for the woofer. My pair of 90’s I bought in 1973 when I was in high school was $180/ pair, while the 100s were $200/pair (not $99). My stereo was the envy of my dorm floor, also being that I was using a Dynaco PAS-3X tube preamp ($50 with Telefunken tubes)and Stereo 70 tube power amp ($70 - a dollar a watt!) with a Thorens TD121 turntable ($20 from a radio station converting to tape cartridges), an Empire 980 arm ($40) and a Grado FTE ($20) cartridge. I was into vintage before it was a thing 😆! At a time when most all hi-fi was made in Japan, everything I had was USA manufactured, except the Thorens which was Swiss. BTW, the EPI 100’s were rated #1 in a test of loudspeakers appearing in Consumer Reports, which was highly influential at the time.
Nice timing. I have the EPI 100s, which were my mains in the workspace/den for months. I just took them out of rotation for a recap which all the old vintage stuff needs at this point. FYI - An online store called " Human Speakers" specializes in all things EPI, Epicure and Genesis speakers.
So glad you mentioned the placement issue with Bose! It's super important to get the reflecting part working right otherwise they just sound flat and dull. Lots of people either don't know this or don't have the proper space to set them up, hence the rep.
If I need to relax, I watch one of your videos. Thanks for your presentations and information! I own Klipsch KG 1.2 bookshelves with a matching passive sub, all in mint condition. I picked this set up from a Craig’s List sale. The wood veneer is all in perfect shape. This line of Klipsch has a different sound than the usual horn loaded models. The high end is not as hot…less sizzle! I never see these in shops. Ebay, yes. Shops, no. This line of Klisch has large floor standing speakers too. Did this line of Klipsch ever come through your store?
Totally agree on the baby Advents. I have a pair and sold another a couple of months ago. They are extremely easy to refoam and sound surprisingly good for the their size. They hit lower than they should. Very shallow but wide cabinet.
First "Audiophile" system I listened to was in 1981 and had Bose 901 speakers. I was impressed by how good that system sounded. That was 42 years ago and now they would sound like a clock radio compared to my tube amplified Klipsch La Scalas.
I am from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and met Ray Karnes (RIP) in his retail outlet when I auditioned his speakers. From his obituary: He was the owner of Karns Electronics for 50 years. When Raymond was young the Kansas City Star labeled him "Boy Hero" for saving his mother's life. He was an airplane pilot, radio pioneer, an inventor with two patents, he also recorded and made records
Thank you for explaining that love/hate relationship with Bose. The only Bose I have are small outdoor ones that serve a specific purpose (outside or testing a new unknown condition amp). Not knowing anything about the old Bose speakers, I could not understand the hatred, bordering on religious fundamentalism against another religion, against them.
Thanks for the very cool video's. I look forward to watching each Sunday morning. I'm definitely a vintage stereo fanatic from the 70s and 80s So thanks again you make my Sunday!!
The classic Advent Speakers sounded great. I'm 46 now and can still remember the first time I heard the floor standing version. Clean and smooth sounding.
Hey I think it's great you're doing the live stream on sunday. Don't worry. Even if some of us miss it we just watch the replay anyway man. Extremely grateful for all your content.
I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I used to live a few blocks from the Karns showroom on Fulton Street. As a teenager in the late 1970s hearing the Karns compared to other brands on display was my first exposure to "hi-fi" audio. I was hooked on audio as a hobby ever since. I never owned a pair of Karns, though.
The EPI 100s you show in the video, with the tweeters mounted on masonite, are the original version. Great sound, but with pretty narrowly focused high frequencies. Around 1980, EPI replaced this with the plastic domed, ferro-fluid Air Spring tweeter. Easily recognizable, they're black plastic with two concentric gold rings and a gold EPI logo. Much wider high frequency dispersion, making them sound great from just about anywhere in the room. Still enjoying mine after 44 years!
I have a pair of EPI 180s which have 2 of the woofer/ gold ring tweeter modules in each cabinet. Just recapped and refoamed them and they sound absolutely wonderful! EPI/Epicure made some really good speakers back then.
I bought my bose 301 iii brand new in 1993 and im still jaming with them!! I still love them! Still running my def tech bp20s through my yamaha aventage 3080 sounds great!!!
EPI 100 were my first good speakers. Got them around 1981, and mated with a 30 wpc Sony integrated amp. Later switched to a 38 wpc Marantz I got from my mom, as it belonged to my grandfather. I damaged one of the tweeters in a move and replaced the EPI with Jamie, later Dynaudio, then Linn, but that is another story.
In the mid 80s I was putting together my first, "decent" stereo. I got a Technics receiver and was debating between the Baby Advent IIs and the Bose 301s. The price was the same ($179 if memory serves) and I thought they sounded about the same. The salesman said the Advents would be better with my receiver since they were easier to drive. I went with his recommendation and was quite happy with the results.
I want to thank you for recommending the Bose 301s. I bought a pair of Series IIIs for my home office. Maybe it is just because I do have the perfect conditions but they sound awesome to me. Running a tiny Aiyama Amp and Schiit DAC through my MAC. I love the sound of these bookshelf speakers and at $200 they were a steal.
Those darn EPI-100's. First offered in 1969 (I believe) they were the best "budget" speakers during the 1970's. I got mine late, as kitchen extension speakers, from Tech Hifi (12 W 45th street NYC) for $140 a pair in 1980. They have very good dispersion, HF response and surprisingly deep bass (+/-3dB's @ 48Hz) for such small systems being 21" tall and 25 lbs. They're true "bookshelf" systems.
I love your videos and I love vintage audio. I just gave my nephew my beloved DCM Time Window 1As. I had them from 1984 til 2018. There is a model that will trigger a few people. I enjoyed them for 34 years and I could have sold them, but I wanted to keep them in the family. When my ship was in Japan in 1978 I bought a pair of Pioneer CS 722s. Supposedly they were never sold in the USA. I loved those too.
I had just landed my first job out of college back in 1986. With the new job came a chance to upgrade my hifi gear. When shopping for speakers within my budget, my top two choices were the DCM Time Windows and the Fried A/3. I wound up choosing the Frieds, but remember being somewhat disappointed that they looked so plain compared to the DCMs. Countless other speakers have come and gone since then, but I still have the Frieds and still enjoy listening to them. Perhaps I would still have the DCMs had I bought them instead.
Really cool and nice with the "newer" info graphics with the bullet points with your voice over going over the details 🙏Very helpful good Sir, for me as a newbie 🙏🥁
Thanks for the EPI. I have two models myself and I enjoy them. I also really dig my two sets of Ohm speakers (again, different models). both the EPI and Ohms have foam surround rot so repair kits are a must for these.
Another fun video. Love the trigger warning. I think I’ve mentioned that a few people have known combined the 301 with the Big Advents. Its a killer combination and the bigger speakers solve the base issue.
My first pair of speakers were the Bose 301's way back in 1974. A couple of years later I bought a pair of Bose 501's. Fast forward another 20 years or so and I finally was able to afford a pair of Bose 901's. Got them home and excitedly hooked them up to my electronics. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I messed with them and the Bose equalizer for a few days and realized nothing I did would make them sound good so I returned them. I still have the 301's that are used as surrounds, and the 501's are still rocking in my bedroom and I think they sound great.
I have a pair of Bose 301 Series V speakers that I picked up on facebook market place. I put a whole system (not exactly vintage) together from flea markets, thrift stores and facebook for $300 that includes a Victrola turntable, Onkyo reciever and Onkyo CD player and finished off with the Bose speakers. In a 12 x 13 foot office/bedroom the set-up is more than adequate.
A great video. Some thoughts. A speaker you may have overlooked is the Harmon Kardon HK20. They were a very simple two way with I believe a 6" woofer with an accordion surround that will probably last an eternity. I believe they were crossed over to a 2 1/2" tweeter so real highs were next to impossible. They were a very "smooth" sounding speaker with no real big flaws. Here's my problem. The speaker connections in the back were not only the simple screw head type, but they were impossibly close together. I mean literally right next to each other so not shorting them out was a task of no easy proportions. Further thoughts on the EPI 100 (your not liking the change in logo not withstanding). The early models, like AR speakers, glued the grills in place so they are next to impossible to remove if you need to get inside the speaker to service them. Later models used pins so much easier to service but generally only find this iteration vinyl clad and didn't seem quite as solid as the early iteration. Sometimes I am dismayed when some "audiophile" channels list their 10 most significant speakers of all time, seem to be fixated on the mid 80's and beyond so their choices are the logical picks: Spendor, Spica, Thiel, Vandersteen, etc. They always seem to neglect the speakers that, at least in my mind, changed the world of hi-fi: KLH, AR, Advent, EPI. Maybe someday go through Advent and how it went from the original to the mid-seventies' iterations to the "New" Advent to the Advent 1, etc.
I really have been enjoying your videos. Thdsy take me back to when I was a top stereo salesman working for Tech HiFi in Prov., RI from 1975-1979. Yes, during the golden years of stereo ekctronics. Just an FYI, the 'house' systems from Tech were mostly: Philips TT + Nikko rec + Ohm E speakers. The most competitive system for us to beat was the Consumer Reports favorite of 1975 - Dual TT + Pioneer Sx650 + EPI 100 speakers. The EPI system was very low margin and favored by stiudents and discount shoppers bringing ads in from the New York Times electronics stores. The only problemn with the EPIs was that they weren't very efficient, but suitable for a dorm room. The comments about the Bose speakers are spot on because the EQ box confused so many buyers. My personal system ended up being a Thorens TD-125 with Black Widow tone arm and MicroAcoustics 2022e + SAE pre-amp + 2 Crown 150s running in mono + Ohm F speakers. Pretty sweet and the Crown amps were stable into the OHM F 4 ohm loads.
I've got a set of Bose 301's and they rock. Placed properly on the wall at a measured height and distance from the corner they produce a lot of bass and fill the room.
I was a Bose kinda hater till I got a pair of Model 21 3 way speakers At a pawn shop For cheap change and I have them playing on my computer They sound good to me ! !
Good morning Kevin, same as always I enjoyed your video. I am persuaded to leave the first comment on this video and my first comment ever for anybody. I had experience with all these speakers in my life, except Karns and Dynawave. I wish I was living in your area to visit your store. Keep up good videos and wish you the best. .....Kevin
This is a fun list. I bought a set of Bose 301 speakers (the original version) for cheap from a pawn shop back in 1981 and used them until I graduated from college. Back then "critical listening" wasn't really a thing for me and the little 301s matched up well with the small 70's Technics amp that I had at the time so they worked out well for me. I was always able to place them so that both tweeters had equidistant space to a reflecting surface. These days I generally tend to be more impressed with acoustic suspension designs when it comes to vintage speakers so I appreciate choices like the EPI 100 and baby Advents being on this list. Since you asked, I actually much prefer the later EPI logo over the original version.
One of your videos caught my eye, and since then, I have watched several more. Learning about lot's of brands that I wasn't familiar with. I like when I see things that I had or friends of mine had back in the day. I listened to a set of bose speaker and they sounded great especially for their size. I got them home and hooked them up and at first they sounded great. Between songs I walked away from them and when the next song started I thought something went seriously wrong. It turned out that as I got closer they sounded better and better. Apparently they are designed to be listened to with in say 5-8 feet maximum distance. They became my small office speakers. I kinda liked the radio shack mach 1 and mach 2 speakers. I really wanted a big set of cerwin Vegas and I was saving up for them and the place that carried them closed and I couldn't find them anywhere. I had liked the mach 1 speakers but they were discontinued. I would have liked to have heard them side by side but it was not going to happen. I had enough to buy the mach 2 speakers and I used them for year and years then I moved and they didn't fit the new house. I had them in storage for 15 years and when I got them out and hooked them up they no longer sounded good. Turned out the speaker suroinds went bad. I looked for replacement speakers but they were a weird ohm I think it was. I found a local place that redid the surrounds and they did a great job and they are in my workshop now and I get to enjoy them all the time. Keep up the cool videos.
The Epicure M100s were the 1st vintage speaker that I refoamed and recapped/real easy. I loved them then and today! Now I'm looking at a pair of Harbeth 30.2 😂😂
Can't wait for the live I'm definitely one person that's waiting for it. And I'm the David that gave you the KARNS and love the perspective ov them. I very much feel the same way about them. Definitely a speaker that needs a good stage. Can't just throw them in a corner. I know they will find a good home with you guys. I thought they sounded good about a foot and a half off the wall and probably great for someone that loves cheese, wine and jazz. At low levels not a rock out speaker.
Although I'm not in the market for speakers..I love the Sunday AM videos. I remember knowing quite a few folks in the 80's who owned the "Baby Advents". Back then I owned the original BOSE 901's !
If you find a pair of Australian made Krix Equinox book shelf speakers you won't be disappointed, Krix have been making speakers for 50yrs. mine are 24yrs old purchased these in a second hand shop for $120 from memory, new models today $1000-$1300.
I'll be there on your live stream. I like this channel. And knowing you're in Iowa too. We're darn near neighbors. LoL Plus I had a set of Bose in my old Chevy Blazer K5. They were good speakers.
I have a pair of Bose 301's I bought new in the mid 80's and they have always sounded great to me. Placement is important with these speakers because the whole idea behind Bose designs is how the sound from them reflects off the walls and ceiling in a room. Also, the type of amplifier is important as well. I use mine with an HH Scott 299C amplifier and the amp and speakers work really well together. Are they the best sounding speakers I have? Probably not . But, when set up correctly they do make music come alive with a very nice depth to the sound stage.
My 1st exposure to “HIFI” was when a buddy of mine bought a pair of 301s in 1978. He hung them from the ceiling of his apartment and they sounded pretty good. Especially after hitting the Stanley Steamer😮. Fast forward a few years and I was shopping my first quality speaker purchase. Bose AM-5 had just come out and, given my space was limited they were an interesting option. The problem, other than the lack of real presence, they were made of cheap materials and parts but selling for $1200! I went with a pair of SDA-2Bs that I still have today. Bose uses cheap low impedance drivers and acoustic trickery. They may image well when set up properly but lack detail, dynamics and clarity for my money. Also had a pair of EPI’s in my Karman Ghia in those days with that same diy looking tweeter, they were amazing!
Regardless of how their speakers sound, my guess is that many people are down on them because Bose has always budgeted highly for the marketing their products (money that I suppose could have otherwise gone into designing and building better speakers). Like it or not, this approach has obviously worked out well for them.
Great review of some classic bookshelf speakers! another terrific classic is the Goodmans Achromat 250 bookshelf. british built at the height of the company's excellence.
I was in high school and college during the golden age and live just north of Boston. My school was just outside of Cambridge, so I was at the heart of the Boston stereo scene. I had EPIs in high school and they had a reputation as a really solid choice for indigent stereophiles. I upgraded to ADS 300s when the bookshelf craze started around 1980.
I had a pair of Bose 601's, not sure of the series, but they sounded awesome! Very good bottom end. Ported on the rear. I currently have a pair of Clements 800SI (Spatial Image) speakers, Made in Canada, that are quite rare to see these days. They also sound awesome, with a great bottom end as well. Rear ported. These aren't bookshelf speakers, just not that common to find, like the last section of this video.
I just picked up a pair of the Polk 3 way bookshelf speakers that are on the shelf over your right shoulder from a local seller. I am enjoying getting to know those speakers.
The Bose 301s SII are great little speakers. One thing I've noticed about Bose - if you put some serious wattage to them - they sound pretty good. I've driven 301s with 125 watts each and they eat it up and sound better than you'd expect.
I am not a Bose fan, but I just got a free set of Bose 501 (1979) speakers, and they are supposed to sit up against the wall, and they are playing through a HK 430 Twin receiver, and they sound surprising good.
I have Advent Baby 2, EPI 100, and Boes AM 5s! Well close .. lol. I love them all... got maybe 5 pair of various Klipsch too... and several others. Changing speakers is great fun!
The EPI 100s have a bunch of different versions. Also look at the Epicure Model 10 which are the same thing basically. I've refoamed a set of each and really like them
Loved the show Kevin. I wiil see your show Sunday. Going to set my reminder. I totaly agree speaker placement is a big deal when looking at speakers. Happy Thanksgiving from the Bayeux State.
Baby Advents belong right there, nice speakers for close to nothing. I have a pair bought new in the early 90's and sound good, I re-foamed them and upgraded the crossover, real good sound and real wood! I came across a pair of Sony SS-H3500 in a thrift shop for $14.00, a 3 ways little speaker but what a sound! After a deep cleaning, they look like new. They complement a Technics SA 104 bought in the same place for $10.00. And so, a TV in a small room has now decent sound.
well that teaches me that from now on I'll have to watch the entire video before I comment, or was I surprised when you pulled out those Karns! friend of mine I worked with had a pair and I went over one day, listened to them and like you said, the highs just weren't gettin' it on - so I had this idea to move the Tweeter to the front where the port was, and move the port to the back where the Tweeter is, and he had enough scrap shelving laying around that we were able to make it happen and oh yeah made all the difference in the world he was like a kid in a candy store, just very amazed that he now liked them so much.
My first Stereo... A pair of EPI 100, Marantz 1060, and an AR XA turntable with SP 25 cartridge. The turntable was $66.00! I blew up the EPIs several times 😅
Picked up Baby Advents at a garage sale for $5. Needed fresh surrounds. I ended up replacing surrounds and donating them to Habitat 4 Humanity. Also had a set of Bose 301s. Never impressed with them, so I sold them. I've been on a vintage KLH kick lately. Got a set of Model 23s in the garage. Had a set of Model Six's. Sold those. Down to just three sets of speakers right now.
Sansui LM-330. Mid 70's, 2 way design, 10" driver, and from firing port. They also horn loaded the back of the tweeter pointing sideways to help cancel the opposite speakers sound waves to get a more pure stereo image. Lot of good reviews out there. I somehow ended up with 2 pairs. Also, my favorite pair are the Onkyo model 160's. Not much out there on them, but I love them. The tweeter recently blew so if anyone knows anyone that's selling some I will buy immediately.
Early last year I saw a vintage pair of speakers on FB for $100. I had never followed vintage speakers too much so I had no idea what they were (other than recognising the brand name from the drivers that were in my Ampeg amps back in the day). They looked cool so I went and grabbed them. Turns out they're a pair of Celestion Ditton 551 and after replacing the tweeters, they're easily the best speakers I have ever had. Those soft dome midrange drivers are so great to my ears. So much of what makes Klipsch special but without the honk. Even my wife loves them and forbids me from ever replacing them. I'll try to be on for the livestream, but I'm in Australia and might have work stuff going on that I have to give my full attention to.
Hope I get a chance to hear all of these at some point. I am, however, surprised that the Polk Audio Monitor 4 didn’t make the list. A pair of those were my main speakers for years and I was darn happy with ‘em.
I just had a pair of Monitor 4’s delivered earlier in the week. I haven’t had a chance to listen to them yet. They were a little more than I wanted to spend (just under $70 shipped) but they appear to be in very good condition.
@@skylabsaudio I think it was 1983 and a good friend made me meet him the best stereo store in Fairbanks, Ak. Once there he pointed to the little Monitor 4s and said I had to hear them. The salesman cranked ‘em up and I was absolutely blown away…but then realized the mistake. “No, not the big speakers”, I said, “I want to hear the little Polks on top”. The salesman said - “those ARE the little Polks on top”. And he was right! The best $200 I ever spent!
I've got both versions of the Baby Advent here, several of each in fact, at first I liked the newer dome tweeter style but the more I listen to them, I think I like the paper tweeter better. They seem more balanced than the newer versions, but it could well be the room they're in. I've had several pair of EPI 100 speakers, I bought the first pair on recommendation from several others but I just never heard a pair i could get to like. It could be my house, or the combos I tried but I kept several pair around here for about 5 years, trying all sorts of different set ups but finally gave up and let them go. Like anything, I'm sure its just my opinion but I doubt I'd ever bother with another pair. I really thought I'd like a pair of their larger speakers but so far none have become keepers. I've owned 100, M100, 101, 20/20, 400, and 1000 models, and none worked well for me. The 1000's sounded pretty good where I got them but I absolutely could not get them to work here. When I bought those, I bought the guy's whole system, amp, preamp, and speakers, but they fell flat here regardless of positioning. I've had similar experience with Avid Speakers for some reason. I've had Bose 301's and 501's and one pair of 901's, all with the original EQ but none were keepers. Luckiy I've got a buddy who loves Bose and they ended up over there. Of all of them, the 501's probably sounded the best, but they ended up being very hard to place, only working right when placed nearly in the middle of the room. They likely needed a much larger area to sound right. SawaFuji at one point had some connection to Aiwa in Japan very early on. Its an old brand not primarily known for speakers. I can't say I've ever run into a set of those, but a buddy did say he found a few sets over the years, but all had non working drivers so he left them where they were. I would certainly think that finding replacement drivers or parts would be a long search, if they ever turned up. From looking at them and having dealt with other planar type speakers, I'd have to figure that they lack bass and would most likely need a subwoofer to sound complete? I actually have seen Karns speakers here, but they belonged to a buddy in MO. He brought them out to me to refoam. The tweeter sure looked like a simple piezo tweeter to me too. I was surprised at how little they did to cross over the mid or as its wired, more of a front tweeter of sorts. If it were crossed over differently, the speaker would likely sound like it was lacking its highs. The fact that the piezo tweeter is on the back likely lessens its harshness while giving them some depth. I didn't listen to the pair I had here long enough or in any proper set up, I just tested them and they went away. I half figured they were either a small market manufacturer or a house brand of sorts.
I picked up a pair of Mini Advent II a while ago for $5... Of course they need to be refoamed and I got the kit for about $28. I think it will be a good way to learn how to refoam. Based on the instructions, it seems pretty straightforward, maybe that will be a good project during the Thanksgiving break. The Sawafuji look very interesting. Idea for a future video: making a list of unknown brands/speakers to keep an eye out for (if it hasn't being done yet, I'm not sure) I'll try to be there for the live, no promises though but I set an alarm for it. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family
That’s what I’d like to do myself. I have been picking up older/cheaper audio equipment to try out and am looking for stuff I can try repairing too. I’d like to have a little side business in Rochester MN of speaker repair and possible electronics too. Need more diagnostic tools for that though. With Des Moines and the Twin Cities being as far as they are, there’s nothing local for that stuff.
I occasionally buy thrift store or Craigslist speakers not to use as-is but because I want to salvage or repurpose either the cabinets or the drivers for DIY projects. I currently have a pair of Wharfedale W70 cabs in lovely mid century modern blonde birch waiting for the right salvaged drivers to come along. For those inclined to educate themselves about speaker design this approach can result in classy speakers with spectacular sound on the cheap---not taking into account one's labor, of course. For those not so inclined, this will be a long-odds roll of the dice.
I've got a set of Bose 301seris II that I recently started using that were givto me a few years ago. They do sound decent and that direct reflecting thing is working with my oak/plywood lined cinder block basement walls. Once you get them set up right the benefit is a wide sound stage that is less dependent upon the listener's spot in the room. I also had a pair of Advent orange fried egg tweeters doing nothing. So now the front firing tweeters in the 301s are those Advents. A new crossover and it's a much better speaker system.
Great videos! I don’t hate Bose, but I remember buying my first speakers in 1977 and tried out the Bose 301 vs. a pair of Infinity Qa ‘s. The Infinity’s killed the Bose as I remember. I still have them. I later bought a pair of Infinity Quantum 4’s. Still have them! Your shop must be fun to browse! Keep the video’s coming. Cheers!
I am 63 years old. I Still have my EPI 100's from the 70's. I have put them away, took them out, put them away, and took them out of the closet over the decades, and have bought many a modern Speaker thinking they would be better than the EPI 100's. I run a recording studio, and have bought nearly all of the major "studio monitors" of the day. Many of them costing over 20x more than the EPI 100's. Again, the same thing. EPI's in the closet. But, guess what. The EPI's keep coming back out and I wind up selling the monitors of the day and leaving the EPI's out for me to enjoy. They are truly magical. They do things other speakers of the modern day just can't do. I don't even mess with a sub with them. They are so well balanced on their own. Focal monitors of the day, appear to all of my friends who own them proudly, as they brag about the inverted dome tweeter in their monitors that Focal invented. I love showing them that I have had a inverted dome tweeter for over 50 years. They are shocked when I pull my grill covers off and they see the tweeter in the EPI. Many of my friends have cried. Their bubble shattered! I love it. They also can't believe the sound.
Identical to the EPI 100’s of the early 70’s were the EPI 90’s. Same cabinet and drivers except the 90’s had a walnut-flavored vinyl wrap and no tweeter level control. The secret to the EPIs was the fact that the crossover was just one capacitor on the tweeter, the woofer ran full range. Ed Burhoe, the designer, stated that the woofer was designed with a voice coil that had the desired inductance and served as a low pass for the woofer. My pair of 90’s I bought in 1973 when I was in high school was $180/ pair, while the 100s were $200/pair (not $99). My stereo was the envy of my dorm floor, also being that I was using a Dynaco PAS-3X tube preamp ($50 with Telefunken tubes)and Stereo 70 tube power amp ($70 - a dollar a watt!) with a Thorens TD121 turntable ($20 from a radio station converting to tape cartridges), an Empire 980 arm ($40) and a Grado FTE ($20) cartridge. I was into vintage before it was a thing 😆! At a time when most all hi-fi was made in Japan, everything I had was USA manufactured, except the Thorens which was Swiss. BTW, the EPI 100’s were rated #1 in a test of loudspeakers appearing in Consumer Reports, which was highly influential at the time.
Winslow burhoe
Bought my 301s new in 1983 and still have them and they still sound great.
Nice timing. I have the EPI 100s, which were my mains in the workspace/den for months. I just took them out of rotation for a recap which all the old vintage stuff needs at this point.
FYI - An online store called " Human Speakers" specializes in all things EPI, Epicure and Genesis speakers.
Yep, I used Human to buy parts for a pair of Genesis 110 speakers I owned and then resold a few years ago. Good people.
Since 1990s here. Four Genesis Woofers four tweeters and a pair of EPI 100 "Phase Linear" (1980s version) woofers during the Pandemic.@@TheAgeOfAnalog
Just picked a pair of EPI M90 and dang they sound good. New caps should arrive today. I’d love some real wood 100s - M90 is vinyl.
So glad you mentioned the placement issue with Bose! It's super important to get the reflecting part working right otherwise they just sound flat and dull. Lots of people either don't know this or don't have the proper space to set them up, hence the rep.
If I need to relax, I watch one of your videos. Thanks for your presentations and information!
I own Klipsch KG 1.2 bookshelves with a matching passive sub, all in mint condition. I picked this set up from a Craig’s List sale. The wood veneer is all in perfect shape. This line of Klipsch has a different sound than the usual horn loaded models. The high end is not as hot…less sizzle! I never see these in shops. Ebay, yes. Shops, no. This line of Klisch has large floor standing speakers too. Did this line of Klipsch ever come through your store?
Totally agree on the baby Advents. I have a pair and sold another a couple of months ago. They are extremely easy to refoam and sound surprisingly good for the their size. They hit lower than they should. Very shallow but wide cabinet.
Back in the mid-70's I steered a friend to buy Baby Advents with a Harman Kardon 330, I think it was the B model. Fantastic combination.
First "Audiophile" system I listened to was in 1981 and had Bose 901 speakers. I was impressed by how good that system sounded. That was 42 years ago and now they would sound like a clock radio compared to my tube amplified Klipsch La Scalas.
I think many, many stuff will sound bad compared to what you have.
Love the epi review. Highly underrated. I have a set of m50s . Small speaker with a ton of bass
EPI..
Yes..Just had mine re foamed and new caps..
And yes my cabinets could use some refinishing..But sound 👍
I am from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and met Ray Karnes (RIP) in his retail outlet when I auditioned his speakers.
From his obituary:
He was the owner of Karns Electronics for 50 years. When Raymond was young the Kansas City Star labeled him "Boy Hero" for saving his mother's life. He was an airplane pilot, radio pioneer, an inventor with two patents, he also recorded and made records
I’ve owned a pair of Baby Advents since new. They have done a great job for years. I finally had to reform.
Thanks for all you do for us vintage audiophiles. I’ll definitely be at next Sundays live stream.
Thank you for explaining that love/hate relationship with Bose. The only Bose I have are small outdoor ones that serve a specific purpose (outside or testing a new unknown condition amp). Not knowing anything about the old Bose speakers, I could not understand the hatred, bordering on religious fundamentalism against another religion, against them.
Thanks for the very cool video's. I look forward to watching each Sunday morning. I'm definitely a vintage stereo fanatic from the 70s and 80s
So thanks again you make my Sunday!!
I just purchased a set of Baby Advent ll from Skylabs have them hooked up to my Fisher Tube Amp they sound incredible.
The classic Advent Speakers sounded great. I'm 46 now and can still remember the first time I heard the floor standing version. Clean and smooth sounding.
Original sansui logo was cooler I agree, never seen the epi logo but I agree there too !
BOSE BE KILLIN THESE Jibble Kids .... lol! ❤️ BOSE! 💯
Baby Advent II are great!! They sound so beautiful and will fit anywhere
Hey I think it's great you're doing the live stream on sunday. Don't worry. Even if some of us miss it we just watch the replay anyway man. Extremely grateful for all your content.
I just got a pair of Bose 301 series II for free of free cycle. I couldn't be happier!
I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I used to live a few blocks from the Karns showroom on Fulton Street. As a teenager in the late 1970s hearing the Karns compared to other brands on display was my first exposure to "hi-fi" audio. I was hooked on audio as a hobby ever since. I never owned a pair of Karns, though.
I'm from grand rapids!!!
Hey there fellow Michigander
The EPI 100s you show in the video, with the tweeters mounted on masonite, are the original version. Great sound, but with pretty narrowly focused high frequencies. Around 1980, EPI replaced this with the plastic domed, ferro-fluid Air Spring tweeter. Easily recognizable, they're black plastic with two concentric gold rings and a gold EPI logo. Much wider high frequency dispersion, making them sound great from just about anywhere in the room. Still enjoying mine after 44 years!
I have a pair of EPI 180s which have 2 of the woofer/ gold ring tweeter modules in each cabinet. Just recapped and refoamed them and they sound absolutely wonderful! EPI/Epicure made some really good speakers back then.
EPI 100m owner here.
Sounds super with Steely Dan Fleetwood Mac ..Eagles..
And mine has the old cool logo ..
I bought my bose 301 iii brand new in 1993 and im still jaming with them!! I still love them! Still running my def tech bp20s through my yamaha aventage 3080 sounds great!!!
Forgot to mention. I’ll try to be with you for the live but I work weekends overnight (6pm-6am) so I’ll be at work. If it’s not busy I can watch.
4:08 pm EDT
Add Klipsch Kg 2.2 sound amazing with any 20-40 watt vintage Sansui or Pioneer receiver.
EPI 100 were my first good speakers. Got them around 1981, and mated with a 30 wpc Sony integrated amp. Later switched to a 38 wpc Marantz I got from my mom, as it belonged to my grandfather.
I damaged one of the tweeters in a move and replaced the EPI with Jamie, later Dynaudio, then Linn, but that is another story.
In the mid 80s I was putting together my first, "decent" stereo. I got a Technics receiver and was debating between the Baby Advent IIs and the Bose 301s. The price was the same ($179 if memory serves) and I thought they sounded about the same. The salesman said the Advents would be better with my receiver since they were easier to drive. I went with his recommendation and was quite happy with the results.
I agree about old logos ......and epi speakers.
I want to thank you for recommending the Bose 301s. I bought a pair of Series IIIs for my home office. Maybe it is just because I do have the perfect conditions but they sound awesome to me. Running a tiny Aiyama Amp and Schiit DAC through my MAC. I love the sound of these bookshelf speakers and at $200 they were a steal.
Great to hear!
Woah, those Sawafujis are cool!!
Those darn EPI-100's. First offered in 1969 (I believe) they were the best "budget" speakers during the 1970's. I got mine late, as kitchen extension speakers, from Tech Hifi (12 W 45th street NYC) for $140 a pair in 1980. They have very good dispersion, HF response and surprisingly deep bass (+/-3dB's @ 48Hz) for such small systems being 21" tall and 25 lbs. They're true "bookshelf" systems.
I love your videos and I love vintage audio. I just gave my nephew my beloved DCM Time Window 1As. I had them from 1984 til 2018. There is a model that will trigger a few people. I enjoyed them for 34 years and I could have sold them, but I wanted to keep them in the family. When my ship was in Japan in 1978 I bought a pair of Pioneer CS 722s. Supposedly they were never sold in the USA. I loved those too.
I've never heard DCM Time Windows, but what a great name!
@@haqitman If you look them up you can see why they had incredible imaging!
I had just landed my first job out of college back in 1986. With the new job came a chance to upgrade my hifi gear. When shopping for speakers within my budget, my top two choices were the DCM Time Windows and the Fried A/3. I wound up choosing the Frieds, but remember being somewhat disappointed that they looked so plain compared to the DCMs. Countless other speakers have come and gone since then, but I still have the Frieds and still enjoy listening to them. Perhaps I would still have the DCMs had I bought them instead.
Really cool and nice with the "newer" info graphics with the bullet points with your voice over going over the details 🙏Very helpful good Sir, for me as a newbie 🙏🥁
KARNS Evil No.9????
Definitely will be there next Sunday for the Livestream.
i had the EPI TE100 , and loved them.
Thanks for the EPI. I have two models myself and I enjoy them. I also really dig my two sets of Ohm speakers (again, different models). both the EPI and Ohms have foam surround rot so repair kits are a must for these.
Another fun video. Love the trigger warning. I think I’ve mentioned that a few people have known combined the 301 with the Big Advents. Its a killer combination and the bigger speakers solve the base issue.
In the 80s I had 301s with an HK 385i, they sounded great together
My first pair of speakers were the Bose 301's way back in 1974. A couple of years later I bought a pair of Bose 501's. Fast forward another 20 years or so and I finally was able to afford a pair of Bose 901's. Got them home and excitedly hooked them up to my electronics. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I messed with them and the Bose equalizer for a few days and realized nothing I did would make them sound good so I returned them. I still have the 301's that are used as surrounds, and the 501's are still rocking in my bedroom and I think they sound great.
I have a pair of Bose 301 Series V speakers that I picked up on facebook market place. I put a whole system (not exactly vintage) together from flea markets, thrift stores and facebook for $300 that includes a Victrola turntable, Onkyo reciever and Onkyo CD player and finished off with the Bose speakers. In a 12 x 13 foot office/bedroom the set-up is more than adequate.
The KLH 17's were a good performer with their long throw woofer ❤
A great video. Some thoughts. A speaker you may have overlooked is the Harmon Kardon HK20. They were a very simple two way with I believe a 6" woofer with an accordion surround that will probably last an eternity. I believe they were crossed over to a 2 1/2" tweeter so real highs were next to impossible. They were a very "smooth" sounding speaker with no real big flaws. Here's my problem. The speaker connections in the back were not only the simple screw head type, but they were impossibly close together. I mean literally right next to each other so not shorting them out was a task of no easy proportions. Further thoughts on the EPI 100 (your not liking the change in logo not withstanding). The early models, like AR speakers, glued the grills in place so they are next to impossible to remove if you need to get inside the speaker to service them. Later models used pins so much easier to service but generally only find this iteration vinyl clad and didn't seem quite as solid as the early iteration. Sometimes I am dismayed when some "audiophile" channels list their 10 most significant speakers of all time, seem to be fixated on the mid 80's and beyond so their choices are the logical picks: Spendor, Spica, Thiel, Vandersteen, etc. They always seem to neglect the speakers that, at least in my mind, changed the world of hi-fi: KLH, AR, Advent, EPI. Maybe someday go through Advent and how it went from the original to the mid-seventies' iterations to the "New" Advent to the Advent 1, etc.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and and family Kevin.
Same to you!
I really have been enjoying your videos. Thdsy take me back to when I was a top stereo salesman working for Tech HiFi in Prov., RI from 1975-1979. Yes, during the golden years of stereo ekctronics. Just an FYI, the 'house' systems from Tech were mostly: Philips TT + Nikko rec + Ohm E speakers. The most competitive system for us to beat was the Consumer Reports favorite of 1975 - Dual TT + Pioneer Sx650 + EPI 100 speakers. The EPI system was very low margin and favored by stiudents and discount shoppers bringing ads in from the New York Times electronics stores. The only problemn with the EPIs was that they weren't very efficient, but suitable for a dorm room.
The comments about the Bose speakers are spot on because the EQ box confused so many buyers.
My personal system ended up being a Thorens TD-125 with Black Widow tone arm and MicroAcoustics 2022e + SAE pre-amp + 2 Crown 150s running in mono + Ohm F speakers.
Pretty sweet and the Crown amps were stable into the OHM F 4 ohm loads.
I have bose outdoor speakers and love them..
I've got a set of Bose 301's and they rock. Placed properly on the wall at a measured height and distance from the corner they produce a lot of bass and fill the room.
I was a Bose kinda hater till I got a pair of Model 21 3 way speakers At a pawn shop For cheap change and I have them playing on my computer They sound good to me ! !
Good morning Kevin, same as always I enjoyed your video. I am persuaded to leave the first comment on this video and my first comment ever for anybody. I had experience with all these speakers in my life, except Karns and Dynawave. I wish I was living in your area to visit your store. Keep up good videos and wish you the best. .....Kevin
I'm on the lookout for some vintage KLHs.
I grabbed a pair of KLH model 5s some years back, refinished the cabinets, and have been using them non-stop since then.
This is a fun list. I bought a set of Bose 301 speakers (the original version) for cheap from a pawn shop back in 1981 and used them until I graduated from college. Back then "critical listening" wasn't really a thing for me and the little 301s matched up well with the small 70's Technics amp that I had at the time so they worked out well for me. I was always able to place them so that both tweeters had equidistant space to a reflecting surface. These days I generally tend to be more impressed with acoustic suspension designs when it comes to vintage speakers so I appreciate choices like the EPI 100 and baby Advents being on this list. Since you asked, I actually much prefer the later EPI logo over the original version.
I have 2 sets of the Advents--spent a total of $25 for them. Add $20 for a refoam kit, and total invested for 4 speakers is $45. Not a bad deal!
One of your videos caught my eye, and since then, I have watched several more. Learning about lot's of brands that I wasn't familiar with. I like when I see things that I had or friends of mine had back in the day. I listened to a set of bose speaker and they sounded great especially for their size. I got them home and hooked them up and at first they sounded great. Between songs I walked away from them and when the next song started I thought something went seriously wrong. It turned out that as I got closer they sounded better and better. Apparently they are designed to be listened to with in say 5-8 feet maximum distance. They became my small office speakers. I kinda liked the radio shack mach 1 and mach 2 speakers. I really wanted a big set of cerwin Vegas and I was saving up for them and the place that carried them closed and I couldn't find them anywhere. I had liked the mach 1 speakers but they were discontinued. I would have liked to have heard them side by side but it was not going to happen. I had enough to buy the mach 2 speakers and I used them for year and years then I moved and they didn't fit the new house. I had them in storage for 15 years and when I got them out and hooked them up they no longer sounded good. Turned out the speaker suroinds went bad. I looked for replacement speakers but they were a weird ohm I think it was. I found a local place that redid the surrounds and they did a great job and they are in my workshop now and I get to enjoy them all the time. Keep up the cool videos.
Just bought mint Bose 601 series 3 for $500 and have them paired with my Pioneer 850 receiver, sounds awesome!
The Epicure M100s were the 1st vintage speaker that I refoamed and recapped/real easy. I loved them then and today! Now I'm looking at a pair of Harbeth 30.2 😂😂
Harbeth 30.2. Ooo. Great choice!
I owned the Epi M1000s. Incredible Speakers.
I found a pair of MK SB 1 for $25 at a garage sale physically they look great they sound awesome!! 🏆👍🎵🎶
Can't wait for the live I'm definitely one person that's waiting for it. And I'm the David that gave you the KARNS and love the perspective ov them. I very much feel the same way about them. Definitely a speaker that needs a good stage. Can't just throw them in a corner. I know they will find a good home with you guys. I thought they sounded good about a foot and a half off the wall and probably great for someone that loves cheese, wine and jazz. At low levels not a rock out speaker.
Thanks for the donation, David! We'll get them to the right person =)
I enjoy your channel so much! I have learned so much about vintage audio because of you. Keep cranking out the vids.
Thanks! Will do!
Although I'm not in the market for speakers..I love the Sunday AM videos.
I remember knowing quite a few folks in the 80's who owned the "Baby Advents".
Back then I owned the original BOSE 901's !
Another great video. Those Sawafuji speakers are really cool! I will try to make the 'Live' stream next Sunday.
If you find a pair of Australian made Krix Equinox book shelf speakers you won't be disappointed, Krix have been making speakers for 50yrs. mine are 24yrs old purchased these in a second hand shop for $120 from memory, new models today $1000-$1300.
I'll be there on your live stream. I like this channel. And knowing you're in Iowa too. We're darn near neighbors. LoL
Plus I had a set of Bose in my old Chevy Blazer K5. They were good speakers.
I have a pair of Bose 301's I bought new in the mid 80's and they have always
sounded great to me. Placement is important with these speakers because the
whole idea behind Bose designs is how the sound from them reflects off the
walls and ceiling in a room. Also, the type of amplifier is important as well.
I use mine with an HH Scott 299C amplifier and the amp and speakers work
really well together. Are they the best sounding speakers I have? Probably not .
But, when set up correctly they do make music come alive with a very nice
depth to the sound stage.
My 1st exposure to “HIFI” was when a buddy of mine bought a pair of 301s in 1978. He hung them from the ceiling of his apartment and they sounded pretty good. Especially after hitting the Stanley Steamer😮. Fast forward a few years and I was shopping my first quality speaker purchase. Bose AM-5 had just come out and, given my space was limited they were an interesting option. The problem, other than the lack of real presence, they were made of cheap materials and parts but selling for $1200! I went with a pair of SDA-2Bs that I still have today. Bose uses cheap low impedance drivers and acoustic trickery. They may image well when set up properly but lack detail, dynamics and clarity for my money. Also had a pair of EPI’s in my Karman Ghia in those days with that same diy looking tweeter, they were amazing!
Regardless of how their speakers sound, my guess is that many people are down on them because Bose has always budgeted highly for the marketing their products (money that I suppose could have otherwise gone into designing and building better speakers). Like it or not, this approach has obviously worked out well for them.
Great review of some classic bookshelf speakers! another terrific classic is the Goodmans Achromat 250 bookshelf. british built at the height of the company's excellence.
I was in high school and college during the golden age and live just north of Boston. My school was just outside of Cambridge, so I was at the heart of the Boston stereo scene. I had EPIs in high school and they had a reputation as a really solid choice for indigent stereophiles. I upgraded to ADS 300s when the bookshelf craze started around 1980.
I had a pair of Bose 601's, not sure of the series, but they sounded awesome! Very good bottom end. Ported on the rear. I currently have a pair of Clements 800SI (Spatial Image) speakers, Made in Canada, that are quite rare to see these days. They also sound awesome, with a great bottom end as well. Rear ported. These aren't bookshelf speakers, just not that common to find, like the last section of this video.
I just picked up a pair of the Polk 3 way bookshelf speakers that are on the shelf over your right shoulder from a local seller. I am enjoying getting to know those speakers.
Nice video, Kevin!! Your that guy, that ,vintage or modern day audio enthusiasts, say! That guy is cool!! Thanx again..
How funny - I’m watching this in my bedroom, where I have a pair of Advent Graduates and Bose 301 S2’s hooked up to my Pioneer SX-737!
The Bose 301s SII are great little speakers. One thing I've noticed about Bose - if you put some serious wattage to them - they sound pretty good. I've driven 301s with 125 watts each and they eat it up and sound better than you'd expect.
I am not a Bose fan, but I just got a free set of Bose 501 (1979) speakers, and they are supposed to sit up against the wall, and they are playing through a HK 430 Twin receiver, and they sound surprising good.
They should, top of the line
I have Advent Baby 2, EPI 100, and Boes AM 5s! Well close .. lol. I love them all... got maybe 5 pair of various Klipsch too... and several others. Changing speakers is great fun!
The EPI 100s have a bunch of different versions. Also look at the Epicure Model 10 which are the same thing basically. I've refoamed a set of each and really like them
Loved the show Kevin. I wiil see your show Sunday. Going to set my reminder. I totaly agree speaker placement is a big deal when looking at speakers. Happy Thanksgiving from the Bayeux State.
Baby Advents belong right there, nice speakers for close to nothing. I have a pair bought new in the early 90's and sound good, I re-foamed them and upgraded the crossover, real good sound and real wood! I came across a pair of Sony SS-H3500 in a thrift shop for $14.00, a 3 ways little speaker but what a sound! After a deep cleaning, they look like new. They complement a Technics SA 104 bought in the same place for $10.00. And so, a TV in a small room has now decent sound.
🇺🇸 I'll be at 11/26/2023 Live Stream for sure. Thank you for what you do. 🇺🇦
well that teaches me that from now on I'll have to watch the entire video before I comment, or was I surprised when you pulled out those Karns!
friend of mine I worked with had a pair and I went over one day, listened to them and like you said,
the highs just weren't gettin' it on - so I had this idea to move the Tweeter to the front where the port was, and move the port to the back where the Tweeter is, and he had enough scrap shelving laying around that we were able to make it happen and oh yeah made all the difference in the world he was like a kid in a candy store, just very amazed that he now liked them so much.
I've been using Bose 201s on my computer since '96. I tried replacing the about 5 years ago with Klipsch pro media 2s. I prefer the Bose.
Hey Kevin~
Hope you & your family have a good Thanksgiving.
I’ll be in there on the 26th for your Live Stream~
Thanks! You too!
My first Stereo... A pair of EPI 100, Marantz 1060, and an AR XA turntable with SP 25 cartridge. The turntable was $66.00! I blew up the EPIs several times 😅
Picked up Baby Advents at a garage sale for $5. Needed fresh surrounds. I ended up replacing surrounds and donating them to Habitat 4 Humanity. Also had a set of Bose 301s. Never impressed with them, so I sold them. I've been on a vintage KLH kick lately. Got a set of Model 23s in the garage. Had a set of Model Six's. Sold those. Down to just three sets of speakers right now.
Sansui LM-330. Mid 70's, 2 way design, 10" driver, and from firing port. They also horn loaded the back of the tweeter pointing sideways to help cancel the opposite speakers sound waves to get a more pure stereo image. Lot of good reviews out there. I somehow ended up with 2 pairs. Also, my favorite pair are the Onkyo model 160's. Not much out there on them, but I love them. The tweeter recently blew so if anyone knows anyone that's selling some I will buy immediately.
Early last year I saw a vintage pair of speakers on FB for $100. I had never followed vintage speakers too much so I had no idea what they were (other than recognising the brand name from the drivers that were in my Ampeg amps back in the day). They looked cool so I went and grabbed them. Turns out they're a pair of Celestion Ditton 551 and after replacing the tweeters, they're easily the best speakers I have ever had. Those soft dome midrange drivers are so great to my ears. So much of what makes Klipsch special but without the honk. Even my wife loves them and forbids me from ever replacing them.
I'll try to be on for the livestream, but I'm in Australia and might have work stuff going on that I have to give my full attention to.
Hope I get a chance to hear all of these at some point. I am, however, surprised that the Polk Audio Monitor 4 didn’t make the list. A pair of those were my main speakers for years and I was darn happy with ‘em.
Part 3?
I just had a pair of Monitor 4’s delivered earlier in the week. I haven’t had a chance to listen to them yet. They were a little more than I wanted to spend (just under $70 shipped) but they appear to be in very good condition.
@@skylabsaudio I think it was 1983 and a good friend made me meet him the best stereo store in Fairbanks, Ak. Once there he pointed to the little Monitor 4s and said I had to hear them. The salesman cranked ‘em up and I was absolutely blown away…but then realized the mistake. “No, not the big speakers”, I said, “I want to hear the little Polks on top”. The salesman said - “those ARE the little Polks on top”. And he was right! The best $200 I ever spent!
I've got both versions of the Baby Advent here, several of each in fact, at first I liked the newer dome tweeter style but the more I listen to them, I think I like the paper tweeter better. They seem more balanced than the newer versions, but it could well be the room they're in.
I've had several pair of EPI 100 speakers, I bought the first pair on recommendation from several others but I just never heard a pair i could get to like. It could be my house, or the combos I tried but I kept several pair around here for about 5 years, trying all sorts of different set ups but finally gave up and let them go. Like anything, I'm sure its just my opinion but I doubt I'd ever bother with another pair. I really thought I'd like a pair of their larger speakers but so far none have become keepers. I've owned 100, M100, 101, 20/20, 400, and 1000 models, and none worked well for me. The 1000's sounded pretty good where I got them but I absolutely could not get them to work here. When I bought those, I bought the guy's whole system, amp, preamp, and speakers, but they fell flat here regardless of positioning.
I've had similar experience with Avid Speakers for some reason.
I've had Bose 301's and 501's and one pair of 901's, all with the original EQ but none were keepers. Luckiy I've got a buddy who loves Bose and they ended up over there. Of all of them, the 501's probably sounded the best, but they ended up being very hard to place, only working right when placed nearly in the middle of the room. They likely needed a much larger area to sound right.
SawaFuji at one point had some connection to Aiwa in Japan very early on. Its an old brand not primarily known for speakers.
I can't say I've ever run into a set of those, but a buddy did say he found a few sets over the years, but all had non working drivers so he left them where they were. I would certainly think that finding replacement drivers or parts would be a long search, if they ever turned up. From looking at them and having dealt with other planar type speakers, I'd have to figure that they lack bass and would most likely need a subwoofer to sound complete?
I actually have seen Karns speakers here, but they belonged to a buddy in MO. He brought them out to me to refoam.
The tweeter sure looked like a simple piezo tweeter to me too. I was surprised at how little they did to cross over the mid or as its wired, more of a front tweeter of sorts. If it were crossed over differently, the speaker would likely sound like it was lacking its highs. The fact that the piezo tweeter is on the back likely lessens its harshness while giving them some depth.
I didn't listen to the pair I had here long enough or in any proper set up, I just tested them and they went away.
I half figured they were either a small market manufacturer or a house brand of sorts.
I picked up a pair of Mini Advent II a while ago for $5... Of course they need to be refoamed and I got the kit for about $28.
I think it will be a good way to learn how to refoam. Based on the instructions, it seems pretty straightforward, maybe that will be a good project during the Thanksgiving break.
The Sawafuji look very interesting.
Idea for a future video: making a list of unknown brands/speakers to keep an eye out for (if it hasn't being done yet, I'm not sure)
I'll try to be there for the live, no promises though but I set an alarm for it.
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family
That’s what I’d like to do myself. I have been picking up older/cheaper audio equipment to try out and am looking for stuff I can try repairing too. I’d like to have a little side business in Rochester MN of speaker repair and possible electronics too. Need more diagnostic tools for that though. With Des Moines and the Twin Cities being as far as they are, there’s nothing local for that stuff.
Also the Trigger Warning segment was excellent... funny the moment I saw trigger warning I knew you were going to say Bose hehe. Nicely done.
I occasionally buy thrift store or Craigslist speakers not to use as-is but because I want to salvage or repurpose either the cabinets or the drivers for DIY projects. I currently have a pair of Wharfedale W70 cabs in lovely mid century modern blonde birch waiting for the right salvaged drivers to come along. For those inclined to educate themselves about speaker design this approach can result in classy speakers with spectacular sound on the cheap---not taking into account one's labor, of course. For those not so inclined, this will be a long-odds roll of the dice.
Rectilinear III. Heavy and old but solid and airy. Mine are in the garage and kick. $80
Hilarious video!
I can't count how much stuff I have rescued from another rainstorm!
I've got a set of Bose 301seris II that I recently started using that were givto me a few years ago. They do sound decent and that direct reflecting thing is working with my oak/plywood lined cinder block basement walls. Once you get them set up right the benefit is a wide sound stage that is less dependent upon the listener's spot in the room. I also had a pair of Advent orange fried egg tweeters doing nothing. So now the front firing tweeters in the 301s are those Advents. A new crossover and it's a much better speaker system.
Bose 301 series 2 are really nice speakers.
Great videos! I don’t hate Bose, but I remember buying my first speakers in 1977 and tried out the Bose 301 vs. a pair of Infinity Qa ‘s.
The Infinity’s killed the Bose as I remember. I still have them. I later bought a pair of Infinity Quantum 4’s. Still have them!
Your shop must be fun to browse! Keep the video’s coming. Cheers!
EVERYTHING you said about Bose is spot on!! nice one..
Appreciate it!
Hello Kevin. Always enjoy the video's. The speakers I use are the Adent Baby 2s.