came home w/ EPI-110

leftwinger57

I was going out to get a haircut and needless to say there was a thrift store right next door. They have the usual schlock like any GW and then I dug a little deeper. I found a scuffed up set of EPI 110s 2-ways. I doubt these are original because someone re foamed them w/ butyl surrounds. I had no way to test them but for $12.99 it was worth a chance and the haircut could wait. Home, I cleaned them up but before I put any effort into them I did test them and they both work , even the tweeter pots. Grills need



cleaning but no tears or cat scratch fever.
1.Request the EPI badges were gone so if any of you dudes have something that would work p/m me. Here goes some pics. Oh, I already think they have a beefier sound than my 100v.

TNHNDYMAN

Might have something for you LEW. Hell the badges usually go for more than you paid for the speakers. Then shipping complicates things further...

TNHNDYMAN

Those are EPI 100V grills. I've had several pair go thru my collection over the last couple of years. A decent little speaker. Since Club Polk has been so good to me over these last 5 years I suppose I do owe it a little karma myself. Send me your address and contact info via PM and I'll ship you the badges free this weekend.

leftwinger57

Thanks a lot. Already cleaned but still wet they look good. Both my 100v do have the tags so yes they will match ..P/M coming

mhardy6647

Some EPI loudspeakers had rubber surrounds on the woofers (generally earlier ones).
Those masonite frame tweeters mark your 110s as old(er) ones... but that woofer doesn't look right for those speakers.

If it's not a 'real' EPI woofer, the speaker, unfortunately, won't sound right -- The EPI woofer was designed with a smooth treble roll-off, allowing Epicure to use a simple (and cheap) first order crossover on only the tweeter, running the woofer full range. Much of the EPI/Epicure magic, many folks (myself included) came from that simple, cheap - but very deliberate design choice.

EDIT:

For reference/comparison:

Here's a late(r) EPI 110C with a very typical looking EPI woofer. Note the small dust cap (small voice coil) and the long VC wires. These have foam surrounds, of course.

EPI 110C by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

This is an EPI 100V (V is for 'vinyl'), the cheapest version of the 100 (a very popular loudspeaker series; a Consumer Reports recommendation way back when didn't hurt!).

102 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr


Here are old(er) and new(er) EPI concave-dome "airspring" tweeters, and an early (square masonite bezel) Genesis concave-dome tweeter. Genesis was essentially a direct descendent of EPI.

EPIsprings by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

FWIW, I do have an 8" EPI woofer with a rubber surround downstairs -- but the surround's hard as a rock and the magnet's shifted (i.e., the cone is utterly immobile).

As a final comment -- you almost certainly know this, but there is an excellent reference/resource for EPI/Genesis (and related) loudspeaker information at
www.humanspeakers.com

TNHNDYMAN

Hey Leftwinger, do the speakers have 8" drivers? I agree with Mr. Hardy the woofer is not correct. I happen to have (4) spare 8" EPI drivers that came out of the 100EV's I have had in the past. The surrounds need redone in all of them, but I can give you a fair price if interested..

mhardy6647

As an aside -- for the 100Vs I have (one shown above) I used Rick Cobb's surrounds (I've typically used cheap generic surrounds for EPIs -- because I am cheap and generic!). I can recommend them, and Rick, wholeheartedly and unreservedly. His surrounds are excellent and his service is superb. Any serious refoaming I do nowadays... I source surrounds from Rick.

He's known as "looneytunes2001" (I think) on eBAY.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/re-foam-kits.714167/

leftwinger57

Mark, I didn't know that EPI used butyl surrounds at all. My woofers do not look original and w/ a better look the beauty ring or gaskets don't fit quite right like it needs to be snapped in. I'm betting they are replaced drivers that don't sound all that bad. I did air them out and were easy to listen to and handled me pushing them. Also on mine the tweeter and speaker are off set to each other like the JBL Century 100s. Both the newer M-110s like yours and the later JBL 100s had their speakers lined in a row. Also yours has the gold ring tweeter and mine does not.
A question for you, does your tweeter control knobs in the back cabinet have actual knobs or like on mine gone and lost forever ? They do work for the tweeter which I was surprised. One other comment they have tight put real pita push spring loaded terminals.

mhardy6647

No adjustment on the 110C (or the 100V for that matter).
I doubt there was originally a knob... but I do not know.
Yes the masonite tweeters were the original design; the plastic bezels came later. See my photo above.

mhardy6647

Lew, you probably saw this Elsewhere... but here's a pretty good thread on matters EPI. There are some posts from a guy who was there.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/epicure-epi-100v-or-boston-acoustics-a40.711982/

leftwinger57

There is no shoot out between the Boston Acoustics A-40 and the EPI100v. The majority there plants it squarely with the EPI with no real argument. I like my 100v and think the M-110 was just EPIs attempt at getting into the floor stander market w/ a 2 way that was already proven.

mhardy6647

Some of the bigger Bostons (A-70 and up) would be a fairer comparator, methinks, to the 100/100V and its cousins & siblings.