Ugly but nice! Found some Epicure M50 speakers

Once again, something wicked comes my way from a thrift store. Another $20 pair of speakers... Ugly as sin, but the surprise they brought...

I found these Epicure M50 speakers last night and then walked away from them thinking "I need more heavy little wooden boxes laying around like a need a hole in the head." And "Epicure"? I knew the name buy I don't hear them mentioned often in the canon of classics like Advent, AR, Dynaco. So I left them dented and alone on the shelf. Well, over at Audiokarma, there were a handful of guys who told me they were worth grabbing. So people really like them. Okay, $20. I could always part out the drivers from the ugle cabs and sell them to a grateful fan. So I went back this morning and grabbed the. I hooked them up to my Fisher 500B. I was expecting an okay sound, maybe something like the AR4x's I found at the same thrift store and eventually passed along to my brother. But.... as saea501 said: "Surprise." These are VERY nice speakers. I was completely surprised! A tiny 2-way in an unassuming package, but boy are they gutsy! First thing I was surprised by was the amount of detail for an old New England speaker. Certainly bringing more out of the recordings than those ARs. It may have to very top rolled off -- especially in comparison to the treble on my B&W DM23s (my current bedroom speaker) -- but it's the sort of roll off where you really don't miss much. Maybe a little less air, but on the other hand I feel the overall presentation is MORE pleasant than my B&Ws because of this. There's a nice warmth to the sound. Diana Krall and Patricia Barber's voices both had nice body. Krall's Live in Paris has all the wonderful detail of that recording, and there was also real snap to the guitar. Also, one of the terrific things about these Epicures is the mid bass. It's punchy and has just the right presence: clean and not overdone. The image was pleasantly full and wide -- a bit wider than my B&Ws, by that I mean Krall's voice was a little bigger overall. Best of all, there's no artificial sheen to the music, which is the one area my B&Ws lose a point for. The B&Ws definitely have more air and highs, but then feel a little thinner than the Epicures and there's a slight sheen at times to the treble. There's just a very DAMN PLEASANT quality to these Epicure M50s -- warm and full sounding and definitely worthy of a "high end" tag. Well balanced, too. So, I'm a little conflicted since, it's hard to consciously say my vintage 3-way B&Ws are inferior to the Epicures, because they do excel in detail, but is that detail an equal trade off to the satisfying punch (I like the mid bass better on the Epicures) and warmth? It's a really tough call. I was playing them moderately loud, so that's where the warmth would pay off. I should have done more low level testing, but I was enjoying what these tiny Epicures could so so well at a hearty volume -- I plum forgot! So, anyway, here are some photos. They're pretty ugly with no badges, but I'm sure they will clean up nicely. I documented the smash well. Any thoughts on how to best work that wound? Anway, what a damn surprise. A MUCH better speaker than I was expecting! To think I almost walked away from them. Just went I thought I was out... they keep pulling me back in!

 

Congratulations. I've never heard of them either. Looks like they were built on...Charles Street?? In Newburyport?! Of all places.

I bet they'd sound a lot better if those terminals were replaced with something good. Do you solder?

 

Yes. Guys also give them a recap. I'm trying to decide if I want to spend more time and money on them or just move them along. Those old terminals are such a pain. If you don't have a banana plug, they're so useless unless you're using 18 gauge wire.

 

Looks like even bananas wouldn't even fit in there. Is that what you used?

 

No, I just squeezed the tip of my cable in there. You're probably right, it would have to be a very SMALL banana plug.

 

How big are those woofers?

 

You call those ugly?? I find they are more beautiful than most speakers being produced nowadays.

 

EPI? My first pair of speakers were Dad's old EPI's. A110 as I recall. warm and inviting.....some of their other models were excellent too. Yours: http://www.humanspeakers.com/e/epi50.htm

http://www.humanspeakers.com/e/epistory.htm

 

I had EPI model 70's in my VW beetle. Then I had them in college. They were nice sounding for the money.

 

New boxes wouldn't be hard to fashion. Putting in good binding posts and upgraded crossover parts sounds like a fun little project.

 

I have been listening to these non-stop for three days now. Reading quite a bit about them. Well know fact: this bookshelves are know for volume! Hm. Some swear the ability to take 300w peak and stay clean. Wow. I am listening now to the Afro-Cuban All Stars' album "A Toda Cuba Le Gusta" and they are singing as loud as I ever play my stereo. I would say this is probably the finest trumpet reproduction I've head in a long time...or ever heard. Okay. Here's where these speakers fail, you don't want to listen digital with them ... they make compressed files sound like crap! Very revealing in the purity of their design. I would say the speakers in the past they most resemble were my Spica Tc50s. Same transparency. I think Spicas still have the edge on clarity, but bass is better on M50. Overall smoother. However Spica's phase coherent time correction is no joke either for broadcasting a 3D image. But these are sweet to listen to on good recordings. Put on a nice analog recording ***** Classical being outstandingly natural ***** and they are a thing of beauty. I think these would make great monitors if you were working in analog with brass, winds, string instruments. Working Concept: No need for a crossover. Custom-made woofers and tweeters roll of into each other without a crossover, their frequencies being so balance as the extent of each driver crosses EQUALLY into the others as they roll off. So these are not a "buy them without a driver" speakers. You need that matched woofer and tweeter. I've refinished the cabs and will post pictures in daylight. I supposedly am underpowering them with 47w Fisher.


Interesting Web page reprinting the Epicure company catalog.

http://www.humanspeakers.com/e/brown_booklet.htm

 

A custom built 6 1/2"

 

Again, wanted to add if you're ever looking for a home theater speaker that makes soundtracks sound incredible, you won't believe for their size. They put out subwoofer quality clean bass to 50s in prodigious volume. Orchestral soundtracks by people like Hans Zimmer sound incredible. It's a definite THEATER sound. Big. Bold and punchy. Now I think this is the best orchestral speaker I've owned.

 

A little less ugly now. Got some repro badges and rebuilt the crushed corners. A really nice vintage speaker.

 

I'm still using EPI 100Vs that I bought in 1981. They were rebuilt about 10 years ago. They sound very nice, but are a bit clinical.

I've thought about upgrading to some nice floorstanders, but then I think about the process of auditioning, and then I forget about it.

 

These EPI's were always touted as outperforming models many times their cost back in the good old days. I have a continuing fascination for vintage gear and speakers that were unafordable for me back when I was poor. I had a pair of well-regarded Avid 102's that cut corners a bit on the cabinet cosmetics (particle board, vinyl finish) but had a really natural sound and kicked ass when cranked through my Pioneer amp!!

 

Looking up the address on Google Maps....long gone. Turned into apartments by the look of it.

Thats what I love doing now, looking up addresses I find from old stuff. Like the Fanclub/Merchandise addresses on the cards you got in CDs years ago.

 

My first pair of speakers in the mid-70s and I still have them. Great little speakers. It amazes me how they can fill a room. I've owned a number of EPIs of the period and the 50s are still my favourites. Mine have been recapped and rewired and sound better than ever in a little system in the kitchen with an Onkyo TX-4500 MkII receiver and a Sony 5-disc CDP.

 

Chadbang, you did a nice job on the cabinets. I would call Madisound and have them find some drivers that fit in the baffle, then have them build a cross over. I've done this with other speakers with stunning results.

 

Human Speakers should have the correct drivers if needed. BTW "back in the day" I ran my M50s for over a decade when I first got them ('75) with a 25 w/ch Yamaha CA-410 and even nicely filled a 3,000 sq./ft. loft with the combination (ah, the parties) . Due to the simple crossover they really are pretty undemanding in spite of not being terribly efficient.

 

Well, I did a lot of experimentation trying to put in "period correct" electrolytic caps in the simple crossover of these speakers, but after two weeks of experimenting, it is so obvious that modern film caps destroy electrolytic caps in performance. I now have a set of Bennic film caps and these things just floor me. The little old speaker kicked my recently loved B&Ws out the door! I cannot tell you how transparent these things are to the signal, yet remain so forgiving to recordings. Honestly, I think these are the among the very best I've ever heard. And I've heard a lot!!!! A simply amazing little speaker. Worthy of reference class that you can pick up for under $100 with luck.

 

I do the same thing! I'm curious about the world.

 

And Snell is nearby, in Peabody.

 

Ah, Peabody! A note to future travelers to that area for the first time: I remember my first trip up 128 looking for directions. Asked a guy and he said "you want to go up past Peabiddy..."
It took us a while to figure out that he was talking about Peabody - NOT pronounced Pea-body, but Peabiddy.

So Snell is still there?

 

Those speakers look great now that you refinished them! Good stuff.