Need to know about Epos ES11, the smallest from Epos ES series…
some specification like these
Specification
• extremely rigid cabinets due to their extraordinary construction, completely resonant-free;
• front baffle and rear panel made out of hard plastic;
• mid-low woofer with a fixed phase plug and rubber surroundings;
• Naim NACA5 wiring inside;
• 25mm MDF enclosure covered with natural veneer;
• bi-amping capable;
• easy to place in the listening room – just put them on rigid stands at least 50cm from side walls and 20cm from the back wall.
• Power Handling: 75 Watts speech and music.
• Impedance: 8 ohms Nominal
• Dimensions: 375mm (H) x 200mm(W) x 250mm(D)
• Weight: 8kg
wiring using Naim NAC-A5, seems good
please write your experience using this ES11…what about sound character…vocal quality, bass response, etc…
I’m pretty sure ES11s didn’t use NACA5 inside. FWIW, not even Naim used NACA5 internally as it’s too stiff for such short runs and not so easy to seal off internal chambers where needed. I assume these ES11s have been modified?
I think they are designed to work with open frame stands, not any rigid stand. I loved the midrange on mine. Metal dome tweeter could get a bit tiring. Never quite got the bass I wanted from them - I think my Nait 3 was a bit underpowered.
These will be pretty old by now. check the rubber surround on the bass/mid driver for cracks and splits.
Don’t know what would be involved in replacing the surround. It looks integral but might be accessible (from behind maybe?). I think the driver is unique to EPOS, so I’d be surprised if replacements exist.
Bass response was plenty deep but a little one note and thuddy. Designed to work with Naim kit but I found that my system exposed that the top was a little rolled off so after 21 years I went in a different direction. Definitely never had NAC A5 inside. Also intrigued by the description of the dome tweeter as I never once found mine fatiguing through 6 different sources and 2 different kinds of amplification. Overall a wonderful speaker and a lot easier to place than ES14s.
I have become a bit sensitive to treble sounds near the limit of my high frequency hearing since developing tinnitus, so probably it’s just me. As I said, I also wonder whether my old Nait 3 was just a bit underpowered and wasn’t getting the best out of them (or perhaps there was a problem with the speakers). I keep meaning to get mine out again and see how they sound with the new Supernait 3…
Well, that may well be as good a reason as any to not believe everything just because it’s “on the web”. I seem to recall an advert on another site some years back where someone was selling some modified ES11s with NACA5 inside. Are you sure this information has not been passed on as a standard specification - sort of an online game of chinese whispers…?
As I say, not even Naim used NACA5 inside their own speakers…
They are not really bass focused speakers - they have a killer midrange and sound wonderful with acoustic instruments and vocals… I loved mine but I’d question buying them now due to the difficulty with servicing. They absolutely have to be on the right stands though
Yes, whilst you can’t just get a replacement driver, I would have thought a speaker repair specialist would still be able to replace a cracked rubber surround ? Although not separate from the baffle, the driver still has a conventional magnet and basket assembly, albeit moulded in as part of the front baffle assembly. I would have thought the process of replacing the surround would be similar to a conventional bass driver but if looking for a pair of these, perhaps a bit of research and speaking to a few speaker repair specialists would be worthwhile, just incase of problems.
Back in the 90’s i had a pair plugged into a Nait 3 and it was bliss!
One of the main issue with them now is the woofer surround get broken down and depleted, ozone degrades it. It is possible to repair it, though I’ve only seen it done with standard woofer surrounds and not the inverted type like it was originally designed.
