Hi @PaulM
Can’t really say our love for Epos ES14’s isn’t diminished at all. They are much loved here in our house and will continue to be used.
Searching for a second pair of speakers is actually really challenging, when the ones you already have are so good.
Some years ago, made a decision to split our HiFi pieces and pursue two systems in our house.
One was to be Vinyl source first and to be based around our existing LP12 and Epos ES14 speakers, both bought new from Sound Advice Loughborough, in the late 80’s.
It seemed obvious ( to us, me and my best mate and wife ) to add Naim Olive shoe boxes, in between . So “Project Olive” unfolded - go take a look - a story about finding and refurbishing a classic Naim Olive combination - NAC72 - HC - NAP140.
The Epos ES14’s will continue to be used - in a system many would consider to be their spiritual home - with source LP12 and Naim Olive shoe boxes.
At the same time, decided to build a second system around an existing CD5 XS - nDAC - NAIT XS 2. A pair of speakers was needed for this digital source system.
Over time, the amplifier was upgraded from XS 2 to SN3 to NAC282. (The recent decision to “go active” prompted a separate decision to swop a SN3 for a better pre-amp only). Also, added a ND5 XS2 streamer to the nDAC, digital sources.
Best answer to this is attempted here…
A second point - maybe to bear in mind - the PMC 23i’s are an active speaker, which have their own unique characteristics too.
So, I think of all this as more an evolution, than a simple replacement.
The Epos ES14’s are ideally placed in a Vinyl first and nicely balanced system.
The PMC 23is are also ideally placed within a second nicely balanced system, with digital sources first.
Having said that, I would say ES14’s are a versatile and capable speaker that would challenge a lot of current speakers up to maybe £3-4k. If you’re happy to fiddle around with speaker placement, ( rear ported speaker design prefer to be away from rear boundaries), they are a brilliant product , even compared to today’s maybe more modern designs. The simplicity of their design maybe being the key. Well done Mr Marshall.
Hope that all helps a fellow ES14 user ?
BW
R