That’s where I heard them. I also ended up with Kans, and then their ex demo Briks.
Gone.
Just love your system. I had a 1989 Sondek with olive 62/hicap/140 and Epos 14 speakers and loved it. I have a recapped CB Nait 2. I hope eventually to get a good record player and speakers for it. Currently it is mothballed. Would a Nait 2 drive the ES 14s?
I would love to hear your impressions. If I’d known then that they could be made work close to the wall by stuffing the ports with straws, my hi-fi odyssey might have been very different.
Sounds like a fun weekend project.
Do you have the matching steel frame stands?
Please do let us know how you get on?
Just curious- What other system pieces would you use those ES14’s with?
Thanks for your compliment. That’s great you had a very similar system. Yes, they all somehow look right with other, don’t they. (Same period). Which, was our idea and intention, when we decided to set-up this vinyl only based system.
We already had the Epos ES14’s. And our 1986 LP12. So we went looking for the Olive shoe boxes to go in between. I guess it’s also a homage to a that period - late 80’s or early 90’s.
I have no experience of our ES14’s with a CB Nait 2, so can’t offer an help with that question. The ES14’s are a very easy speaker load to drive. In theory it could work. But no idea what that combo’ might sound like. Another vintage option is the Linn Kan. I’ve seen other users pair their Nait with Kan’s.
I think LP12 - CB Nait2 - speakers (of your choice), would be all the music anyone might need.
Lots of other done this and it looks fab’ too.
Sounds like a nice project?
Hi @ratrat , yes it would be a second system. I stupidly sold my ES14s 18 yr ago. I thought they were starting to look dated, but your system looks classily retro. It is very inspirational.
Thank you so much. That was exactly our intention with this project. Glad that comes across.
All planned for this room - in our new house - over a period of about a year (or so).
Funny thing about design, everything comes around back into focus, in cycles. Good design can stand the test of time.
We just love the Olive shoe boxes. Most importantly, they are a lot of music in such small boxes.
One system I sometimes miss in the office is Valhalla/Ittok/VM95 LP12 with Nait 1 and Keilidhs. That had the best rhythm and fun factor of any system I’ve had. Obviously not without flaws but the Keilidhs gave it just enough bass and the lean Nait / VM95 helped cut through the warm blanket that hung over their midrange.
It’s one of those old myths that ES14s need a NAP250 to work properly. It’s true that Robin Marshall used a 250 when working on the design of them but the two shouldn’t be conflated. A 110 or 140 will drive them perfectly well and may even be preferable in difficult rooms as the bass rolloff is set higher on the the 110 / 140 than the bigger amps.
My own pair are still on duty out in the workshop and sound pretty good with just a NAIT 3 behind them. Just beware of not pushing them too hard anyway as the mid-bass driver tends to come apart internally due to a failing voice coil / cone joint.
Indeed (yet a tuner/streamer would also be nice) but perhaps not with ES14 then (which are brilliant elsewhere).
From memory to my ears the ES14 are somewhat outside the optimal enveloppe of the Nait 2. Especially for bass control I found the ES11 a better match at the time, although it did work of course. So I would second pairing the ES14 with shoebox separates or newer/higher, where they can shine.
Lots of info on the forum about speakers that pair well with the Nait 2, there are several options.
As I said above I had the ES14s on the end of Xerxes/Nait 1 and they sang. Yep the extra oomph from the 140 improved them a lot, and the 135s really showed what they could do, but I loved the Nait with them.
A close friend ran Epos ES11’s with a Nait. I always thought that was a great match. (Maybe better suited to smaller rooms).
In recent years, I’ve been following / looking at pre-loved ES11’s and noticed they have also become quite desirable. I also see they are maybe more regularly available, than ES14’s. Perhaps a larger number were made and sold by Epos. After all, it was a popular speaker and at a reasonable price point. In fact there are several (some with matching stands) right now on a certain marketplace.
Demonstrating the Epos ES14’s versatility - here are ours - with more recent Naim electronics…
(Note : Photo taken very soon after moving in, maybe few days, hence state of unreadiness, etc).
Pictured here with CD5XS - nDAC - Nait XS2 - HiCap2.
I can honestly testify these magnicficant speakers have coped with so many systems over their 30+ years. They have never let us down. On every occasion we have changed something or upgraded, they have found more music to give.
They just keep giving.
Please do share your own photos and stories about ES14’s.
Gone.
Having read that last post - great system - now I really hope you do get those ES14’s out to play with…
Make sure to give them time to loosen up again, if they have not been used for a while.
Really want to know what you think.
Be sure to share some photos too.
KR
R
How did the 6 months holiday go?
(Secretly hoping you still have and use your ES14’s)
Does anyone know whether ES14 mid/bass surrounds are available anywhere?
Do you mean the seals gaskets surrounding the driver?
I’ve seen replacement alternatives being offered. Let me think about where I saw them
The rubber driver surrounds. One of mine has been in the light/sun and I can see the start of tiny little cracks.