■Standmount speakers
■£3750
The Epos brand, founded in the early Eighties, was a bit of an engineering maverick, refusing to follow many of the speaker design conventions of the day. In those early years, the range consisted of just two standmounters: the mid-priced ES14 and its smaller, cheaper brother the ES11.
Both models delivered exceptional sound quality thanks to a raft of clever engineering solutions. These included ultra-simple crossover networks (that used just one capacitor), highly developed mid/bass drivers designed to roll-off smoothly at the top of their operating range, and cleverly constructed cabinets.
Over time, Epos went through a number of ownership changes, and both models were eventually superseded by newer, more conventional designs that never quite hit the same heights. Eventually, the brand faded from view. That could be about to change given Epos is now owned by Karl-Heinz Fink – winner of our Outstanding Contribution Award in 2022 and audio consultant to the likes of Naim, Tannoy, Wharfedale and Mission.
MODERN ENGINEERING
The ES14N is a largish two-way standmounter, just like the original. The two generations have other things in common, in that both have metal-dome tweeters, polypropylene mid/bass cones
