EPI fans

[roccus]

I see some EPI fans here. Here are a couple stories about the original EPI

They were made in Newburyport MA. That is where I was born and grew up. Seems like 1/2 the young people in town worked there at one time or another (I did not). I had several friends and a couple cousins who did work there. They made these towers EPI 1000 they were huge weighted near 250lbs each. They had a pair of them on the second floor for workers to listen to tunes through but they also had a deal with employees on them.. if anyone could pick both of them up at the same time and carry them out the front door they could keep them! Nobody ever did it and if you tried and dropped or damaged one you paid for it and owned it. I think they were $1000 each at the time

Another local thing.... everywhere you went in that town everyone had a pair of home made speaker cabs stuffed with EPI woofers and tweeters I guess the speakers were easy to get out the door but the cabs not so easy on 5 finger discount. The speaker components were all over town for sale cheep I remember a pair of tweeters could be had for $5 or a woofer for 3 or $4 or a pair of crossovers $2 lol

I still have a couple pairs of EPI's a pair of the very early 100's with veiner near mint with the rubber surround and a pair of nice 110's

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

Great story, I am the proud owner of a set of 20+ (and have restored many sets) and I also built a set of the 3.0's off Hew's website (human speakers). He has the plans there. They sound GREAT....

 

[roccus]

Did you ever meet Hew??? When I lived in Epping NH he was just 5 min up the road form me.. he is quite a caricature

Great story, I am the proud owner of a set of 20+ (and have restored many sets) and I also built a set of the 3.0's off Hew's website (human speakers). He has the plans there. They sound GREAT....

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

never had the pleasure of meeting him but spent several hours on the phone with him. great guy

 

[roccus]

Yes he is and he knows epi/early genesis like no one else and does great work.... btw when genesis started up in Newington NH everyone in the Portsmouth area had home made cabs with genesis drivers in them lol

never had the pleasure of meeting him but spent several hours on the phone with him. great guy

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

I got loaded a few years back and exploded my inverted dome tweeters on my 20+'s (one of my many sets). I sent Hew the tweets and he rebuilt them good as New. The rebuilt ones have the metal grate over them so they don't look anything like the originals so I treat my old 20+ speakers like newborns. The original aluminum cast frame tweeters are getting harder to find so I think about that before cranking on them. I used the altered/rebuilt tweeters on my 3.0 clones so no big loss.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

I loves me some 20's

 

[roccus]

Whether you buy Hew's reproduction speakers or have him rebuild yours they are better than original he has a few tricks up his sleeves that makes them much better.. I am not to familiar with the newer EPI's but the older ones were built for efficiency and can not handle a lot of power I know I have blown enough of them out in the days air suspension ya know... last time I saw Hew he had 4 pair of reproduction EPI 1000 maxi towers he had built and of course they were better than original but looked just like original those were the ones a little over 6' tall.. I think if I remember right he was looking for $5000 a pair

 

[grapplesaw]

I have Epi 500's with a WOPl 700 driving them I also have some 150's.
Genesis made speakers similar to EPI and I have 410's in limbo, 320's set up as well. I love the inverted tweeters in these. I got lots of spare pats so they will last me for a long time.

 

[roccus]

This have the passive woofers in the sides right? am surprised these handle the power of a 700 the founder of Genesis was one of the cofounders of EPI The original Genesis plant was only 20 min drive from the EPI plant

I have Epi 500's with a WOPl 700 driving them I also have some 150's.
Genesis made speakers similar to EPI and I have 410's in limbo, 320's set up as well. I love the inverted tweeters in these. I got lots of spare pats so they will last me for a long time.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

I'm getting ready to Resto-Mod another set of 20+ epicure speakers and I want to skip the walnut and do them in Mahogany with about 50 coats of clear. I'm also looking for the original Blue Cone 8" woofers if anybody see's a set or two while they are out and about. I have all the rest of the parts all rebuilt and ready to go but will wait till this fall and it's cooler out to do them (It was 104 degrees today).

 

[FredR]

I had EPI 201 speakers back in the 70s and 80s. Really had some good times with those speakers. Including a bullet hole in one of them while I was in Boulder, CO. Party got a bit out of hand. Somehow those speakers disappeared without a trace when I got married.

 

[Elite-ist]

I have a pair of EPI 100V speakers I have had sitting on the shelf. I bought new surrounds for the woofers, but hadn't installed them.

Nando.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

I have a pair of EPI 100V speakers I have had sitting on the shelf. I bought new surrounds for the woofers, but hadn't installed them.

Nando.

Are they the Blue cones? Certain years they came in blue which were the same as the woofs in the 20+

Thanks Nando

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

I bought a replacement set from the dude on ebay and the frames were so flimsy that you couldn't get them installed without coil rub. I cussed that dude out for having replacement woofs made of recycled beer cans.

 

[Elite-ist]

I don't remember them having blue-coloured cones. I would have to dig them out to confirm. The speaker surrounds are ones I bought from California. It was the only supplier, at that time, who had them available for the EPI 100V.

Nando.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

Shoot me a pic, I'd be interested either way.

 

[nakdoc]

Try dyeing the cones blue! First spray the paper with a bleach solution. The paper will turn whitish or brownish (like Pioneer CS-99a) Then spray with fabric dye until you get the blue you want.

 

[Elite-ist]

A couple of quick pictures.:




Nando.

 

[roccus]

Never seen blue cones on EPI but if anyone knows then it would be this guy.... human