ES25
The Epos ES25 is a loudspeaker for music lovers. It is a masterpiece of purposeful engineering and clear thinking design that harnesses up to the minute technology to bring lasting musical enjoyment to discerning listeners.
” The ES25 can deliver performances that are wonderfully revealing and compelling. Transparency, clarity and definition are inherent parts of its character. Above all else, the ES25 is a loudspeaker with which you can relax and concentrate solely upon enjoying the music. “
Design Intentions
By using advanced technology – but always remembering that its sole purpose is to render music more accurately – we sought to design a loudspeaker that would provide an exceptional level of satisfaction for the listener whose priority is musical realism and not ‘hi-fi’ artifice. Few loudspeakers have undergone as much painstaking development, and fewer still incorporate as much sophisticated technology and precision engineering, as the ES25. We have carefully employed advanced techniques and materials to produce a truly well balanced loudspeaker, one that places appropriate emphasis on all the vital performance aspects required to offer a faithful, stimulating insight into musical events.
The outstanding precision and finely honed design evident in all Epos loudspeakers enables them to dispense with complicated electrical crossover and equalisation networks, which frequently mar the performance of competing products. The absence of complex circuitry between the loudspeaker drive units and the amplifier pays handsome dividends. By providing a virtually direct path between the amplifier and the loudspeaker, ridding the system of components that can introduce deleterious phase anomalies, the resulting sound enjoys remarkable transparency, dynamics and naturalness.
The Drive units
All the drive units in the ES25 are advanced designs that were developed specifically for this loudspeaker.
The High Frequency Unit
The 25mm tweeter’s dome is formed from aluminium alloy. Epos Acoustics has long been in the fore-front of metal dome technology and the ES25 benefits from many years’ experience and accumulated knowledge. Stringent care has been exercised to ensure the linearity of this tweeter, and all our expertise employed to raise its performance to the finest attainable.
The tweeter uses a polyamide suspension to locate its aluminium dome precisely and provide it with the required restoring force. The dome is acoustically loaded by a separate rear chamber, and vents in the coil former equalise the pressure on the voice coil to eliminate asymmetric pressure distortion. Magnetic fluid in the magnet gap provides enhanced thermal transfer from the voice coil to the magnet system, which improves reliability and reduces dynamic compression.
The rugged nature of the tweeter, coupled with its excellent linearity at the lower end of its pass band enable it to operate with minimal external tailoring: there’s only one high quality capacitor present in its signal path. We firmly believe that this ‘minimalist’ approach to network design greatly improves the loudspeaker’s ability to resolve subtle detail and dynamics.
The Midrange Unit
The 165mm midrange driver uses a robust, extraordinarily rigid, die-cast aluminium chassis. Its injection moulded, stable polymer cone has a specially developed profile that provides well controlled axial and polar performance characteristics. A low hysterisis, nitrile rubber, roll surround terminates the cone and minimises the generation of standing waves across its radiating surface.
The driver has a phase plug protruding from the cone apex, instead of the more common dust cap. This device has a precisely contoured form that modifies the dispersion characteristics at the centre of the cone and provides better polar performance than would be possible with a dust cap.The voice coil is wound on an aluminium former with high-temperature wire. A costly and labour-intensive wet-winding process, using a powerful resin adhesive, is used in preference to the more common solvent bonding. These techniques guarantee that the coil will provide years of reliable service.
At the heart of the driver is a magnet assembly whose centre pole extends far forward of the top plate, which linearises the magnetic flux around the voice coil while it is in motion and ensures minimal harmonic distortion.
The Low Frequency Unit
The 200mm bass driver, which, unlike that found in many three-driver designs, only handles low bass, has a thermoformed Cobex cone piston with an integral dust-cap designed to increase its stiffness. This ensures that the motion of the cone remains pistonic so providing excellent bass extension and control. Its massive magnet system is designed to optimise the transient response of the unit further improving extension and control. A dual rear suspension system, which provides identical diaphragm excursions in both forward and reverse directions, assists further in abolishing low frequency distortion. The result is clear, tuneful, powerful bass.
The Cabinet
The ES25 cabinet is an exceptionally inert structure providing a stable foundation upon which the drive units can operate at their optimum performance level. It is internally braced to provide excellent structural integrity and eliminate any standing waves. The materials used in its construction were chosen to have different resonant properties: the combination of their characteristics enhances the cabinet’s stiffness and damping abilities, which minimises colouration.
Power Requirements
The ES25 is suitable for use with any high quality amplifier rated between 40 and 200Watts. More powerful models may be used with caution, but it is best to avoid amplifiers rated below 40Watts. We would stress, however, that quality is paramount: a musically rewarding 50Watt design will provide more satisfaction with the ES25 than a less capable 200Watt model.
Positioning
The ES25 normally performs well when placed in free space at least 50cm from the nearest wall. It does not require proximity to a boundary to deliver its correct bass response.
Connections
The ES25 provides connections for tri-wiring. Three pairs of high quality, solid brass terminals allow the use of separate cables (or separate amplifiers) to connect the bass driver, midrange driver and tweeter. Multiple wiring or amplification techniques can be employed to bring improved control and detail resolution.
Auditioning
Epos speakers are available exclusively through a small number of enthusiastic, highly competent retailers, chosen for their ability to demonstrate and sell complementary equipment. It is important to realise that combinations of the best or the most highly rated components won’t necessarily result in a satisfactory system. A good retailer’s advice and demonstration facilities are invaluable in helping to prevent ES25 buyers wasting money on inappropriate partnering equipment.
Specifications
Power Handling 200 Watts speech and music
Frequency Response 25Hz – 22kHz
Impedance 6 ohms Nominal
Sensitivity 88dB/1 watt/1 metre
Finish Dark Cherry or Walnut wood veneer
Dimensions 900mm(H) x 233mm(W) x 344mm(D)
Weight 30kg
An acoustically transparent foam grille was supplied