Home made EPI 100

I just picked up a pair of pink home made EPI 100 speakers. This is the early version with the inverted domes mounted on Masonite.The woofers had a fresh re foam job not to long ago. There is an L-pad in the back and the caps need to be swapped out for poly caps.

I guess they were painted to fit the wife's decor. Hot pink! The man cave will have none of that.

This is the second pair of EPI 100's I have owned. The EPI 100's is a very musical speaker and always worth seeking out.

The last pair of EPI 100's I owned.

Mission 770 Freedom 4

My first pair of speakers that started me down the path of High Fidelity was a pair of Mission 700-S that I bought when I was in my teens. I have always liked Mission products and even own a few Mission turntable cartridges, including the Mission Solitaire and the Mission 773.

I found these 770's at an estate sale and after reading great praises from seventiesstereo, I had to have a pair.

The 770's do everything right across the spectrum but could use a bit more bass. The mid range and sound stage is ever so present. I find these speakers have had a permanent placement in my speaker rotation.

Another pair of Missions I had for a short time was a pair of Mission 707's that I re foamed for a friend. In comparison the 707's Vifa T19D tweeter fatigued me, I was happy to return them to their owner.

 

Energy 22 Speakers

This is the second pair of Energy 22's that I have owned. The other pair have been featured in an earlier post with the Epicure tweeters installed.

These are the speakers that put Canada on the map with the help of Winslow Burhoe of EPI fame.

His version of the Energy 22 story can be read on this link.

Energy 22's have a laid back sound and the 7 inch woofer extends deep to 28Hz. The tweeter casts an air around it. You owe it to yourself audition a pair one day.

The original Energy Pro 22 brochure and spec sheet

Tannoy C-6 and Telefunken TLX 2 Professional

Both these speakers found new homes this week, I enjoyed both of these loudspeakers while they where in the house. The Tannoy C-6 sounded much larger than their size indicated without the boomy bass of a Paradigm 3SE Mini that I have had in the past.

The Telefunken's had a mid range and high end that would envelope you.

Energy 22 EPI Hybrid

I have a pair of Energy 22's with a set of blown tweeters. Finding replacement tweeters for Energy 22's is getting more and more difficult. There was a Company out of Halifax called ABI Tech that bought all the machines from API to rebuild the tweeters, but Chris Coote has disappeared.

Only a few tweeters will fit into the 5 3/8 inch cut out and have the ability to be crossed over at 1500Hz.

An EPI or Epicure tweeter is one of those tweeters. The other would be Polydax/Audax T-103 with the big plate from a set of Infinity 5000A speakers. One could buy a Dayton Audio or Vifa Dual Ring tweeter but the cut out would have to be made smaller.

The EPI tweeter is far more accessible from EBAY and for far cheaper. From what I know the Energy 22 is crossed over at 1500Hz. on a 3rd.  order for the tweeter and a 1st. order for the woofer. There is also a resistor in line to bring the output down. I just did a straight swap of the tweeter and left the original crossover intact.

I like the sound of the EPI tweeter when it is crossed over at 1800Hz. with a simple 1st. order 10uf capacitor. The 3rd. order crossover straightens the tweeter up and does not let it be as airy. It sounds good and all but it is much more polite.

The bottom end is much fuller and warmer given the cabinet size and the quality of the 7 inch woofer than you would find in an EPI 100 speaker.

It would be worth while to source a pair of Polyday/Audax T-103 tweeters to test out also.

Lab Series 3 refoamed

The Lab Series 3 12 inch woofers were re foamed and the Philips mid range domes pushed back out and I have been enjoying these beasts. The 12 inch woofers can really pump out the bass. The Philips mids and tweeters sound just as good as their Braun competitors.


The speakers sound great but they would benifit from being elevated just a bit more off the floor. A newer crossover would control the mid and tweeters better. Right now I am enjoyin them.

The cabinets are the next item to tackle, I will sand them with 220 grit paper then steal wool them and add a layer or two of MinWax.

The terminal cup should be replaced from a spring clip to a binding post. If I was going to go that far it might even be worth upgrading the crossover and internal speaker wire.

If anyone knows anything about these speakers please comment. Also if any tips on getting the wrinkles out of the mid domes would be greatly appreciated. I tried a steamer already.

LAB Series 3

I picked up a pair of LAB Series 3 speakers on spec this weekend. I know nothing about these monsters but I did note the Philips dome mid range and tweeter. The cabinets looked like real wood veneer and the big 12 inch woofers need to be re foamed. On the inside the crossover indicates that they were built in Vancouver with an address and phone number on the circuit board. 1835 West 4th Ave.

From what I have read on the internet, the Philips dome mid range was a copy of the famous Braun mid range. 

Someone along the line also pushed the mid range domes in, it was an easy fix to disassemble the mid range and push the domes back out.

The speakers also came with a NAD 712 receiver with the typical burnt out LED display and back plate bulb. I will probably not put the effort into the repair of the receiver. The NAD is now playing duty in the living room in place of a Yamaha R-5 receiver. Powering the Celestion C-6 speakers I recently refurbished. The sound is very nice with this combo.