Who Knows About EPIs?

lowriderdog

New Member
I scored a pair of 350's for next to nothing but they have been a bit abused as you can see by the pics. The PO tried to add woofers then patched the holes, then drilled "ports" in the sides then taped one up.

I figure I will rebuild the front, top, and sides which shouldn't be an issue but looking for info on originality such as the gold paint and what appears to be pink attic insulation inside. I am not confident either is proper and there isn't much info out there.

The veneer isn't bad so I'll try not to keep it in good condition. Not a fan of the corrigated covers, do you think anybody will care if I make new ones vice recovering the originals? Am new to vintake speakers so I don't know what all is important in the community and value...not that I am expecting to sell them anytime soon, they sound awesome.
 

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Huw Powell is one guy who knows a bit about EPI speakers. Here is a page about your EPI 350 speakers, from his site, Human Speakers. Your, later, version is pictured at the bottom. Woofers and tweeters look original. The pink fiberglas insulation is probably original. My earlier EPIs have had the yellow fiberglas that was used first.

EPI tweeters started out with masonite faceplates. Later came the gold paint version. Woofers look to be correct with original dustcaps, and colour of the cones.
 
There are few people here that have extensive knowledge of these, stand by, I'm sure one will be by.

I agree pink may be original, I think my 100s have yellow fiberglas in them as well.
 
I had a set years ago, and they were quite nice. Patch up the "handiwork" and have at it; I think you'll enjoy the results.
 
Agreed; I wouldn't try to make the baffles look too pretty. Use some wood fill, sand and paint. The hard part, I think, will be fabricating grills for these. Maybe build a wood frame for each side separately, then try to figure out how to fit them together so the joints don't show. You'll probably want to chamfer the edges of the frames to reduce diffraction.
 
If you get all the drivers working properly by contacting human speakers, you will be stunned i promise you, six 8 " woofers with a natural roll off at 1800khz, and six reverse dome style tweeters (that design was created by EPI).........yes 6 linear Burhoe modules in 1 room playing, they will like some power to sound their best. Good Luck with the resto !
 
Congrats on the 350's. They are one of the rarest and one of the best of the EPI models. Salvage the original grilles unless they are beyond repair. Let us know how you like them when you get them running.
 
Wow, wasn't expecting so many replies...thanks. They already sound great but am looking forward to fixing/refreshing them and see what they can do. I knew about the HUMAN site and thanks for the other thread. Didn't know about gluing the magnets.

Agreed; I wouldn't try to make the baffles look too pretty. Use some wood fill, sand and paint. The hard part, I think, will be fabricating grills for these. Maybe build a wood frame for each side separately, then try to figure out how to fit them together so the joints don't show. You'll probably want to chamfer the edges of the frames to reduce diffraction.

Do you really think wood fill would be appropriate? I was going to replace the non-veneered MDF for structural/acoustic integrity.

I have the original grills and can be repaired...maybe they'll grow on me. I'm also surprised about the pink insulation but will stick with it unless there is a better recommendation.
 
Wow, wasn't expecting so many replies...thanks. They already sound great but am looking forward to fixing/refreshing them and see what they can do. I knew about the HUMAN site and thanks for the other thread. Didn't know about gluing the magnets.

Do you really think wood fill would be appropriate? I was going to replace the non-veneered MDF for structural/acoustic integrity.

I have the original grills and can be repaired...maybe they'll grow on me. I'm also surprised about the pink insulation but will stick with it unless there is a better recommendation.

Welcome to AK! We are here to help.

As long as you have an air-tight seal and strong structural integrity, you should be good. If you replace the baffles with new MDF of the same thickness, even better.

Keep the pink fiberglass fill. EPI and Epicure speakers typically are completely filled with the fiberglass. On my Epicure 20+, the fiberglass fills the entire cabinet and comes up almost flush with the driver openings. The fill is not compacted, but loosely fills the space. You can see the imprint of the magnet in the fiberglass. Considering what the previous owner did to your speakers, if the cabs are not completely filled, I would get more fiberglass to fill the cabinet loosely. That is the best option for good sound, not necessarily for handling, though. Wear long sleeves and gloves.
 
Wow, wasn't expecting so many replies...thanks. They already sound great but am looking forward to fixing/refreshing them and see what they can do. I knew about the HUMAN site and thanks for the other thread. Didn't know about gluing the magnets.



Do you really think wood fill would be appropriate? I was going to replace the non-veneered MDF for structural/acoustic integrity.

I have the original grills and can be repaired...maybe they'll grow on me. I'm also surprised about the pink insulation but will stick with it unless there is a better recommendation.
Did you end up liking these?
 
If you have the tools and skills by all means replace the MDF, if you lack tools and experience think about how much of a project you want. I would expect these speakers are keepers so long as the drivers are good so why worry about something one doesn't see?
 
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