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EPI 20+ in need of restoration and re-foam... instead of duct tape.


Mystery

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I got them recently.
They are in decent shape besides few scratches/dings and some MDF break issue on the bottom stand panels.
Grill covers are missing EPI logo.

However, shocked to see duct tape surrounds on them. yikes.gifscrewy.gifbash.gif
He said he used them like that for a while and took them out of one speaker to take pictures for listing.

I thought I never would see that.

So should I just peel the duct tape or use some chemicals to make it easier?
BTW, the sticker on the back says 20 - not +. scratch2.gif

From online info, one of the versions uses 20uf capacitors while 20 and 20+ use 10uf.

Mine have 20 - so not sure. <_<

Will open them up and check when I have some free time.

Thanks for comments.

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Wow. Just when you think you've seen it all...

So the seller had all 4 drivers taped, then removed the tape from 2. How do they seem? Any damage (tearing) or gummy residue? Maybe ask him how he got the tape off.

I would be tempted to peel it off and see what they look like. Worst case you may have to recone them.

I had some AR woofers with a sloppy refoam job--glue all over the cone. Sent them to Bill LeGall of Millersound and they came back like new.

btw--whether you need 10uF or 20uF I'd recommend these: http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/surplus-capacitors/10.0-mfd-polypropylene-cap-10mfdp/tyee/

Kent

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Thanks Kent,

I think PO just pulled the tapes off the cones.

There is no residue, no visible damage and all drivers do work.

The madisound capacitors are the cheapest Polypropelene I've seen.

I was thinking of using Dayton or Solen etc... that are $4 each.

What about the model number? Are these 20 - or +.

I didn't see the - version online.

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Nice homemade surrounds on those woofers. I think this weblink may be what you need. Based on the rear switch, I'd guess these are model 20+, which simply need a 10 mf capacitor.

http://www.humanspeakers.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?page=e/epicure-20.txt

If that first link didn't help, try looking further here.

http://www.humanspeakers.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?page=e/epimodels.txt

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Thanks Kent,

I think PO just pulled the tapes off the cones.

There is no residue, no visible damage and all drivers do work.

The madisound capacitors are the cheapest Polypropelene I've seen.

I was thinking of using Dayton or Solen etc... that are $4 each.

What about the model number? Are these 20 - or +.

I didn't see the - version online.

They are 20+. The 20 has a different grill.

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Huw Powell is certainly the Epicure guru. Why not email him? Tell him the SNs and ask what model http://www.humanspeakers.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?page=contact.txt

I can't imagine a Model 20-. Just doesn't sound sexy ;)

Looking at the schematics, the only one with a 3-position switch like yours is the 20+.

Kent

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  • 1 year later...

I got these Epicure 20+ speakers in November 2012 but never got around fixing these until now.

These are the higher model of the famous EPI 100's that everyone raves about.
Think of these as two EPI 100's, one on top and one on the side. ;)

They are in decent shape besides few scratches/dings and some MDF break issue on the bottom stand panels.
Grill covers are missing EPI logo.

However, shocked to see duct tape surrounds on them. :angry:
He said he used them like that for a while and took them out of one speaker to take pictures for listing. Let's hope VC is okay.

BTW, the sticker says 20 - not + but these are + looking at Human site.
Top is slanted towards the front.

Link to specs: http://www.humanspeakers.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?page=e/epicure-20.txt

Fast forward 2 years:
Finally, these got some attention after almost 2 years.

Duct tape came off without using anything.
If they were anything harder, I'd have used some hair dryer heat but it worked great as is.
I had to be careful though. I put pressure on the cone otherwise it could deform the cone.
Just put pressure where you are pulling and peel it off slowly by moving the pressure accordingly.

As you can see, PO used a lot of duct tape, multiple layers of it. :rage:
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Cleaned drivers:
Gravity has its effect on the drivers as noticeable in the picture.
Front two cones are lower drivers and have cones up high than the drivers in the back.
The drivers on top that sit almost horizontal have spiders little bit sagging while the spiders of the lower vertical drivers still come out and hold the cone much higher.

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Back of drivers: Some have Sept 26 1977 date while others have Oct (Almost my age :) )
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Refoamed to the cone and waiting for glue to set:
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Refoamed to the basket using test tone, no cutting shims. ;)

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BTW, they are filled with fiberglass or batting really tight.
I had to push the drivers against the batting.

Let them set overnight and plugged everything together this morning.

Man these tweeters are quite amazing.
Male voices have that natural roughness most other tweeters struggle to produce.
Great highs and mids but bass is not as much as I expected from their size but my setup is not ideal so that is something to consider.

Next is to upgrade capacitor and epoxy magnets sometimes in the future...
These also have the same magnet shift issue as Polk drivers.

Also need to fix few screw holes as they have disintegrated. May need metal rings if the screw holes won't work with some wood filler and glue? :lol:

Here is finished product: Need to wipe down duct tape marks and wash grills...
I also flipped the drivers 180 degrees where possible.
Some drivers had no give on the wires so couldn't flip all the way but did as much as possible.

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And need to cull the herd even more :wink:15422833580_74a0372aa4_o.jpg

Highs are really good.
Very smooth overall sound and lots of airy details.
I had to bump the bass little bit to bring it up to the level of the JBL L80t3 that are standing next to them.
It may get better after the new foam loosens little bit.
Just finished this morning and listened to about 1/2 hour before heading to work so need to spend more time.
These are slightly inefficient compared to JBL and Polks.

Also, need to upgrade the capacitor as it's 37 years old.
These have the simplest crossover.
Just one capacitor. :)
I already have the capacitor so will do soon.
Wanted to hear how they sound as is to compare later.
So far very engaging and smooth sound.

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Looking at the picture I noticed few things:

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If you check the drivers' back, the two on the right have rough back while the two on the left have smooth.

The right drivers also have ring indentation 1/2" in the cone while left drivers are completely smooth.
They both are from the same speaker.
Looks like slight difference depending upon the date as some have sept and some have oct date on them.

Looks like the ones from Sept have rough back.
May be different batch.
Hmm...

All have 8 on the sides and date stamped on the back.
I need to check other pictures later.

Also noticed that some driver baskets have holes in the inner metal frame while others don't.
Right front and left back drivers' frames have holes.
Not sure what's the point of having a hole there. May be to hold terminals?
The part of the frame where the hole is, is wider than the ones with no hole.
Weird... what say you? :blink:

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From my research, Human used whatever they had in stock at the time.
Many owners have the same thing of different basket and cone papers.

Bass was really bad/less on these and turns out, I connected one woofer out of phase.
Once that's corrected, they sounded really nice and balanced.
Not as much bass as JBL's but not lacking either.

Next, I replaced the capacitor.
However, the crossover/terminal cup is a ****.
Terminal cup can only come from the back but the binding posts protruding inside prevent it from coming out.
So instead, I soldered and hot glued within the cabinet.
I was thinking of replacing resistors as I have them as well but need to take terminal cup out and need to disassemble the terminal posts so not this time.

Hot glue gave me a middle finger. :mad:
When I took the glue gun out of the woofer hole, a big drop landed on my middle finger and now I have a big blister right below the nail. :angry:
Swapped the woofers from top to low and put some wood glue on the bottom stands as the small MDF base is pretty weak in few areas.

Original crossover:
Original capacitor also is poly so might have been okay but not as good as new since it's 37 years old now.

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New capacitor along with old capacitor on the side:

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They sound really good so far.
Nice highs and mids and slightly less bass than I like but after listening a while, it doesn't come into mind. :thmbsp:

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