This entry was posted by Winslow on July 28, 2009 at 2:49 pm under Uncategorized.
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149 Comments
Winslow says:
For that measurement the microphone was 12 inches directly above the drivers and the corresponding response curve does not represent the bass response in the room.
Above 12 kHz, the soft dome is not very linear and alt5hough there is substantial output, its minimum phase and dispersion characteristics are not ideal.
One of the reasons for aiming the tweeter above the listening position is to provide a flatter response to the listening position and yet to allow the high frequency ambiance to fill the room. The frame of the grille is intended to provide a more or less flat baffle for the tweeter radiation.
Winslow, I acquired a pair of EPI 180s that are in fine shape, all around. Would you mind commenting just a little about how you came up with the speaker placement? Also would you recommend replacing the cross-over capacitor? The tweeter level switches are working audibly fine and the speakers sound cleanly even on each speaker…. Thank you, Scott in Tucson, AZ
I was reluctant to allow the EPI 180 in to the EPI line because it violated one of my design principles, namely, uniform dispersion, but it was strongly requested by the EPI marketing department to provide a product at that price point for those dealers who were excluded from the Epicure 20, successor to the original EPI 201.
The driver placement was chosen to optimize dispersion characteristics in minimum baffle area. You are right to question the longevity of the crossover capacitor because it was chosen for low cost. However, as long as you are satisfied with the sound, I would not recommend changing it.
Winslow,I’ve owned 2 pair of 201’s since 1974.I recently acquired a pristine pair of 400 towers.Do you remember roughly how many of these and the 1000 towers were produced?
From ’73 to ’75 we produced over 2,000 tweeters per week, about half went to model 50 and model 100. 1000 Tower sales were insignificant. perhaps 1000 altogether.
Hello Mr. Burhoe,
I recently acquired a well traveled pair of your of your classic design, the M100. Thank you so much for a wonderfully Musical piece of work! They are an early pair using the woofers with butyl surrounds and the rather plain looking Masonite tweeter. I have cleaned them up a bit and pressed them into service. At this point I have yet to break the original seal on the cabinet (removed the woofers). They sound wonderful. Fortunately, the variable resister has good continuity at the “wide open” point of it’s range, so I have been able to enjoy them “as is”. There does seem to be, however, a bit of “lopsidedness” to their respective outputs, ergo my writing you.
I have read much (often conflicting) commentary on these tweeter level controls. I am not a fan of them in general. Will I change in any negative way the response or impedance of these cabinets if I simply by-pass the variable resistor? Do you have a recommended way of accomplishing this, or just a simple straight wire?
Last question; were the caps used in the early production oil types or film? I only ask as this may help me to make a decision as whether to open them up or to simply leave them as original and enjoy them as is (I am in this hobby primarily for the Music, but I also like to collect important and notable examples of loud speaker systems).
I hope you can find time to respond.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Marshall Craig Smith
Im glad to see you’re back in business. Somewhere in my audio files I have a picture of your EPI-100 speaker assembly line . They are all young smiling “hippies ?” : young girls with long blond hair, and boys with headbands.
Every time I run accross the photo it gives my spirits a big lift !!
Best Wishes. Rob
I have a pair of your Burhoe Blue speakers that I’ve picked up awhile ago. It has been one of my favorite speakers to use. However, recently I’ve found out the 10″ woofers have been replaced with different set. I’ve seen pictures of the White and noticed they also used the square drivers used in your EPI speakers. My question is: are the Burhoe 10″ woofers similar to the ones found in the EPI? I have a set of EPI 120C and was wonder if they are equal as I am wanting to restore these speakers properly.
I am considering ordering the Silent Speaker II. Because of the top mounted driver design, I am wondering if they are designed to sound best with a certain ceiling height and how much my angled ceiling will affect the sound. My ceiling rises from left to right from 11 feet to about 16 feet in a distance of about 16 feet.
as a cabinet maker that has great hobby interest in home stereo i’ve played around over the yrs with a couple designs that interested me(mostly the upward firing 360′ dispersion cone) and i must commend you……i’ve found it not quite as easy as it looks!
anyways,i’ve inherited a set of burhoe blues from my uncle and not only are the woofer surrounds rotten but they are fosgate replacements,the originals are long gone so having Huw rebuild them isn’t a option.
do you have the original parameters kicking around so to match something close as possible?
i remember him saying they never did sound as good after replacement.
thanx,bob
Hi. You mentioned in June a possibility of birch. Any progress on this? I will buy the first pair. Any progress on the inverted tweeter and requisite matching crossover? Any progress on the miniature bookshelf improvement on the Crimson? I am eagerly awaiting for all three to come to fruition. I could buy the birch version and upgrade the tweeter and crossover when available. Any best guesses on a time frame would be greatly appreciated. I assumed that since you sell through Human that they made your speakers for you. I saw in this comment forum that as of a year ago you or a relative assembles each speaker. Is this still the case? Your personal assembly even if just one screw would be an honor. My take on multi channel is this: when was the last time you went to a concert and sat on stage in the middle of the musicians and their instruments? I don’t know about you but I get all of my sound at a concert from reflected sound coming from in front of me and reflected from all surfaces. Proper setup of stereo speakers will always sound more natural than a center channel in my opinion. Thank you.
I’ve been collecting EPI’s since 72; & now own 50’s,60’s,90’s, 2pr. each of 100V & 110’s, 120, A240 and my cherished 201’s. I’ve recently developed some superficial cracking at the outer edge of the butyl surronds on some of the extra long throw woofers.I’ve had great results with the Boston replacement surrounds on the 100V woofers but wonder if
1) the narrower roll would work on the extra long throw woofers or limit the bass.
2) should the gasket be removed & the surround glued directly to the basket?
3) is there a better (butyl) replacement surround I’ve not found?
Any input would be appreciated,Thank you
Kim
Hi,
I am holding off purchasing a pair of Silent Speaker ll’s in hopes you may still be planning a birch version in a future production run as you alluded to on June, 1 2011. Any information on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your great work. I have a pair of the Burhoe Blue
speakers which I absolutely love. Recently I talked to someone who
claims to have a pair of Burhoe Silver. I cannot find any information
online (including humanspeakers.com) on this particular “color”.
Could you please tell me about these mysterious speakers?
mr. burhoe i am having a pair of epi 1000 cabinets built at the end of next month. i have 3/4 of the speakers (epi) needed to complete the project. could you design a better crossover for these speakers than those used initially? if so would you? or how would the large tower sound with your latest driver throughout?
the two speakers i will be pulling drivers from are epi 100 and 202 models. i have two pair of the 202’s. if this is a possibilty for you and an improvement over the original i am interested. i still need two more woofers and two more tweeters – i’m guessin e-bay. thank you
huw redid a couple of tweeters some years back. when i try to connect to his website nothing shows. i have the schematic for the crossover for the 1000 so i can have that reproduced. how about your tweeter’s – woofers? would they work in this application?
I have a very difficult room for which finding good sound is a challenge. It measures 12’x35′, has a den on one end and a kitchen on the other, has a porcelain tile floor and has a sloping vaulted ceiling that slopes up, left to right, facing lengthways from the den, as the speakers would face. So one speaker has a 14′ ceiling and the other an 8′ ceiling, both of which reflect the sound to the higher end of the ceiling. Some rugs would be scattered in front of the speakers. Behind the speakers is a glass sliding door and floor to length windows. Can your speakers help here? The system is a Marantz PM8004 amp and SA8004 cd player.
I am not sure why you think you might need help. To some extent, stereo perception is affected by the first reflections, such as from the ceiling, so there is a possibility of unbalanced stereo. If stereo imaging is important, you might prefer highly directional speakers.
I picked up what I think are a pair of Burhoe Acoustics speakers but I’m not able to identify what model they are. The only makings are “Burhoe Acoustics” badges below the grills on the front of the cabs. The backs have no markings nor is there anything on the baffle near the drivers. There is no designation of “Red”,” Blue” etc. The cabs are not very deep, along the lines of the Boston Acoustics “A” series.
I’ve looked around the internet at your speakers but see nothing with the same speaker configuration which is a 8″ woofer below what looks to be a tweeter and mid-range (or maybe a super tweeter) adjacent to each other.
I bought them at a yard sale in Melrose from someone who said he went to school with one of your son’s and that’s how he acquired them.
Sounds like the Burhoe Blues. I used to identify the model with a flat colored dust cap. If they need repairs. Huw Powell at humanspeakers.com. The elder of my sons is named Peter. Our factory was in Melrose.
Second thought: the Blues used a ten inch woofer. There may have been a Canadian model that used the eight inch woofer.
Black Ash simply won’t work for me. The color won’t fit in my room and I just don’t like Ash anyway. What would it take to get this speaker in a different wood/finish?
While working at Audio Warehouse in Cincinnati in the early 80’s I purchased a pair of Energy 22 Pro (black dot) when they were introduced. They have your signature on a (faded) label on the back. I still use them. Tweeters are original.
Would you clean and change the ferrofluid in the tweeters? If so, any recommendations on ferrofluid?
Would you update the caps in the crossover?
I have a pair of original Silent I speakers. The woofer has completely cut out on one of them. I am more concerned about getting it working again than whether it is covered by any warrantee. I won’t be able to ship it any time soon, but when I can – should I send it to you or to Huw for repair?
While ferrofluid may not last indefinitely, I don’t know how to replace it without rebuilding the tweeter, a formidable task. I think the caps are mylar, which should last indefinitely. Do you have any complaints with the sound?
Just got a set of epicure 1000’s. Mine have the resistor and I have been told to rewire to the earlier configuration. Wanted to update the cap with an “approved” one. Can you suggest? PS only took 30 years to find a set of these. Thanks for building dreams
I own a Burhoe sublinear Woofer System which I have owned since 1979-80. The mid-range/mid-bass driver surrounds have rotted. I spoke to you while you were working for Energy Design and followed your advise to have them repaired. The current surround restricts the excursion of the driver so much that the dynamic range of these beautiful speakers has been destroyed. The Super Crimsons and the rear Satellites were repaired at the same time and thus no one of the speakers now sounds like they did originally. Can you please help me by suggesting or selling me a driver that will restore my speakers to their original capability, I’ll need 4. The Ruby Red system and the dual sub appear to still work fine. Thank you in advance for your help and all your years of fantastic speaker innovation.
I didn’t originally include a resistor. In the evolution of tweeter manufacturing they may have become more efficient, changing the balance. You should adjust it to your own taste. If you have a favorite listening position, you might want to adjust only the tweeters you hear directly, allowing more ambiance from the ones facing away.
Electrolytic capacitors can have defects off the shelf and also may deteriorate in time. I know that Bill on the EPI yahoo group is a crossover expert.
Just come accross some pages of your website and I read the Energy 22 stories.
I own since 1998, an Reference 22 pair and I changed 3 times the amplifier and many times the sources.
My last match with my 22’s is with a Naim trio of Nac 42.5, Nap 110 and Naca 5 speaker cables. So, I just stunned how these 22’s play well, I pleased everytime I listen music with it. So, it turn that the tweeters same to begin to be less accurate with the time. Some people tells that’s the magnetic fluid tend to leak from the tweeter or becoming dry with the time. It is true for both hypothesis?
Do you know someone in Canada which able to rebuild them accurately?
I can’t vouch for the quality of the magnetic fluid used in your tweeters. Some manufacturers are not as good as FerroSound, and the magnetic particles can become un-saponified. There is a fellow in New Brunswick. I don’t remember how to get in touch with him. The ferrofluid used had a very low viscosity and its loss should have very little effect on the sound. Another possibility is that the twweters were played with excessive power causing splashing of the fluid and perhaps finding contamination which increased the viscosity. This would cause a loss of mid-range.
I am writing with a few questions regarding the Silent Speaker II. I have a friend who plans to purchase a tube integrated amplifier, probably from Jolida. I want to suggest that he might consider getting a pair of Silent Speakers II for his stereo. I understand that the nominal impedance of these speakers is 6 ohms. The Jolida amps have separate taps for 4 Ohm and 8 Ohm speakers. Which of these taps would be preferable for use with Silent Speakers II? Also, my friend is thinking of buying an amp with an output of 50 watts per channel. Would this be adequate for an average size living room/listening room?
Incidentally, I am a satisfied 10-year owner of a pre-ZVOX prototype “stereo console” which still works just fine!
Thanks for your answer about the Ferrofluid. I own this speaker since 1997 and I must say that I never overpower my speaker hard. I priorise sound quality at low to medium volume. Also, I observed that the sound quality decresed since last two years and half. One of my two tweeters same to answare to your explanation about the ferrofluid contamination. So, I maybe found a person like you talk about but he is located in Nova Scotia, not in New Brunswick. Mr Coote tells to have buy remaining press and tooling from API and to be able to rebuild Reference / Pro 22 Tweeters and Woofers. More details on his website.
I forgot to ask a question with my last post. If the proper refurbishing of Reference 22 tweeters is not easely available these days, could you suggest me a compatible replacement who could fit to these speakers in term of specification and sound reproduction and signature?
It seem that Christopher Coote is not in business anymore. I will looking for someone able to do that with the proper fluide. I seen in a forum ( http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=451399&page=2 ) how to rebuild these tweeters and I think I will be able to do that by myself if I could get the proper Ferrofluid. It’s seem that Ferrotec APG L Series Audio could be appropriate. Do you have any advice about this?
First of all, thank you for your work with loudspeakers. It has been really interesting educating myself on the design philosophy employed by loudspeaker manufacturers in the 70s and 80s, especially EPI.
My brother recently gave me a pair of EPI Magnus A2400, a three way with 2×12″ woofers, a 6″ midrange and what I believe is a piezo tweeter in a CD horn. All of the surrounds are rotted, and I am considering restoration of these loudspeakers, first because I enjoy doing things like that, but also because I don’t have any speakers with quite that much radiating area.
My question is this – is this one of your designs? Have you heard it? How does it compare to the classic EPI 2 ways with the inverted dome tweeters?
I have two questions regarding an EPI 120 Speaker.
1) Need Replacement 10″ Woofer. What do you recommend and WHERE can I get it? (It’s become difficult to find such, Radio Shack had a good Woofer but they don’t seem to be in that business anymore. Would be great if I could find a Store in NYC or NJ where I could just walk in and buy it. Please HELP, I Love these speakers and I want to restore them.)
2) There is a Magnet inside the cabinet that is laying in there loose. Is that supposed to be attached to something and if so Where or What? (This did not seem to be the problem for the one blown Woofer, the other speaker has the same loose magnet but works fine.)
Re. my previous question regarding the replacement of a 10″ Woofer in an EPI 120 Speaker. The problem with the present Woofer is that it is crackling BUT I do not note any holes or the like in the woofer. Does this mean it could just be the surround gasket? I’m having such a hard time finding a replacement I need to question whether I can repair the present Woofer. BTW, Human is hard to Contact. WHY is it so hard to get Replacement parts for these Great Older Speakers. (I have some smaller JBLs that I bought in the 90s as part of a Surround Sound Speaker System and they SUCK compared to my EPI 120s with the 10″ Woofer.)
I am not familiar with the EPI 120. In my experience, woofers do not crackle unless there is transitory interruption to the electrical current. This can happen if tinsel is almost completely falling apart or if there is a bad solder joint or if there is a broken wire in the voice coil. in a previous post I suggested a ten inch woofer from Parts Express a s a possible replacement for a Burhoe Acoustics model.
Best regards again Winslow and thanks for the earlier response to my query. I am now in the process of inspecting my system variables that include an excellent Yamaha RX 390 Stereo Receiver with DSP or Digital Sound Field Processor and the signal otherwise being provided by a Satellite Antenna for Direct TV Service, to determine as you indicated the possibility that there could be an ongoing “transitory interruption in the electrical current” somewhere along the line. I have noticed that the image on the TV screen ‘jumps’ on occasion which could indicate there is a problem with the Satellite Receiver or the Antenna Connections, etc. etc. BUT to provide more information to help pinpoint what the problem could be what happened is that the original EPI Woofers ultimately suffered that malady of old age that was breaks in the Woofer membrane requiring replacement with two Radio Shack Woofers of matched specs that worked quite fine for many years when I was living in NYC and getting my TV Service from Time Warner Cable (Which again may indicate that the problem IS indeed to do with the Satellite TV Service that is not as reliable a signal. I brought the EPI 120s up from the city when I was forced to leave at the end of 2010 and there was no immediate problem, the present problem having developed only a month or so back.) I have now disconnected the EPIs and replaced them with the JBLs that are a more recently produced Speaker and they seem to be working fine although again with not as deep a bass as the 10 inch Woofers in the EPIs.)The OTHER Question I asked that I would hope you can answer is about those Round Magnets I found Loose in the EPI cabinets. I don’t have a Clue as to what their function was although it’s obvious they were originally ‘attached’ to something that may have been required to power the original Woofers if not the Radio Shack replacements, if anyone can answer that question I must assume it’s you having impressed me with your expertise. Those magnets were not connected to the Radio Shack Woofers which as related worked fine for some years. SO What was the Function of those and are they still Necessary for whatever reason or can I simply remove them seeing as they are now not even attached to anything and purchase some newer Replacement Woofers. (I have now found some Seismic Audio 10 inch Woofers that may be just the thing.)Thanking you in advance if you can clear all of this up for me not being Speaker Tech savvy myself.
Winslow says:
For that measurement the microphone was 12 inches directly above the drivers and the corresponding response curve does not represent the bass response in the room.
June 1, 2011, 3:26 pmAbove 12 kHz, the soft dome is not very linear and alt5hough there is substantial output, its minimum phase and dispersion characteristics are not ideal.
One of the reasons for aiming the tweeter above the listening position is to provide a flatter response to the listening position and yet to allow the high frequency ambiance to fill the room. The frame of the grille is intended to provide a more or less flat baffle for the tweeter radiation.
Winslow says:
I am planning to supply a birch finish in future production runs.
June 1, 2011, 3:26 pmScott Gallaher says:
Winslow, I acquired a pair of EPI 180s that are in fine shape, all around. Would you mind commenting just a little about how you came up with the speaker placement? Also would you recommend replacing the cross-over capacitor? The tweeter level switches are working audibly fine and the speakers sound cleanly even on each speaker…. Thank you, Scott in Tucson, AZ
June 3, 2011, 6:53 pmWinslow says:
I was reluctant to allow the EPI 180 in to the EPI line because it violated one of my design principles, namely, uniform dispersion, but it was strongly requested by the EPI marketing department to provide a product at that price point for those dealers who were excluded from the Epicure 20, successor to the original EPI 201.
June 4, 2011, 3:46 pmThe driver placement was chosen to optimize dispersion characteristics in minimum baffle area. You are right to question the longevity of the crossover capacitor because it was chosen for low cost. However, as long as you are satisfied with the sound, I would not recommend changing it.
Robert Speece says:
Winslow,I’ve owned 2 pair of 201’s since 1974.I recently acquired a pristine pair of 400 towers.Do you remember roughly how many of these and the 1000 towers were produced?
June 4, 2011, 11:30 pmWinslow says:
From ’73 to ’75 we produced over 2,000 tweeters per week, about half went to model 50 and model 100. 1000 Tower sales were insignificant. perhaps 1000 altogether.
June 5, 2011, 4:33 pmMarshall Smith says:
Hello Mr. Burhoe,
June 29, 2011, 1:12 pmI recently acquired a well traveled pair of your of your classic design, the M100. Thank you so much for a wonderfully Musical piece of work! They are an early pair using the woofers with butyl surrounds and the rather plain looking Masonite tweeter. I have cleaned them up a bit and pressed them into service. At this point I have yet to break the original seal on the cabinet (removed the woofers). They sound wonderful. Fortunately, the variable resister has good continuity at the “wide open” point of it’s range, so I have been able to enjoy them “as is”. There does seem to be, however, a bit of “lopsidedness” to their respective outputs, ergo my writing you.
I have read much (often conflicting) commentary on these tweeter level controls. I am not a fan of them in general. Will I change in any negative way the response or impedance of these cabinets if I simply by-pass the variable resistor? Do you have a recommended way of accomplishing this, or just a simple straight wire?
Last question; were the caps used in the early production oil types or film? I only ask as this may help me to make a decision as whether to open them up or to simply leave them as original and enjoy them as is (I am in this hobby primarily for the Music, but I also like to collect important and notable examples of loud speaker systems).
I hope you can find time to respond.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Marshall Craig Smith
Rob Clifford says:
Mr. Burhoe
Im glad to see you’re back in business. Somewhere in my audio files I have a picture of your EPI-100 speaker assembly line . They are all young smiling “hippies ?” : young girls with long blond hair, and boys with headbands.
July 25, 2011, 8:19 pmEvery time I run accross the photo it gives my spirits a big lift !!
Best Wishes. Rob
David says:
Hello Mr. Burhoe,
I have a pair of your Burhoe Blue speakers that I’ve picked up awhile ago. It has been one of my favorite speakers to use. However, recently I’ve found out the 10″ woofers have been replaced with different set. I’ve seen pictures of the White and noticed they also used the square drivers used in your EPI speakers. My question is: are the Burhoe 10″ woofers similar to the ones found in the EPI? I have a set of EPI 120C and was wonder if they are equal as I am wanting to restore these speakers properly.
Thanks and Best Regards,
August 4, 2011, 2:29 pmDavid
Winslow says:
David,
August 7, 2011, 7:52 pmCheck with humanspeakers.com
Dan says:
I am considering ordering the Silent Speaker II. Because of the top mounted driver design, I am wondering if they are designed to sound best with a certain ceiling height and how much my angled ceiling will affect the sound. My ceiling rises from left to right from 11 feet to about 16 feet in a distance of about 16 feet.
August 31, 2011, 11:54 pmbob raines says:
as a cabinet maker that has great hobby interest in home stereo i’ve played around over the yrs with a couple designs that interested me(mostly the upward firing 360′ dispersion cone) and i must commend you……i’ve found it not quite as easy as it looks!
November 25, 2011, 8:02 pmanyways,i’ve inherited a set of burhoe blues from my uncle and not only are the woofer surrounds rotten but they are fosgate replacements,the originals are long gone so having Huw rebuild them isn’t a option.
do you have the original parameters kicking around so to match something close as possible?
i remember him saying they never did sound as good after replacement.
thanx,bob
Travis says:
Hi. You mentioned in June a possibility of birch. Any progress on this? I will buy the first pair. Any progress on the inverted tweeter and requisite matching crossover? Any progress on the miniature bookshelf improvement on the Crimson? I am eagerly awaiting for all three to come to fruition. I could buy the birch version and upgrade the tweeter and crossover when available. Any best guesses on a time frame would be greatly appreciated. I assumed that since you sell through Human that they made your speakers for you. I saw in this comment forum that as of a year ago you or a relative assembles each speaker. Is this still the case? Your personal assembly even if just one screw would be an honor. My take on multi channel is this: when was the last time you went to a concert and sat on stage in the middle of the musicians and their instruments? I don’t know about you but I get all of my sound at a concert from reflected sound coming from in front of me and reflected from all surfaces. Proper setup of stereo speakers will always sound more natural than a center channel in my opinion. Thank you.
December 10, 2011, 1:40 amKim Curtis says:
I’ve been collecting EPI’s since 72; & now own 50’s,60’s,90’s, 2pr. each of 100V & 110’s, 120, A240 and my cherished 201’s. I’ve recently developed some superficial cracking at the outer edge of the butyl surronds on some of the extra long throw woofers.I’ve had great results with the Boston replacement surrounds on the 100V woofers but wonder if
December 12, 2011, 4:26 pm1) the narrower roll would work on the extra long throw woofers or limit the bass.
2) should the gasket be removed & the surround glued directly to the basket?
3) is there a better (butyl) replacement surround I’ve not found?
Any input would be appreciated,Thank you
Kim
Travis says:
Hi,
December 13, 2011, 12:56 pmI am holding off purchasing a pair of Silent Speaker ll’s in hopes you may still be planning a birch version in a future production run as you alluded to on June, 1 2011. Any information on this would be greatly appreciated.
Alexander says:
Greetings Mr. Burhoe,
Thanks for your great work. I have a pair of the Burhoe Blue
speakers which I absolutely love. Recently I talked to someone who
claims to have a pair of Burhoe Silver. I cannot find any information
online (including humanspeakers.com) on this particular “color”.
Could you please tell me about these mysterious speakers?
Thank you!
December 22, 2011, 11:00 amnorm says:
mr. burhoe i am having a pair of epi 1000 cabinets built at the end of next month. i have 3/4 of the speakers (epi) needed to complete the project. could you design a better crossover for these speakers than those used initially? if so would you? or how would the large tower sound with your latest driver throughout?
February 25, 2012, 11:37 pmWinslow says:
I have done some work on such a crossover. What drivers are you using?
February 26, 2012, 4:48 pmnorm says:
the two speakers i will be pulling drivers from are epi 100 and 202 models. i have two pair of the 202’s. if this is a possibilty for you and an improvement over the original i am interested. i still need two more woofers and two more tweeters – i’m guessin e-bay. thank you
February 26, 2012, 9:43 pmWinslow says:
Are you familiar with Humanspeakers.com?
February 28, 2012, 7:52 pmnorm says:
huw redid a couple of tweeters some years back. when i try to connect to his website nothing shows. i have the schematic for the crossover for the 1000 so i can have that reproduced. how about your tweeter’s – woofers? would they work in this application?
February 29, 2012, 2:01 amMauro says:
I have a very difficult room for which finding good sound is a challenge. It measures 12’x35′, has a den on one end and a kitchen on the other, has a porcelain tile floor and has a sloping vaulted ceiling that slopes up, left to right, facing lengthways from the den, as the speakers would face. So one speaker has a 14′ ceiling and the other an 8′ ceiling, both of which reflect the sound to the higher end of the ceiling. Some rugs would be scattered in front of the speakers. Behind the speakers is a glass sliding door and floor to length windows. Can your speakers help here? The system is a Marantz PM8004 amp and SA8004 cd player.
March 18, 2012, 11:07 pmWinslow says:
I am not sure why you think you might need help. To some extent, stereo perception is affected by the first reflections, such as from the ceiling, so there is a possibility of unbalanced stereo. If stereo imaging is important, you might prefer highly directional speakers.
March 22, 2012, 5:29 pmPeter says:
Hello Mr. Burhoe,
I picked up what I think are a pair of Burhoe Acoustics speakers but I’m not able to identify what model they are. The only makings are “Burhoe Acoustics” badges below the grills on the front of the cabs. The backs have no markings nor is there anything on the baffle near the drivers. There is no designation of “Red”,” Blue” etc. The cabs are not very deep, along the lines of the Boston Acoustics “A” series.
I’ve looked around the internet at your speakers but see nothing with the same speaker configuration which is a 8″ woofer below what looks to be a tweeter and mid-range (or maybe a super tweeter) adjacent to each other.
I bought them at a yard sale in Melrose from someone who said he went to school with one of your son’s and that’s how he acquired them.
Can you shed any light?
Thanks
September 21, 2012, 3:17 pmPeter
Winslow says:
Sounds like the Burhoe Blues. I used to identify the model with a flat colored dust cap. If they need repairs. Huw Powell at humanspeakers.com. The elder of my sons is named Peter. Our factory was in Melrose.
Second thought: the Blues used a ten inch woofer. There may have been a Canadian model that used the eight inch woofer.
September 21, 2012, 10:06 pmsteve miller says:
I have a set of silvers they are angular shaped tower speakers w ten inch woofers
October 18, 2012, 7:50 pmWinslow says:
Is there a question here?
November 24, 2012, 6:07 amMike says:
Black Ash simply won’t work for me. The color won’t fit in my room and I just don’t like Ash anyway. What would it take to get this speaker in a different wood/finish?
December 22, 2012, 1:32 amWinslow says:
We’re working on it.
December 23, 2012, 6:02 pmGary Kurtz says:
Hi Winslow,
While working at Audio Warehouse in Cincinnati in the early 80’s I purchased a pair of Energy 22 Pro (black dot) when they were introduced. They have your signature on a (faded) label on the back. I still use them. Tweeters are original.
Would you clean and change the ferrofluid in the tweeters? If so, any recommendations on ferrofluid?
Would you update the caps in the crossover?
Best,
January 1, 2013, 10:18 pmGary
Jim Robins says:
Dear Winslow,
I have a pair of original Silent I speakers. The woofer has completely cut out on one of them. I am more concerned about getting it working again than whether it is covered by any warrantee. I won’t be able to ship it any time soon, but when I can – should I send it to you or to Huw for repair?
Thanks!
January 12, 2013, 4:40 pmWinslow says:
While ferrofluid may not last indefinitely, I don’t know how to replace it without rebuilding the tweeter, a formidable task. I think the caps are mylar, which should last indefinitely. Do you have any complaints with the sound?
January 16, 2013, 2:50 pmGary Kurtz says:
They sound great, maybe a little brighter. However, my hearing isn’t what it used to be either.
January 17, 2013, 5:31 pmtom says:
Just got a set of epicure 1000’s. Mine have the resistor and I have been told to rewire to the earlier configuration. Wanted to update the cap with an “approved” one. Can you suggest? PS only took 30 years to find a set of these. Thanks for building dreams
March 26, 2013, 9:22 pmEric says:
Hello Mr Burhoe,
I own a Burhoe sublinear Woofer System which I have owned since 1979-80. The mid-range/mid-bass driver surrounds have rotted. I spoke to you while you were working for Energy Design and followed your advise to have them repaired. The current surround restricts the excursion of the driver so much that the dynamic range of these beautiful speakers has been destroyed. The Super Crimsons and the rear Satellites were repaired at the same time and thus no one of the speakers now sounds like they did originally. Can you please help me by suggesting or selling me a driver that will restore my speakers to their original capability, I’ll need 4. The Ruby Red system and the dual sub appear to still work fine. Thank you in advance for your help and all your years of fantastic speaker innovation.
April 6, 2013, 1:44 amWinslow says:
I have no parts. Huw at humanspeakers.com repairs many of my designs. Have you inspected the surround of the subwoofer?
April 25, 2013, 4:57 pmWinslow says:
I didn’t originally include a resistor. In the evolution of tweeter manufacturing they may have become more efficient, changing the balance. You should adjust it to your own taste. If you have a favorite listening position, you might want to adjust only the tweeters you hear directly, allowing more ambiance from the ones facing away.
Electrolytic capacitors can have defects off the shelf and also may deteriorate in time. I know that Bill on the EPI yahoo group is a crossover expert.
April 25, 2013, 5:05 pmEric Bertrand says:
HI,
Just come accross some pages of your website and I read the Energy 22 stories.
I own since 1998, an Reference 22 pair and I changed 3 times the amplifier and many times the sources.
My last match with my 22’s is with a Naim trio of Nac 42.5, Nap 110 and Naca 5 speaker cables. So, I just stunned how these 22’s play well, I pleased everytime I listen music with it. So, it turn that the tweeters same to begin to be less accurate with the time. Some people tells that’s the magnetic fluid tend to leak from the tweeter or becoming dry with the time. It is true for both hypothesis?
Do you know someone in Canada which able to rebuild them accurately?
May 4, 2013, 12:19 amWinslow says:
I can’t vouch for the quality of the magnetic fluid used in your tweeters. Some manufacturers are not as good as FerroSound, and the magnetic particles can become un-saponified. There is a fellow in New Brunswick. I don’t remember how to get in touch with him. The ferrofluid used had a very low viscosity and its loss should have very little effect on the sound. Another possibility is that the twweters were played with excessive power causing splashing of the fluid and perhaps finding contamination which increased the viscosity. This would cause a loss of mid-range.
May 6, 2013, 7:48 pmJay Listinsky says:
Hello Mr. Burhoe,
I am writing with a few questions regarding the Silent Speaker II. I have a friend who plans to purchase a tube integrated amplifier, probably from Jolida. I want to suggest that he might consider getting a pair of Silent Speakers II for his stereo. I understand that the nominal impedance of these speakers is 6 ohms. The Jolida amps have separate taps for 4 Ohm and 8 Ohm speakers. Which of these taps would be preferable for use with Silent Speakers II? Also, my friend is thinking of buying an amp with an output of 50 watts per channel. Would this be adequate for an average size living room/listening room?
Incidentally, I am a satisfied 10-year owner of a pre-ZVOX prototype “stereo console” which still works just fine!
May 21, 2013, 12:54 pmEric Bertrand says:
Hi Winslow,
Thanks for your answer about the Ferrofluid. I own this speaker since 1997 and I must say that I never overpower my speaker hard. I priorise sound quality at low to medium volume. Also, I observed that the sound quality decresed since last two years and half. One of my two tweeters same to answare to your explanation about the ferrofluid contamination. So, I maybe found a person like you talk about but he is located in Nova Scotia, not in New Brunswick. Mr Coote tells to have buy remaining press and tooling from API and to be able to rebuild Reference / Pro 22 Tweeters and Woofers. More details on his website.
Christopher Coote
ABI Technical Service
10 Ragged Lake Blvd, Unit 9
Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada,
B3S 1C2
E: chris@abitech.ca
http://www.abitech.ca/
Do you remember if it’s him? I am really interrested to found someone who know to repair properly my tweeters. Thanks!
June 18, 2013, 9:40 pmEric Bertrand says:
Hi again,
I forgot to ask a question with my last post. If the proper refurbishing of Reference 22 tweeters is not easely available these days, could you suggest me a compatible replacement who could fit to these speakers in term of specification and sound reproduction and signature?
Thank you again Mr Burhoe.
June 18, 2013, 9:51 pmEric Bertrand says:
Hi Winslow,
It seem that Christopher Coote is not in business anymore. I will looking for someone able to do that with the proper fluide. I seen in a forum ( http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=451399&page=2 ) how to rebuild these tweeters and I think I will be able to do that by myself if I could get the proper Ferrofluid. It’s seem that Ferrotec APG L Series Audio could be appropriate. Do you have any advice about this?
Thanks again!
June 19, 2013, 12:23 amNicholas Martin says:
Winslow-
First of all, thank you for your work with loudspeakers. It has been really interesting educating myself on the design philosophy employed by loudspeaker manufacturers in the 70s and 80s, especially EPI.
My brother recently gave me a pair of EPI Magnus A2400, a three way with 2×12″ woofers, a 6″ midrange and what I believe is a piezo tweeter in a CD horn. All of the surrounds are rotted, and I am considering restoration of these loudspeakers, first because I enjoy doing things like that, but also because I don’t have any speakers with quite that much radiating area.
My question is this – is this one of your designs? Have you heard it? How does it compare to the classic EPI 2 ways with the inverted dome tweeters?
July 31, 2013, 10:53 pmWinslow says:
It is not my design.
August 3, 2013, 12:04 pmShelly Rusten says:
I have two questions regarding an EPI 120 Speaker.
1) Need Replacement 10″ Woofer. What do you recommend and WHERE can I get it? (It’s become difficult to find such, Radio Shack had a good Woofer but they don’t seem to be in that business anymore. Would be great if I could find a Store in NYC or NJ where I could just walk in and buy it. Please HELP, I Love these speakers and I want to restore them.)
2) There is a Magnet inside the cabinet that is laying in there loose. Is that supposed to be attached to something and if so Where or What? (This did not seem to be the problem for the one blown Woofer, the other speaker has the same loose magnet but works fine.)
Thanking you in advance.
November 22, 2013, 11:30 amShelly Rusten says:
Re. my previous question regarding the replacement of a 10″ Woofer in an EPI 120 Speaker. The problem with the present Woofer is that it is crackling BUT I do not note any holes or the like in the woofer. Does this mean it could just be the surround gasket? I’m having such a hard time finding a replacement I need to question whether I can repair the present Woofer. BTW, Human is hard to Contact. WHY is it so hard to get Replacement parts for these Great Older Speakers. (I have some smaller JBLs that I bought in the 90s as part of a Surround Sound Speaker System and they SUCK compared to my EPI 120s with the 10″ Woofer.)
November 22, 2013, 11:48 amWinslow says:
I am not familiar with the EPI 120. In my experience, woofers do not crackle unless there is transitory interruption to the electrical current. This can happen if tinsel is almost completely falling apart or if there is a bad solder joint or if there is a broken wire in the voice coil. in a previous post I suggested a ten inch woofer from Parts Express a s a possible replacement for a Burhoe Acoustics model.
November 23, 2013, 12:34 pmShelly Rusten says:
Best regards again Winslow and thanks for the earlier response to my query. I am now in the process of inspecting my system variables that include an excellent Yamaha RX 390 Stereo Receiver with DSP or Digital Sound Field Processor and the signal otherwise being provided by a Satellite Antenna for Direct TV Service, to determine as you indicated the possibility that there could be an ongoing “transitory interruption in the electrical current” somewhere along the line. I have noticed that the image on the TV screen ‘jumps’ on occasion which could indicate there is a problem with the Satellite Receiver or the Antenna Connections, etc. etc. BUT to provide more information to help pinpoint what the problem could be what happened is that the original EPI Woofers ultimately suffered that malady of old age that was breaks in the Woofer membrane requiring replacement with two Radio Shack Woofers of matched specs that worked quite fine for many years when I was living in NYC and getting my TV Service from Time Warner Cable (Which again may indicate that the problem IS indeed to do with the Satellite TV Service that is not as reliable a signal. I brought the EPI 120s up from the city when I was forced to leave at the end of 2010 and there was no immediate problem, the present problem having developed only a month or so back.) I have now disconnected the EPIs and replaced them with the JBLs that are a more recently produced Speaker and they seem to be working fine although again with not as deep a bass as the 10 inch Woofers in the EPIs.)The OTHER Question I asked that I would hope you can answer is about those Round Magnets I found Loose in the EPI cabinets. I don’t have a Clue as to what their function was although it’s obvious they were originally ‘attached’ to something that may have been required to power the original Woofers if not the Radio Shack replacements, if anyone can answer that question I must assume it’s you having impressed me with your expertise. Those magnets were not connected to the Radio Shack Woofers which as related worked fine for some years. SO What was the Function of those and are they still Necessary for whatever reason or can I simply remove them seeing as they are now not even attached to anything and purchase some newer Replacement Woofers. (I have now found some Seismic Audio 10 inch Woofers that may be just the thing.)Thanking you in advance if you can clear all of this up for me not being Speaker Tech savvy myself.
November 25, 2013, 1:54 pmmike says:
When is the most current silent speaker II coming out, cabs, tweets etc,. as I after the holidays I will head over to huw’s thanks mike
November 26, 2013, 10:12 am