Epos els 3 vs Triangle Titus $300 range new/used..

A bit of advice, unless you have ears made of mud, stay away from the older versions of Triangle, ie: the ones that were recommended very highly in Stereophile, I understand the newer line up has re-worked the tweeters so that you ears wont bleed.

Epos or Ascend Acoustics CBM-170. Here is a link to someone's comparsion of the Epos and Ascends.

I would steer you towards the Epos. The Triangles are very mechanical sounding and can drive you right out of a room. They image wonderfully but everything else is just not musical. The Epos will be much more relaxed and musically composed. Also not as match sensitive with various equipment. Good Luck!

Chris

Just wanted to comment on the Epos. I myself own Quad 21Ls and had the chance to listen to the entire Quad line - all of which are wonderful. Recently I had the pleasure of hearing the Epos.

Will I be considered a heretic for agreeing with the Stereophile review? (lol) Wonderful little speakers I found them to be incredibly musical and a joy to listen too. The Quad 11Ls would be given a serious run for the money against these - but I find that the Quads (which allow for bi-wiring - sound more detailed and transparent) are the better speaker but you require really good upstream components or your going to have trouble (For example the cheap DVD player I'm using to play CDs is causing some problems right now)

The Epos came across as a 'forgiving' and non-fatiguing speaker which I enjoyed. The system was Epos with 47Labs Cloned Speakerwire/interconnect - Creek Integrated Amplifier and an AMC8b CD player - and it just made music. Bass was much greater than I expected from a speaker that size but I would recommend it without hesitation.

The Quad 11L used in that price point would be worth listening too as well - but like I said - rest of the components need to be of a better quality than the Epos would require.

- Nathan

Consider a used pair of Energy XL-15's for around $100. Also, the Energy C-1 is a very fine loudspeaker which could be bought new for around $220. Excellent build quality. Also, both can use the superbly designed screw-on wall mounting bracket which Energy sells. ($50, ouch!) Good Luck! Bill

The Triangles were definitely too bright for me - I found the treble a bit harsh and found myself backing away, both with a Jolida tube amp and a Classe SS amp. I replaced them with Linn Tukans, and found that a significant improvement to my ears. Also, the Linns are good near walls if you have that space constraint.

I've never heard the Epos, so I can't comment on them, although I would be comfortable recommending them on reputation alone at the sub-$300 range NIB.

I have owned the original Triangle Titus and I thought it was a great speaker. IT worked well with several amps that I owned at that time, however, I could understand some people feeling that they are "bright" sounding.

I currently own a Cayin TA-30 Integrated Tube amp and I'll bet it would be a great match with the Titus. The Cayin TA-30 is $600 NIB and is worth every penny.

Also, for a starter system, I just bought a cheap digital source to use on an interim basis until I sort out my new home/listening room. I bought the TAS recommended JVC VX-SA602SL DVD/DVD-A/CD player and it is excellent at the $125 used price I paid. Highly recommended for those that think anything more than $200 is a lot for a CD player. Personally, I think it sounds better than the Sony DVP-9000ES, Technics DVD-A10 and Denon DVD-2800 that I previously owned. IMHO, it is good enough for most moderately priced systems and is better than lots of more expensive players that I've heard. No, it is not as good as the Theta Miles, Cary CD-308 or Resolution Audio Opus 21 that I also previously owned, but it is well under 1/10 the price of some of those.

Enjoy,

TIC

Enjoy,

TIC