A few years ago, Karl-Heinz Fink acquired the Epos brand – once a star in the British hi-fi firmament. And little by little, the well-known developer is bringing this brand back to life – with loudspeakers. After the two compact speakers ES-14N and ES-7N, the Essen-based company is now launching a floorstanding speaker – the Epos ES-28N – in time for the HIGH END 2024.
What LowBeats readers know, of course: Fink is a big name in the loudspeaker development scene. He not only develops loudspeakers, but also all the drivers himself. The housings he designed are also hard to beat in terms of sophistication. Of course, this also applies to the ES-28N.
The special features of the Epos ES-28N
The built-in drivers, two basses, one midrange and one tweeter, are based on the research work that Fink did for the first Epos, the ES-14N. He himself says that the choice of drivers was therefore quite simple, while the choice of housing concept was more difficult. Fink: “The position of the tweeter was clear – one meter in height. And the midrange driver should be housed in a separate cabinet underneath.”
There are other requirements for the woofers: Both are placed close together in the enclosure, but not too high, so that the ground reflection can be better controlled. Drone-free reproduction is one of Fink’s hobbyhorses. He is of the opinion that it is wise to allow the reproduction curve to fall off towards lower frequencies in the lower mid-range. Fink: “We listened quite a lot to find the right compromise between a fast, clean bass and at the same time enough substance for all kinds of music.”
The entire housing consists of a sandwich construction: two MDF boards with a layer of highly damping glue in between. The baffle is a full 50 mm thick and consists of two 10 mm thick sandwich panels and an MDF panel (30 mm) in between. The midrange and tweeter have their own enclosures: the crossover sits in the unused tweeter separee and is thus protected from the sound waves of the woofers.
Price & availability
The Epos ES-28N can be seen and heard for the first time at HIGH END 2024. Like all Fink demonstrations, the demo of the new ES-28N is likely to be a highlight of the show. HIGH-END visitors will find the master and his new loudspeaker in Atrium 4, Room 121. The ES-28N will be available in Q4 2024 and will cost around 8,000 euros (pair).
Technical data
| Epos ES-28N | |
|---|---|
| Concept: | 3-way bass reflex |
| Fitting: | HT: 1 x 28 mm aluminum-ceramic dome, MT: 1 x 13.0 cm PP cone, TT: 2 x 18 cm |
| Transition frequencies: | 330/2,700 Hz |
| efficiency (2.83/m): | 86 dB |
| Impedance: | 6 Ohm |
| Bandwidth | 30 – 25,000 Hz |
| Colors: | Semi-matt white, semi-matt black, jade green |
| Dimensions (H x W x D): | 105.0 x 25.0 x 36.0 cm |
| Weight: | 35.2 kilos |
| All technical data | |
More from Epos:
Epos ES-7N compact speaker test: a high-flyer at the touch of a button, even on the shelf
Test compact speaker Epos 14N: “N” for highest naturalness
