I just luv the sound of my Epos M5, they are super dooper fast and punchy, the treble is a bit metallic, but you can't really quibble for the price can you lads. So where do I go from here? I'm looking for similar traits but something better, so all you Epos owners out there what did you lads upgrade to?

I listen to music from the 60s to the 90s if that helps. Cheers lads.

Do none of you gents have any comments regarding Epos speakers? I was under the impression they were a popular make?

You could try reducing the treble by modifying the crossover. I would personally recommend getting speakers that aren't metallic in the first place.

I suppose if you got them at a good price then fair enough but you may have an uphill struggle on your hands trying to get them to sound th eway you want them to.

A good few years ago I heard the Epos ES14 and I thought they will brill, so I was expecting good thing from the Epos M5 as they were well regarded, but unfortunately they left me a bit cold.

I found they sounded a bit rugged as eddie says the treble unit was to blame as it wasn't very good, with modest gear they sounded OK, but with more revealing kit they lost the plot a bit, I had a little pair of Taiwan made speakers called Danavox VR-1 which looked almost identical but was about 30% cheaper, they sounded so much better than the Epos.

These days I'd keep away from metal domed tweeters, maybe the newer range are better, the M version?

Neat Motive 3, I think the Neat motive 2 has been very successful for Neat, so maybe the 3 will be a step up from the Epos.

I've heard the Epos and Neats side by side and the Neat motives were a much better and more refined sounding speaker.

I've never heard a pair of Epos speakers, but if you like a fast sounding speaker, the brands that come to by mind are Dynaudio & Audiovector. These are the main two that come to mind that meet that criteria.

Dynaudio fast?I've found them dull, dull dull and bloomy in the bass.

Anyone remember a brand called Royd? Now they were fast, what happened to them?

I lived with Dyne 52s for years and found them to be very neutral but to get the bass out of them they needed a lot of power. When I first monoblocked them with 150w of Cyrus they could really sing but I flogged them soon after for my B & W 805s's. These can really sing!!

I had a pair of Dynaudio 52's for years before upgrading, and I also audiotioned B&W's 805s's too! With naim equipment and personally I found it the most boring speaker to listen to ever!

It had detail, composure etc, but I found it too laid back, with no bass whatsoever. A real diapointment as I traveled to the dealer to have a listen after a recieved a good review in Hifi Choice. (I had a groan about it sounding laid back on the forum, and funny enough they changed the review in the back of the magazine to include that comment).

The bloke put in some Dynaudio 52SE's about £600 cheaper, which technically in comparison were all over the place, but musically they were a lot faster and pushed my buttons

B&W do tend to sound a bit laid back in the midrange and need some volume to wake them up, generally I like B&W, but they are going backwards IMHO the older B&W were better than the latest ones, the 700 series and P series were a sin

I was looking for something more laid back and composed than the Dyne 52s which is possibly why the B & Ws floated my boat. I did audition many others but I loved the detail of the B & Ws and also their looks so that's what I bought. I don't find them lacking in bass in my room and have a REL sub anyway so bass is never an issue.

I'm thinking 2010 is going to be a buoyant year for picking up a bargain, I get the feeling you'll see some good offers on some high end gear over the next year, the sharks will be awaiting.

turnover of new models seems less frequent than of days of yore, companies seem to retain models for a far longer period these days, what with lower sales it doesn't make financial sense to keep changing models so ofter, but I do think some heavy discounting will continue in 2010 just so dealers and manufactures can survive till things pick up, I don't think we'll see it this new year still. Hows that for optimism.