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The long-awaited HUMAN 81 DK is now available.
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HUMAN K-1000 Speaker Kit
$1380.00 / pair

Building speakers based on classic designs:
EPI 1000 or Epicure 1000
(back to kit/legacy projects)
See the gallery of projects below

The EPI 1000 (or epicure 1000) tower speaker is an incredible performer with a truly simple and elegant design.

In order to increase power handling and bass response, many companies will design complex systems that often fail to deliver the qualities they obtain with their basic models. EPI took a different route. Working from the successful and great sounding components that work so well in the EPI 100 and its big brother, the EPI 150, they just multiplied the whole thing by four. They also took advantage of the woofers' bass response potential by increasing the per-woofer volume to about 2.5 cubic feet.

This speaker is so easy to describe it almost seems silly to have to offer "plans." It is a square tower 75 inches tall and 18 inches on each side, with an eight inch woofer and concave dome tweeter mounted on each side. The crossover is identical to the model 100 - just a single ten microfarad capacitor in series with the tweeters (I use a high quality film capacitor with a high voltage rating). Of course there are wiring complications hooking up four woofers and four tweeters, but the series/parallel set up is really not that bad once you understand it - not that you need to when you are building this kit.

Details:

Interior dimensions: 72" x 16" x 16" (approx. 10 cu. ft.)

Stock bracing: Three "shelf" braces at 19", 39", and 56" from the floor. I recommend using at least one brace of this type right at the point between the woofer and tweeter cutouts. In the sketch to the right I have indicated one set of possible locations for these. Put them at the "weakest" point, as I described, and space them all differently. This is to minimize the buildup of similar standing wave modes in the air inside and in the cabinet material itself.

Stock driver location: The woofers are 26" and tweeters 33" from floor to center, and both are offset from the center, but in opposite directions. I recommend placing them in line vertically, as close together as possible, and offset from the center line by a couple of inches. This offset should be mirror imaged - if the drivers in one cabinet are to the left in their panels, in the other cabinet they should be to the right.

The HUMAN 1000 Kit includes:

8 PRO 005 woofers
8 PRO 002 M2 tweeters
2 Terminal cups with gold plated 5-way binding posts
2 Complete wiring harness/crossovers
Screws to install all parts
Basic instruction sheet (and telephone/email support)

You provide:

The cabinet
The grills, if desired
Internal damping material (e.g. fiberglass, polyester, etc.)

Originally these were built with huge grilles made of masonite sheets covered with cloth, that went from the base to the top and side to side, with only a dressy trim piece of 1" walnut showing at each vertical corner and around the top.

They had terminals on the top and bottom, and I suspect that this was not only for convenience but also so they could be placed with the drivers "low" or "high," by simply turning the box upside down. I would advise using floor spikes, not only to give the speakers a solid footing, but also to allow your wires a way to get to the bottom terminals neatly.

Construction recommendations: A speaker with this heft and capability deserves the best. The box should be made so it is 1.5 to 2 inches thick. Cross bracing should be extensive and imaginative - try to leave no distance of more than a foot or so between any two braces on any side. "Shelf" braces are great, but remember to space them irregularly!

1000 Kits and Projects

thumbnail linkI completely rebuild mine thumbnail linkJust the one photo, but what construction!
thumbnail linkIan's dream project finally comes true!

(And the long version)

thumbnail linkA few photos of Keith's interpretation

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