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Epic CF Series


Tony Reed

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Tony,

I believe you were asking about the differences in the revisions that were done during the product lifecycle and not between the two little models. I can do some research to get more definitive answers for you but basically there were three versions of the EPIC series. The differences lie in the crossovers, woofer cone and horn materials and port tube lengths. The ports would be an easy one to spot as they are either really short or long. Just stick your hand in there or use a flashlight to look. The other differences would require disassembly to find out. The woofer difference can be told by checking the part number on the motor structure. The original series has a different part number than the second version. You would also have to look at the crossover to see which version it is. As for the difference in the horn material, I don't think you can tell which one it is by looking. About all you can do there is see if they match. The crude and effective way to do that is to take both horns out (one from each speaker) and knock your knuckles on them and see if they sound the same. The materials were different in density so one would sound "lower" than the other when you tapped on it. If you have specific questions about a specific pair of speakers then let me know and I will get you an answer as to what version they are.

Jim

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JimG:

You're right, I was referring to the different revisions. I recently acquired a pair of mint CF3's dirt cheap. (and I do mean CHEAP!) I was just curious about which "revisions" I had. Could you tell by the serial numbers?

I know the Epic series isn't very popular on this BB, but I've sorta learned to appreciate them.

Tony

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Tony...sorry about the mistake. Not very many on this board are familiar with the Epic's so I figured that you just wanted the basic info. Are the CF-3's the first ones in the line that you have owned? I'd be interested in seeing what you gave for them. Just love my CF-2's so I can only imagine you got a steal of a deal. Later

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Tony,

The serial numbers would be a good place to start. Whether or not I can give you an accurate answer though would still depend. The serial number will tell me when they were built and therefore maybe what version they were new, but if they have ever had anything replaced, they may have been updated.

When I first started here, I wanted to learn all I could about the older products and so to fully understand the EPIC speakers, I took home a pair of CF-3's for awhile. They had a few problems so I took them all apart and did a VERY minor refurb to get them going again. That was how I learned about and researched the different versions and all. While I'm thinking about it, I think the two versions of the crossover used different wire. One of them used big fat Monster-looking wire. That may be one way to visually tell them apart. Again, give me your serial numbers (you too rowoo) and we'll start there.

Jim

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OK - Everything you ever wanted to know about EPIC but were afraid to ask.

Production began in Spring of 1994. That would be Rev.1. Those CF-3's would have had K-1022-KN woofers, 5" long port tubes and grey colored horns. The networks on those original versions were wired with an OFC type wire that looks kind of like original monster cable - you know the clear jacket look.

In the Fall of 1994, the Rev.2 change was made. That was a change in a couple of component values in the network and shorter 2.5" long port tubes to raise the box tuning.

The last change was Rev.3 and was made in the Summer of 1995. This change included new woofers with lighter cones (K-1030-KN on CF-3), another network change including a change in wire (Rev.3 dropped the OFC and instead used colored 16ga. like what is in the KLF's) and a new horn material (20% glass) that was painted black.

In 1996, the EPIC series died off and the Legend series began. The Legend woofers are basically the EPIC woofers with traditional BFM's instead of the Neo motors and the speakers are (in the case of 20/30) a three way design vs. a two way. The midrange horn on KLF-20/30, the only horn on KLF-10 and the horn on your CF-3's are all the same.

Now to answer your questions about your pair of CF-3's. According to the serial numbers, your CF-3's were built on the 219th day (Aug. 7th?) of 1995. They are number 063 and 064 sequentially. Given their birth date, they are most likely Rev.3's but there is a decent chance of them being Rev.2's also. In order to find out for sure, look and see if the horns are black or grey (Black means Rev.3 while grey means Rev.2) or pull a woofer and see if its a 1022 (Rev.2) or a 1030 (Rev.3) or pull the network/input cup and see if the wire is colored (Rev.3) or clear (Rev.2). Supposedly, we also put a "-2" or some kind of indicator or something somewhere on the serial number tags either behind the model number or serial number. You can check for that but I would defer to the above ways to check as the final authority. Whew! I hope that helps you out!

As for their value, CF-3's were $2000/pr when new. The 1999 Orion Blue Book (most current one I have) shows them worth about $635/pr. Keep in mind that the Orion figures are primarily for a retailer to establish a market value on used items and may not necessarily reflect any collector or unusual market values that would raise their costs. Also, a pair of speakers is worth what someone is willing to pay. I also look at what the comparable amount of cash gets you in new products. The replacement for CF-3 is KLF-20 at $1500/pr so $635 may not buy you the performance you get with CF-3's. So, how much did you pay? Nosy BB-ers would like to know!

Jim

BTW - rowoo I just saw your post as I was posting this. 299th day of 1995 would mean yours are Rev.3. You can verify yours the same way.

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Tony,

I have owned CF-3's (revision 3) for five years. Recently, I bought a tube pre-amp and four monoblock power amps. I found that the speakers resonate, but can easily be fixed. First, use the spiked feet, take your time and position them. Follow Cardas' website on basic position. Use a level. Don't let them rock (back and forth). Also, on the horn, I found that the spades were jammed into the post hole, and one nut was even locked open. I fixed that, but the driver screws into the horn and it was loose to begin with. I used Teflon tape on the threads and snugged it up. This eliminated almost all the cabinet noise. You can also fill a ziplock bag with sand and place it in the bottom of the speaker cabinet. I've been experimenting with Dynamat for the last .05% of cabinet resonance. These are excellent speakers! The magnets on the drivers allow them to be fast, accurate, and sensitive, while still extending the bass far enough, especially for the price. Just be careful not to drive them too hard, they go without warning! Enjoy.

Bill

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Jim G and everyone for the time and effort on the Epic series. I had sold my Forte's to a friend a few years back to go to a smaller speaker, due to apartment living. I found this unacceptable, and moved, bought what I have figured from this Info are CF3s 3rd rev. ( ser #233597212 & 3) AH!! returned. I have always wondered why they weren't discussed much here. I used them with a KV-3 center, replaced Boston rears with the last pair of KSP-S6s in the country (nearly), and just last week, picked up a really nice pair of Forte'IIs with a Academy center.I could not let the CF-3s go for $635 but that's just me, and I'm gun shy about letting any Klipsch go , after the first mistake. Thanks again.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry it took so long to get back. I checked for messages in my in box, not the message board. The bigger the bag, the better. The idea is that vibration is a terrible thing and you want to get the cabinets to be as 'dead' as possible. I would try one gallon bags and get them to cover the entire bottom, though I suppose you can accomplish this with quart size since you could fill them before you slide them through the ports. Unless you want to remove the lower driver. Otherwise, have fun filling them!

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An amplifying note about vibration, the more you get rid of, the louder you can crank it which is why you generally see Krell, Mark Levison, etc.. were the cost is becoming limitless have huge (200 pound) amps. Though thats not the only reason why their products are so massive, it does play a part.

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  • 6 years later...

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