Epos ST 15

Design

It is slightly larger than the ST12i, which it replaces and now matches the physical size of the Elan 10 and 15 and Epic 1 and 2 bookshelf speakers. It’s traditionally open-frame construction has four supporting legs and an open top plate and solid bottom plate, made from 4mm sheet-steel, punched and sculptured to shape.

During the development of the larger ST15, it was noticed that its increased size, over the earlier model, caused a significantly increased problem with ringing. Ringing is the unwanted oscillation in an object or signal and it needs to be damped to stop it from sounding like a bell.

There are various types of damping used for speaker stands, but Epos has chosen a technical solution to this problem called ‘Constrained Layer Damping‘ or CLD. CLD involves sticking thin strips of metal to the underside of the top and bottom plates with a special double-sided adhesive tape. The metal strips cannot normally be seen, but they work together to dissipate unwanted oscillations as heat.

CLD helps to eliminate the oscillations in the top and bottom metal plates that cause ringing. Ringing in the speaker stand adds unwanted energy to the sound reproduction of your loudspeakers and if it can be eliminated the remaining sound will be more faithful to the original. See the Epos white paper on CLD for more details.

The 4 columns are injected with expanding foam to reduce resonances or ringing. They are supplied in a self-assembly format complete with optional top and bottom spikes, that are adjustable. The ST15 is the best speaker stand Epos has ever made and it outperforms most brands of ‘˜mass-damped’ stands on the market, which are usually very heavy and expensive.