EPOS M22i

The current flagship of the Mi range of speakers, the 2 ½- way M22i, has deeper bass and higher power handling than the M16i. In designing the M22i, the Epos engineering team designed a high performance two channel speaker that would be equally at home in a home theatre application.

The M22i uses the revised Epos 25mm (1 in.) low distortion metal dome tweeter, designed for smooth, clear and extended treble. The upper frequency crossover is centred on 5kHz and the minimalistic 1st order crossover is simply a polypropylene film capacitor.

Epos has designed a robust new 165mm (6.5in.) mid-range woofer with die-cast aluminium alloy chassis, phase plug and moulded polypropylene cone. Its curved cone profile and graduated thickness were engineered to ‘roll off’ high frequencies mechanically, in a smooth fashion. It also has very high power handling. As such, the woofer requires no electrical crossover (neither high pass, nor low pass) to reproduce dynamic, natural bass and mid-range frequencies in this model.

The mid-range driver runs in a sealed chamber, with the tweeter. It is designed to naturally roll-off around 80Hz, with useful output below that. The woofer and mid-bass output overlap and work effectively as one bigger unit. This reinforces the power and dynamics of this compact speaker.

The 165mm (6.5in.) bass driver is similar to the midrange but has a weighted dust cap instead of a phase plug. It is mounted in a separate chamber in the lower section of the cabinet and is loaded with a rear-firing port, flared at both ends for low turbulence and minimal distortion. It is also filtered by the crossover to limit frequencies above 100Hz.

Together, the woofer and mid-range units handle very high powers. We recommended that the M22i should be partnered with an amplifier that is capable of driving a four Ohm load to high levels.

The tri-wirable input panel is made from solid anodised aluminium alloy, with sturdy high-spec terminals suited for spade lug or other types of plugs. High grade metal links join the terminals together and can be removed for separate connection to each driver.

Great care has been taken with the manufacturing of the cabinets. They are grain pattern matched for each pair. Internally, extensive bracing and 25mm (1 in.) thick front and rear baffles have been skilfully engineered to reduce unwanted cabinet vibration and coloration. Grilles are made of silk cloth, over an MDF frame, for easy integration with home furnishings, although the M22i is equally attractive without the grilles. A black lacquered integral plinth, which includes sturdy steel inserts to take adjustable 8mm carpet spikes, completes the package.