HiFi Speakers made of 1200 Year Old Black Oak from EpoSound.
EpoSound.
By Steve Huff
Today is March 17th 2025 and this is when I am starting to write down words that describe my experience with a one of a kind very unique set of hand made speakers that were delivered a few weeks ago from Poland. Lots of great HiFi comes out of Poland such as Closer Acoustics, Lampizator and yes, even Nagra was started by a man of Polish origin named Stefan Kudelski.
Now I have this one of a kind set of speakers here that are from a company in Poland that is creating works of audio art that look stunning but also sound fantastic.
I say “one of a kind” as no two pair will ever look the same. Each set will use specific 1200 year old black oak as well as various colors of resin within their construction if you go for the Red Millennium Black Oak series, which is in the premium line at EpoSound. You guys know I love to find super unique HiFi gear that not only sounds out of this world. but also looks it. Why can’t we have our cake and eat it to? With the Deimos, well…we can and for less than what most high end speakers cost these days.
Let’s face it, there is still a lot of ugly audio gear being sold today and while much of it looks fantastic, even some gear in the exotic lanes look gaudy and ridiculous to me. I will not name names as what I find to be “gaudy” may be someone else’s “perfect”. Does looks even matter in the big picture here of audio? Well…No! Not to everyone but for me, when paying thousands of dollars for a piece of equipment that reproduces music I want it to look as good as it sounds and vice versa. I am sure many of you reading this feel the same.
I have found some pretty cool speakers just recently that cover the looks and sound department very well. I have been listening to the O Audio Icon 12’s since they arrived and I am getting in as much time with them as I can before they have to go back to Norway. The more I listen to the Icon 12’s the more I realize just how supremely refined they are but at $20k for the set they really should be ultra refined. Those Icon’s are easy to drive and sound as smooth, sweet and as refined as it gets within high end audio and yea, they are also quite the lookers in the flesh. Let’s face it though, not everyone has $20k for a set of speakers so I wanted to find something special in the under $10k range and I was really hoping for something special in the under $8k range.
The 1200 year old black oak embedded with the red epoxy resin is a treat for the eyes here in the Red Millennium Black Oak Deimos Speaker from EpoSound.com
It wasn’t easy but I may have found just what I was looking for in the price range of $7k (ish) USD but I find these to be special for the cost and a perfect speaker to talk about here on my website (and YT channel). What I have found is not only a beautiful piece of art that is also functional but these speakers sound just as awesome as they look and they are not a “cookie cutter” speaker. I mean, no one else will have what you have in looks, even if they purchase the same model. You can never get anything like this from the big corporate owned brands, never.
I am talking about the EpoSound.com Deimos Red Millennium Black Oak Speakers from Poland and each pair is hand made just for you. They cost under $7k per pair, are easy to drive at 90db efficient and 4 ohms and can fit in almost any size space from smaller to medium to possibly even a larger space. I also found a $400 tweak that makes them look and sound even better and I will talk about this tweak within this review though it’s not necessary to add it, just gives them an even nicer look and for me, did improve the listening experience as well.
Oh, and these are not your typical wooden box speakers.
Over the decades I have seen speakers made of plastic, wood, metal, cast iron, plexiglass and even glass. Never have I see a set made quite like these using hand poured resin and 1200 year old aged wood. The sample I have here is in the striking deep red color but the epo sound website shows blue as well as black resin models in their gallery of models (see them here). Each one slightly different as each one is hand poured so one never knows how their design will turn out. The ones they sent to me are serial #1 and are shown on their website.
This is the pair I have here now, serial #01
For sure, these Red Deimos Black Oak Millennium models sure look the part, but what about the sound? Sometimes when a speaker looks extra cool the sound suffers as the designer is more into the looks than what comes from the box. I wondered if the beauty here was only skin deep here and honestly, had no real idea of what to expect from these. At this point all I know is that they look beautiful.
EposSound also sells a version for about $500 less that does not use 1200 year old black oak but standard woods mixed with the epoxy resin. They also sell bookshelf versions that look spectacular in the Red Millennium Black Oak finish. The bookshelf versions come in at around $4k-$4300 USD range and again, sits in the premium line which means they use the age black oak.
They also sell a bookshelf version but these are 86DB efficient so a little harder to drive vs the 90DB towers which were a breeze to power with any amp I used. This set looks STUNNING! When light hits the resin you can see various patterns emerge.
Looking at these with sunlight shining in to hit them from my windows brings out the subtle transparency of some areas with the depth of the real aged wood that lay inside of the hardened resin. I sit and stare at the wood and wonder where it has been and what it has seen over the last 1200 years of its life. I can only imagine.
These speakers are lookers indeed and house two high quality European mid/bass drivers and one soft dome tweeter. These are rated at 90DB efficient and 4 ohm so again, a speaker that is on the easy side when it comes to powering them. These feel very easy to drive with the amps I have tested them with and these amps range in power from 10 WPC to 500 WPC. (Tubes, Solid State and Class D GaN SS).
The bass (on paper) is said to only go as deep as 50hz but in the real world these have some serious big bass punch and attack. These are in no way bass light or shy. In fact, these sound the most “bassy” of any of the speakers I have had in here throughout this month and are the fullest within the mid bass area, yet these have a clean juicy kind of punch.
The Black Oak columns sound more wet than dry and can create a striking performance in most rooms, no doubt. I wouldn’t call these all out “audiophile” speakers as these do not sound super transparent or as open as the exotic boxes but instead they sound more dense, solid and offer more kick and energy within the midband than some others I have reviewed recently. This density keeps the soundstage more in between the speakers but this is not a negative at all as there is also clarity and some holographic imaging going on within that soundstage. It also changes depending on what I use for source and power.
The imaging between the speakers is fascinating and quite remarkable really but the weight of some instruments is very nice indeed. Let’s take Agnes Obel for example….
Listening to “won’t you call me” from Agnes Obel brings every ounce of her pianos weight to the room. Using the little $994 DAC from LAIV called the Harmony UDAC the sounds are simply awesome and the weight the Black Oaks convey is magical. The Piano here sounds weightier than it does with the big and mighty Icon 12’s, which present her piano as more of an open sounding hologram within the soundstage. The Black Oak Deimos brings the immense weight and this makes the piano sound real, present and more tangible than usual. This is something you can feel as when a Piano sounds right it can deliver goosebumps.
The bass with the Deimos sounds so big because it is ever so present in the mid area so instead of shaking down low at 20 HZ area, we feel the punch and hear the ripeness in that 50-120hz range, where a lot of information lives within you music files, vinyl, CD’s and streams. Some high end speakers cuts this area of Bass down to where we can almost not even hear it sometimes, and this is what makes some speakers sound leaner or brighter up top which brings more apparent details jetting out. With the Deimos though there is no muddiness so even with the weight of the music, it doesn’t muddy up the highs at all. So less airy, less transparent but still does some of this, just with weight and a clean weight.
There is some good news here. The Deimos Red Millennium has a somewhat big moist and meaty punch in the mid bass and this creates the illusion that they are putting out a lot of deep bass as well. In fact I was so impressed with the big body and density of these (as well as the treble that allowed for some airiness and details that came out in front of the speakers) that I had a few people over to hear them and compare them to speakers that cost more.
I asked three people which speakers had the most pleasing bass between my Pure Audio Project Duet 15’s that house a 15′ bass driver, the Icon 12’s with the 12″ bass driver and then the Deimos with the little 6″ dual bass drivers. All three of these people (wife, cousin and uncle) chose the Deimos as sounding like they had the most “bass” presence even though they are rated only down to 50Hz. The Icon’s are rated down into the 20’s but are lighter in the upper and lower midrange vs the Epo Sound boxes and they give the impression of a lighter footed performance vs the EpoSound speakers. The Icon’s soundlike $20k speakers, the $6700 EpoSound Deimos Millennium sounds more like a $8k speaker.
So what does all of this mean? It means these beautiful and unique boxes will sound fantastic with almost any music you throw at it. Instead of being analytical and wide open, the Deimos have the beef, the solidity and punch to make it all sound alive and energetic. These will never sound bright or edgy up top as the silk dome tweeter keeps the treble from sounding ragged or dry yet there is no suppression of details here, which is nice.
I then asked which speaker sounded overall best to them. All three liked the Icon 12’s but again, no surprise as they cost $20k and I did not even tell my cousin or uncle what each speaker cost. When I said “$20k” about the Icon’s my uncle said “I like the Black Oaks”! Lol. Price can easily help sway a decision as it has to for most of us. What I found lovely was that the Black Oak’s were well received and everyone thought they looked and sounded super. No one thought they were overpriced for what they brought.
The treble of the Deimos Black Oak does have some pop as it sounds extended and more energetic than the smooth operators I have been listening to. This is welcome as I sometimes miss the edge of music when played on a super smooth speaker. The millennium’s have some energy indeed and when mixed with the bass from the two 180mm mid and bass drivers everything sounds pulpy, punchy and high energy. No, these will not sound as refined as a $50k speaker that blurs the lines between digital and analog but these will simply deliver music with guts, a sense of power and a beautiful full voice.
When I received these speakers they were shipped in a big wooden crate that housed two cardboard boxes that held the speakers inside. Each speaker on their own is not very heavy at 14kg, or 30 lbs each but man were they well protected in this overbuilt wooden crate.
The speakers also ship with basic metal spiked feet that you screw into the bottom of each speaker to stabilize them on carpet or whatever type of floor you have. On the back you will see the normal speaker binding posts as well as three other posts above them which offer up a way to tune these to your liking when it comes to the treble.
This is where you can customize the treble output from low to mid to high which is also rather cool. This in effect is a way to tune the speaker using the included jumper cable. I settled on the mid setting after trying them all. I found it provided the most treble information without overload or without being dull. Just right. You can go lower with the treble. stay neutral or boost it a bit of you like.
This next tweak took these up a level or two
I also took out the basic metal small spikes and replaced them with ISO Acoustics GAIA III feet. These are $199 for a set of four (two sets are needed) but these really improved the sound further for me here in my room and I know why. The ISO GAIA III feet allow these to be decoupled from the floor and stand rock solid as well as get them raised up a couple of inches. The included spikes are ok but the ISO Acoustics feet seem made for these Red Millennium Black Oak Speakers. I guess if they were included the price would be more like $7500-$8000 so it’s nice that you can buy the feet on Amazon. I had a set here with my Duet 15’s and gave them a try here, and they worked out perfect daily due to raising these up where the tweeter was at ear level. This opened up the speakers more.
The speakers come with a scroll
I started listening with an Eversolo DMP A6 II Master Edition going into Orchard Audio GaN Mono Amps. The Eversolo served as the streamer, preamp and DAC while the 500 WPC into 4 ohm amps brought forth the extreme power. This is a nice setup for the Deimos Red Millennium speakers and it fits in line with the price of the speakers. While the speakers can only handle 200 WPC there is no harm running with a more powerful amp. just do not blast them to where your ears would melt ; ) I feel it is always best to have more power in some cases then less power.
The newer A6 II ME is a much improved version of the very 1st DMP A6 I reviewed a while back and it sounds more refined, is quicker with less lag and well… it just works as it should without issue or error. The sound is smoother and nicer than the original A6 as well and when paired with the 500 WPC mono amps the Deimos came ALIVE. As I listened more and more the speakers pushed out that big deep sound that is so fitting for EDM or any music that thrives with a punchy type of beat and bass.
The Deimos while punchy and clean, also sounds quite large for their size with just enough sizzle for dance music. I could turn these up loud and my room truly starts to sound like a disco/dance club I used to go to in Chicago back in the early 90s ; ) This speaker is one that will sound better than usual with crappy 80’s recordings so have no fear, these can play all genres of music and sound excellent. The Deimos are not about being airy, see through or “magical” in the way they do imaging or three dimensions. They do some of this, sure, but not to the extreme level of most audiophile speakers. I just sat and enjoyed the big sound that was whole, complete and at times startled me with jolts and dynamics.
These image very well when spread apart in my space by 7 feet and then toed in slightly to where the tweeter fires and lands just behind my head when the ISO feet are on. When I use the included spikes vs the ISO feet the sound is a little more subdued because the speakers sit lower with the spikes. They sit at my ear level with the ISO feet, which is where you want these to sit. This is another reason these sound better with the ISO Acoustics GAIA III feet because if they sit below ear level, the treble can sound slightly subdued. When at ear level, they open up quite a bit and sound more sublime and clean.
With the A6 II ME and Orchard Audio amp all was sounding energetic and with a huge bass kick. I switched over to my reference setup of Nagra Streamer with HD DAC X, Nagra Classic AMP and Nagra HD Pre.
The sound instantly became more refined, airy and three dimensional with the all Nagra setup in play. It was all now sounding more open and cleaner. That mid bass presence was slightly less full and juicy than with the previous setup but now I was hearing more of the audiophile things such as more of the 3D spatial stuff happening. Voices separated more from the instruments and the music was now being deconstructed in a masterful painterly way. It’s the Nagra DAC and Pre at work here as they seem to make magic with most speakers. I love this as it shows me just how good the Deimos really is and how good they can scale up.
I then swapped out the Nagra HD DAC X for the brand new budget LAIV Harmony UDAC which is their $994 R2R Ladder DAC and tshi DAC is INSANELY AMAZING FANTASTIC in sound. This added some more smoothness once again, as this is a smooth DAC with some energetic blood (power) going through its wires (veins). The sound is big, bold, solid and refined with big bass. I love the way the Nagra Streamer performs with the UDAC from Laiv going into the COAX input. It’s darker than the Nagra HD DAC X but I could buy 70 UDACs for the price of one HD DAC X and it sounds crazy good with these speakers. Man, this UDAC should blow up for LAIV as I have no idea how they made this and are able to sell for under $1k. Sounds like most $5k DACs and I have heard a ton of DACs.
EPO SOUND
Who is Epo Sound? Well, it appears they are a newer company that started out to offer something different and unique to music lovers around the globe. Speakers that you just cannot get elsewhere when it comes to looks and design. Everyone who has seen them here, and I mean everyone, has commented at how beautiful these are in the space. I also love the attention to detail as each pair also ships with a scroll that appears aged and it tells the story of the speaker as well as some other things like info on the 1200 year old wood used when making them. A nice touch indeed. This scroll is unique to the set I have here and has the serial # on it as well.
I also feel these are priced fairly due to the fact that each one is hand made, each one is different and no two will look the same. I know if I spent all of met time making these I would lie selling them for closer to $8900 as I can tell you now that these take time to make. These use high quality drivers as well and you guys know I have reviewed some speakers in this price range that were pretty vanilla compared to these.
I love helping smaller companies like EpoSound who are building from passion rather than just worrying about corporate profit. Those small businesses with just 2-4 people who do it all for the love of music and the craft are the ones I always seek out most of all. The Deimos speakers are made with a love for the art of making speakers as well and it’s obvious when you see and hear them.
SMALL TO MID SIZED ROOMS
The Deimos are tower speakers but are relatively small and compact for a tower. They sit at just about 3 feet tall and are only less than a foot wide. They are easy to move around and place where they need to be placed. Due to the fact that these are rear ported, I would not place them against a wall as this will make the sound suffer and sound colored and bloated. In my 13X18 space I have these three feet from the wall and two feet from the side wall. They have room to breathe and sound excellent like this. I would say if you have at least 1 ft of room from the main wall and 1 ft from the sides you should be ok.
These speakers also sound wonderful at low, mid and high volume. At lower volumes they still sound full bodied. juicy and with treble that really makes everything sound a bit exciting.
Worthy of Reference Gear?
When I listened for a few days with my full Nagra HD setup I could really hear these opening up more and sounding larger as well. With the Nagra HD DAC X the soundstage widened and became very holographic. The EpoSound Deimos sounded a bit more alive, just as kicking in the bass and a touch sweeter in the treble to me than the $2k more expensive Borresen X2 speakers. The X2’s could deliver more lower bass power but the Deimos sounded more controlled in the mid bass and just as solidified with more sparkle up top vs the super smooth Borresen.
AMPS AND POWER
With the $379 Wiim Amp Pro, the Millennium Black Oak Deimos sounded punchy, musical and direct in room and out of room. If you just want room filling sound vs a sweet spot experience this is an easy and affordable way to go. The Wiim Amp Pro does it all and I also have one for sale right now, new for $100 off and free ship. See it HERE.
With a $12k Chord Ultima integrated and an Eversolo DMP A6II feeding a LAIV Harmony UDAC I heard some hiss at idle (from the Ultima) and the Chord amp brought some warmth which was almost too much of a good thing. Not my fave combo no matter the DAC used. The Ultima hisses and it’s how it designed. With speakers from 90-102db you can easily hear this hiss at idle.
With the Nagra Streamer going in to the Harmony UDAC (with Nagra Pre and Amp) was beautiful and my all out fave DAC with these speakers. Powerful. effortless and more open than the above combos. Yes, I preferred the little $994 DAC vs my Nagra DAC (which has a crazy $70k retail) with the Black Oak Deimos. Synergy is real.
With the Eversolo DMP A6 MKII Master Edition going into Orchard Audio 500 WPC Mono amps the sound was smooth yet fast, powerful yet silky and just sounded fantastic. Adding the UDAC was even better which added some relaxation to the A6’s somewhat hyper treble.
With the full Nagra setup with HD HV Pre amp, HD DAC X and Classic AMP the sound was beautiful, open, dynamic and the punch and drive remained but wasn’t as full bodied in the mids now. This density stayed put but the details were easier to hear and more spread out. This is overkill for these speakers.
I also tried my trusty little Black Ice FX10 H tube amp that sells for under $800 and brings 10 WPC of all tube goodness. Sounded lovely but lacked some punch at higher volumes. If only listening at night, or low to mid volume this will sound gorgeous as well. I used the Nagra Streamer and UDAC for the front end source. The Nagra Streamer is the finest streamer I have used or owned ($5k).
These can be run by 10 watts from a tube amp or hundreds of watts from a solid state GaN monster. Both can sound gorgeous with the Epo Sound speakers but I loved them most with a class A/B 100 WPC amplifier powering them which was my Nagra Classic Amp and also my favorite amplifier ever as of 2025. I have loved this amp for a decade it seems and now that I own one it is simply the finest amp I have ever heard or experienced, regardless of price.
CONCLUSION
So far I have reviewed four speakers this month (March 2025) that range in cost from $400 to $20,000. While I love the $20k Icon 12’s I can’t afford to buy them but if you have the funds they are a must audition and the finest all out speakers I have had through these doors.
The $12k Diptyque 115’s didn’t do it for me in the mid bass area as they were just a bit too clean in the mids for me and lacked punch for some heavier music. If all I listened to was acoustic music and classic Jazz, these would be the “one”.
The Closer Acoutics Blocks are one of the finest sounds I have experienced this year but as a reviewer they would be too tough to move around every week when new things come in, so not for me at this time only due to that reason. I still own and love my Duet 15’s and they have a completely different sound from any and all box speakers. They do not have the punch and slam of the EpoSound speakers but are more open and with a larger stage, very three dimensional but this is the sound signature of a good open baffle.
One of the most unique looks and sounds this month has been from the Black Oak Millennium Deimos speakers from EpoSound.com. They are musical and the Deimos easy to drive. They can fill a space with music and are not so much “audiophile” in sound but in all honesty I feel most would like this sound better than the audiophile sound. These have some traits of high end speakers and yes they image, produce a strong center phantom voice and yet they also have plenty of “pulp” within the sound. Meat, beef, body, solidly. These have this so no lean mids or bright highs here.
They fit in the room perfectly, they got even better once I attached ISO Acoustics Gaia III feet to them to raise them slightly to ear level (you can get these feet on Amazon) and they look stunning since they use 1200 year old black oak when the epoxy resin is poured to make the cabinet. These are much more than about good looks and being unique. Epo Sound actually built these to sound fantastic as well and they did not let me down in this department. While they do not sound like the exotic higher end audiophile boxes, they sound extremely musical, beefy, solid and bring forth all of the energy within the music to you with plenty of punch and dynamics.
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