Originally Posted by
snafu
OK, I tracked a pair down locally and paid them a listen yesterday. I took a few of my favorite CDs with me and the shop reselling them (on consignment) was quite accommodating. This particular pair had a pair of NOS woofers, according to them an exact replacement. They did not have the EQ that I've heard about. The mid horn is not nearly as large in person as it looks in the photos, but it is still quite imposing. I listened for about half an hour. They connected them to a Cary preamp and a brand of amplifier that I've not heard of before but was some kind of tweaky SQ brand.
My impression was that these speakers have quite a bit of potential. Throughout my listening, I heard a few things that pointed to the fact that the crossover networks may benefit from some fresh components so I don't feel this pair lived up to their full capabilities. I would also like to hear them with McIntosh amplification. Regardless, I heard many of the same things I've often heard with three-way horn speakers, like those from Klipsch. Generally speaking, these ears still prefer a two-way horn loaded speaker with a 500 cycle horn, but I believe the EV would be a fun speaker to restore and enjoy. I believe I could easily live with a pair.