Was the ELS-3 special because it had a natural tonal balance with no noticeable colorations throughout its entire range? That was true, but that's not why the speaker was special. Was it because the ELS-3s projected a wide, open soundstage, and completely "disappeared" with well-recorded program material? Also true, but also not quite the point. Or was it because, despite its small size and price, I was unable to hear any glaring flaws whatsoever in the ELS-3—unless I pushed the speaker beyond what one could reasonably expect for its size? True again, but still not why the ELS-3 was special.
The Epos ELS-3 was special because, in three areas, it exceeded in performance what I've heard from its competition. The ELS-3 had:
• superior midbass definition and realism on a wide range of program material;
• high-level dynamic bloom beyond what I'd reasonably expect from a speaker of its size; and
• a level of detail resolution I normally associate with speakers approaching $1000/pair.
