ESP Speakers


I am looking for some information on ESP speakers from people who have actually owned them. 

I recently purchased a pair of ESP Bodhran speakers on Ebay and currently am waiting for their delivery.

I have never heard those speakers before but listened, under what I think were suboptimal conditions, to the older version of the ESP Concert Grands (3 woofers). These auditions left me quite puzzled. At times the speakers sounded great, even amazing. At other times they sounded quite awful. My feeling was that there was great potential with these speakers, but as I didn't have the opportunity to fiddle with the conditions under which they were offered, I have decided to look elsewhere.

Then one day I saw on Ebay a used pair of the Bodhran SE at a good price and decided to take the risk and purchase them. I would say that I did it out of curiosity, if not of anything else.    

Now the version of the Bodhran that I bought came out about 10 years after the first CG, and at the time cost more or less the same (16,000$). What I am interested to know is, first, how do the ESP Bodhran SE compare to the older ESP speakers?  I know that some drivers were changed, probably the crossovers, but I have no idea what change was made that justified an increase of 10,000$ from the first version?

Another thing I am curious to know is what people think in general about the brand. Today one can hardly find any information about ESP which is less than 10 years old. It would seem that very few people kept them long from new, and those who did eventually decided to get rid of them at very low prices.
This makes one wonder: has the fashion changed or are there really better offerings today than 10 and 20 years ago that justify such an expensive change? Or perhaps, there was something inherently wrong with the speakers after all?   
 ESP past and present owners, I would appreciate your comments.  
  
taviran
Hi Guys,
First, I wanted to thank rhljazz for his help. I should have done it sooner but life took me in other directions lately. 
I was finally able to refurbish the ESP crossovers on my own. While at it, I changed some parts (caps, resistors) to higher quality ones, changed cabling to Belden and soldered everything point-to-point. Overall the sound improved a lot I believe and I would certainly recommend this. Not a very difficult job. 
I experimented with various amps: Luxman m900U, and Jadis JA80. Still, I am not altogether where I want to be.
My room is quite small so I believe this sets a limit to what I can achieve. Compared to other speakers I had previously (Quads, Klipsch), the ESPs are much more neutral, and more balanced, but also very sensitive to many factors (like cables, the quality of the recording, etc). My wife does not like the sound, I must say, so perhaps something is wrong. But right now I don't see myself opting for other speakers. 
Cheers. 
Source: Doge 6 Cd Player/EMT 950
Amps: Luxman m900u/Jadis JA80
Pre: Luxman C900U/Jadis JPL
Cables: MIT/XLO
Music: 90% classical


     
 
    
An update on my adventure with ESP Bodhran SE.
After measuring the impedance of the speakers, something I should have perhaps done long ago, I was surprised to see that it was 4 and not 8 ohms, as the manufacturer states on his website. I changed the Jadis JA80 to 4 ohm, and ...Bingo! Now it sounds like I was expecting from the beginning. The Jadis-ESP now sounds better than the Luxman combo, at least with acoustical music. All and all, I believe I can recommend to people to purchase the ESP speakers, although you should be aware that they need space and VERY careful placement (and probably a crossover overhaul). By the prices they are going for, it's really a steal. 
Cheers.     
  
Hi Guys. After a long search, I finally found and purchased an old pair of ESP Concert Grands mark 1. However, they need some repair. I wonder if anybody here knows perchance how Can I access the drivers of these speakers. The top plate seems to be glued in its place as well as the side bars. 
I would appreciate any help. 
Thanks.