[FireGuy]

I think this a good question to address, thanks.

I currently have XRS cabs and they are slightly below ear level with a tilt back.  Typically monitors are not tilted back.  The ones that I will be getting will be monitors on top of midbass cabs and the top of the monitors will be right at 36".  I'm thinking that will put the center of the drivers at just about ear level. 

Louis has said that the tilt seems to lift and expand the soundstage.  Would it be desirable to tilt monitors?  If so, I would be getting stands that are a couple of inches shorter so they could be tilted a bit.  (I won't have that option with my configuration though.) 


......Peter

I'm using TransDeco 24" Stands for my Super 5's and pretty much at ear level.  Imaging and staging are spot on.   Interesting consideration to have  these tilted similar to the Super 3XRS config.   Can't say I'm fully on board unless I can confidently address the stability issue.  Just imagining having them positioned as such with the current top plate has me out of my happy place.

[pstrisik]

I think standard Alnico Monitors would work fine tilted since they are so deep.  The lighter and shallower speakers are, the less stable.  But it wouldn't be difficult to put something at the back of the plates that the monitors could rest against if necessary.

I was skeptical about the tilt with my current Super 7 XRS (original version).  They are only something like 14" wide and 9" deep, but are very stable with some tilt.

[Canada Rob]

Where abouts does that put the driver in relation to seating position?  Ear level with the dustcap/whizzer, a little higher or lower, etc.?

The center of my driver is 34.5" off the floor.  I listen in a very nice, super comfy folding lawn chair with nothing in that chair to reflect sound.
If I sit in a relaxed position, my ears are at about the same height as the center of the drivers.  For me, the sound is sublime.

[rebbi]

The center of my driver is 34.5" off the floor.  I listen in a very nice, super comfy folding lawn chair with nothing in that chair to reflect sound.
If I sit in a relaxed position, my ears are at about the same height as the center of the drivers.  For me, the sound is sublime.

It will be interesting to see how my Alnico 7 monitors end up being positioned. Louis said that every room is different and I should experiment. He likes the speakers around 8 feet apart, suggesting starting nearer the front wall and moving forward to dial them in. As for height, I sit in a guest bedroom on a daybed to listen to music, so my seating height is atypically tall: my ears are about 40" off the floor. This is why I'm not rushing to get rid of my 24" stands just yet. Sense63 is sending me his 16" stands along with the monitors, too. I'll assume I'll be in tweak-the-position mode for some time!   

[pstrisik]

I'm home now and measured.  The center of my 7 XRS' drivers are 30" off the floor.  The tilt back points them more towards ear level.

.......Peter

[rebbi]

My Alnico 7 minutes monitors shipped today!

Woo-hoo! I should have them by late this week.

Can't wait to set them up and get down to some listening.   

[len066]

WOW!!! I can't believe rebbi is selling the Omegas in the same week he got them.
I have been watching this thread since the beginning waiting to hear the results.
Actually was kind of excited for him.
Sorry Omega fans...

[RDavidson]

Same week?!

He said he was expecting to receive them late this week.
So....he hasn't listened to them for more than a few hours I'm guessing.

[steve f]

Sometimes a very good speaker just doesn't work in a room. Especially single driver types. When I moved cross country my Horn Shoppe Horns wouldn't work in my living room, no matter which tricks I tried. My wife claimed them for her office, and they work fine there.

This might be a good opportunity for someone who wants to move up the Omega line.

steve

[rebbi]

Maybe someone can help me out with an answer to this (and I am asking these questions in all sincerity):

1) What would RS 7 drivers that still needed break in time sound like? How would you know they needed more time?
2) The previous owner told me he'd put 200 hours on them. After boxing and shipping and unboxing, how much additional play time (if any) would you anticipate the driver to need to get back to pre-shipping, fully settled condition?

Thank you!

[Ultralight]

My thought is to give it a week. And play around w place ment. i heard dramatic differences with some effort on a pair similar to yours.   The difference was dramatic - almost sounded like 2 different speakers.

And what amp do you have?

[rebbi]

And what amp do you have?

Audio Note Kits "Kit 1" 300B SET.

[Canada Rob]

Hi Rebbi,

Sorry to hear this.

Can you describe what you are hearing that you don't like about your speakers?  With your ANK 300B, they should be a good match.

[rebbi]

Hi Rebbi,

Sorry to hear this.

Can you describe what you are hearing that you don't like about your speakers?  With your ANK 300B, they should be a good match.

Rob,
Sending you a PM about this.

[RDavidson]

My thought is to give it a week. And play around w place ment. i heard dramatic differences with some effort on soeajers. And what amp do you have?

+1 Especially in a case like this. I assume rebbi may have moved from more conventional speakers to the Omegas. Additionally, I think we have a tendency to get used to our systems over time, which become our reference. Nothing will change a system more than changing speakers. So any sudden dramatic change may be perceived as bad, particularly if the system was "tuned" for the previous speakers. There's a mix of things that could be going on, but one should certainly give new speakers at least a solid 1 week trial with plenty of listening and repositioning (as necessary), even if initial judgement was negative. If anything, one will gain real experience which makes the point of trying something different worthwhile.

[rebbi]

+1 Especially in a case like this. I assume rebbi may have moved from more conventional speakers to the Omegas. Additionally, I think we have a tendency to get used to our systems over time, which become our reference. Nothing will change a system more than changing speakers. So any sudden dramatic change may be perceived as bad, particularly if the system was "tuned" for the previous speakers. There's a mix of things that could be going on, but one should certainly give new speakers at least a solid 1 week trial with plenty of listening and repositioning (as necessary), even if initial judgement was negative. If anything, one will gain real experience which makes the point of trying something different worthwhile.

 I am open to keeping them if I can get the issues that I have been having resolved.  I have played around a lot with positioning and will continue to do so.  And right now I have them on the carpet, facing each other, with a bunch of heavy blankets thrown over them, playing music with a lot of low-end. I'm going to let them do this for the next 24 hours or so and then reassess.

[DaveC113]

Sometimes a very good speaker just doesn't work in a room. Especially single driver types. When I moved cross country my Horn Shoppe Horns wouldn't work in my living room, no matter which tricks I tried. My wife claimed them for her office, and they work fine there.

This might be a good opportunity for someone who wants to move up the Omega line.

steve

This is not the case at all. The Horn Shoppe Horns are corner horns are as such are very sensitive to positioning, the Omegas are bass reflex and do not suffer the same issues as the Horn Shoppe speakers. Further, Omegas have narrowing dispersion as the frequency increases, as do all single driver speakers, making 1st reflection issues less of a problem than with cone 'n' dome speakers. This makes bass reflex single driver speakers more forgiving on positing than your average speaker.

rebbi, yes they do need break in after shipping... Since you won't post your issues it's hard for anyone to give advice on how to resolve them or if that's just the character of the speakers and you'd be better off looking at a different type of speaker.

[Canada Rob]

I am open to keeping them if I can get the issues that I have been having resolved.  I have played around a lot with positioning and will continue to do so.  And right now I have them on the carpet, facing each other, with a bunch of heavy blankets thrown over them, playing music with a lot of low-end. I'm going to let them do this for the next 24 hours or so and then reassess.

Hi Rebbi,

You have always been polite and tactful on this forum and if len066 had not innocently mentioned it, I believe you would have kept it hush and gone away quietly.  We don't want you to go away, but rather help you sort it out if we can.  What you described to me in your PM is not at all how those speakers should sound.

As far as playing them I suggest you set them up conventionally on their stands without blankets and play music with a good amount of bass and percussion at medium volume.

[rebbi]

rebbi, yes they do need break in after shipping... Since you won't post your issues it's hard for anyone to give advice on how to resolve them or if that's just the character of the speakers and you'd be better off looking at a different type of speaker.

Hi, Dave,
I'm not trying to be coy or obtuse! My reason for not posting my specific concerns is that the posts in these forums have a long shelf life; people will refer to them for years, and I don't want to post anything that might dissuade someone down the road from trying Omega. Whether or not I end up keeping mine, Louis is a total gentleman and the speakers are gorgeous and superbly crafted.
He has offered to work with me to solve this, and I'll see how I feel about that after the weekend!

[DaveC113]

rebbi, I understand and it's best to err on the side of discretion    But I don't think there is any issues to hide or anything that could be really negative here. You could have drivers damaged in packing or shipping, this is pretty common. Or a bad matchup with other gear or maybe you just don't like them. In any case it's not a big deal. Good luck getting it all sorted out though, if you get those speakers working as-intended I seriously doubt you'll be disappointed.