[el dub]

I was going to bring up the break in issue as well.

While the 6.5 alnicos didn't take long at all to break in, we did notice an unpleasant bump at a certain frequency for a spell. And that was about the only negative I can remember during break in.

As for the deep hemp cube, it still seems to be improving. At this point, its just plain supple and deep.

lw

[Alwayswantmore]

While the 6.5 alnicos didn't take long at all to break in, we did notice an unpleasant bump at a certain frequency for a spell. And that was about the only negative I can remember during break in.

Alnico surrounds are more compliant than traditional Hemps, so break-in comes more easily. But if you have traditional hemps, wire them out of phase, stick 'em in a closet (or basement) basically touching each other (face to face). Put on AC/DC 'Back in Black,' put your CDP on repeat, crank up the volume a bit. And give them a good run. You need at least 100 hours to begin to realize their potential.

Some believe 24 non-stop play is not the way to go. I used a Red Wine Audio Sig 30 for break-in, so the Hemps got a break when the batteries recharged.

Kent

[Louis O]

Hi All,

Great posts regarding the compact hemps. The Ferrite models take a huge amount of break in. The positioning is very critical too. The speakers don't have a big rise in the 1 to 5 k regions. The rise is way higher. The best is to experiment with placement. The one thing I do recommend especially if you're ready to buy expensive cables is to go with UN terminated DNM at a much lower price and invest in Room treatments. It doesn't have to be commercial. I have set up my room with all kinds of stuff. Mostly carpets and it makes a huge difference. I would take a picture, but the fire / water damage killed that idea.

Also a fantastic power cable on the cheap to talk about. It's the best out there and I hear it will be a while to get more in stock. For the record I don't sell them, but have to say it’s the best $12 you can spend on your system.

Thanks,
Louis

[santacore]

Also a fantastic power cable on the cheap to talk about. It's the best out there and I hear it will be a while to get more in stock. For the record I don't sell them, but have to say it’s the best $12 you can spend on your system.

I think I understand where you're going with that. I'll investigate further!

By the way I'm digging the DNM cables you recommended. They didn't totally remove the hump, but they definitely helped.

Thanks again for all the recommendations. On a whim, I picked up some new amps, it will be fun to see how that changes things.

[Louis O]

Hi Santacore,

Thanks and this is the real deal. Totally killer sound. Have to get some for the subs too.

Let me know about the amps and call me if you need some tech help. That's open for all. Sometimes I do much better over the phone.

Thanks,
Louis
203.847.2800

[el dub]

What power cables? 

lw

[Alwayswantmore]

What power cables? 

lw

Hi el dub. Ii talked to Louis about this power cable today. He's crazy about the sound, and the value at $12 makes it a no-brainer. He's even recommending it for his Deep Hemps, to replace the stock cord.

Unfortunately the supplier has them on backorder, and sounds like it will be a while before it's back in stock.

Louis said he'll provide more info or maybe a link on the Omega site so we can all learn more about his new find.

Kent

[Quiet Earth]

I love pretty much everything about them except what I feel is a slight bump in the 1K-5K range. I'm wouldn't call them bright speakers but I feel they get a little peaky in that range. On Louis' recommendation I have switched out my silver cables for copper and it helped a bit, but did not eliminate the problem.

My maxhemps have the exact same sound signature that you describe. I have a feeling that this sonic characteristic is inherent to the speaker, specifically to the "uncorrected" hemp driver. I also think that some guys can tolerate it, and others can't. Changing cables, room acoustics, speaker position, ancillary gear, etc. will not rid the speaker of this basic characteristic that you describe. Neither will a thousand hours of burn in. Yes these things matter, but they are not responsible for the sound that you are describing.

You should do some searching in the entire Audio Circle for "baffle step correction" and "zobel network". Google it. Read as much as you can. Check out some of the DIY single driver forums too, just to see what others are doing to tame their single driver speakers. Read, read, read, and then come back and ask some more questions. You might be surprised to see that some of the guys around here are using a small amount of baffle step correction and/or zobel network to mellow out their single driver speakers. At first I thought this was a bad thing because it invades the no-crossover principle and decreases efficiency. But now I am understanding it all a little better and I feel like it is just finishing the design of the speaker. (Man, I hope I'm not getting myself in trouble here. My apologies if I am out of line.)

I have finally settled on a set of values for a BSC filter + Zobel for my older Fostex drivers (Omega Super 3), but I haven't yet nailed it down for my max hemp. Some published driver parameters might help me with it, but I think I'm just down to doing it by ear anyway. I'm starting to lean toward just a zobel network for the maxhemp, but I have a little more experimenting to do. I'll try to post here if and when I nail it down.

Anyway, it's off to the search function for ya'
Happy reading and don't give up.

[Alwayswantmore]

I love pretty much everything about them except what I feel is a slight bump in the 1K-5K range. I'm wouldn't call them bright speakers but I feel they get a little peaky in that range. On Louis' recommendation I have switched out my silver cables for copper and it helped a bit, but did not eliminate the problem.

My maxhemps have the exact same sound signature that you describe. I have a feeling that this sonic characteristic is inherent to the speaker, specifically to the "uncorrected" hemp driver. I also think that some guys can tolerate it, and others can't. Changing cables, room acoustics, speaker position, ancillary gear, etc. will not rid the speaker of this basic characteristic that you describe. Neither will a thousand hours of burn in. Yes these things matter, but they are not responsible for the sound that you are describing.

You should do some searching in the entire Audio Circle for "baffle step correction" and "zobel network". Google it. Read as much as you can. Check out some of the DIY single driver forums too, just to see what others are doing to tame their single driver speakers. Read, read, read, and then come back and ask some more questions. You might be surprised to see that some of the guys around here are using a small amount of baffle step correction and/or zobel network to mellow out their single driver speakers. At first I thought this was a bad thing because it invades the no-crossover principle and decreases efficiency. But now I am understanding it all a little better and I feel like it is just finishing the design of the speaker. (Man, I hope I'm not getting myself in trouble here. My apologies if I am out of line.)

I have finally settled on a set of values for a BSC filter + Zobel for my older Fostex drivers (Omega Super 3), but I haven't yet nailed it down for my max hemp. Some published driver parameters might help me with it, but I think I'm just down to doing it by ear anyway. I'm starting to lean toward just a zobel network for the maxhemp, but I have a little more experimenting to do. I'll try to post here if and when I nail it down.

Anyway, it's off to the search function for ya'
Happy reading and don't give up.

QE, which Hemp driver are you using? Including the Alnico, I know of three different 8" Omega Hemp drivers since I discovered Omega. Each new driver has improved sound, and MaxHemps can be upgraded to either of the two newer drivers. Call Louis if you want to know more about the drivers or pricing.

Kent

[Quiet Earth]

QE, which Hemp driver are you using? Including the Alnico, I know of three different 8" Omega Hemp drivers since I discovered Omega.

I don't know which version I have. I know they are not the new Alnico drivers. I purchased my max hemps brand new in March of 2007. They look just like the ones on the website today.

There is a lot of info on the web about taming the rising response of single driver speakers. Here are a few threads to get you started :
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=31582.0
http://diyaudioprojects.com/Technical/Baffle-Step-Correction-Circuit-Calculator/
http://diyaudioprojects.com/Technical/Speaker-Zobel/
http://www.quarter-wave.com/Project05/BSC_Circuit.pdf

You might also try inserting a two or three ohm wire wound resister in series with the positive lead of your speaker. Don't open the speaker up please. Hook one end of the resister to the +binding post, and hook the positive lead of your speaker wire to the other end of the resister. Use another binding post to connect the two if you have to. If you have a solid state amp, you might like this trick. Don't spend a lot of money experimenting. Buy the cheap wire wound resister from radio shack. It does not need to be a fancy non-inductive resister for this experiment.

By the way, should you come across some threads that suggest removing the whizzer, installing a phase plug, or putting some sort of pattern on the cone, please don't. I can not advocate or endorse that because I don't have any experience with that. I'm not saying that it is wrong either, I just don't have a clue about it.

I am not suggesting that anyone make a permanent change to their Omega speakers. Just some fun tweaking outside of the box.

[Alwayswantmore]

If your wizzer cone looks like the current Omega web site, then you have the latest Hemp Driver. Your upgrade path -- if you wished to go to the next level -- would be Alnico's.

[Quiet Earth]

Thanks for the information Alwayswantmore.  That's good to know. I'm not really looking for an upgrade path though. I'm kind of obsessed with the original topic right now. I find it very interesting!

After messing around with BSC and zoblels a little bit, I have a lot more respect for speaker designers. It really is quite an art to get it all just right.

[rajacat]

The Omega Bipoles use opposing drivers running in phase for baffle step correction.

-Roy

[Quiet Earth]

The Omega Bipoles use opposing drivers running in phase for baffle step correction.

-Roy

That's a great point Roy! Thanks for the reminder.

Also FWIW, I'm not suggesting that the max hemps (or the compact hemps) need baffle step correction. I just found it very interesting that a moderate amount of BSC and/or zobel network is effective in taming that rising response described in the original post. As usual, there is a price to pay when you start incorporating a filter. I think a reasonable balance can be achieved with a little experimentation.

It's worth a try anyway.

[Alwayswantmore]

The Omega Bipoles use opposing drivers running in phase for baffle step correction.

-Roy

That's a great point Roy! Thanks for the reminder.

Also FWIW, I'm not suggesting that the max hemps (or the compact hemps) need baffle step correction. I just found it very interesting that a moderate amount of BSC and/or zobel network is effective in taming that rising response described in the original post. As usual, there is a price to pay when you start incorporating a filter. I think a reasonable balance can be achieved with a little experimentation.

It's worth a try anyway.

QE, thanks for bringing BSC and/or zobel network to our attention.

The beauty of AudioCircle is it's a great learning environment. Since discovering AC a couple years ago, I have turned over my entire system, replaced almost exclusively with AC vendors (RWA, Omega, GIK, ACI). The overall retail value of my new system is less that the old gear, but the SQ is better than anything I've ever owned.

Regarding Alnico's, don't discount this potential upgrade (available for Max and SuperHemp owners). I know Louis is extremely high on Alnico drivers. Based on what I've read here on AC and heard from Louis, he's building a set of 6.5" Alnico monitors for me. Likely my Compact Hemps will be on the market in the near future.

Kent

[DaveC113]

I know Louis is extremely high on Alnico drivers. Based on what I've read hear at AC and heard from Louis, he's building a set of 6.5" Alnico monitors for me. Likely my Compact Hemps will be on the market in the near future.

Kent

Let us know how you like them, I'm thinking of doing the same in a few months. I don't know if I can part with my 4.5" XRS though, I might save them for a 2nd system. 6.5" bipoles would be sweet if I had enough space and $$$.

Dave

[rajacat]

The Omega Bipoles use opposing drivers running in phase for baffle step correction.

-Roy

That's a great point Roy! Thanks for the reminder.

Also FWIW, I'm not suggesting that the max hemps (or the compact hemps) need baffle step correction. I just found it very interesting that a moderate amount of BSC and/or zobel network is effective in taming that rising response described in the original post. As usual, there is a price to pay when you start incorporating a filter. I think a reasonable balance can be achieved with a little experimentation.

It's worth a try anyway.

QE, thanks for bringing BSC and/or zobel network to our attention.

The beauty of AudioCircle is it's a great learning environment. Since discovering AC a couple years ago, I have turned over my entire system, replaced almost exclusively with AC vendors (RWA, Omega, GIK, ACI). The overall retail value of my new system is less that the old gear, but the SQ is better than anything I've ever owned.

Regarding Alnico's, don't discount this potential upgrade (available for Max and SuperHemp owners). I know Louis is extremely high on Alnico drivers. Based on what I've read here on AC and heard from Louis, he's building a set of 6.5" Alnico monitors for me. Likely my Compact Hemps will be on the market in the near future.

Kent

Kent,

Are your 6.5" monitors going to be vented or sealed?

-Roy

[Alwayswantmore]

Omega provides users the option to select sealed or vented for the 6.5" Alnico XRS and both 8" Alnicos. 6.5" Alnico monitor speakers (stand mount) only support vented. Mine will be monitors, so vented. Kent