[MONKEYWICKEDMONKEY]

All,

Possibly next year I will be looking to move on from my Focal 807V's. I do still like the sound although the tweeter can get trashy (noted in stereophile review and I agree with every word) but these aren't my endgame speakers.

Looking at specs and prices put the Omegas in a great spot but I'm curious about the overall sound.

I listen to classic punk, reggae, 80's and 90's alt, a little jazz, edm and metal/hard rock. with my system I'm looking to have a fast, punchy and dynamic sound with great bass.

The system is/will be: Odyssey Khartago stereo, Odyssey Candela tube preamp and Odyssey Suspiro Phono Preamp. All Morrow cabling.

Here's part of the rub, in the next 2 years I'll be an empty nester and then downsizing to studio apartments most likely. So I want to go with stand mounts and without a sub. My thinking is to keep the speakers small so that they can expand/contract with me. At current my listening area is 15ft x 30ft and the Focals do a decent job.

Anyway, looking forward to hearing what you have to say. 

[Canada Rob]

Hello MWM,

Your system looks to be currently well matched.  My guess though, is your amp wouldn't be the best match for Omegas.  Omegas generally like tubes , Class D, A/B gainclone, and Pure Class A.  I'm not saying all A/B is a bad match, but generally it's the case.  Also, you will probably find the Omega experience very different from your current system.  Personally, I've never heard such reality produced from speakers as I have from Omegas.  After decades in "conventional" audio, I heard my first Omegas about 10 years ago and have never looked back.

If you search around the Omega AC you will find Decware and Linear Tube Audio (LTA) match very well with Omegas.  There are lots of other suitable amps on there but these two rise to the top.  My personal favorite mates for Omegas are the Decware SE84 Zen in any iteration, Wolf Ear Kitoki (or Kitoki v2 which I haven't heard), and Ideal Innovations Elite 80.  I've not heard the LTA amps.  For solid state I like Temple Audio and Audio Sector.  If you are into building a kit, the Bottlehead kits have a great reputation.

If you're looking at Omega compact stand mounters; the CAM, Super 3HO Monitor, or Super 7 Monitor MK 2 would be my choice.  If you can go with a small tower, the Super 3XRS is legendary for it's sound.

[MONKEYWICKEDMONKEY]

Hello MWM,

Your system looks to be currently well matched.  My guess though, is your amp wouldn't be the best match for Omegas.  Omegas generally like tubes , Class D, A/B gainclone, and Pure Class A.  I'm not saying all A/B is a bad match, but generally it's the case.  Also, you will probably find the Omega experience very different from your current system.  Personally, I've never heard such reality produced from speakers I have from Omegas.  After decades in "conventional" audio, I heard my first Omegas about 10 years ago and have never looked back.

If you search around the Omega AC you will find Decware and Linear Tube Audio (LTA) match very well with Omegas.  There are lots of other suitable amps on there but these two rise to the top.  My personal favorite mates for Omegas are the Decware SE84 Zen in any iteration, Wolf Ear Kitoki (or Kitoki v2 which I haven't heard), and Ideal Innovations Elite 80.  I've not heard the LTA amps.  For solid state I like Temple Audio and Audio Sector.  If you are into building a kit, the Bottlehead kits have a great reputation.

If you're looking at Omega compact stand mounters; the CAM, Super 3HO Monitor, or Super 7 Monitor MK 2 would be my choice.  If you can go with a small tower, the Super 3XRS is legendary for it's sound.

Im not changing electronics so sounds like Omega is a no go.

Thanks

[Canada Rob]

I was posting when DaveC113 came on and will give the stage to him.

[DaveC113]

I have an Odyssey amp and Omega speakers, but I use the Odyssey with my Pioneer S-1EX speakers mostly.

The Odyssey isn't a bad match with Omegas, it's a warmer sounding amp and it is biased into class A for the first bit, not sure how many watss before it switches to A/B but it'll probably be in A for driving Omegas a great majority of the time.

The biggest issue with the system will be excessive gain and this will apply to any high efficiency speaker. The Odyssey amp is high gain to begin with, about 33 dB if I remember right, vs ~26 dB for the average amp. Then the preamp adds MORE gain. With a 2V source ~15-20 dB gain would be all you need for any Omega speaker to approach it's SPL limits so there will be a bit of a gain mismatch... but with the tube pre and excellent amp the sound will probably be quite good. The excess gain will cause a bit more noise and make the volume control touchy, with max volume around 10 o'clock probably.

One possibility would be to use the Odyssey pre with a lower gain tube SET amp, this would be closer to ideal.

[gregfisk]

I think the problem you are going to have with any small standmount speaker is filling your current room. You have a good size room now so unless you plan on waiting to get the speakers until after you move I don't think they will be a good match.

You also say you want great bass. Again, you are going to have a tough time getting good bass in your current room with small standmount speakers. You could buy a sub for this room and then sell it when you move to a smaller room, that would probably be a pretty good solution without changing too much from your goals.

[timind]

My suggestion would be to buy a used pair as an experiment. I've only owned/heard the Super 3i, and will tell you they won't work in your room; not enough bass output.

I say buy used for a couple reasons. First, my Super 3is came in very sturdy packaging so shipping isn't a problem. Second, and this is an assumption, people owning Omega speakers are probably serious audio folks and have taken care of the speakers.

As to which model, I let others recommend.

[dburna]

Given you already like Odyssey gear, why not consider Klaus's Kismet monitors? They come in both floorstanding and standmount monitor size and are a guaranteed sonic match for the Odyssey equipment. I have always enjoyed the combo when visiting the Odyssey room at AXPONA. Plus, these monitors have pretty serious bass for a small speaker. That's a combo I'm sure you would enjoy.

Regards, -dGB

P.S. I wasn't in any way trying to talk you out of Omega speakers, of which I think highly. Just noting that with your (high-gain) amplification, variability of room size over time, and desire for deep(er) bass without a sub, you might find other speakers a better match for you. Lower-efficiency speakers would probably give you more of what you desire, but of course if you really dig what the Omega speakers do best, there are few decent substitutes in a reasonable price range.

[JLM]

Most single driver speakers (especially small driver designs) are ideal for 'little girl with a guitar' type of music.  Note I own larger single driver speakers that do a good job all around.

Omega has very nice cabinets and Louis can do customization if that's your priority.

Very difficult to get a non-biased opinion of current Omega offerings as zero have been professionally reviewed or presented at audio shows.   You'd have to find someone nearby to offer an in-home audition and go from there.

Being a single driver fan it was a small leap to get into active speakers.  If you're after accurate sound suggest looking into quality mid-field active monitors for medium/large rooms ($2000-8000/pair) or near-field active monitors ($300-2000/pair) for smaller/desktop applications.  Sorry but then there'd no longer be a need for your Khartago amp.   

[Doody]

Interesting perspective, JLM.

I actually came from active speakers (Meridian) to single-driver.

I can't imagine going back, but one never says never.

Doody

[Canada Rob]

Going back about ten years I've had Super 3i (hemp), Super 5 Monitor (hemp), Super 5XRS (hemp), Hoyt-Bedford Type 1, Hoyt Bedford Type 2, Super 3T, Super 3i, Super 3U, Super 3XRS, Super 7 Monitor MK 2, SAM, and I currently have the CAM.  All were easily capable of more complex music than "little girl with guitar".  That said, as the driver size increases in the Omega line, the greater ability to play more complex music.  I've not heard the RS8 based speakers so I can't draw a comparison to the Alnico.  Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance suite is complex and dynamic and when I played it on my SAMs they had no problem.  Haven't tried it on my CAMs yet.