[donreitz]

I bit the bullet a little while back and purchased a pair of WLM La Scala floorstanders from Red Wine Audio. The reviews are correct in that the La Scalas put out an impressive amount of base for their size (among numerous other virtues). The bass is tight, dry, and tuneful. However, being a fan of Latin and other forms of percussion-heavy music, I'm hoping to dig just a little deeper in the bass region and get a slightly wetter, more supple sound. Not pipe organ deep; just enough to add some meat to the bottom end. At the same time, I don't want to muffle the La Scalas' extraordinary mid frequency presence with a heavy-handed low frequency driver. It looks like I can use a reasonably priced subwoofer, but which one? Not knowing anything about them--other than having heard some very crappy ones on computers and in home theater systems--I asked for advice from folks who know over at the RWA circle. The consensus is that a sealed subwoofer is advisable given the speed and articulation of the La Scalas, and that perhaps a smaller sized woofer is appropriate for the same reason. ACI, Omega, and Zu Audio were recommended as having units that might be what I need.

Since dealing with Vinnie at Red Wine Audio on the La Scalas, I've noticed a pretty strong connection between Omega and RWA with Omega having an enthusiastic and loyal following. Based on what I've heard, Omega speakers give outstanding performance for the money. My concern is that the Omega subwoofers have 8 inch drivers. As the La Scalas have 8 inch mid/woofers, I'm not sure that adding just another 8 incher would move enough additional air to be worthwhile given my listening room size (see below).

My listening room is 14w x 16l. x 10h. My system is simple: AES preamp (tubes), Crown D150 amp (transistors), and a Rega Apollo CD player.

I'm hoping someone will offer advice on which Omega subwoofer, if any, makes sense in this case. Any help is appreciated.
Don

[ZLS]

     Ideally, a pair of the Omega Deep Hemps.  I would otherwise suggest a single Deep Hemp.  It is not simply the ability to obtain low frequencies, but the articulation of the musical information. 

    I too listen to latin music, in fact I listen to deep latin funk music, and the Deep Hemps (I have a pair) are just wonderful in allowing you to feel the beat in a visceral sense. 

    The old joke is that a fast woofer is a tweeter, but in conversations with Louis Chochos his specific goal was to design a fast subwoofer. 

    Remember also it is not just adding another 8" driver; it is freeing up the 8" midrange driver of the La Scala to do what it does best. 

    I hope this has been helpful. 

[Alwayswantmore]

Since dealing with Vinnie at Red Wine Audio on the La Scalas, I've noticed a pretty strong connection between Omega and RWA with Omega having an enthusiastic and loyal following. Based on what I've heard, Omega speakers give outstanding performance for the money. My concern is that the Omega subwoofers have 8 inch drivers. As the La Scalas have 8 inch mid/woofers, I'm not sure that adding just another 8 incher would move enough additional air to be worthwhile given my listening room size (see below).

Hopefully more will weigh in on this. But to your point on drive size, in a conversation with Louis, he mentioned that WITHOUT a crossover the 8" driver he designed for the DeepHemp naturally rolls off to nearly nothing starting at about 160Hz. So the driver is definitely not the same as a standard 8".

Omega also has two versions of the DeepHemp, a call to Louis would help you understand which might be better for your tastes in music. Both are rated the same for frequency response, but the smaller unit has a punchier sound.

Here's an updated intro for the DeepHemps that will posted on Omega's site in the near future...

DeepHemp Series

Call me a purist!

If forced to choose, I’d opt for errors of omission over adding unwanted resonances or ‘clutter’ to the music my speakers produce. So no surprise here: I find many subs too slow and boomy to seamlessly mate with my single-driver designs.

If you own Omega single-drivers, or maybe a set of high-quality planer or electrostatic speakers, likely you’ve come to the same conclusion: Getting bass right requires a fast and musical sub. Not something easily done in the $1,000 to $1,500 price range.


You’ll Never Know the DeepHemp is in Your Listening Room

It has taken me several years to design a driver and cabinet alignments worthy of the Omega Logo. But they’re here now, and when properly positioned, your listening room will actually ‘breathe with the music.’

Both DeepHemps feature an extremely heavy-duty, proprietary Omega HempCone driver, housed in meticulously designed hand-crafted cabinets.
Hemp by its nature is lightweight and a very ridged material. These traits contribute to the speed and layered-tones produced by both Omega DeepHemp subwoofers. Speed and tone are further enhanced by:

   Use of treated surrounds for the speaker cones, which are much quicker than standard rubber surrounds found on many subwoofers
   Use of a ridged, oversized dustcover, formed in a concave shape, adding structural integrity to the HempCone

DeepHemps seamlessly integrate with all Omega single-driver speakers. And can be successfully paired with any speaker system that benefits from deep, well-articulated, musical bass.

DeepHemps are available in all Omega finishes, so not only does the sound blend seamlessly with your speakers, the appearance does too!
Like all Omega drivers and cabinet designs, DeepHemps are proprietary and only available from Omega Speaker Systems.


Omega Subs are Powerful!

Both subs are powered by internal 220 watt amplifiers. Amps are housed in their own chamber, so there’s no mechanical interaction between the amp and internal sound waves. This design improves sonic performance for number of reasons.

The DeepHemp amp features:

   A steep fourth-order slope (24dB / octave), minimizing interaction with your main speakers
   Toggle phase control, helping DeepHemps better integrate with a variety of speaker designs
   Linear transformer, with plenty of power to drive loud passages
   Inputs for both high-level (speaker terminals on your amp) and low-level (RCA interconnects from your preamp or line-stage)
   High-quality gold-plated connectors


Don’t Forget the Spikes

DeepHemps come standard with four 2.5” gold-plated brass spikes, helping you optimize room coupling. Gold-plated discs also come standard to protect spikes from damaging your hardwood floors.

[rodge827]

Don,
I own a pair of Deep Hemps. I've had many other subs ( none that you mention though) and have found the Omega to be the best for music. The DH is not really a "sub", more like a serious bass augmenter. Many subs are designed with too much of a lift in the upper and mid bass frequencies, hence the over abundance of boom, and the screwing up of the midrange. This makes them very difficult to integrate well with any speaker.
The Deep Hemps intergrate seamlessly with many speakers that I've tried them with, Lowther, Fostex and JBL to name a few. Once tuned in, the DH's pick up where the main driver lets off and produces a very clear and natural sound.
Do yourself a favor and contact Louis, he is a great guy and will set you up with what is best for your needs.

Chris

[Louis O]

Hi Don,

Many thanks for your post and the responses are excellent. Thanks ZLS,rodge827, and alwayswantmore.

The subs are designed for music and not made to rumble or boom. The drivers also play extremely clean. The alignments are made to be transient perfect and fast. This is the key. It wont go down to 20Hz, but will give you an amazing foundation that won't get in the way of you main speakers.

I have 8" drivers in my full range speakers and the 8" DH driver mates extremely well.
The main difference of both the cube and the DH is the cube is bit more punchy. The DH is faster and would suit you better with Latin and percussion. I also agree with ZLS about a pair of them.

You can start with one and add another later as well.

Thanks,
Louis

[zybar]

Everything people said above is spot on when describing the Deep Hemp subs.   

According to my measurements, they play flat to almost 25Hz and create a really musical and solid foundation for the rest of the music.   

When I recently had an AC member over, he thought the Omega Revolutions were OK on their own, but was really impressed once the subs were added into the equation.  That's the same exact reaction I had when I first bought my pair from Louis.

If you can swing it, I really suggest getting a pair of subs.  Dual subs will provide better flexibility when it comes to placement and will also provide improved performance.

George

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Don,

Sorry for the late response - I just noticed your post on the RWA forum and responded here regarding the DeepHemp:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=63457.msg577666#msg577666

Best regards,

Vinnie