[proftournesol]

Hi there
I'm thinking about mission impossible - a limited DIY input on some Orion speakers. First though before I make the commitment, I'd like to listen to some! Is there anyone in Melbourne, Australia that is prepared to give me an audition?

[AKSA]

Hi Prof,

Welcome to the Aspen forum!

Yes, there is an Orion in Geelong, owned by Mark Chapman, who works in Melbourne city.  He posts here as Aurelius.

There is also a Phoenix, owned by Dr Ben Williams, a close friend living in Box Hill and working in Hawthorn.  This is the predecessor to the Orion, and there are strong sonic similarities. 

Both speakers are powered by Aspen amplifiers, with the ASP of the Mark's powered by a specialty power supply I designed.

Hopefully both will respond here, otherwise, I will contact them and ask if they would be prepared to demo their wonderful speakers!

Cheers,

Hugh

[proftournesol]

thanks Hugh. I gather your amps are kits. My DIY skills stop at wiping my bum! I'd be keen to buy local though, the other alternative is apparently a Rotel AV amp. I'd plan to by the wood kit, pre-assembled crossovers and wiring loom and source the speakers seperately then (in my ignorance) put it together like a grown-ups Lego kit:)

[aurelius]

If you're up for a drive 75km down the road and 15 years back in time, you're welcome to have an audition of my pair in Geelong.  Hugh's lifeforce modules are fully assembled and just need wiring in... I'll conceed, slightly more difficult than wiping ones anus, but not substantially so.  Won't having wood shipped from the US be expensive?

[AKSA]

Prof,

Thanks for your reply, i believe we have ignition, just a matter of organising the times.

Mark,

Many thanks, I would be interested to come along for the ride too, if that suits, I really appreciate your response.

Cheers,

Hugh

[Tinker]

Hi Prof,
   I'm the Phoenix owner-constructor.  I'm glad that Aurelius has offered an audition. I can vouch for the design concept and the sound of the Phoenix, and wouldn't hesitate to build the Orion, but if this were my first project I would definitely want to see the Orion rather than the Phoenix before embarking on an major build. There are a number of subtle and not-so-subtle differences.

Phoenix - larger, louder (uses two mid drivers in an MTM configuration), lower (quite low) SAF, drivers hard to get now (both recommended woofers are out of production).

Orion - more eveolved design, smaller size, higher SAF, pre-cut kit, drivers can be bought as a package thorugh Madisound at a discount that pretty much offsets the shipping cost.

Let me know how this goes.

Cheers,
    Ben.