[abomwell]

The X5's are up and running. I received them yesterday. So far so good. I've read they are not supposed to sound very good yet with zero hours of break-in, so my expectations are low but I hear very good potential. The first 10 minutes was troublesome to say the least. There was absolutely no focus, no bass, and the imaging was non-existent. Then I put on a test CD and discovered, in my haste to set them up, I had them out of phase. Whew, what a relief!

The bass is shy but that should come around with more break-in time I expect. My immediate impression is that the treble is very smooth and the depth is better than with the  Dutch and Dutch 8C's. The slight edge I was hearing with my 8C's on Wynton Marsalis' trumpet tone on his Baroque Duets CD is gone. I'm using a cheap Crown XLS-1502 class D amp for the purposes of break-in. No need to waste tube time on that. So the treble should get even smoother with my tube amps, a Carver Crimson 275 and Linear Tube Audio ZOTL10.

They are 4' out from the front wall and 8' apart on center. I'm sitting 8' from each speaker and 4' from the rear wall. I have floor-to- ceiling bass traps in three room corners and PI Audio diffusers behind the speakers sitting on top of 2' x 2' x 6" bass traps. There is a heavy rug on the rear wall over 2" of rigid fiberglass behind it. The floor is carpeted. I'm quite encouraged with what I hear so far. I'll update in a week or so.

[musicdre]

congrats!  the break in period is real.  not worth judging them yet - they WILL get better.

[Desertpilot]

Congratulations Al!

Now, of course, you'll go crazy with positioning.  But, take time to enjoy the music.  By the way, you have taken acoustic treatment to the next level.

Marcus

[aniwolfe]

Show us some pictures if your comfortable. 

[abomwell]

I'd love to post photos but I haven't had any luck trying to do that from my Android..

[abomwell]

[Desertpilot]

Impressive.  Thanks for getting a photo posted.

[abomwell]

Impressive.  Thanks for getting a photo posted.

I finally learned how to it.  It's been 24 hours if break-in and the bass has improved dramatically!

[abomwell]

Oh, the magic of just 5"!  I just  moved the speakers/chair triangle out from the front wall 5 more inches. The highs definitely sound cleaner and the bass sounds tighter.  That change now positions the speakers 29% of the room's depth, the suggested location to place subs based on Art Nixon's (President of Acoustic Science Corporation), suggestion. The speakers are now 53 inches from the front wall. He suggests that subs be placed 29% of a room's length, width and height for smoothest bass. Since dipoles don't produce much lateral sound, the room's width doesn't seem critical.

[Tyson]

Since dipoles don't produce much lateral sound, the room's width doesn't seem critical.

This is one of the secret weapons of OB speakers - the ability to just 'shrug off' some of the thorniest problems in hifi - the room.  Not 'all' of the room problems, but a good chunk of them.  And that makes setup and ultimate results sooooo much better than what boxes can deliver, IME.

[StefanS]

Hi there, my pair of X3 arrive next week, will keep you posted after a week of 24/24 break in.
For a few months they will be driven by a Lyngdorf 3400, a danish amp-source that offers also "roomperfect" that measures the room characteristics and corrects the signal accordingly.
McIntosh bought it and sells in as a stand alone product. Listening to it is really interesting, to say the least.
Curious to see what the result will be with the X3.
Cheers.

[abomwell]

It's been about 80 hours of break-in for my X5's so far and the change since day one has been huge. Everything you read here about break in is true. Enjoy,!

[abomwell]

At about 100 hours of break-in time, here are my impressions of the X5's:

I've been around live music almost daily for most of my life as a musician, instrumental music teacher and with America's largest manufacturer of band and orchestral instruments. To my ears well recorded acoustic instruments through the X5's sound accurate and have a characteristic tone. I hate coloration and there is none of that with these.

All other speakers I have had in my current listening room have produced a deep null at 50Hz except for the X5's. The lateral cancellation produced by the dipoles is likely the reason. As a result I hear bass in a new a better way. The bass is not chest pounding but very real sounding.

The highs are smooth and silky. Cymbals sound correct, not like aerosol cans.

There is a wonderful aliveness to the music that I've not heard on other speakers other than omnis. I don't know if that is due to the X5's high sensitivity or box-less design.

I listen quite a bit at late night. I especially appreciate that I can play the X5's much louder than other speakers I've had without disturbing my wife.

I sit slightly within an 8 foot equilateral triangle, about 7-½ feet from the speakers, immersed in the sound field, with no integration problems of the speakers' drivers. The speakers totally disappear. On good recordings the music is just "there" and sounds convincing.

Like many here, I've owned many (over 25) fine speakers over the years including monopoles, dipoles and omnis. The X5's top the list for me.

[Desertpilot]

I sit slightly within an 8 foot equilateral triangle, about 7-½ feet from the speakers, ...

Great review and I agree with everything you said.  I sit about 11 feet from my X3s and they are 5 feet from my front wall.  I keep thinking I should try reducing the distance between me and the speakers just to check it out.  I appreciate your letting us know how you are set up.

Marcus

[abomwell]

Try sitting inside the triangle and let us know what you think.

[Tangram]

At about 100 hours of break-in time, here are my impressions of the X5's:

I've been around live music almost daily for most of my life as a musician, instrumental music teacher and with America's largest manufacturer of band and orchestral instruments. To my ears well recorded acoustic instruments through the X5's sound accurate and have a characteristic tone. I hate coloration and there is none of that with these.

All other speakers I have had in my current listening room have produced a deep null at 50Hz except for the X5's. The lateral cancellation produced by the dipoles is likely the reason. As a result I hear bass in a new a better way. The bass is not chest pounding but very real sounding.

The highs are smooth and silky. Cymbals sound correct, not like aerosol cans.

There is a wonderful aliveness to the music that I've not heard on other speakers other than omnis. I don't know if that is due to the X5's high sensitivity or box-less design.

I listen quite a bit at late night. I especially appreciate that I can play the X5's much louder than other speakers I've had without disturbing my wife.

I sit slightly within an 8 foot equilateral triangle, about 7-½ feet from the speakers, immersed in the sound field, with no integration problems of the speakers' drivers. The speakers totally disappear. On good recordings the music is just "there" and sounds convincing.

Like many here, I've owned many (over 25) fine speakers over the years including monopoles, dipoles and omnis. The X5's top the list for me.

Thanks for your impressions. Your room looks like it should be able to let your speakers really shine. Of note is that I just happen to have my M3s set up with the exact same dimensions. I had an 8' equilateral triangle but nudged my listening position forward by 6 inches which took away a tiny bit of bass mud from the presentation. I am glad the highs are already to your liking. Promising to say the least.

Enjoy!