All,
I have received numerous emails and/or PM's aout the new prototype Omega speakers that I now own, which use the Visaton B200 full-range driver.
I posted some pics here, and will be posting more info about them as soon as Louis sends it to me:
http://www.redwineaudio.com/Omega_B200_Aperiodic.htmlI have been doing some serious late-night listening and would like to share my initial impressions of these new speakers using a modded Clari-T and custom battery-modded Squeezebox 2's analog outputs (will be posting mods for it soon):
Let me begin by stating that
these are the tightest, fastest sounding speaker that I've had the pleasure to listen to! I thought my Super 3's were lightning fast, but these take the cake.
How can that be??? I would have never guessed that this 8" driver would have better transient attack and speed than the F127E, but in this aperiodic enclosure, it clearly does! The bass control is AMAZINGLY good, and there is NO boominess to speak of, and I have these placed only about 1-foot from the rear wall....no problems at all! Take Patricia Barber's "You and the Night and the Music" (track 3) from Modern Cool. There is a bass solo in the middle of that song that is very demanding on speaker and amplifier control. This speaker has this bass solo licked down perfectly! BTW, I'm using a test CD and am getting a solid in-room bass response down to 50-55Hz, and it rolls off slowly after that. I don't have measuring equipment on hand to give the details...
Next,
dymanics are startling and stunning! These speakers seem to be meant for percussion instruments, which I quickly found out by playing the Bozzio, Levin, and Steven's "Black Light Syndrome" CD (Track # 3) that
Lonewolf_NY was so kind to give to me at the NY Audiorave (thanks, Chris!). Wow! You need to hear it to believe it! Very, very nice!
The top-end is actually more extended and open sounding than the Super 3's as well, which again, is a big surprise with this 8" driver (well, I knew it was better because I tried these in an open baffle before I gave them to Louis). There is plenty of detail and sparkle up top, and it just makes me ponder how Visaton pulled it off in their design...
The one area where I believe the Super 3s have an advantage over these speakers is with female vocals. They sound a little more natural to me on the Super 3's, but I really need to listen more and allow for proper break-in (I only have around 60 hours on these drivers, and I remember my F127Es sounded substantially better after 200 hours of use), and I need to play around with postioning as well. These are just my initial impressions...
These speakers play a lot louder than the Super 3's, and the 6-watts from the Clari-T is more than enough here! All of the key strenghts of the Clari-T (and Lotus) come shining through with these speakers! I believe Louis said these speakers are around 95 or 96dB..
I've been asked how these new speakers compare to the open-baffle configuration. Well, there is certainly improved bass response (stronger, deeper, more punch). The OB config gave me a more diffuse sound that was very 3-D. These aperiodic enclosures create a more focused sound with better imaging, but doesn't have that spooky 3-D "magic-thang" going on that the open-baffles delivered. Keep in mind that no other box or horn speakers I've heard were able to do it like that either.
Build quality first-rate, as you would expect from Louis. He told me that he's using the R-compound and other special goodies in that enclosure, and as you can see from the photos, there are two aperiodic vents on the back instead of tuned ports. A pair of Lotus-style Cardas binding posts are also installed. I forgot to take pics with the grills on, which are the magnet grills (black) and look great. Between having the ability to place these close to the rear wall, and the stout but elegant looks, these speakers seem to have the WAF (I tested this out on my wife, and she liked their appearance *MUCH* better than the clear acrylic open baffles, which I caught hell for btw..
)
Let me close this initial post by thanking BOTH
Dmason (for finding these beautifully engineered B200 drivers and turning me onto purchasing them), and
Louis for doing all the aperiodic enclosure simulations, experimenting, and finishing the job so damn well!
You guys both make this a ton of fun!
Again, more detailed info will be posted (See the link above) soon...
Thanks,