I purchased my Omega Super Alnico High Output XRS speakers and the DeepHemp 8 Sub in Karelian Birch burl; purchased without hearing them first on September 5, 2024. It took a while to arrive, but the wait was so worth it!
Currently using the speakers ported with the sub disconnected due to the small room size and the bass from the speakers already sounds naturally good to my ears; will eventually add a second matching sub to fine-tune the overall sound.
I paired the speakers with my Linear Tube Audio Aero DAC, PS Audio Trio P-200 preamp, and the Alan Eaton 2A3 SET tube monoblocks, and they make the Omegas sing beautifully with great synergy. The amps' volume is set to 100% and overall controlled by my preamp. When playing music with HQPlayer, I tend to use PCM dithering and the bit settings at 18-bit for the AD1865 multi-bit R2R chip, no-oversampling with no digital filtering, and gain settings to either at -3dB or 0dB.
These Omegas are phenomenal speakers! Especially the way they project and image sound. They are the most musically engaging and one of the most transparent speakers I have ever owned. The sound tends to have an emotional factor. Every audio gear change, including preamp and speaker wire, is audible. Pair them with great audio gear and software and it will reward you with a massive soundstage with a surreal mid-range and depth. The thing about these Omegas is that it really brings you INTO the music, like if you are at front or in the stage with the musicians. The music sounds beautifully natural and coherent, and the sound can be felt as well. With the right configuration, they can sound lifelike.
Now, the best sound I have ever heard from the Omegas was when I implemented GentooPlayer and especially the Diretta streaming protocol on a regular Raspberry Pi 5 streamer and a Toshiba laptop as a server without changing the audio system's cabling, and stock tubes of my amps and DAC.
Using HQPlayer with Diretta alone may improve or change the sound profile by lowering noise levels vs HQPlayer's NAA protocol. Your mileage may vary.
When using Diretta MemoryPlay instead of HQPlayer, the Omegas started to sound so lifelike, it was like getting a DAC and amp upgrade along with removing a veil from the music. I will eventually compare its sound quality vs a high quality CD transport.
When using Roon, pairing it with HQPlayer along with the Diretta protocol will further improve Roon's sound quality vs NAA alone.
The purpose of the Diretta protocol software is to send a cleaner digital audio signal to the DAC. It is like getting a high quality linear power supply upgrade for your audio system. It is not a joke; it is a game-changer within my system.
My audio system looks like this:
Power: Panamax M5400-PM Voltage Regulator/Conditioner (Bought new)
DAC: Linear Tube Audio Aero w/stock tubes (AD1865 Multibit R2R chip/ZOTL/Class A) (Bought new)
Preamp: PS Audio Trio P-200 unbalanced (Obtained used)
Amplification: Alan Eaton 2A3 Pure Class A SET tube monoblocks (Bought direct)
Speakers: Omega Super Alnico High Output XRS (Bought new)
The streamer, server, and software:
Streamer: CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Starter MAX Kit
Server: Toshiba laptop
Server OS: GentooPlayer w/kernel extensions and Diretta Host
Streamer OS: GentooPlayer w/kernel extensions and Diretta Target
Server Music Player: HQPlayer w/Qobuz or Diretta MemoryPlay Controller
Digital audio chain:
HQPlayer w/Qobuz or USB flash drive → Toshiba laptop w/Diretta Host → Blue Jeans Cable Cat6A cable → Panamax Power Regulator/Conditioner → Blue Jeans Cable Cat6A cable → D-Link DGS-108 switch → Blue Jeans Cable Cat6A cable → Raspberry Pi 5 Diretta Target → affordable Phillips USB 2.0 spec USB cable → LTA Aero DAC
The speaker cables and interconnects:
LTA Aero DAC → SKW Audiophile RCA → PS Audio Trio P-200 preamp → Mogami 2549 w/Amphenol RCA → Alan Eaton 2A3 tube monoblocks → cheap Mygatti 16 AWG Tinned OFC copper cables w/banana plugs at amps → Omega speakers
After hearing different hifi rooms at audio shows, including AXPONA, I am currently having a hard time going back to a conventional multi-driver speaker with a passive crossover. My previous major speakers were the PSB Synchrony One towers. The speakers I would still consider are from PureAudioProject, Magnepan, Qualio Audio IQ Ultra, Cube Audio, Philharmonic Audio, Ø Audio, and Totem, but the Omegas have such a musical and coherent sound that it makes a lot of multi-way conventional speakers sound a bit artificial with its sound presentation. I no longer crave getting new speakers and will eventually upgrade my preamp, streamer, and all my cables.
The room does lack acoustic treatment, although the floor is all carpet.
All equipment, including the speakers are on its respective stock feet. I will upgrade the feet of both speakers in the future.
All power cables being currently used in my system are either stock and cheap aftermarket, and the RCA interconnects and the tinned speaker wire are all OFC copper that costed me a total of less than $130.
The lamp, D-Link switch, and all audio equipment are connected to the power conditioner except the Toshiba laptop.
Thank you Louis for creating an end game set of speakers. It may not be end game to others, but after checking out lots of high-end systems, the Omegas tend to have a wonderful balance of high fidelity, transparency, timbre, and musicality. I look forward to enjoying all my music through my Omega speakers for many years to come.
Opinion: If you have the Holo Audio Red streamer, I'd recommend that one day you try GentooPlayer OS or any OS with Diretta. With just a regular Raspberry Pi 5 running Diretta Target within my system, it improved instrument separation, clarity, 3-dimensionality, potentially lifelike treble with some of that sparkle and a more lively sound. My mom got to hear one of her favorite songs with my Omegas, and said that it sounded like if it was live.
Disclaimer: I do not work for Diretta. Diretta is audio streaming protocol technology from Japan.
Optional:
8K/4K video sample recorded with my phone. Please use headphones or good speakers to hear the music and the room:
https://youtu.be/B7UKsRIK9Tc?si=cGQSlY3DlOZjt220
