[DaveC113]

I ll' try not to contact Louis, unless I get a little more info.

Why not? I'm sure he'd be happy to advise you. If the alnico drivers are available I think it would be a good upgrade and both amps should do really well with them. Replacing the drivers is very easy, no need to worry about that.

[therookie]

What is the easiest way to contact Louis? I think he is very busy. Should I mail him or call him?

Thanks,
Kostas

[DaveC113]

What is the easiest way to contact Louis? I think he is very busy. Should I mail him or call him?

Thanks,
Kostas

http://www.omegaloudspeakers.com/contact.html

[Canada Rob]

That' s juicy information, thank you! I like both my amps for different reasons. The 300B monos have attributes I can't live without and I don't think I will ever give them up. However, the RWA gives me that extra grip I sometimes need and it has an overall good performance. Besides, I am a little eco friendly (- naive!) and I appreciate the battery powered amp's low power consumption. My audio system is active many hours a day (and night) in different volume levels.

Thanks again,

Kostas

Kostas,
Forgive me if I sound a bit critical, but if a chip amp like the RWA sounds anywhere near as good as a well designed 300B amp then I would suspect
the 300B.  Maybe some tube rolling is in order.  An impedence mismatch with a piece of source equipment, speaker wire, or interconnect maybe putting your 300B at a disadvantage.  The "extra grip" you mention should be easily attainable with a well designed 8 watt tube amp, especially with 96db speakers (sorry for getting the db rating wrong on an earlier post - I assumed you had the alnico version which was lower.

Currently, I am running the new Omega Super 3XRS with the EL84/SV83 2 w/ch Decware Super Zen Select SET, and the Super 3T on the desktop with the 2w/ch Decware Zen Select SET (previous model) with no issues of "grip".  In both cases the sound is sublime with any music I play.  Over all I feel the Omega and Hoyt single driver speakers are the best design I have ever heard and they do well with all kinds of music, but their real forte is acoustic, jazz, renaissonce, baroque, and chamber - also many soundtracks.  If extra bass is still craved for, a good sealed music sub works wonders.

As DaveC113 said, 93db would still work well with either of your amps but I think 97db would be better.  To a flea powered amp, the difference between 93db and 97db is huge.  Louis is working on quite a few DIY speakers and among them is an 8" that may work with your cabinets.  I would contact him for details, he is as approachable as anyone I have dealt with.

Case for 97db:
I have the 97db Hoyt-Bedford Type 1.5 with the updated driver on order, and when I hear them I hope to post on the Hoyt-Bedford website. 
The Hoyt Type 1 that I had was the original and I first hooked them up to a lovely little 20w/ch 6AV5 PP and the sound was incredible.  I next hooked them up to a 2w/ch Zen Select SET thinking I would get the typical SET sound, but not the control and punch of the PP.  What I heard was one of greatest surprises of my audio life - a grip and an effortlessness like I had never heard.  For all I know I am the only one who has ever done this pairing, but it was one of those very memorable audio moments for me.  $850 speakers and a $1300 amp.

[opnly bafld]

When I had HB1s they were paired with a $1,000 Grommes PHI-26 ~ 1.8w EL84 set, very nice. 

[JLM]

Yes, I'm a firm believer in having sufficient power to provide a commanding grip (think of grabbing by the balls).  I've found this improves micro and macro dynamics along with overall resolution. 

Another analogy:  turns a polite dinner guest in normal TV resolution into a NFL linebacker wearing a tux in HD.

[Canada Rob]

Yes, I'm a firm believer in having sufficient power to provide a commanding grip (think of grabbing by the balls).  I've found this improves micro and macro dynamics along with overall resolution. 

Another analogy:  turns a polite dinner guest in normal TV resolution into a NFL linebacker wearing a tux in HD.

Thankfully the flea powered SET/high efficiency single driver combo grabs my soul and not other parts of my body, and has the greatest palpability of any kind of system I have heard in many years of audio.  I would far prefer to drink from a thin rimmed glass than from an A&W mug.

Never have I heard such detail (with no fatiguing), 3 dimensional space with pinpoint positioning of the musicians, not to mention such a balanced tone, add to that lightning speed, all in a liquid non grainy presentation.  The volume does not have to cranked up in order to get all the micro and macro dynamics of the music like the majority of systems out there.  If one craves for the last bit of bass punch and slam, a good music sub (they are rare compared to the multitudes of home theatre subs available) then one has a few hundred watts at their disposal for bottom end "grip", especially if you are listening to alot of synthesized, and space music. 

I personally feel that if you are listening to acoustic, jazz, baroque, chamber, many soundtracks, a sub is not necessary and personally I prefer my system without one, as speakers like the Hoyt-Bedfords and all the Omega towers have no problem plumbing pretty low in the bass regions.

What makes a well designed flea powered SET so good (and I emphasize "well designed" because some are not. Caveat emptor) is it's single tube per output and simple, short signal path between source and speakers.  To get more power with a SET, output tubes per channel must be multiplied thus muddying the sound and losing what a SET is all about.  The other way to get more power out of a tube amp is to go PP, in which case you lose the SET sound.  Some of the most expensive amps on the market are flea powered SETs and the reason is the overall design and sound is so good that companies and end users are happy to invest buckets of money into them.

One of the greatest anomalies I personally have encountered in audio (and there are many who will echo this opinion) is the Decware SE84 SET in any configuration.  It's a $10,000 dollar amp in a give or take $1000 package, and the more efficient the speaker mated with it, the more it comes out of its corner.  With the Hoyt-Bedfords one would swear they have 40w/ch at their disposal.

[therookie]

You don't sound critical at all, Canada Rob. I appreciate your comments and your thoughts very much, they are very helpful! My 300B mono blocks and my pre amp by TSAKIRIDIS DEVICES (www.tsakiridis-devices.com) is very good equipment, highly acclaimed by many greek audiophiles. They also got a special treatment by the manufacturer, with better internal cabling, capacitors and tubes than the standard model (there was an optional upgrade kit). The 945 tube based mono block and amp combo of the same company was reviewed in 6moons (model name ORPHEUS, I think) and was very positive. My cabling for the speakers and rca is all dnm reson solid core and my source is a Harman Kardon 970HD. I don't know if this is wrong synergy with my 300b amp (or the omegas), but as far as bass extension and dynamics are concerned the 96db Superhemps sounded better with more powerful amps like a 45W pp amp based on 6550 or KT88 tubes or the RWA 30.2 (IMHO). To me these "improvements" in sound are audible only if I listen to rock music, large scale orchestral music or anything that is supposed to sound more aggressive, complex or imposing.  On the other hand the 300B monos sound seductive, natural, absolutely transparent and perfect for everything else I, and, as I have mentioned before, I am too attached to them to give them up.

And these new 8 inch 97db drivers sound very promising for my case!

Thanks again!

[opnly bafld]

IMO Louis has hit the ball way out of the park with these new RS5 drivers.
Was able to get a pair of these in the older Super 3i cabinets (thanks again Louis) and all I can say is WOW! 

Lin

[Louis O]

Hi Lin,

Many thanks and great news. The RS5's are great in the 3i cabinets. Really happy you like the sound and they will get better and better over time. Took a while to get the driver redone and glad I went with cone, suspension and coil update route.

Thanks,
Louis

[HT cOz]

This might be a silly question but can you use the RS5 in place of the Fostex FE 126?

[opnly bafld]

This might be a silly question but can you use the RS5 in place of the Fostex FE 126?

Yes.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=114976.0

[Louis O]

Hi HT cOz and opnly bafld

Thanks for your posts and they are. The cutout is the same as is the screw mounting holes. Easiest drop in for the FE126 and FE127's. Would take 10 minutes to convert. The drivers are very versatile and will sound great in many cabinet sizes and types.

Thanks,
Louis

[Fullrange Drew]

Louis, how does the 5F DIY driver compare with the one you are using in house for the Super 5 monitors?  The 5F version on the loudspeaker components page, the published graphs make it look quite boosted in the upper region, with a lot less going on down low.  Does the version you are using for the commercial Omega speakers have a smoother response across the band?

[Louis O]

Hi Fullrange Drew,

Many thanks for your post and the Model 5F is a cousin of the RS5 and they are very similar. They do have differences in some parts.

Top end is similar though and they are very good at this. Also the bass is very strong and much deeper than Fostex and many other drivers in their size and SPL rating. The midrange is very linear on both drivers.

The are also extremely versatile. The cabinet volume in BR can be as low as 8 liters and as high as 40 liters. I have had customers use them in Back loaded horns with great results as well.

The top end is designed to extend as high as possible and become flat at slightly off axis positions. This is the way they were designed.

They are a huge upgrade from Fostex.

Thanks,
Louis