[musicrover]

My listing area is on the small side. I listen to Areosmith to Porcupine Tree. I'm a volume knob twister and do like to rock out. My current rig is:

Portal Panache Int. Amp

Marantz 5004 cdp

Rega turn table

Wyredforsound dac 1

Daber audio speakers

Any suggestions on which speaker you make that would be a good fit? Thank you for your time.
 

[JLM]

Welcome to AC!

Frankly you seem lost (Omega is more suited for small ensembles of un-amplified music performing at more 'reasonable' sound pressure levels, I've yet to get a 'straight' answer as to how much power they can handle or how loud they'll go).

Are you thinking of floor standers (simple) or satellite/subwoofer (more flexible) setups?

I'd start by looking at companies that offer both options such as Aperion (lots of choice for price ranges, good value, well reviewed), JBL (huge selection, extensive professional background, used in studios/concerts), and Salk (more money, but custom woodwork, excellent sound, here at AC).  But you really should audition for yourself with music you're familiar with.

[DaveC113]

Well, I do think Omegas are pretty flexible and do a good job on a wide variety of music, but like any speaker they must make compromises. If those compromises are in line with your listening preferences then the Omegas offer a value for the money that is off the charts, but if you're expecting something they can't do then you may be disappointed.

One thing they can't do is play dinosaur rock at high SPLs, so if you're looking to recreate a rock concert then you will be disappointed. For that kind of application you simply have to have speakers with a lot of driver surface area... so you need larger speakers. I think this may be an issue since you said Aerosmith and "rock out"...    They will do a good job of playing any kind of music at moderate volume levels in a smaller space, so depending on your expectations Omegas could work.

I am also not sure how well your amp would match up, the new Omega drivers play well with a wider variety of amps, but a 100 watt AB amp wouldn't be my first choice.

If your priorities are more in line with having the best quality sound without needing to play at high volumes in a larger space then maybe Omegas would be a good choice. IME, it takes a very, very good multi-way speaker to come close to what Omegas can do... and they are usually in the $10k+ range. The other advantage is that Omegas are efficient and a great match for a simple, low power, but very high quality tube amplifier. When you pair Omegas with a good SET amp you will have a system that can compete with any regardless of price, it just won't pressurize a room to high SPLs like some large, high $$ systems can.

[Canada Rob]

I totally agree with DaveC113.  He stole the words out of my mouth.....or off my fingertips.  This may seem a strange comment, but I found the combination of Omega speakers and a good low powered SET (single ended triode) tube amp so good that I would be willing to modify my tastes in music to accommodate the strengths of this gear.  For many years I gravitated to minimalist A/B solid state amplifiers and two way monitors for their musicality and their ability to throw a great 3D soundstage, but when I discovered the Omega/SET combo I realized I was at a whole new level - the music was "live" vs the "reproduced" sound of the systems I had owned up until that time.

[bummrush]

 I would be willing to modify my tastes in music to accommodate the strengths of this gear. Previous from above ,Isnt this the opposite  of what you should be doing?Just curious.For me i cant see why you woud have to limit what yoiu like in order to accomplish this.

[bummrush]

Do these speakers sound best in smaller rooms?

[bummrush]

looked at website .They look very interesting.I definitely like the lack of hype,,way way to much of that in hi fi.

[Maritan]

This is actually a very interesting topic to me too.

I listen to a lot of classic rock and progressive rock - from Pink Floyd to Porcupine Tree/ Steve Wilson. I have a pretty good system right now, but I put it together before I realized that a speaker like the Omega with a SET would/ could sound really good. The VTL/ Maggie 1.7 combo provides plenty of rock out capabilities, but I must admit that I lust after the simplicity of a crossover less speaker with a fairly "simple" SET amp.

That said, a new system isn't on the cards anytime soon, but I will be following this with interest and maybe some time next year, set up a low power system and sell off which ever system I prefer less.

[DaveC113]

bummrush, no speakers sound their best in very small rooms but Omegas will not overwhelm small rooms like some large speakers can. Their suitability in larger spaces depends on your SPL requirements. At 6' from the speakers I have measured peaks in the low 100 dB range. So they will not play Led Zeppelin at 120 dB (concert-level SPLs). If that kind of sound is what you want, I would definitely say to look elsewhere. They do a good job with rock music (or any kind of music really) at more moderate SPLs though. The biggest compromise they make (one small driver) is also what makes them great speakers for everything other than high volumes with maximum bass impact.

@Maritan, they do great with Pink Floyd but not as great with heavier classic rock like Led Zeppelin, Rush, etc. unless you don't like to crank up the volume. Heavy rock at high volumes is their biggest weakness IMO. I like a lot of modern electronica too like Thievery Corporation, Beats Antique, Bonobo, etc... they play that kind of music really well even at moderately high volumes.

[ZLS]

    I play my Omega speakers with an 125 Watt Solid State Amp (Odyssey Stratos) and it sounds good; no let me amend that, it sounds better then good. 
    You can keep your amp and still get all the pleasure out of a pair of Omega Speakers.
    The real question is how much bass can actually be generated in what you describe as a small room.
    What Omega Speakers have is a very clear sound, so that it is easier to get into the music. 
    When I purchased my pair of Omega Speakers (Multipoints) I was told that a new 6" driver was being developed.
Perhaps you could call and see what the possibilities are of a speaker that had two six inch drivers mounted on the front panel. 
With those speakers, you could head bang with the best of them.   

[Maritan]

Dave,

Thanks for the response. I do not play music at concert levels. I do go loud occasionally, but I'm pretty certain never to concert levels. I'm that guy that takes earplugs to concerts because it can get too raucous sometimes. I'll have to use an SPL meter next time and check for sure. I also have a Rel T2 subwoofer that I can use to fill out the bottom end... I'm sure that should help a little, don't you think?

That said, especially with your input, now I'm even more curious. I'm going to keep my eye out for a used pair of speakers and/ or amps and snag them as they show up within my budget. This hobby is so addicting!

[rlyach]

Just putting in my two cents. I have a pair of Super 3's with an 300B SET 8 Watt amp. While there are certain types of music that make this system shine, I have also played some loud rock. As a case in point, I love listening to Boston (Forplay/Longtime) on this system. The clarity of each instrument is amazing, especially the guitars and cymbals. When I crank it up I can get 102 or 103 dB SPL with no noticeable compression distortion. The bass response of the Super 3S is amazing as well. I think there are a lot of factors that come into play here. The room, amp, speakers, source, and recording all have an effect. I was pleasantly surprised by the Omega Super 3S and my amp, even with loud rock. Incidentally, I am running a fairly good 24bit dac as my source from a direct digital stream.

[DaveC113]

ZLS, good to know they play well with your amp.  I have not tried the new drivers with a SS amp, but I did try the old hemp drivers with an Adcom 200 watt amp and that didn't work out so well.

Maritan, I use an Adire 10" sealed sub. I am going to upgrade to dual 12" Omega subs when the drivers are ready. With my Super 3 XRS the crossover point can be pretty low... ~50-60 Hz which makes them easy to integrate with the speakers. You need a really fast and accurate sub like you do with the Maggies.

[Maritan]

Never heard of Adire audio and according to their website, they're done.

Anyway, in all of the literature I've come across regarding the Rel T2, they are said to be very fast and accurate and one of the most recommended subs to pair with Maggies. I like the combo a lot. They really do work well together at least to my ears.

[Louis O]

Great posts and I agree with ZLS, Canada Rob, Dave, rlyach

I also listen to a lot of Rock as well as a variety of music with quite a few different amps. I definitely think the speakers in the line are overachievers and offer many qualities that are listed in the above posts.

The timing is right to start talking about larger scale speakers that have been on my radar for quite some time. There are speakers in development that will be offered. The MultiPoint that ZLS has is one and I have set up a design that will incorporate bass units that are a step up from the what I was building in the past. It's very important to me to keep the attributes that I have built into the current speakers with a focus on a larger presentation.

MultiPoints share the load with multiple single drivers. The other way is active bass and this is what will be next.

Working on the visual as well and below is a new look. Picture is a custom very deep Super 5 in volume.

This design lends itself extremely well with stacked cabinets.











 

Thanks,
Louis

[beowulf]

Wow Louis, those are real beauties! 

[DaveC113]

Interesting... monitor sized baffle and XRS sized volume? 

[Canada Rob]

I would be willing to modify my tastes in music to accommodate the strengths of this gear. Previous from above ,Isnt this the opposite  of what you should be doing?Just curious.For me i cant see why you woud have to limit what yoiu like in order to accomplish this.

I am not insinuating that Omega speakers have such shortcomings that I have to limit my music tastes in order to get the best from them - far from it.  Omega speakers do more right than any speaker I have heard, and do well with a wider variety of music than any other speaker I have heard.  I am just saying they are so good I would be willing to modify my music tastes to accommodate their strengths.  Every speaker has it's strengths, Omega included, so why not play music to those strengths?  It may open up new genres of music you may have never dreamed of enjoying.  I have had so many different speakers in my years in audio, but always eventually got bored with them, but when I first heard Omegas over four years ago, that put an end to my search.  Omega is truly different from the vast majority of speakers, and in a good way.