[rob303]

Hi all!

I was in the market for sensitive speakers last fall and, thanks to my neighbor DaveC113, I was introduced to Omega. As I was doing my research, I came across this thread announcing the upcoming Super 8 speaker from Louis: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=130573.0. It was exactly what I was looking for! After a couple phone calls with Louis, I was ready take a leap of faith and I ordered the first pair (serial #1) of the Super 8 in walnut.

My audio journey has been bumpy and full of incompetent dealers, commission-focused salesmen and a serious lack of technical understanding from said agents. Last Fall my setup consisted of a 13WPC push-pull integrated amp along with 4-ohm (!!!) 88dB sensitive speakers sold to me by someone who is known nationally as a tube and tube amp expert. Pfft! Needless to say, the system was running out of gas at around 90dB and lacked bass and simply just wasn't performing as I wanted. Thats when DaveC113 suggested I look into more sensitive speakers and even x-over free full-range drivers (i.e. Omega). Long>short, I ended up with Omegas and I dumped that push-pull for a nice point-to-point wired 15WPC single-ended amp and tube phono pre with a tube external power supply. Back to basics!

I first received the Super 8s late Feb/early March and had them hooked up to a little solid-state temporary system as I awaited delivery of the 15WPC tube setup mentioned above. Out-of-the-box the speakers sounded a little congested, as expected. But after less than an hour, things began to open up as the materials began to break-in. A handful of more hours in and they were completely different speakers and sounding amazing! I was shocked a single driver could manage so much at once! People say it here all the time: 3D imagery, soundstage, detail, build quality. These things had speed and weren't afraid to go deep! These Super 8s had it all!

Now, fast-forward two months. I took delivery of my all-tube setup a couple weeks ago and spent a good 3 days with my friend dialing it in. After some room changes and two days of tweaking, we changed the loading for my cartridge and - BOOM! - the Omegas took center stage! The Super 8s just started dropping bombs and beating chests! Like nothing I had ever experienced! I was already very impressed with these speakers, but once we got all the components speaking the same language, the 8s started singing beautifully soft high-end while simultaneously throwing out insane low-end frequencies. I mean, I was shocked! I've had B&W towers, Sonus Faber and Dynaudio monitors and have never had bottom-end like that. And for the Super 8s to do that without any noticeable sacrifice is absolutely stunning! My friend and I kept saying, "Man, too bad Louis can't come over to hear this!" You can close your eyes during "Kind Of Blue" and place the musicians in different places in the room at differing depths. You can put on electronic music and get all that twitchy detailed computer-esque high end while wonderfully shaking the windows with the bass. You can put on the great AP issue of Grateful Dead "Reckoning" and literally feel like you are in the first few rows of Radio City Music Hall or the Warfield. Again, these speakers have it all!

The Omega Super 8s keep getting better and I have yet to hit 100+ hrs, so the sweet spot still awaits me! Easily the best speakers I've ever owned. Bravo Louis!

Rob

[pstrisik]

I can hear Also Sprach Zarathustra when I look at this photo!

Congratulations!

[RDavidson]

VERY cool! Thanks for sharing.

[beowulf]

Great review!  And the speakers look great as usual ~ Louis is a master builder.  I see you have Dave's cables as well, nicely thought out and well rounded system.  Did I miss it somewhere ... what brand of amplification did you finally end up with?

[Canada Rob]

Wow, lovely system Rob.  I also would like to know about the components in front of your Omegas.

[rob303]

Hey thanks guys! Yes, ZenWave Audio cables all around. Man you can't go wrong with those! The amp system is called TrueTone. They are built by a friend of mine who has yet to market them other than word-of-mouth. He's worked on the design for 4+ years before offering to build for others. They are built from all high quality parts and all point-to-point wiring. It takes him 6 months to build and burn-in. And they pair up amazingly with Omega speakers!

[DaveC113]

I just stopped by for a listen today and was very impressed. 

The only source is a VPI turntable with a SoundSmith cartridge and TrueTone phono pre with external power supply. It's an excellent source and is very dialed in, the kind of source that isn't easily identifiable as any particular format, it just sounds natural, with good extension in both directions and the ability to resolve fine detail.

The new Omega 8" speakers are VERY impressive, they sound a lot like the RS5 4.5" driver. They have a bit more body and bass extension but maybe a tiny bit less high frequency energy. They sound very balanced from top to bottom and like the RS5 are very quick and detailed. I think these are a great choice for rob303's small room with no subwoofer. While I was there we adjusted the position of the speakers and listening position and ended up with a very 3D, immersive soundstage with satisfying low end extension. Systems don't get much better than this at any price... congrats and enjoy, Rob! 

[Ultralight]

If they have transients/speed clost to the 4.5" drivers, then that would be very impressive.  Do they?

And does this make the 8" faster than the other Omega drivers who are also large than the 4.5" ones?

Thanks.

UL

I just stopped by for a listen today and was very impressed. 


The new Omega 8" speakers are VERY impressive, they sound a lot like the RS5 4.5" driver. They have a bit more body and bass extension but maybe a tiny bit less high frequency energy. They sound very balanced from top to bottom and like the RS5 are very quick and detailed.

[DaveC113]

If they have transients/speed clost to the 4.5" drivers, then that would be very impressive.  Do they?

And does this make the 8" faster than the other Omega drivers who are also large than the 4.5" ones?

Thanks.

UL

They are pretty close to the RS5 in many ways, if used without a sub I would prefer them to the RS5, with a sub it's not so clear cut as the highs of the RS5 are maybe a touch better/more extended, but this is splitting hairs. They are also almost 6 dB more efficient vs the RS5s, so more suitable for low wattage amps. The new Super 8s are excellent and another great alternative.

I have not heard the new 7" driver so I cannot compare them and the 6.5 is just... different.

[rob303]

I just stopped by for a listen today and was very impressed. 

The only source is a VPI turntable with a SoundSmith cartridge and TrueTone phono pre with external power supply. It's an excellent source and is very dialed in, the kind of source that isn't easily identifiable as any particular format, it just sounds natural, with good extension in both directions and the ability to resolve fine detail.

The new Omega 8" speakers are VERY impressive, they sound a lot like the RS5 4.5" driver. They have a bit more body and bass extension but maybe a tiny bit less high frequency energy. They sound very balanced from top to bottom and like the RS5 are very quick and detailed. I think these are a great choice for rob303's small room with no subwoofer. While I was there we adjusted the position of the speakers and listening position and ended up with a very 3D, immersive soundstage with satisfying low end extension. Systems don't get much better than this at any price... congrats and enjoy, Rob! 

Thanks Dave! Its all about the synergy and your ZenWave cables are crucial in maintaining the integrity of the sound coming off the wax. Thanks again for coming over and further blowing my mind with a 5min room tweak (and for sharing your exquisite Mezcal)! Not to mention introducing me to Omega. Glad to join the ranks!

[FullRangeMan]

If they have transients/speed clost to the 4.5" drivers, then that would be very impressive.  Do they?

And does this make the 8" faster than the other Omega drivers who are also large than the 4.5" ones?

Thanks.

UL

Drivers with lighter cones tend to be faster.

[roscoe65]

Rob,

If you don't mind my asking, what is the price point on these?  They aren't on the Omega website yet.

Thanks,
Randy

[rob303]

Rob,

If you don't mind my asking, what is the price point on these?  They aren't on the Omega website yet.

Thanks,
Randy

Roscoe - Sorry to leave you hangin'! These are priced at $2k for base spec. See here: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=129159.msg1406728#msg1406728

I've got about 200+ hours on them and they are absolutely sublime! I also got custom internal wiring from Dave over at ZenWave Audio to match my speaker cables and the synergy really works well. Simply put: extremely revealing and balanced.