[Ultralight]

One way I test speakers for timbre is with the grand piano simply because I know the instrument well and it can extend quite low in the lowest registers, along with lots of subtle overtones. (Lowest note is 27hz though I'm not sure that any actually play there.)

Without subwoofer, which Omega speaker has the best timbre, dynamic range and micro dynamics for grand piano?

What about with subwoofer?  Does the speaker choice then change?

Thanks,
UL

[ozoid]

You don't mean that all piano recordings sound the same, do you?

I once had the privilege of listening to recordings for about 90 minutes with Peter McGrath, the director of sales for Wilson speakers and an accomplished recording engineer. Most of what we listened to was piano and all of the equipment remained the same. Wilson speakers, of course, although I forget which model. I was being polite, but one recording I thought was especially poor and I said so. Veiled. Uneven response across the instrument's range in a way that seemed to remain consistent regardless of what the performer was doing. A thoroughly confused presentation that didn't justify the use of the word "image"; certainly nothing I've ever experienced in a performance space. He switched to another recording that met every standard the previous recording had failed. A McGrath recording.

Pianos differ, even the same model from the same maker. I happened to see an item in the current Downbeat about Oscar Peterson's wife donating his Bosendorfer to some Toronto institution and she briefly described the afternoon she and Oscar spent picking out that piano at the Bosendorfer factory.

Venue choice, placement of the piano within the recording space, choice of mics and their placement will all have an effect too. Not to mention mic pre-amps and the mixing board, if one is used. And, what the hell, may as well throw in the mic cables and the recording medium, not just analog vs. digital, but if it's analog, what tape recorder and what brand of analog tape is being used.

I've come to think of selecting amps & speakers as a lot like picking a seat for a concert subscription series. Orchestra level is one perspective; box seats or the loge is another, and first row in the balconies will also provide alternatives. One season I sat in about the 10th row in the orchestra level, right in front of the bass section at the Chicago Symphony. You'd definitely want subwoofers to begin to approximate that perspective. And I still remember the sound of a Duke Ellington concert nearly 50 years ago when I sat in the first row of the uppermost balcony of the Lyric Opera House in Chicago. A great seat! While I wait for Louis to finish my Alnico monitors, I'm listening to a little PSB desktop system that actually comes close to that miniature perspective on some recordings, although the PSBs have more detail and a much more precise soundstage.

Based on my listening to the 3i and the Alnico monitor, I'd say that the sticky thread describing "THE SOUND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VARIOUS OMEGA SPEAKER SERIES" is the best start to begin to understand how the speakers differ from each other. Pick a recording you love and listen to it through all the models you're considering. The speaker that makes that recording sound the way you think it should is the one to buy.

[FullRangeMan]

One way I test speakers for timbre is with the grand piano simply because I know the instrument well and it can extend quite low in the lowest registers, along with lots of subtle overtones. (Lowest note is 27hz though I'm not sure that any actually play there.)

Without subwoofer, which Omega speaker has the best timbre, dynamic range and micro dynamics for grand piano?

What about with subwoofer?  Does the speaker choice then change?

Thanks,
UL

As the acoustic piano is a percussion instrument with much impact, it requires fast transients from the speakers if played at high SPL.

If your room is small and you will listen in low or mid SPL, a good 6 or 8 '' FR may do the task quite well.

[Canada Rob]

One way I test speakers for timbre is with the grand piano simply because I know the instrument well and it can extend quite low in the lowest registers, along with lots of subtle overtones. (Lowest note is 27hz though I'm not sure that any actually play there.)

Without subwoofer, which Omega speaker has the best timbre, dynamic range and micro dynamics for grand piano?

What about with subwoofer?  Does the speaker choice then change?

Thanks,
UL

Either of the Super Alnicos would definitely be the best for piano.  The XRS will go deeper and no stands to buy, but the Monitor will be quicker and more flexible as far as placement.  I run my Monitors without sub and feel no need for one.  The Alnicos have the flattest frequency response of all the Omega speakers.

[rollo]

 Since a piano goes down to 28HZ without low bass one will be missing music. I would listen with then without an Omega sub.


charles

[Canada Rob]

Since a piano goes down to 28HZ without low bass one will be missing music. I would listen with then without an Omega sub.


charles

Not sure what you are saying in your second sentence.  Most piano performances rarely go down to 28Hz, but if a person wants a sub in order to hear the odd low note, there's nothing saying they can't.  Just be careful in your choice of sub.  The Alnico XRS is rated down to 35Hz and the Monitor down to 40Hz; add to that the room acoustics and you'll find they manage the deep notes very well, not to mention the quality of the bass production on the Alnico series is something one has to hear - it's so tuneful.  I strongly recommend to any Alnico owner that they thoroughly break in their speakers before considering a sub.

[ZLS]

    Without doubt, either of the Speakers with the Alnico Driver.

    The Alnico Driver loves Piano, loves it truly and madly. 

    I don't know exactly why, but it gets the tone and overtones right.

[andycsb]

Hi Everyone. Has anyone compared any of the omegas against the Harbeths (Shl5 plus or P3ser) I listen to jazz female vocals, piano, acoustic guitar. Which does a better job in terms of instrument size (large) and vocals (full bodied and vivid). I am seeking a pair of big sounding standmounts.

Thanks for your help. 

[Ultralight]

Great question but you may get more response starting a new thread and have the headers tied into your query.

UL

Hi Everyone. Has anyone compared any of the omegas against the Harbeths (Shl5 plus or P3ser) I listen to jazz female vocals, piano, acoustic guitar. Which does a better job in terms of instrument size (large) and vocals (full bodied and vivid). I am seeking a pair of big sounding standmounts.

Thanks for your help.

[Canada Rob]

Hi Everyone. Has anyone compared any of the omegas against the Harbeths (Shl5 plus or P3ser) I listen to jazz female vocals, piano, acoustic guitar. Which does a better job in terms of instrument size (large) and vocals (full bodied and vivid). I am seeking a pair of big sounding standmounts.

Thanks for your help.

Phone Louis, he can tell you.

[beowulf]

seikosha owned both the P3ESR and Omega's concurrently, hopefully he'll see this and add a few comments.

[Louis O]

Hi andycsb,

Many thanks for your post and I would be happy to help you out and point you in the right direction.

Thanks again,
Louis

[Louis O]

Hi Ultralight,

Great question and I would like to share a story that happened a while back at a show. Yes I went to a lot of shows at the time.

It was NYC show with Vinnie at RWA. We had a great room with a good selection of amps and speakers. The highlight was when a Concert pianist came into the room. He had a recording of himself playing and was going to many rooms to hear systems reproduce his own music. We went through the speakers and he had told me that the best sound came from .......... Super 3 XRS and this was out of all the speakers he had heard at the show. At the time I didn't have Alnico's on hand, but what he had said stuck with me and I have repeated it many times. It was the Super 3 XRS's ability to let go of the note. The speed is what he liked and also the timbre as Ultralight said in his post at the top.

Also some news coming in regards to drivers. This will be a separate thread.

Thanks again,
Louis

[rsf1961]

I seldom (pretty much never) come to the forum, but by coincidence I had just thrown on a Joe Sample CD and was thumbing through the forum when Summertime started to play and I started to read this thread. I've listened to a lot of live piano music and my Outlaw (8" sub's) Super 3XRS's do a phenomenal job of reproducing live piano. The super fast attack coupled with beautiful resonance and decay along with the the speakers' natural transparency is the key. I'm sure my Decware Rachel amp and 47 Lab 4735 (no upsampling) CD player have a lot to do with it, but if the speakers weren't up to the task, it wouldn't matter what was upstream.

Good luck with your search - Richard

[Audiophile58]

I have owned several speakers in the Omega family  and without much hesitation
The Alnici 6  has the purity of tone plus more depth of instrument.
With a sub it will allow you to hear or feel the A  Cord .if you have a full size piano.
Which s subsonic down to around 27 HZ on a concert grand. You didnot specify Brand,or type .
Bosendorfer, Steinway and son, Baldwin ?  The Flagship Omega Alnico -6  is my personal recommendation.