Looks like I just completed the OB 5 marathon. Well, at least everything seems in phase.
This is a sizable build. Any line source builders have my complete respect.
Since no one has entertained us with a review, I might just as well dive in.
Black Beauty Rides Again. 
ReviewAnd what a rii-iiii--iiiiiiiiiiii----de she gives.
Soaring beautiful highs.
Open mids.
Tight powerful bass.
All served up with electrostatic speed and clarity.
This speaker is very dynamic.
And talk about coherent. Brings back the warm fuzzies from my crossoverless Acoustat days.
Tonal balance is great. This is not some manic depressive speaker.
She has amazing detail, transparency, and clarity, yet those cone drivers add nice warmth. Probably the perfect blend of the two.
Yet it sounds seamless. I can not hear the crossover. It all sounds like one great big ribbon. Or more accurately, it sounds like real music.
Speakers completely vanish, leaving a wonderful soundstage.
ComparisonThese are easily the best speakers I have owned. Here is the carnage. Acoustat model 3’s and 1+1’s, Apogees, Magnapans, Newform Research 645’s, Hornshopp Wannabees, Celestion SL2, Braun 1030’s, Angstrom Triads and T2’s, Triangle Celius.
I am still breaking these in, so I am going out on a limb, but here are my mental thoughts of the OB 5’s compared to some of the speakers I have had the privilege of hearing.
JM Labs Grand Utopia: Monsters with monster bass. Probably the best bass I have heard. Serious problems with tweeter smear, in that cymbals would trace back to the tweeter on occasion. Big, overpriced, and heavy. I did like them though. OB’s soundstage better, are more transparent, and still have great bass. I will take the OB’s and not blink an eye.
JM Labs Mezzo: Same as above.
Revel Salons: I really like these driven by Levinson gear. The OB 5’s are right in this category I believe. Salon bass goes lower perhaps, but I would say the OB’s have greater detail and clarity off the Neo 3 Ribbon. Both image well. OB wins on price and I bet sound as well.
Levinson HQD: Yes, the actual stacked Quad 57s, with Decca ribbon tweeter, and the 4 - 18” Hartly sub woofer monster. Well, this Goliath needs voltage limited amps for the quads, is huge and heavy, beams high frequencies so that an Acoustat model 2s seems like freedom. The OB’s only give up the fantastic bass of the heartly's. I’ll take the OB’s any day and leave the audio headaches for someone else.
Magnepan 1.6 and 3.6s: I like Maggies, always have. They demand space, at least 6’ behind them and a highly damped wall. They eat power for breakfast, lunch, and supper. This really limits amplifier choice. The OB 5’s sing on my Mcalister SE 44 -(22 watt) amp. They image better, with better focus. I like their bass better. They are more dynamic.
Triangle Celius: I don’t know how Stereophile made these a Class A speaker. While they have an exciting sound, albeit, by a tipped up response somewhere mid treble, they don’t present a very realistic acoustic space of live music. The Newforms killed them, and so do the OB’s.
Genisis Flagship, the 1’s I believe: I really liked these. While being super expensive, they also demand lots of space. The OB’s however give up nothing to them except ultimate dynamics and earthquake bass. Don’t get me wrong, the OB’s have great, powerful bass, but I am sure the line source Genisis would do better there. I will take the OB’s and be very happy.
Visitone B200: Heard briefly on open baffles, and not optimized. B200s sounded very nice for a single driver. Easy build for the DIY, but the OB 5 kills it. It simply cannot compete to the Neo 3 planer ribbon, or the powerful bass of the OB’s. Just my humble, but opinionated opinion.
I could go on and on.
I hope you are catching the drift here. When compared to some of the worlds most expensive, or highly regarded speakers, the OB’s really leave me wanting nothing.
I am almost speechless. Just like Danny was.
They are fantastic. And that is from a guy who says good when most would say great. Just conservative I guess.
The OB5 driven by the amazing McAlister SE 44 brings me to the very top shelf of audio on a pauper’s budget.
Thank you Danny for making such an overachieving wonder available to those of us with enough sense not to spend kilo bucks chasing the wind.
Danny was always a gentleman even though I probably drove him crazy with all my e-mails and calls.
ModifiedOne note: I did modify the speaker build a bit. While I loved the design when I saw it, two things I did not quite like. That is the 7” baffle the tweeter sits on, and the 40” + height of the tweeter as well.
So I lowered the tweeter by about 6” by lowering the cabinet height. In order to do this I had to make the bass cab wider. That is why you see the bass cab flanking the front baffle. I am glad I did. Although most would not need to. Each speaker weighs about 65 lbs by the way.
Bottom LineI feel like I have arrived home after a long journey. I look forward to many blissful years with Black beauty.
This kit gets my highest recommendation.
The only thing I would want to improve it is perhaps have it upgraded with Danny’s, or Raw Acoustics, new xbl woofers for the bass. That should bring it down in the low thirties I would guess. Hint, hint.
Does this mean I win Daygloworange? You are going to love these. I think we both win.
Rocket_Ronny - Always taking the road less traveled.
