It would be disingenuous to believe that the V1s do not use the Orions as a starting point.
In this case, no they weren't. I had progressed from other open baffle MTM designs like the OB-5 and OB-7. Then I designed some 12" subs that were designed from the beginning to be used in open baffle and with servo control. This opened the door up to do a full range, all open baffle designs.
It then started to look like it had to. It was either H frame or W frame for the subs and since the H frame could be built in a way that allows the side panels to finish off the front and back halves of each enclosure then that made it 1.5" narrower than the W frame, so that was what I went with.
I also had to have something to help support the upper baffle and the use of some side panels were also an obvious choice.
At some point I realized that it was a little like an Orion but there was no other way to go about it. I then tried to do what I could to NOT make it look too much like an Orion.
The chap who compared his Orions to the V! and Venuette here also noted an overall similarity, and I'd be very surprised if there weren't.
He was comparing the smaller V-2 model. 8" coaxial and 12" subs (non servo controlled). Where the V-2 won out to Steve and all of his friends was in the mid-range. In other areas it was give and take. I have heard his Orion's and I'd have to agree.
What is really cool about the comparison to me was that they compared well with each other and the V-2 was a whole lot less expensive. The kit will be only $1,295 to begin with and that includes the amps for the subs. Plus, you can power it with a single stereo amp. Another plus is the higher sensitivity means that amp can be a lower cost, low powered tube amp.
The V-1 and Super V really is on another level. Bass response is in a different league compared to the Orion. Even my friend Steve that owns the Orion just augmented them with a pair of our open baffle servo subs. See his post on it here:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=70370.0I'd be surprised if they were that different to any other dynamic dipole like the Jamo, the NaO, the Arvo Part or the Emerald Physics.
I'd have to disagree and say that they are very different and a level above all of those.
They could be radically different, but given the quality of the speakers I've mentioned I don't see how.
Yes sir, they are very much so different in a number of ways.
Bass quality is excellent with the Orions, and with my speakers. But I'm sure it could be better and the servo system is an elegant solution.
The servo system is a lot better!
I wish it could solve the overall problem of bass quantity, but the laws of physics are somewhat unbending.
The laws of physics....
The only thing here that really applies is SPL levels at a given frequency by the surface area and X-Max of the drivers.
That is not where the magic is. It is not about high SPL's at a given point. What the servo controlled woofers do best is stop on a dime. This by far is the biggest deal. The drivers by design can have less moving mass and less stored energy than comparable sized or even smaller sized woofers. So it has a head start right off the bat. Then the servo control system electrically slams on the brakes. The difference is astounding.
It also doesn't hurt that the servo system will keep them flat to 20Hz and -3db down in the teens.
Sorry to be so long-winded, but your post made it sound like the V1 was a dramatically different speaker to the Orion
The Orion has always been a great speaker, but trust me on this one (or don't), this one is very different.
