OMEGA loudspeakers

I just found out about this company Omega and their one way speakers.

The reviews are all very good and the product looks very attractive and attractively priced.

Are they good for 1970's early 80's REGGAE early 80's Boogie Funk and DUB?

Can they work with an EICO 81 amplifier?

Which model in particular?

I've emailed the owner and am awaiting a reply.

thanks

 

You likely need a multiway system for your type of music. Klipsch is what I recommend, Heresy or Cornwall or Klipschorns. Most one way systems are more classical and jazz based and vocals. You need something with more bass slam. Listen to the Omegas, but don't be surprised if you need something else. You need at least 91 db efficient/1 watt/1 meter for your amplifier to perform best and allow plenty of headroom for your music.

 

We need to know your listening habits and preferences to know... What size room is your system in and how far from the speakers do you sit? What are your spl requirements? What's most important to you in a system?

I have Omega Super 3 xrs, and I would say they will sound good with the genre of music youre most interested in, but maximum spl levels will not be high. Also, even though they will play down to around 40 hz, a sub would be necessary. I use a 10" sealed sub and my system will hit peaks in the low 100 dB range, which is fine for 90% of my listening.

To offset the lack of high spl abilities you will get a speaker that sounds amazing and soundstages like no other. To match the overall refinement and sound quality in a multi way speaker you'd have to spend over $5k, and there's only a few speakers in that range that'll much them.

Also, the Omegas do best with a SET amp, which is another huge advantage. The combination is almost magical.

 

I love my set of Omega Super 8 with the Alnico magnets. Also use dual deep hemp subwoofers. These are not the speakers if you are into techno or hip hop though...everything else rendered realistically, beautifully and unrestrained. Sound staging is spooky real and really just have them face straight out without toe in...no weird phase issues, no time alignment issues, just perfect cohesive sound. Best of all no whizzer cone weirdness or shout.

They work with as little as 5 watts extremely well and the Alnico magnet versions I have are only 93db efficient to boot. I prefer tubes amps with these speakers for that extra special tone that these speakers are magical about.

 

I think there's a lot of misconception on single driver speakers that they are not good across all genres. I do find the Omega's good with anything I've ran through them with the bulk of my listening in Rock and its sub-genres (Classic/Punk/Heavy Metal, etc.), with a dose of Classic Country, Folk, Jazz and Classical thrown in.

I also use them in a 2.1 configuration with a Decware 6 watt tube amp ... I know 6 watts sounds strange for watching movies, but it works due to their efficiency and lack of crossover (due to being crossoverless the First Watt theory applies very generously here). I do use a subwoofer though for both mediums though as I love deep bass.

So IMO a very versatile speaker, can be driven with as little as 2 watts and I think their strengths are their imaging (as Dave mentioned above), cohesiveness, speed and (since they don't use a crossover) the lack of tonal colorations. Their short comings are the lack of deep bass and they don't reach the SPL's that other multi-driver speakers can reach.

 

I love the full range speakers for their freedom of coloration and imaging. But they lack volume and low bass. And for our OP, his musical tastes tend towards louder and bass heavy material. Reggae and his other material is more high energy! And often loves being played turned up. These speakers may do it for him.

 

After a very pleasant conversation with owner Louis Chocos, who walked me through each speaker with the patience of an angel, I pulled the trigger on Super 7XRS for the house.

http://www.omegaloudspeakers.com/super7xrs.html

I passed on the subs for the moment. As the decision was between those (who take more abuse) and the Anilco XRS's (which are more detailed) which were more expensive, I also used the money saved to spend it and buy a pair of desktop 3's.

http://www.omegaloudspeakers.com/super3desktop.html

With those, after Louis recommended those, I've bought a Audioengine 22 small amp. 200 bucks. the downside is pretty limited if I dont like it. Fnishes are Ebony for the big guys and olive for the small ones, but I have a notion I might invert the choice.

the wait is 2 weeks and probably another week for shipping, custom clearing, etc... It's going to be a long long long long time...

 

They sound like a fun little speaker. If I get any free time (probably won't be till January I was planning on using one of the millions of plans out there to build a set of Fostex. Which Fostex speaker are they using? I know it's a 4.5"

 

Congrats Guillaume!

Upinsmoke, Omega is on their 2nd generation of proprietary 4.5" driver and several generations into their 8", the 6.5" and 7" drivers are also proprietary. So, all of them...

The current 4.5" is the RS5 driver, and it has a very flat response compared to most single drivers, i.e. they are not shouty or too forward sounding. It is an amazing driver and on the level of much more expensive offerings from brands like Feastrex and Voxativ. They are far better than any Fostex or Lowther based speaker I have heard.

 

Do your research, as many of the plans floating around may be for OOP drivers, like the FE127e for instance. Are you planning to build for room or desktop use?

jeff

 

Oh yea, I'm looking for room sized (12x14), granted small room so was thinking a project like this would work out nicely in there. I was looking at the Fostex FE126EN speakers and design originally. But since I'm still in the planning stages at this point I'm game to mod things up.

Looks like the RS5 is similar? Some differences. Lots of driver design is beyond me (or read I've not done any heavy reading into driver design). Seems like they are similar in the impregnated hemp type material (not that really means anything).

Your right about matching plans up to the drivers - YMMV definitely applies to mismatching.

I just finished renovating a house so looking to put all that good JET equipment to a more "fun" purpose. I just picked up a used planer for pennies that looks almost unused. Might even try some different hardwoods compared to MDF and laminate route.

 

To sound their best, they belong on a horn enclosure, like the Frugel-Horn MK3. The FE126eN have the traits of the older Fostex line, a raising response that gives them a "shouty" presentation, with a peak in the 6-7kHz frequency spectrum, and tend to work best with single ended tube amps. I encourage you to start your own thread when you get closer to deciding on what to build.

Apologies to the OP for derailing this thread.

jeff

 

What did Louis say about the speakers for the bass heavy music you listed?

 

he said they could take it
BUT I got the feeling that with his upcoming sub things would be even crazier
the thing is I am married and the sub is a problem... know what I mean?

so let's get things done progressively.

we're in the middle of redoing the living room. I've just secured a shelf for the TD124 and am now working on the shelf for the Eico. I was denied the top of a heavy buffet which would have been perfect, freaking perfect, for the whole system. (a shelf for the turntable, pfff. Mr. Thorens must be doing flip flops in his grave... but try explain that to the lady). I'm going to have to wait for her to go on vacation or extended business trip to take that space over.

sounds funny, but I'm very frustrated quite frankly.

 

Cool, let us know what you think of them. I've been considering upgrading my speakers at the lake house for a while. Low coloration/high efficiency speakers are exactly what I look for.

 

Rather than a separate pair of desktop monitors, did you consider one of his "Outlaw" designs with built in active subs?

A set of 7XRS with active subs would suit your music preferences more better IMO. Then you don't have to ask the wife for a separate sub as they are already built in and seamlessly integrated into the speaker cabinets.

 

I thought of an outlaw, then something in my mind told me to go for a "regular" model:

1. because Omega's specialty is single drives. so I suspect Louis concentrates his talent and energy on perfecting this technology and that outlaws are experiments. The degree of uncertainty is probably minimal, but...
2. I really want to try the single drive concept.
3. Louis and Canada Rob told me that I'll have good bass with the model they helped me pick.

 

Guillame, how are you liking the Omegas?

 

Here is what I just wrote (slightly edited) on the Omega forum about the SUPER 7XRS

I received my SUPER 7XRS with my SUPER 3 DESKTOP a couple of days ago. The shipment had been delivered to my office as I know it would be delivered (vs my home).

Given the size and weight of the package, I wasn't able to carry them on my motorbike or in the metro. And my wife uses the car to go to work and drive our daughter to her sport activity.

Bottom line: I was able to use the car only late last night to go to my office pick up the 7XRS'

It was midnight when I installed them. I hooked them on my refurbished Eico-Hf81 amplifier. Although it was 1AM when I was done and everyone was sleeping (remember this is Europe, meaning small apartments, neighbors, etc...), I could not resist the temptation of playing something before going to bed. Although it was some MP3 files from my iphone, they sounded awesome.

This morning, I've been playing hi-res audio files (I havent hooked the turntable or the SACD player yet) at a decent level (not loud, but close to loud...). So far, I've been playing Hi-Rhythm band's On the Loose, Black Uhuru's Dub Factor (mixed by Groucho Smykle, the same guy who did my Dubrising album, for a spectacular aural trip)

These speakers are superb. Great looking, great sounding. They fill the room nicely and the whole apartment is illuminated with music. Wicked!

After reading some comments on this forum, I was wondering if there would be too little bass. But heck no, they deliver and provide bass in abundance but don't crowd out the rest of the music, even for heavy reggae/dub, which is cool.

Very pleasant listening experience. The amount of detail is incredible, but it is not overwhelming the listener with information overload if you see what I mean.

Conclusion: it makes you want to spend entire days listening to your favorite records!

 

And here is what I wrote about the Desktop Super 3, which I set up BEFORE the 7's:

Louis has invented a new way to get high.

I received the Omega desktop 3's this afternoon and plugged them to my office mac/dac. To inaugurate them, I played my new album Dubrising (by Sly & Robbie mixed by Paul "Groucho" Smykle). This is the best album I've ever released, period. The dub versions cooked up by Groucho are exquisite and the already exquisite songs he used to create this dub album are now truly at a totally higher better magical level. I dont mean to brag, everyone who has the album says so.

Anyway enough of me and my album. The speakers reveal stuff I didnt even know are there. I keep having these holy **** moments at every freaking song. Like Holy ****, I discovered something new in my own production!!! Holy ****, this sounds like a nice album, holy ****, where did this come from? etc...

I'm like hallucinating because whenever I close my eyes, I have to quickly open them again and look for that instrument that's hiding somewhere in between the speakers, behind the screen of the mac and that just popped out of nowhere...

Those of you guys who used pot will know what I'm talking about: remember the first times you got blazed and were listening to your favorite record, age 16 or so, and were literally tripping on the music, going DEEEEEEEEP into the mix and latching on to some detail that NOBODY BUT YOU had heard before??? And jerking "awake" because it just didn't make any sense, and feeling a bit paranoid and hilarious at the same time because you were part of the music?

I've been clean for so many years, but this is exactly what these speakers do to me.

WAY TO GO, LOUIS! Thanks for the wonderful experience, man.

PS = how am I going to be able to work in this place now?????????

 

Thanks for the update. Do you listen to any hard rock like Zeppelin, Sabbath, etc? Or any more complex jazz, ie avant-garde/free?

Has anyone done any frequency response measurements of any Omega speakers?

 

Zeppelin, Sabbath, Priest as well as Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree and Queens Of The Stone Age (to name a few) are in constant rotation in both vinyl and digital formats in my house. These speakers do rock and most other genres great, they are super fast and image exceptionally well, not to mention incredibly efficient and can be driven by amps as low as 2 watts which opens a $hit load of amp choices.

They do double duty for movies and are great at that too. But even though my particular floor standers go down to 40Hz I prefer using a subwoofer with both music and movies for the extra grunt that they give.

An all around great performing speaker for the money and I'm not sure I have heard anything better (at least to my ears) below $5K. I will be eventually moving to a set of Outlaw 7XRS with integrated 12" subs similar to the picture above, but with the newer RS7 drivers that will suit my tastes even more so.

I've never personally done measurements, but at one time there were measurements posted in a few threads on his forums and website that were pretty respectable (they may still be around if you try to dig for them). I will be doing some of my own measurements (most likely after the first of the year though) as I want to start using and integrating REW. If I remember I'll try to post some in this thread after I'm done.

 

you might want to contact Louis directly. (Louis is the owner and is a great guy)

 

I'm very seriously considering the Omega desktop speakers, paired with either my Eico HF81, or Scott 222c. I'm using some B&W dm601 S2's there now; they're ok but Guillaume's and others' reviews have me ready to upgrade. I work at a large drawing table and can place the speakers about 4' apart.

 

That's great, I would look into the Super 3i or 3u monitors and a Deep Omega 8 sub. If you don't want a sub the Super 7 will give you a bit more lower end, but they are a larger sized monitor and will take up more space. Also, I have seen his EKO laminate finishes and they are pretty decent ~ they have 3D with grain patterns and you almost can't detect that they are not real wood (if you are trying to save a few bucks that is).