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  1. #1
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    2nd round of single driver listening

    Yesterday I got to hear the Omega Super 6 speakers driven by a 15 wpc Push Pull with SET qualities. The amp is Steve Monte's own SQ84-V2 Integrated Amp & Headphone Amp w/Remote Volume.
    Quest For Sound - High End Audio



    First I listened to a Music Hall CDP with my own music. Then listened to an Asty Tubed CDP from Italy which was real nice sounding.



    I was really surprised with this little setup and enjoyed the sound completely. The Omegas had plenty enough bass, for the room we were in. It was detailed and perfect for not having a sub in the mix.

    Like most single drivers, the midrange was all there with never over the top highs. I listened to a variety of bass heavy tunes including Shape of a Dancer by Yokeshire, some Bruford, a little Greg Lake where the vocals shined and were captivating.

    At this point, I would be happy to have this combo as a big rig replacement. I hope to hear some larger Omegas sometime for a little extra base.

    To be fair to the Gemme's I heard previously, they told me the room was too big we were in but no matter, you either love them or hate them, not much in between...but the Omegas blew them away easily in all areas.

    So for $1450 for the Omegas, and $1250 for the amp this is a killer little setup for $2700 minus stands.

    Here is a good review of the Amp
    Sound Quest SQ-84 V-2 Integrated Amplifier Not just the little integrated that could; it is the little integrated that did. Review By Jules Coleman

    Next up I listened to the JAS Oriors which at $4200 are an expensive yet killer pair of standmounts.


    We first played my disks through a Music Fidelity Integrated and CDP which of course was nice, but then for fun we switched over to a Granite Audio Pre and Mono Blocks similar to what is in this pic


    We used Steve's own SQ 12 CD player but with the Granit Audio Tube section factory installed.


    The sound from this GA-SQ-JAS setup was more than pleasing with plenty of everything you could want from an audio setup.

    The GA pre and amps are about $10k and Steve's CD player is $3k so why wouldn't this setup have sounded so good.

  2. #2
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    So the Omega has a whizzer cone or is it a coaxial driver a la Tannoy?

  3. #3
    RGA
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  4. #4
    RGA
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    They make a bigger model as well with an 8 inch driver and that should be more full range.

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    Hifi,

    Glad to know you liked the Omegas. I'd still keep shopping as you may be able to do as good or better for less money. The Omega has a whizzer and it's not coaxial. At 93dbs the Omegas are smack dab in SET territory. A good SET will sound better with HE FR speakers than a good PP. Unless you play really loud in a huge room 3.5 watts is all you need.

  6. #6
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    The Japanese Almarro amps would be a great match for the Omegas.

    almarro of Japan : about us

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    Hifi,

    Glad to know you liked the Omegas. I'd still keep shopping as you may be able to do as good or better for less money. The Omega has a whizzer and it's not coaxial. At 93dbs the Omegas are smack dab in SET territory. A good SET will sound better with HE FR speakers than a good PP. Unless you play really loud in a huge room 3.5 watts is all you need.
    In about a month, I'll be in the St. Louis area, where I'll be meeting up with David Dicks of Audio Nirvana, makers of full range speakers from 3" - 15". I'm leaning toward buying a pair of 12" Alnicos ($800) for DIY bass reflex cabinets. I'll post my audition notes when I get back.

  8. #8
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    Hifi,

    Here's one hell of a gorgeous Decware SET - The Decware Zen Torii tube amplifier

    cack,

    I'd go smaller ( 8 inch alnico ) otherwise you'll probably need to add a super tweeter.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poultrygeist View Post
    cack,

    I'd go smaller ( 8 inch alnico ) otherwise you'll probably need to add a super tweeter.
    David is adamant that the upper frequencies produced by his full range drivers exceed human hearing capabilities, and need no enhancement. I'm leaning toward the 12" Alnicos mainly for the bass.
    I'm going with an open mind. It'll be easier on the budget if I can find a satisfactory ferrite driver in a smaller size.

  10. #10
    Man of the People Forums Moderator bobsticks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RGA View Post
    They make a bigger model as well with an 8 inch driver and that should be more full range.
    They get closer anyway. I heard a set with some Cary electronics in a smaller setting that did several things very, very well. Much like the sentiments shared by others I found myself thinking that the system could be an excellent and permanent small room configuration.

    Thinking about it, the cost of the Carys didn't really make a terribly attractive option from a purely financial standpoint.
    So, I broke into the palace
    With a sponge and a rusty spanner
    She said : "Eh, I know you, and you cannot sing"
    I said : "That's nothing - you should hear me play piano"

  11. #11
    You play. I listen. Enochrome's Avatar
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    "I'd go smaller ( 8 inch alnico ) otherwise you'll probably need to add a super tweeter."

    I read that Nelson Pass review of fullrange drivers, which I believe most were Fostex branded, and most of the ones he enjoyed he commented that they would need a nice ribbon tweeter.

    I also believe that Zu uses a ribbon tweeter in a few of their models.

    I mention both of these because I believe they both crossover the tweeter from 6khz to 10khz, which is imperceptable to the "average" listeners as any kind of phase shift occuring. I believe Nelson Pass believe it relieves the fullrange driver from getting "spitty" when trying to push the 10khz-20khz frequencies.

    That's at least how I understood it. So adding a super tweeter could be alright. Although adding a super tweeter to a 12" might have some synergy issues in the crossover. I think a super tweeter to an 8" would be more harmonius.

    Am I way off on this assesment?
    Last edited by Enochrome; 04-24-2012 at 09:30 PM.
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  12. #12
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    I'm in the process of building some additional OB tops for my H-frames using the popular and affordable 12 inch Eminence Beta 12LTA which at 98dbs ( much higher than Fostex ) are killer efficient. It can't cover the highs alone so I'm using a HE Peavey super tweeter with a 2uf cap. The Peavey extends to 25K.

    I'm getting up my nerve to circumcise the Beta whizzer/dust caps and replace them with turned phase plugs.

    I should have finished this project but coming out of retirement for a "fun" part time job has limited my hobby time.

  13. #13
    frenchmon frenchmon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cackalacky View Post
    In about a month, I'll be in the St. Louis area, where I'll be meeting up with David Dicks of Audio Nirvana, makers of full range speakers from 3" - 15". I'm leaning toward buying a pair of 12" Alnicos ($800) for DIY bass reflex cabinets. I'll post my audition notes when I get back.
    What! I live in St. Charles....Just across the river from St. Louis....I had no idea they where here.
    Music...let it into your soul and be moved....with Canton...Pure Music


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  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by frenchmon View Post
    What! I live in St. Charles....Just across the river from St. Louis....I had no idea they where here.
    They're actually in Chesterfield, maybe 30 minutes West of downtown STL.
    CommonSense Audio

  15. #15
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    I find these Audio Nirvana drivers very interesting for single driver enclosures but I don't see any with high enough Qts to work well in OB without bass re-enforcement. I'd love to try them in a monkey coffin

  16. #16
    RGA
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    Poultrygeist

    Which Zu Audio did you have?

    I auditioned the Super-fly today with a 50 watt Melody KT88 amp.

    I find the speaker to be rather interesting in sonic terms - a lot of wetness - great lateral stage and tactile - pretty decent bass on Madonna's "Turn up the Radio" which was good enough bass not to make me groan. Though if you turned it up it sounded a bit hard and I noticed this steely quality on Allison Krauss and Union station Live Jerry Douglas' Dobro sounded quite hard.

    Strangely this was not a problem on the Essence speakers. To be fair the dealer just got the speakers the day prior and claims they take 300 hours to break in. I'll try back in a couple of weeks.

    There was a lot I liked - they had a bigger more full range sound than most single drivers (although Zu is not single driver - I believe the ribbon tweeter is supposed to serve mainly as super-teeter?).

    The Melody KT 88 is a 50 watt Push Pull amp which may have also caused some of the hardness - They retail for $3,500 I think and I hear a lot of potential even without break-in.

  17. #17
    frenchmon frenchmon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cackalacky View Post
    They're actually in Chesterfield, maybe 30 minutes West of downtown STL.
    CommonSense Audio
    yeah...I use to work in Chesterfield when I first moved to St. Louis. But no one who lives here in St. Louis or St. Louis County recognizes any borders as such. Chesterfield is really St. Louis as well as all these little small surrounding small cities like Chesterfield.

    Had something to do with the city and county of St. Louis splitting up years ago and them moving the city boarders in a bit after before covered all of St. Louis County.

    St. Louis/St.Louis County is strange. Before the Split this place was like the 6th largest City in the USA. After the split St. Louis became smaller. But the same people live here. So the ones caught up in the split of St. Louis and St. Louis county found them selves in two different places instead of one big place...St. Louis City or St. Louis County which is where Chesterfield is. But the Natives know what the deal is....its all one big city as far as they are concerned not two.
    Last edited by frenchmon; 04-28-2012 at 06:37 AM.
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  18. #18
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    RGA, I had the Zu Omens. All the Zu's I've seen use the 10 inch Eminence drivers as do the Tekton Lores. They run full range with no XO network except for a small cap on the super tweeter. The driver cones are doped and stiff out of the box. Mine took weeks of play before they sounded good.

    I tried the Zu's with a collection of push pull tube amps including a Primaluna Prologue, HH Scott, Fisher 500, HK Citation and a Dynaco ST70. None of these came close to the sound I got when using SET amps.

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