Amplifier matching with omega super Alnico Monitors.

The Omega Super Alnico Monitors are made for amps like the Line Magnetic 518ia.

This pairing should sound excellent.

What did Louis C say about your planned pairing?

Rich 

Hi Rich, thanks for the reply....... I haven't spoke to Louis yet. The speakers are still shipping to me at the moment from the Omega dealer here. I listened to them in the store with the small Leben integrated. They sounded good like that. I suppose if the 518 sounds great with them, I could always leave that in place, and buy a 219ia for the orangutans. I do Like the 518 with the orangs though, so maybe the 210ia for the Omegas. ?? The line magnetic amps are exceptional value for money in my opinion. But I am open to other interesting ideas. 

Myron.

@borg7x9 

Myron, I have been running Omega speakers for the last four years or so, and still do. I had the Omega SAMs for a few years, and now I still have the 3i, but in my main system, I am running the incredible SAM HOs.  From my extensive experience, the Omegas only get better as you place better gear in front of them.

You don't say what your budget is, so I will drop two recommendations for you that are my favorites.  For tubes, I can't recommend highly enough the Coincident M300b Frankenstein MKII monoblocks.  These can easily be the end-all of amps for me on my HOs, they are that good.  In fact, this is the first amp that I can, and do, actually use without a preamp (vol controlled by DAC). I never, ever liked my music without a preamp, but that has changed with the Franks.

For a more "budget" approach, I loved a Red Dragon S500 class D amp with the Omegas, but with a tube preamp in front.  I would have kept the S500, but I needed the $$ for the Franks above. It's class D done right, and I actually preferred it to a highly regarded class A amp.

Hope this helps!

Hi Mark. I always fancied the Frankensteins but I never got the chance to hear them here. I was looking for some 300bs to go with my tannoy westminsters a few years back. I never managed to get any 300bs to work well with the Tannoys. The more current the better was my finding with the tannoys.....It's good to know that the SAMs are worthy of exceptional amplification. The SAMs will be a second system for me, playing in the house during the day. But they will be placed on a credenza (not ideal I know) so a bit more of a minimal system rather than monos.  I'll be using a Mac mini as a music sever into a line magnetic 515cd/dac. Have you ever tried the SAMs with as little as 2 watts ?? I used to own a 45 based set. It was incredible tonally. I'm really going to be playing acoustic, folk, jazz. Nothing too trying. It'll be interesting to get the SAMs into the barn ( when it's finished ) and see how they do in a more purpose built environment with some space around them.

thanks for your reply. :).

@borg7x9 

Hey Myron, if I was in your shoes, and since this is for a secondary system, you won't need anything more than the Red Dragon. No worries with tubes, heat, or anything else like that, just glorious music. As I mentioned above, the S500 is worthy of being in the main system, and has been my main amp for a year or two until I put the Franks in.

i owned the 2wpc Decware SE84UFO amps two separate times, first for my SAMs, then for my SAM HOs. Great sounding amps, which is why I owned them twice, but I could not live with only 2wpc. Ran out of gas too soon on both, even with simple music, albeit in my big room (25' wide x open, with a vaulted ceiling). The 8 wpc Franks sound much more powerful than they really are, and I am able to use them just fine, but I do have the low bass running to a sub instead of thru the Omegas.

I have not heard any Line Mag amps, so I would be curious on your impressions of the LM with the Omegas. I bet they will be a sweet match!

That's a good point. The S500 would be very maintenance free for all day use. I see they have an ex dem one for 1500 on there website. I've always been very sceptical of digital amplifiers. I've only ever heard some driving b&w 802s. Not my idea of fun. But I guess things have moved on in the last 10 years though. Definitely an interesting way to go. 

A 250 watt amp is major overkill. For solid state consider the First Watt amps. 

@seanheis1 That may be so, but I can tell you that I much preferred the Red Dragon S500 to a First Watt F7 in a direct comparison in my system a few months ago. I owned both together at the same time, and kept the RD. I wanted to F7 to be a keeper, but it did not sync in my system very well. It rolled off the highs and was too soft (less dynamic, less engaging) compared to the S500.

@borg7x9 For all day running, I would never go with a tube amp or a class A ss amp! Class D is perfect for that!

Hi guys, I can see both your points of view. 250 does seem over the top, but if they work well at initial few watts and sound good then $1500 is a bargain and they would run economically and cool all day. That said if I were going for one of Nelsons creations, I'd love to try the XA30.8 on both the omegas and the orangutangs. I read very good things about it. 

Ive got my SAMs in. I'm running the LM518ia, LM515cd as a dac with MacBook Pro Spotify. Auditorium cables.....So Nothing fancy. 

I must say that I am pleasantly surprised by how good these speakers are. Considering they are just plonked on a sideboard they sound fantastic and are doing exactly what I hoped they would. I'm listening to Leonard Cohens album, you want it Darker. It sounds fabulous. I'm not feeling the need for a sub at this point and the top end is all there. At least I'm not hankering for any more top end. presentation is very open and free of the speakers just as i was hoping for.

Mid range is great, ( but the amp excels at that ) Cohen voice is palpable, deep and gravelly, lovely. Moved onto "new skin for the old ceremony" now. Still very good.....I think it could be a late night tonight. Might even open a bottle of wine 

Dont think I could have asked for any more at the price. I'm very happy. I'll post back different findings with different equipment as I go. Please feel free to ask questions and continue to post suggestions. 

thanks for all your input so far.

Myron.

I've never had the chance to hear a single driver speaker.  Do you think they are missing anything compared to a two-way stand-mount?  I've heard that single driver speakers have certain compromises that for some are too significant.  Of course, I imagine they do other things better than a 2-way.  Would love to hear your thoughts on the sound you're getting.  

Hi smrex. I think there are many different single driver designs, which will include some huge folded horn design that will provide full range. However these were fully intended to be a compromise for a smallish lounge system. However it’s fair to say they are very good in areas I thought they’d be limited. They don’t go as low as my orangutans or have the silky smoothness up top either. But as a system for relaxing of an evening too. I don’t think I could have done any better. For what I wanted. The Sound field is great. Big, open, free of the speakers. When I’m listening Im not aware of any deficiencies. They are interesting, quite large and very enjoyable. I think I’m going to enjoy them a lot.

If you have anything specific you’d like me to comment on, just let me know.

thanks for your interest.

Myron.

Congratulations Myron, I'm so happy for you. I keep looking at the Omega speakers, but have not purchased yet.

Myron, I’m following your feedback with great interest since I’ve been lusting over the Omega’s for a while, particularly their multi-driver (1.5 way) towers. My brother in law lives about 10 minutes away from their workshop in Norwalk Connecticut (hour and half from our house) so I could easily just pick up the speakers when we visit. I will just need to wait a bit since I’ll also need to get a solid quality low power integrated tube amplifier that I can dedicate to these speakers and the total funds can get a bit steep at the moment. Glad to hear you’re enjoying them.

@borg7x9 Myron,  Thanks for the response.  When you say they don't have the silky smoothness up top...could you explain that a bit?  Is it rolled off?  Bright? Tipped up?  I imagine it's a very different sound from having a dedicated tweeter.  Thanks for any info you can share.

Best, Scott

@smrex13 

I'm not Myron, but I do own a few pairs of Omega speakers and can give my opinion about the highs and lows.

For me, the highs...and I mean really up high...more like the harmonics of cymbals, bells etc. don't have that last utmost shimmer that you'll get with a dedicated tweeter.  I don't notice it all the time but it is there sometimes, this is in comparison with some Harbeths and Kef LS50's I've owned.  The highs are good though and many times I'll marvel at them never the less thinking..."no, there's nothing wrong with these highs."  But yes, compared to some higher end tweeters they are lacking.

Same with the lows.  The SAMS will start rolling off in the 50's, depending on your room.  Until they get to that point, they are quite nice, with detail and definition.  They don't boom and there is no boost in the upper bass like most speakers, so they may sound light at first.

It's funny, when you get new speakers or are listening to new speakers, if you are like I was, you are conditioned to concentrate on the highs and the lows.  Most of us completely ignore the midrange...as long as it sounds okay, it's the highs and lows that wow us.  After living with single drivers for quite a few years now, I no longer do this and it's the midrange that instantly captures me, and I think this is how it should be as this is where most of the music lies.

That said, I'll be the first to say that Single Driver speakers are not for everyone.

I agree with most of what @seikosha says in his response above, especially the part where he says "no, there's nothing wrong with these highs".  I may be more sensitive to brightness and etched highs, but I feel that the highs on my SAM HOs (1.5 ways) are as good as I want them to be, i.e. they have all the air, detail, and shimmer that I want, but with the addition of the coherence that a single driver gets you. The first cut on Santana's Abraxas (Singing Winds, Crying Beasts) is the cut I use to benchmark what I am hearing on the highs. The chimes should sound very holographic, with tons of color, varied tonality, and air, and you should "feel" the fingers running through them, making them sing. Goosebump territory! The Omegas do this for me.

As far as bass goes, I purposefully offload the low bass from the Omegas to a subwoofer for a few reasons. 1- The Omegas are not designed to be bass monsters, and my bass response in the spots where I have the best imaging and midrange is terrible. Enter the subwoofer! 2- Trying to reproduce low bass on a single driver may introduce distortion on the rest of the range. I've heard this myself. And finally, 3 - I get better efficiency from my 8wpc SET monoblocks when send the bass range to my sub, and let the SET amps deal with the all important midrange and the highs.  Hope this helps! 

Hi all, I think stfoth has things about right. What he suggests rings true for the SAMs as well. They are very nimble speakers. I suppose they are suited to less complex music in the way described above. Solo instruments sound fantastic, tone , leading edges, harmonics.... It's all there. 

Also please be aware that I've only got 10hours or so on them and that the speakers are just placed on a sideboard about 6 inches out from the wall. So I'm sure those hemp cones will break in given time and that they would sound much better on the Skylan stands with a bit of room around them. 

I just swapped a couple of messages with Louis (the designer). He said that the LM518ia was a great match with the SAMs. Which is nice.

Hi borg -

Glad that you and Louis had a chance to e speak.  I have had Omegas in at least one of my systems for almost 15 years.  I am using the Super 7 monitors now.  

Two observations.  The larger driver/ cabinet makes a very noticeable positive difference.  For all the quickness that the RS5 driver brings to the table, the larger drivers truly flesh out the sound and allow you to play louder, so any loss in quickness is not that big a deal anymore.  Also, the larger drivers are not that susceptible to 'honking' at certain frequencies. 

You may find yourself swapping in different amplifiers and experimenting.  I am using a Rega Brio R now with my Super 7s and I like the pairing.  In the past, I have paired Omegas with tubes (Prima Luna PL1) and vintage receivers (Marantz 2240) and current day receivers (Outlaw RR2150) and current day amplifiers (NAD 320BEE).   I probably liked the tube pairing best, though the Rega is quite good.


Good luck & congrats on the purchase.

Rich 

@seikosha Thanks for the feedback.  I'm very familiar with the KEF LS50 and the Harbeth P3s and C7s.  It's good to hear that you know these two brands and still like the single-driver experience.  The Harbeths have such a natural sound, and I've never quite warmed up to other speakers as much.  Still very curious to try a single driver.  

Thanks, Scott

Thanks Rich, I'm still unsure as to my systems evolution yet. I am intrigued by Marks suggestion of the class d red dragon s500, as I've never heard any digital amps I liked. And he's talking about them in the same breath as the 300b Frankensteins , so they must be good. That does interest me. On the other hand I could keep the 518ia with the SAMs and buy something more interesting to go with the devores when I've completed renovations which won't be until March next year I'm guessing. Hmmmm. Think I'll enjoy the Omegas with 518 for now and if I continue to think they sound great, I'll buy something for the other system. Of course if a cheap s500 appears here , then curiosity could get the better of me :-). Thanks for all your thought. If you have any more interesting ideas..... keep them coming. 

Thanks again.

Myron.

Sounds like the Omega/Line Magnetic pairing may have been at CDF in Montreal. They are a great bunch. As much as I love my Harbeth P3's, I often think about a switch to a more tube friendly speaker. Very nice with the Croft phono integrated though.