I was about to post the same question. Thanks
Pete |
No, the Omegas can do it. they can play loud. You'll just need a sub to augment the lower octaves in SPL. (they'll lose some bass response as the SPLs rise.) I heard Louis demo his Omegas with Consonnance tube gear (or was it DIY HiFi?) at the MAF 2003 show. They sounded great, except the bass was lacking. But again, bring a sub.
I played "Sandblasted Skin" off of the live Pantera CD. how's that for heavy metal torture? I found out Louis was a fan of Pantera as well.
I really thought the Omegas and the Cain & Cain Abbys (Venus HiFi room) were the treat of the show at MAF 2003. I really didn't like most of the horn demos. Disclaimer: I'm used to planars. |
I built some Fostex BR 206E's. I know these aren't the optimal enclosure, but they sound mighty fine. The Fostex line is great, though they don't excel at metal/rock. In fact, I'd say these are worst with this genre and significantly better with others.
These drivers are peaky from about 1 - 4 khz which is where the guitars live. It gets grating unless you have some (hopefully minimal) circuit correction. Even then, these drivers aren't made for that.
Check out the Zu Druids. I own them. 101 db at 8 ohms. They play everything. Loud, whisper, girl with guitar, Metallica, club/dance music. They kick booty at classical too. Plus, my 6 watt amp is a titan with them.
The XOverless thing is the wave of the future. No big amp/speaker combo I've heard can touch single-drivers in transient/vocals. With the Druids, the thunder aspect you'd expect with big amp/speakers is there too.
How they can bridge the gap so seamlessly astounds me every time I turn them on. It is a paradigm shift in the making and this is not the last time you'll hear this.
FWIW my last speaks were Gallo Ref. 3's and these utterly kick the tar out of them in every way. On 6 watts. Incredible. |
I don't know anything about these speakers, help me a bit. This full range (that needs a sub?) speaker uses multiple drivers? There is no crossover? WHAT THE PIG? |
It's a 10-inch full ranger + supertweeter that kicks in at 12 khz with a simple resistor. So, no crossover in any way from 40 hz to 12 khz. I can't hear it there either. The highs are simply sparkling. The fostexes do a surprisingly great job in the upper registers, but they can't touch the Druids.
As far as the sub, I have a giant room (30 x 15 x 15) and these put out plenty of bass for me. Another guy I had over ordered them and said he was planning to use a sub. He's used to feeling the first octave, where I'm not. So, if you've got one you might give it a whirl. I'd guess with the speed of the mains, you'll need a top-caliber sub to keep up.
If you call Zu, I think they'll check their customer database to find out if there's someone near you that might be able to give you a demo. Might change your life. Or, you can wait for the 6moons review. Srajan will be reviewing and his praise will be much more flowing than mine.
I will NEVER let these speakers out of my house. |
Nathan, these are single driver. They only need a sub if you listen to electronic, amplified music loudly. You won't need a sub if you like girl with guitar music, for example. The transient speed and clarity is amazing. Just ask Tom (Twl).
Aaron |
Louis was working on a super tweeter mount that would make it easy to install to the stock cabinets, for the ones that need more upper range. I think his newer Hemp drivers are supposed to be better for this kind of music as well. Since I do not listen to that kind of music, I'm happy without the added tweeter. Yeap I've replaced multi driver floorstanders that went down to 25 hz. Also large Magnepans have been up rooted because of the Omega /dual subwoofer combo. For me without a doubt it's the best sounding setup I've owned and also the cheapest!
Low volume listening has never sounded so good.
If you really want to enjoy Jazz,Classical and most genre to it's fullest you need a SUB with these speakers. Two would be better.
You will hear the foot tapping in some recordings but you won't feel it without the subs.
Good luck! |
6.5" full range driver in small bass reflex box + LOUD rock/metal music = wishful thinking.
Sub will not help full range driver from crapping out at loud level. No impact. Try Pink Floyd, the Wall- loud helicopter, full range driver will bottom out and hurt your ears.
Full range driver in proper horn/trans line + moderately loud acoustic jazz or girl with guitar = blissful sound. |
Ultrakaz I agree...but we are talking above 100db. It also boils down to what a person considers loud. For me loud is above 80 db. I fear permanent hearing loss going much higher for extended periods of time. Since I hear everything just fine at 65 db to 75 db , 90 to 100 db listening seems ludicrous IMHO!You may want to stick with big Paradigms and the sort if you listen at these levels and to this kind of music. |
Gmood1 -- the +100 db spl simply allows you (or should) lots of headroom using little energy. Useful for dynamics!
It doesn't mean that you're obliged to listen at 1W average! BUT, if there is a transient in the programme matl that requires 30db headroom (I am dreaming, I know... oh well) it's very easy to achieve for someone who listens at an "average level" of ~70 -- all you need is amplification reserves in excess of 1W! |
Gregm I understand this very well. I've measured transients using a spl meter on some recordings in my room.Some music gets down to near 50 db and peaks near 80db. This was measured when using my 6 wpc amplifier. |
These are like no other full-ranger I know of (except maybe Bastanis). Pink Floyd helicopter lands in my living room at over 100 db without a hint of compression. No exaggeration. These are like nothing else you've ever heard.
They will thunder down on you plus all the niceys of other FR's. They are claimed to produce 130 db peaks and I don't know about that, but they are clean as a whistle above 100 db (measured) in my giant room.
Again - no previous experience with FR speakers will prepare you for what these can do. |
