Omega Grande 8 vs. Cain & Cain Abby

Yeap..I'm sure I'm not the only on either LOL.
The biggest difference I noticed was the Omega 8s are more upfront. While the Abbys were more laid back. The sonic signature is roughly the same. The Abbys have less shout and beaming compared to the Omega 8s. This is attributed by the smaller cone area of the whizzer cone.

Louis of Omega will tell you that his Omega 6 has the edge over the 8 and 3 versions in tonal balance. You also have the Visaton B200 Fullrange Aperiodic Omega and the Hemp cone Omegas. I haven't heard either, but the ones that have say they are better across the board than the basic Omega line.Here's a link to a pair for sale by a Audiocircle member Aperiodic Omega. There are some other companies out there as well. I will post some links soon.

Good listening!

If you want more weight and dynamics in the music. The other choices for a single driver would be the Carolina audio TLs. Or one of the MLTL designs from Brines Acoustics. Sometimes they come up used at a good price....Not that often though. You could also pick up some Visaton B200 drivers for $300 and build yourself some open baffle speakers for not much money.

The Zu Tone monitors are just a little more money. Having heard the same driver in the Druids and Definitions, it is an EXCELLENT wide-range driver. Bass response would be probably comparable, around 50 hz or so, and they're 101 db efficient.

Here's one I forgot. These are good values .Since there's no dealer cost involved JORDAN JX92s VTL transmission lines
. The cabinet cost is only $475. I doubt there's many if any speakers in the price range that would embarass them.

Gmood1:

The following is from the ZHorn site, regarding the transmission lines using the JORDAN JX92S driver:

"If one has enough power (the drivers are 88db/watt efficient) and an average to small sized room, these speakers are my very favorite."

Not even close to "high efficiency".

JD

No shit! Sherlock! If you were paying attention. You would have realized that Doctor vine is using a 60 wpc channel integrated tube amp. His speakers don't need to be 100dB efficient. In the end his setup will most likely be much quieter with a speaker of average efficiency. I don't know about you but I don't like to hear my speakers hum from the listening position.

The man listens to full scale orchestra. He needs a speaker thats lite on it's feet but with some balls. The single driver TLs are a viable way to go. This way he doesn't sacrifice too much dynamics for efficiency that he doesn't need. Not to mention the TLs will give him some of the most realistic bass out there. Without it there is no orchestra.

Cheers!

If you don't mind getting your hands dirty. Here's some instructions for making your own solid core silver speaker cables. They will last you a life time!Unlike copper,when silver oxidizes the oxidation is more conductive than the wire itself.The cost will run you under $100 for 8 ft runs of 16 awg wire and the Teflon tubing.
Go with 14 gauge teflon to make the job easier. Here's how you do it.Make Your Own
Audio Cables. No need for connectors, as they only get in the way.

Hi Tony,

Are you going to use your Jolida 502b with the speakers? I found my Jolida 302b to work really well with Spendor S3/5 and a pair of Omega Super 3. However, I am quite unhappy about the match the Jolida makes with the Cain Abby's. See some of my comments here:

Preamp/Amp synergy with Cain Abby's?

I do think the Abby's need a very carefully matched amp. The Jolida just brought out the 4Khz presence much more than it should. I did hear the Abby's on a different EL34 tube amp where they worked quite well though.

Maybe, just as Gmood1 suggests one of the other Omega Speakers might give you a better match. However, the Omega speakers I had (Super 3)are not even close to the Abby's in fit and finish, and also not in sound. Just be prepared to get another amp if you go with the Abby (e.g. a Almarro 205, Fi X, etc.). On the right amp they should be great (Ask me again after this weekend on how they worked with a Bottlehead S.E.X. amp).

Good luck,

Rene

Gmood1:

Paying attention to what? There is nothing in this thread about a 60 WPC Amp, nor his listening preferences. Nothing but a question asking about a comparison of two high efficiency speakers. I followed your link to thew Jordan speakers and found the comment about 88 dB. Chill out.

I'm not upset JD. Just scroll down to the thread that says speaker advice' help needed . All your questions will be answered there.

Good listening