Amplifier matching with omega super Alnico Monitors.

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!