Full Range Omega speakers, a Zu Speaker alternative
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ต.ค. 2024
- #audiophile #hifi #review
My review on the Omega RS8
These were sold for $2100 USD initially but drop to $1595 when they discontinued it.
Super 8 Monitors
98dB
8 inch full range
Great for low power tube amplifier
Having owned both of these, zu omens and compact 8s, i love both, very very good, and can be driven with anything, zu has an amazing tweeter and top end when placed right, omegas are more natural and realistic on instruments and vocals are killer and still have great top end extension, and the bass is plenty good for me on the omegas, not lacking at all, zus have more bass but don't really go much deeper, they both are a win, you can't go wrong with either for certain, I've owned alot of different speakers, and both are in my top 10 favorites I've had.
ZU DW6 with Superfly upgrade !
You’ve been putting off a lot of weight since the first I saw your video like a year, a year in a half ago.
Not just you completed upgrading your man cave with those new floor and fancy room acoustic defuser, but you look like a new you.
Happy (and envy) for you man.
Thanks, I was on KETO diet for a while as well as doing some exercise. I actually just stopped my KETO yesterday, hope I can keep the weigh off. Yeah, I will be making a video on my room soon. Thanks!
@@ThomasAndStereo Never stop your keto!
@@ThomasAndStereo Did the KETO diet work for you?
How much weight did you loose after you started it?
And how long did you do it for?
@@ThomasAndStereo Dear Thomas, could you tell me please which Zu Omen did Rust compare the Omegas? Is it Omen MK1/MK2 or Omen DEF MK1/Mk2?
I made some great really cheap speakers. I mounted a 5" FR driver on top of a boxed woofer (mounting was a lot of Blue Tack as an experiment). The FR driver is mounted completely open (out of the box). The woofer is in the box and has an inductor on it and the open FR driver is directly connected to the amp. It's dipole and open and the open driver blends with the woofer well, cos the whole signal is fed into the open FR driver. Open FR drivers have a LOT more highs!!! What you want with FR drivers! And the woofer warms up the medrange from the FR driver. Sounds perfect and way better TONE in the med than a boxed FR driver. Dipole, airy, point source, and med to treble transition that's heaven! If there is any REVERB in a recording you will definitely hear it (and love it)! 🎉😮
I have the Omega Max Hemp with the base stands for the longest time and I love them dearly :)
Thanks, Thomas! Another great video that explains the sound of the speakers very well.
The comments about the midrange intrigued me. When I was in my 20s I put together a modest system that managed to excel in the midrange and with vocals. My speakers were the iconoclastic Spica TC50s ..... rolled off at the top and benefited from a sub in the bottom, but, oh, that midrange! It was magic!
Those speakers taught me how important the midrange is, and how I can't live without it.
Now, when I try to clarify what kind of sound I am after, I find myself going back to the audio memory of how much I loved the midrange on those speakers, and I realize again that for me, midrange is king!
Thanks Dennis. The midrange on these are different than the Harbeth. When we think of midrange, usually we talk about how sweet and romantic it is. These are actually dry and pairing them with a tube amp is pretty important. what you get, since it is dry, is texture. The midrange you talk about with the Spica TC50s, I wonder if they are closer to the Harbeth type of smooth mid range or the Omega type.
@@ThomasAndStereo I haven't heard either speaker, but from my memory of the Spicas and what you say about the Omens, i would say they would be more towards the Harbeth. I have always wanted to hear Harbeths, and suspect I would fall in love with them, if only I could afford them!
I have a tube amp and dac, and do prefer a sound that leans toward warm.
I bought a pair of Zu Audio Omen Def in 2015 and then, in 2018, I purchased a pair of Omega Super 7 monitors. I’ve tried them both with many different amplifiers and my conclusion is that both speakers sound great (to my taste), being very clear and detailed and offering very good bass. The Omega are very refined for a near field listening and the Zu are much more powerful, real party animals! After listening to many different brands, these two offer the sound signature that I like to hear, so I’m keeping them both forever.
I had a pair. I ran them with Klimo Beltaine 300b SET Monos and a Klimo Merlin line stage. Absolute magic. Best tube/horn combo I ever owned.
I would really like to try 300B on them too. Congrats.
Hi neighbor, also in the Montreal area here. You guys are a great duo -- nice review! As a few others have hinted at in the previous comments, I would also be very curious how you would react to an Omega model with their custom AlNiCo driver. In particular, one of the 'high output' models which pair a second identical driver, cut off at about 200hz, and with no crossover. These models would greatly mitigate every negative point addressed in the video. The AlNiCo driver offers more rich tone and layering, and is even better at reproducing 'complex' pieces like large scale orchestra. This is also helped by the additional surface area gained from the second driver in the 'high output' models -- it offloads the work (excursion) of the full range driver, and also adds a more extended bass response... all while keeping the positives of a full range driver speaker because of the lack of a crossover.
More recently you reviewed the Pearl Sibelius, and while I watched it, I realized that for a similar price point, one could also purchase an Omega AlNiCo 'high output' model... I think that economically and performance wise, the Omegas are a worthy contender, ripe for comparison... hopefully someday you will find opportunity to listen and review one. One huge advantage the Omega has is the ability to be paired with flea watt amps... I don't know why the Sibelius is so inefficient as it has no crossover, but that's a major downside. This may set the Omegas up for a more preferable sound for many people, by comparison, since they can be heard with the beauty of low wattage single ended triodes like 2a3s or 45s, or the low wattage Decware amps, for example.
Food for thought -- I'm sure many of your followers would totally dig such a review. Personally, I've owned many speakers as well, covering most of the categorical designs -- planars, 2 way monitors, 3 way floor standers, single drivers, headphones, etc... some that were 10x the price of the Omega CAMs that I currently own, and all were very highly reviewed / rated. Paired with a Yamamoto amp and a Rythmik subwoofer, I now am the closest I've ever been to what I, subjectively, consider my 'ultimate sound system'. Go figure -- just another example of how price or complexity doesn't always dictate quality or preference.
Sidenote to clear confusion -- You mentioned in your Sibelius review that you 'finally found a single driver speaker that you like'... but, it seems that you really liked both the Omega and Zu speakers that you had previously heard..?
Cheers man, keep up the good work -- you're one of the best reviewers I've seen -- honest, direct, personable, and detailed in your descriptions... but also without embellishing or masking your points with too many typical 'hifi' adjectives, which can be easily 'lost in translation' to what each reader / viewer understands the terms to mean exactly.
Great talk, enjoy it very much. It is about wide banders sure, but the main thing with this experience is the deletion of the crossover..
Glad to see you covering fullrangers. I prefer a recessed midrange so not really for me, but I owned a pair long enough to appreciate the coherence, speed, and room friendliness of them. They're great for entertaining company as they sound good regardless where you are in the room, no fighting over the sweetspot.
Yeah, thanks for sharing your experience.
Love the duo review! Great that he could fluently voice out the keypoints that we easily understand. Would like to suggest a mic stand if youre likely to have more videos like this coming. Great video as always, Thomas.
Yeah, I don't expect to make a lot of reviews because a lot of my friends are not comfortable infront of the camera. I might do 2 or 3 more with others in the video only.
I’m just in love with the look and concept behind the zu dirty weekends I really would love to hear them. Coming from a pair of PSB B25 bookshelves and a NAD320bee
Thank you Thomas , You never know until you try it ? You make so much since , Your channel has honestly helped matured my opion on audio gear . apples and oranges ! 😆
Thanks Tee-Jay for dropping by. Also, enjoyed your IOTAVX review. I can see your passion.
@@ThomasAndStereo thank you Thomas. I have been really enjoying the IOTAVX- STACK, close to the holidays I will have one last video of the IOTA MULTI-FI-STACK-ATTACK!!! 😆
Thank you for your videos they are very informative, much appreciated sir. Peace and Happy Holiday’s!
Those are very cool speakers. Seems they would not reach the upper extension of the Zu, but otherwise something fun to tinker with. I experimented with a full range conversion of my Altec A7s, dropping the top sectional horn and changing out the cabinet driver to a full range 15". It still needed a super tweeter which I used a 2" titanium rearward firing mega tweeter crossed over at 8khz. This made some nice magic, but ultimately, the limitations of the bass horn cabinet dispersion has me going back to a more conventional setup. On an aside, I see a lot of people amazed by horn speakers, largely because they seem so much louder and livelier than cone drivers, but more often than not, it's because they compare them next to, say a pair of tower speakers with cone drivers, direct radiating, to some horn loaded offering and think, "wow, that so much louder and clearer than my normal towers". I'm saying that don't be fooled. Yes, the efficiency is in favor of the horn speakers, but actually may not produce more clean sound than a more conventional setup. Up your clean power and drive your normal speakers with authority and then compare. I think most people prefer the sound of a quality, non horn loaded speaker to a horn based setup. I have many horn based speakers that is was impressive with until giving some of my other speakers the power they need. The tonal balance tends to favor the direct radiating configuration vs horn. Horns are engaging because of compression and phase separation. i.e. don't switch out a nice pair of focal for some over priced horn speakers.
Ah, thanks for sharing your experience and it valuable since you did take the time to test them. I don't have a lot of experience with 'REAL' horn speakers. Hopefully, one day. Good to have you drop by as usual.
Great video guys, you should do more reviews as a team, great synergy with your personalities
Thanks, I probably will go over to his place to film his system.
Agree, this duo has synergy, it keeps my attention. Compliments
Thanks for sharing the "Battery" song!
I get from this both the Zu and Omega are great if you favour listening at low volume levels.
Speakers that sound nice and are " "just right" at louder or high(ish) decibels can often sound lacking at intimate volume listening levels.
The speakers discussed here probably sound "just right" for that late at night listening experience when you don't want to disturb the whole household.
Some will think a flat frequency response as having lifted mids. They would be wrong.
I built a set of speakers with a set of 4" mark audio full range speakers and love them.
9:30 answered the question of comparing these bookshelves to the zu towers. It would be interesting to compare the junior or super 8 xrs in this example.
I used to get unmounted C8MX Rola speakers and mount them in a cardboard box plugged into my mono taperecorder for better sound
I used to own a pair of Omega Super 3 desktops (I reviewed these for headphone guru a few years ago) and then upgraded to a pair of Omega Compact RS8’s and an Omega Speed 10 subwoofer, I use a Firstwatt J2 or a Woo Audio WA5 300B SET amplifier to power them and the sound is sublime, soo pure, clean, and detailed, the subwoofer is a must to add the bass, and the sound is organic and natural, really feel like theres nothing missing and for music, is as good as it gets, no, they won’t fill a massive room, or replace a HT system for movies, but as a reference system for pure musical enjoyment and playing records in your living room, daily living, these are the best!!!!
also, I love these for rap music, I know I’m not getting that fun boomy bloaty bass thats good at parties and clubs, but the music comes through soo cleanly, and it makes for a more intimate and personal listening experience, you really get to connect with it more, listen to xxxtentacion’s album if you can with these :)
glad omega is getting some more exposure they’re very low key still
Nice, thanks for sharing your experience. I do wonder how their subwoofers are.
Great video kudos to Russ very relaxed and engaging.I liked the discussion but if there was one weakness I wish Russ had spoken a bit more about the Heresy sound vs both his Zu's,the Zu's you have Thomas and the Omegas.I would like to add to what you guys were talking about concerning the ports both rear and bottom.I have friend who own the Dirty Weekends and in the set up literature Sean Casey says the height of the spikes is critical to the port on the bottom having the right gap to optimize the specific design of the port (I can't rember it's name but it based on some early speaker research Sean likes).Which leads me to wonder if I were to ask many speaker designers why back and why front ports -I saw that Andrew Jones went from a rear port on his first version of the Elac 6 to a front firing one on the 6.2 and overall this may lessen bass output in a given room but allow for closer wall placement (BTW the new $500 Elac Debut Reference sounded amazing on a youtube from Michael Fremer at one of the recent shows -Jones is a wizard with low cost).My question to you Thomas is the Omen a bottom port?Also I notice that the new English speaker getting a lot of buzz is Fyne a company founded by former Tannoy engineers.They make use of bottom ports in both floorstander and bookshelf designs and I'd like to know why more speakers don't.Last Tannoy there's a speaker I wish you could review vs the Klipsch,Zu,Omega,Also the Canadian (I believe company that was founded by Israel Blum Coincident.They have some very high efficency designs and make some very nice tube amps.
Peace and Season Greetings Thomas (you too Russ)
Ah, the video originally was 20 min longers. I had to cut it out cause we spend a whole section talking about Zu. Then I figured I will drop by his place one day to make a video on his system instead so I will talk about the contrast in that video. Thanks. Coincident line? Yeah I heard them, pretty good.
Man I wish you guys could review a few larger Omegas. Great job guys
Thanks Doug, have you ever heard one? Or maybe have one?
I have: Revel M22's, Sonus Faber Minuetto's, Sonus Faber Toy Towers, The Clue's and Vandersteen Model 1's and Model 2' s and I love them all. Which is best? Well that depends on what I'm listening to, when and where. I like to rotate them all in and out of the line up so I can appreciate them all at various times. I have yet to find one speaker that plays everything exceptionally well, and that's ok. I look at speakers like vehicles. I have my daily driver, my utility vehicle and my performance vehicle, and Uber for avoiding DUI.... Would love to pick up a set of Zu's and Omega's! :)
Yes, it would sound very different the Zu. I also have the Toy towers and it's nice.
@@ThomasAndStereo Dude, I think the minuettos are even better than the toy towers, which is surprising because they are monitor size. I listen to them near field sitting just inside the apex with the tweeters at ear height ~~~ magic!
Hi Thomas, can you do a review on speakers with full range drivers such as the Mark audio, Tang Band, and Fostex. Appreciated!
Wow you both have chemistry ..i want to hear more from both of you discuss on more audio shit
Thanks, I will drop by his place eventually to film his video.
These were sold for $2100 USD a pair initially but drop to $1595 when they discontinued it. Please watch my Zu video first to have a better understanding of what we meant by 'A Curve'.
Also, just like the Zu, they do sound a bit 'dry' so pairing with a turntable and analog is a good idea.
th-cam.com/video/Pqw7WRnItT0/w-d-xo.html
You need to listen to The Cube audio if you like fullrange drivers probably the best out there.
Thanks John, those speakers are beautiful.
Oh good ! Been wanting to know about these.
Hope we gave enough info to give you an idea how they are.
Would be interested in what associated equipment, preamp, amp, including cables, and power conditioning -if any-that were used with this speaker.
Well, i have a lot so with the Omega, I tried many different front end with it including tubes. With Russ, it was with the Exasound E28, Schiit Freya, Moon w5.3, DIY Litz cables. Siltech and DIY interconnects.
Great video!
Those omegas are the best looking speakers Ive seen
Yeah, I like the looks too.
Great work soldiering on with this review channel Thomas! Im trying to figure out how to help a friend who hand makes his own fullrange drivers from scratch over here in Singapore. Any chance we can get a video review from you on this?
Ah, that would be for a DIY speaker channel. I have no idea. Sorry.
Really wonder how this compares to the Closer Ogy
Great video. What amp are you using? I'm looking at some and am trying to get a sense of what amp I should go with.
I have the Omega super 8s..... Same driver as these, but with a large floor standing cabinet.
Even on the super 8s.... "A" curve is no joke. Because I stream 100% of the time, I actually EQ out some of that mid-range bump. It's great for a lot of genres but, not for rock music in my opinion. You really don't want the vocals super forward on hard rock or alternative.
Fast in the med and upper med but top end suffers in speed and a tweeter will always be faster cos it's so much way smaller. But I would rather the point source sound and the "chiffy" top end anyway, and I can make the top faster now without adding a tweeter. Glue a tiny stick post on the dustcap and glue a tiny piece of foil on the post. Top end speed cos the foil vibrates as a separate diaphragm, and the foil is so small.
Thomas, do you think the omegas could be used in a listening room/home theater set up assuming it’s paired with a subwoofer?
I'm starting to really like full range speaker
Very nice video.....good insight and understanding of elements in music.
You do however have to listen to Cube Audio. You have not heard a fullrange speaker until then.....🤗 Try the Magus 10", and you will never look back. No A curve here......
Keep up the good work👍
Thanks, yeah you are the 2nd person to recommend me the Cube Audio in the comment section. I would definitely love to one day.
@@ThomasAndStereo I guess they are hard to come by in Canada. But to me and my 35 years in hi-fi, they are a game changer. They are that good😎 Expensive though.....
Nice collaboration!
given that Zu has discontinued the DW model, i would say omega owns the < $2,500 USD market (for single source speakers). sigh, i learned this when i went to buy a pair the other day :(
The speed comment really piqued my interest in these speakers.
Thanks for the impressions on these Thomas & Co.
Would you recommend pairing them with a Prima Luna Integrated amp?
Thanks, I don't remember if I tried it with the Prima but at 98db, I would assume you can pair it with any tubes integrated amp. It is really efficient.
That is "freshly baked bread" for you, especially when highlighted in neon... ;)
Great video! The guest seams to know his stuff! Not my speaker although. So is the mid range good? Or there's just a lot of it? Just cause you hear more of it doesn't mean it's any good.
Would you consider adding a super-tweeter? Maybe a planar/magnetic. Or auditioning Omega's Super Alnico High Output XRS with a Hagel or PMI Belles Aria amplifier.
I would love the audition the XRS, maybe if I have more subscribers on my channel, I would reach out to them because those are quite expensive speakers especially shipping from the States.
Are these Omega full range speakers from Louis Chochos ? They are are normally paired with Vinnie Rossi's Red Wine Audio battery powered T-Amps.
Yup, seems like it. This is the website.
omegaloudspeakers.com/blogs/news
Oh nice, I see some Schiit gear in the background. Huge fan!
Yeah, I made a video on the Schitt Freya, please check it out.
Hey Thomas, what do you mean by “tracks that need a lot of speed”? Thanks. BTW I have owned Zu DW since 2012 ish. I have a love hate relationship with them.🤣
Lol. Love hate relationship :) Do you have a sub? Speed? Hmm...how do I explain that, play that track Battery - Rodrigo y Gabriela on your dirty weekend and other speaker, maybe you will hear the difference when they go really quick with the guitar. Think of a 15 inch woofer vs a 5 inch woofer, one is slow and woobly while the other is fast and tight. Start and stop right away while the other one has a bit too much kinetic energy so it is sluggish.
Thomas your vintage friend has some Dynaco A25's, does he notice much of a difference in sound and tone when he changes the equipment feeding them? Three different integrateds have had little effect to my ear, but wondering if it's me, or the speakers. Thanks!
This is what he said and keep in mind Mr vintage is someone who is into critical listening. So the difference in sound one perceives is relative.
"The A25 has a strong character of its own. It is smooth, warm, not so fast...belongs to the dark side of the group. Modern amplifier with a bright or even lean character would be a good match, vintage gear I had good results are Yamaha, match better than a Sansui, Pioneer or Marantz. Because its not neutral, most of the front end with be coloured by it's strong character. I had outstanding results from the MP301, probably benefited from the bright Chinese 6L6. The A25 sounds beautiful with tube amplifier as well. He should give it a try, excellent with 6L6, 6V6 family, avoid EL34."
@@ThomasAndStereo Thanks Thomas, just trying to evaluate the Sprout 100 vs my Sherwood 7200 I currently run, and an old Sony Home Theatre receiver I brought in from my garage system just to see.
When I listen to a live orchestra I cannot draw or separate the instruments, neither draw layers of depth. That’s the reason I do not care about these requisites and love single single driver loudspeakers.
The driver isn't same $15.00 GRS 8FR-8 speaker that Blumstein uses and charges out the Wahzoo for, is it?
No it is not. I remember reading the Omega drivers are custom made drivers with alnico magnets. It has been a while so you will have to read up on it to confirm.
I am a huge Omega fan. I have a pair of the 3i monitors (single 4.5' driver), a pair of High Output 3i monitors (one full range 4.5' and one cutoff at 200Hz for more dynamics), one Compact Alnico Monitor, one pair of their High Output 8s (one full range 8' driver and one cutoff at 200Hz) and a sub. Like the video says, Omega has some great options depending on what music you like.
Man, I wish they would send me a full tower to try. You have quite a collection there.
@@ThomasAndStereo Oh, and one of their subs 😁
@@DavidMartinez-fg1hh🤡
Hey Thomas do you have any thoughts on the Harbeth Super HL5plus? With their aluminum and titanium tweeters are they still considered a warm sounding speaker?
Sorry, I never heard those.
What is this finish called?
Have you thought of using a rug to tame the first reflections from your wooden floor?
I did mentioned in the video with text that I do have a rug and I only use it on specific speakers and I will explain it in my room tour video.
@@ThomasAndStereo Missed that. I was watching in bed this morning and like a true keyboard warrior, commented before watching in full :D
So what speakers would you recommend buying "Blind" Thomas?
In theory, all speakers if you cannot audition it.
If you go to audiocircle the owner of Omega sometimes shows up and answers questions.
Ah, nice. I think Andrew Jones did it on some forums too.
Is the cabinet Russ used to house his equipment available from a national chain?
I don’t think it is from a chain, I think it is from wood.
He had it custom made by a cabinet maker.
I just found out about the Zu Omen DW mk2 and how they compare to the Tekton Lure?
I have never heard the Lore, sorry.
Those Heresy's have to blow the Zu's out of the water. Far superior IMO.
Ah, the Heresy would be more your kind of speakers. I will drop by his place to make a video eventually and maybe I can talk about the sharp contrast, don't know yet but it should be interesting.
I own the rethms.Google them.They are one of the best single driver speakers with bass..
Amazing, thanks.
Soprano is not a voice type with men. You perhaps mean a counter tenor.
Just curious, what do you think of pmc’s mb2se?
I only heard them at the show with classical music. It was one of the better system I auditioned at that show. Very strong is what I remembered.
hello...What do you think about this speaker?philips ad-12202/m12
Sorry, never heard those.
What is the model of Rel subwoofer do you use?
T7i and I will be making a video on it.
Battery, that's a Metallica song. Which is what they were playing...
How much?
It is discontinued but it was $2100 first then dropped to $1595.
So, the Omegas are good with tubes?
Yes at 98db
@@ThomasAndStereo Sorry for the dumb question. I was viewing it from my phone and didn't see that you had posted 98db in the description.
Very good! I run Omega compact RS8’s with a Woo Audio WA5 300B tube Class A SET amp, the best sound I’ve heard yet, not as powerful as other systems but the sound is as pure and organic as it gets
Are there any speakers which don’t need subs
I was at kJ west one and they had grand utopia 2’s and they were paired with a huge sub
If you want the full range experience, probably most speaker will need a sub. However, everything is relative. There is 'adequate' bass and what is adequate depends on each person. For example, a Polk LSIM707 is enough for 90% of the people. Some will still want a sub.
Thanks Thomas
All the best
👍😎 damn this speaker is exciting.
How much is it?
It is discontinued but it was $2100 first then dropped to $1595.
Thanks.
What are the Omegas mounted on?
TYLER ACOUSTIC Speaker Stands
On their website they are often on skylan stands, which are great stands
You should also checkout the Tekton Lore speakers as well.
Yeah, the Tekton DI were pretty good so Lore would be nice.
Thomas, is that the price for one speaker?
No, for a pair.
@@ThomasAndStereothank you
Have you heard good musicians play “Battery?” Cause that was terrible
link?
Well I just discovered their album version and it’s a bit better I guess... that live version is just horrendous... I have a fondness for that song and I play it as well so to hear those gallops played so off cadence is bothersome 👇🏼 this is much better
th-cam.com/video/BUL3-rXIATc/w-d-xo.html
666 views... they probably sound like the devil ;-)
Bad ass speakers!
Can i send you a private message ?
Sure, turbotan@gmail.com
Not for my eyes sorry
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