OrbAudio speakers

[gonzo2k]

I've been around here long enough to know that posting anything positive on Hot Deals DEFINATELY brings out the true "geniuses" to opine on how they know better.

There is NO place to buy these speakers except direct from the manufacturer... no coupons. Find them cheaper... PLEASE LMK.
They are not inexpensive... folks looking for a bargain on a Big Mac or Whopper... check another post.

Consider this a learning experience (or not):

I bought what I thought (at the time) were the finest computer speakers available... Midiland S2 4100s.
Bought them from buy.com (when it was THE place at the time) about 5 years ago... $320 or so/shipped
These speakers were so great, I never considered replacing them.
It was just a mere 2.1 system... 5.1 Klipsch... Videologic... nah!
Loved my Midiland's.
6.1... nope... 7.1... uh uh!
My soundcards were upgraded, but my Midilands ruled.

I provided the music to a few outdoor "tent" parties with my system...
My buddy came back to the USA to get married on the lower east side of NYC last October (I was the best man) and I brought my Midiland system for the music.
Cuttin' to the chase: severe weather... subwoofer/amp was protected, but I was draining H2O from the Midiland satellites the next morning. They never had the punch after they dried... I started looking for replacements.

I came upon orbaudio's website... took a chance ($219+$9 shipping) on the starter set.

THESE speakers are UNBELIEVABLE!

Here's a link:
orbaudio.com

"Small speakers for smart people" is their motto... I never felt smarter than with them in my system!
Don't "dis" this thread out of ignorance.

BTW, these speakers need power (receiver amp or powered subwoofer) My Midiland 4100 subwoofer powers them.

This IS a hot deal... TRUST ME!

 

[Taejin]

YES LETS JUST TRUST HIM. TAKE OUR YOUR WALLETS FELLAS

 

[jrw558]

If you study speaker design, symmetrical enclosures are avoided at all cost. Even when you tear off the grill of a tradition audio speaker, you will see the speakers are not centered in the box. This helps avoid symetrical phase cancellation within the enclosure.
Round is nice. It is a fashion statement, like Bose. They sound sensational, but will they tire you as you listen to them? Bose speakers always sounds great for the first ten minutes. After that I have to go.

Thirty years ago I had several sets of speakers looking very similar to these. They were from Radio Shack and I loved them... then. They stunned everyone that came into my office. I cranked them with as much as 80 clean watts. Though its rating was 5 watts, you pretty much can exceed its power rating if your source is good. Placement is critical!

My only words. If there is a return policy, make sure the sound you hear is enjoyable and do not cause fatigue. I leave that category of sound to my children.

 

[mboy]

C R A P !

 

[bigfil]

they look kind of like lights
well if they sound that good to you more power to yah

 

[RBC]

Say what you will, they seem to have a lot of nice reviews (I know... could be bought and user justified) and I haven't found any negative ones yet. Plus they do have 30 day return policy.

The most detailed user information that I found was in the ecoustics.com forums.

 

[gonzo2k]

response to moron edited.

 

[Apex]

The Orb's are not bad. If I had to go with little round speakers though, I'd probably go for the Anthony Gallo A'Diva or Dué instead though. Though neither are really my cup of tea, the sound of the Gallo speakers are slightly better, IMHO.

http://roundsound.com/productindex.html

 

[isekii]

It looks like it's for Mac people.

 

[gonzo2k]

Thanks for some intelligent input, Apex.
Interesting link to speakers with a very similar design.
What's the price structure? I didn't see it linked.

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: gonzo2k
Thanks for some intellegent input, Apex.
Interesting link to speakers with a very similar design.

isekii... I'm still in Bayonne... thanks for transporting your Ft. Lee mentality to my "mac" audio sensibilities via Newark... where next for you... Paterson?

I don't get it
It looks like it's for mac people, like the "creature" type speakers.

 

[cremefilled]

$219 is a _lot_ of money for small, unpowered 1-way speakers -- spherical enclosure or not. 1-way speakers have some very serious compromises, not the least of which is an inability to extend to the highest frequencies, and an inability to play loud in the lower frequencies.

For computer use, one can get a 5.1 THX Logitech system for the same price.

For home stereo use (which doesn't have to be distinct from computer use, of course), one can get any number of highly rated models from companies such as Paradigm, PSB, Infinity, NHT, Wharfedale, KEF, B&W, Energy, etc., etc. Any of these models will play much louder, and provide a much smoother frequency response. It's not even a contest.

I'm not saying that these Orb speakers are pure crap, but they are not even close to a hot deal. "Mac people" sounds about right. Form way, way before function.

(For the technically minded: the appeal of the spherical enclosure is in reducing diffraction effects, and in creating a strong & nonresonant enclosure. Some world-class speakers, such as the Bowers & Wilkes line, play around with using individual drivers in spherical enclosures. But the advantages are complete, totally swamped by the disadvantages in using a small, cheapie single driver to cover most of the audible spectrum [save the subwoofer's range]. No serious speaker designer would accept those compromises.)

 

[gonzo2k]

response to moron edited.

 

[Taejin]

Lol. You sounded like some sort of hawker in your post. You know, with the standard "Open your mind for once!" "This product is different!" "Trust me! I am a random 30-some year old man on the internet and ALL I WANT IS YOU TO LOOK INTO MY EYEEYSSSSSS"

Right. You could come off as less arrogant and more helpful in your post, without aggressively sticking up some sort of ill-thought out disclaimer that anyone disagreeing with your HOT DEAL is a "true genius" that "opines on how they know better".

Well I certainly don't claim to know more, but you smell like a rat.

 

[Politik]

This deal is hot or not depending on your style. The company appeals on style... they may be the best 3" drivers ever, they are not going to compete with decent 2-way speakers with 5-6" woofers. If you have a subwoofer already, it will be closer, but tweeters and bigger midranges exist for a reason.

Unless you believe this company has some secret speaker tech of course.

They look good, I'm sure they sound very good for their size, they're hot on that basis. Not hot if you are on a budget, IMO.

I have S2 4100s that I got on clearance from the manufacturer ($200, until you ship the mothers), I mourn your loss.

 

[gonzo2k]

Politik: Just having some fun posting a NEW, accurate PERSONAL opinion on some killer speakers I hadn't heard of before I bought them. I knew the naysayers were going to surface. BTW, my original 4100 satellites pale in comparison (even when new) to these.


response to moron edited.

 

[cremefilled]

You've got some issues, buddy. Get back to us when you've heard some decent 2-ways in the $2-300 price class.

For anybody confused by this thread, this is $219 for direct-mail 1-way (no separate woofer and tweeter) tiny satellites that absolutely have to be used with a subwoofer -- and that require their own amplification. Realistically, this places them at least in the $5-700 price class for a stereo (not mutlichannel) system. If you think that is a "hot deal," well, 1st Amendment & all that, but at least be civil about it when you are met with appropriate skepticism.

 

[emeraldsky]

Thanks OP.
This is an interesting speaker option.
You are raving about a system that includes an expensive sub-woofer. The comparable system from Orbaudio is $380. I'd be tempted to hook their $380 system to my computer with an inexpensive, clean, power amp.
If you want to buy a 5.1 solution from Orbaudio, it is $1100 for their low-price solution, and $1500 for their better system.

 

[Delerious]

I never heard of speakers causing fatigue before. Is there some literature available on that?

 

[gonzo2k]

emeraldsky: I'm raving about a pair of speakers I connected to my Midiland powered subwoofer for use on my computer. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another pair to use as a center channel or surrounds in a home theater setup. They have such a small footprint, they can be placed in front of a HDTV BELOW the screen. Many HD monitors are sloped in design... so center channel speakers can't be placed on top.

response to moron edited.

 

[emeraldsky]

Originally posted by: gonzo2k
I'm raving about a pair of speakers I connected to my Midiland powered subwoofer for use on my computer.

So you're recommending the $380 system to connect to your computer without a power amp.

 

[fezrep]

wow. this thread looks like vnboards...

<sigh>

 

[cremefilled]

The comparable system from Orbaudio is $380

Actually, emeraldsky, he must be recommending that you buy a stereo amplifier, which will be a minimum $100-150 more. That brings the "hot deal" price for tiny 1-way speakers+sub+cheap stereo receiver to at least $630 for a 2-channel stereo system.

From the orbaudio site:

and a value subwoofer we select from existing subwoofers in the marketplace. Subwoofer brand and specifications determined at time of shipment and subject to variation

You know, nothing says "quality" like a company that won't even tell you the name of the off-brand subwoofer they are selling you.

I don't mean this in a confrontational way, but you clearly have no idea of what the audio market is like if you think that these are a "hot deal" in the $600-700 pricerange. For people who need tiny, tiny speakers, or who value aesthetics above all else, they may be a reasonable buy (the same people who buy Bose Acoustimass), but you can do much better by going to a real stereo store and listening to some of the brands I mentioned above. (Even mainstream brands like Polk Audio and JBL will give you more.)

And I'd turn the "Seething Rage" knob down just a bit.

 

[Glendor]

Originally posted by: Delerious
I never heard of speakers causing fatigue before. Is there some literature available on that?

That would explain why I fall asleep when listening music

 

[cremefilled]

I doubt there is much published literature on listening fatigue. It is a "trade" term for speakers that make you quickly grow tired of listening. (Actually, most research on stereo listening is done in-house by the major manufacturers, so there is a dearth of peer-reviewed literature.)

Some things that would lead to listener fatigue include:

A ragged, uneven frequency response.
The speaker having an audible resonance.
Harmonic distortion -- often from the speaker driver physically distorting.
Inability of the speaker to scale accurately to different sound pressure levels.
A poorly constructed and braced speaker cabinet.
Poor matching between speakers.
A peaked frequency in the treble.

"Cranking" the bass and treble knobs may sound good on certain types of music, for a bit, but your ears quickly grow fatigued -- that is one example.