Hey guys,

I am looking for a speaker system for my living room (details on size soon) and I am liking the orb audio speakers. How do they sound for music? Also what is everyone using to drive them? Id like to be able to use my reciever for controlling everything so the AVR 635 HK might be a good bet for me.

Thanks

Chris

Any ideas?

Chris

Search is your friend :P

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7344267&highlight=orbaudio#post7344267

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7343489&highlight=orbaudio#post7343489

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7316111&highlight=orbaudio#post7316111

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7084466&highlight=orbaudio#post7084466

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6898715&highlight=orbaudio#post6898715

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6663876&highlight=orbaudio#post6663876

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5964981&highlight=orbaudio#post5964981

Also search "Mod2" for more hits

Regards


PS. I'm thinking of doing a pre-emptive strike against Bose and buying my girlfriend an Orb Audio setup.

The Orbs sound great with music. Very coherent sound and they go very loud. Crossover is best around 150 but anything above 100 will work. They are quite efficient and can be driven by any receiver that puts out an honest 50 per channel. In a large room, the Mod2s work best. A small room will accommodate the Mod1s.

Thanks for the heads up! I am just about to place my order! I am thinking of using an HK AVR-635 to power the "Peoples Choice"

Chris

Here's another thread going on with the Orbs.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=658442

Here's a thread from another forum that helped me decide to try the Orbs. I have had mine a little over a year and still love them. I am amazed every time I crank them up at the quality and quantity of sound they produce. Good Luck.

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/3/9497.html

Thanks guys for the links! I just ordered the "Peoples Choice" package and should be here next week

Its reciever time! Do yall think that the HK 635 would be a good match? If not can you suggest one.

Thanks guys for the links! I just ordered the "Peoples Choice" package and should be here next week

Its reciever time! Do yall think that the HK 635 would be a good match? If not can you suggest one.

HK and the Orbs will be perfect together. It doesn't take much in the way of power to run them..they are very efficient. That's going to be one nice conversation piece, especially after people hear it!

Awesome! Going to order the AVR 635 then. I would wait until the AVR 640 hit the market but dont see the need for HDMI switching, plus it will probably be twice the price of the AVR 635...

Chris

Awesome! Going to order the AVR 635 then. I would wait until the AVR 640 hit the market but dont see the need for HDMI switching, plus it will probably be twice the price of the AVR 635...

Chris


I just did the same thing. Had the Orbs for a while but I ordered the 635 today for the exact same reason you did. Now, is there something tricky to the setup for the Orbs? It's kinda weird how they all wire together no? Is there a trick to this as I thought I read somewhere? Also, what kind/guage speaker wire should I get for the orbs? thanks all.

I just did the same thing. Had the Orbs for a while but I ordered the 635 today for the exact same reason you did. Now, is there something tricky to the setup for the Orbs? It's kinda weird how they all wire together no? Is there a trick to this as I thought I read somewhere? Also, what kind/guage speaker wire should I get for the orbs? thanks all.

Wiring to Orbs together is a snap, you will get wire to hook them up. Basically its 2 mall speaker wires (provided) and you will run red to red black to black. My mom did her own and she's 76 yrs old. Don't go any bigger than 14 g on the speaker wire you will understand this more when you see them in person. Bump this thread when you get them and tell us what you think. I know you will like them.

Wiring to Orbs together is a snap, you will get wire to hook them up. Basically its 2 mall speaker wires (provided) and you will run red to red black to black. My mom did her own and she's 76 yrs old. Don't go any bigger than 14 g on the speaker wire you will understand this more when you see them in person. Bump this thread when you get them and tell us what you think. I know you will like them.


I have the orbs now, they're just not set up yet. It just seems weird that you have to push one wire in the bottom while trying not to push the connectiong wire out the other side unless I'm doing something wrong. If your mom pulled this off, I'm very impressed.

I have the orbs now, they're just not set up yet. It just seems weird that you have to push one wire in the bottom while trying not to push the connectiong wire out the other side unless I'm doing something wrong. If your mom pulled this off, I'm very impressed.

She used 16g wire which Orb recommends unless you got some real long runs which make it alot easier. It took me a couple of trys to get the hang of it then it was smooth sailing.

Awesome I cant wait!! I just ordered everything and will report back next week with pictures and readouts from Avia!

QUESTION!

LOL sorry really excited aboutmy speakers coming in! I do want to JAM some rock music with the system so I figured I would buy two tower speakers for a 2.1 (utilizing the sub with the orb speakers) just for music. Agian the towers will be just for MUSIC, so knowing that and the fact I do not want to spend more then 500 on each speaker what would yall suggest. Again my HT system is the Orb Mod2 system.

QUESTION!

LOL sorry really excited aboutmy speakers coming in! I do want to JAM some rock music with the system so I figured I would buy two tower speakers for a 2.1 (utilizing the sub with the orb speakers) just for music. Agian the towers will be just for MUSIC, so knowing that and the fact I do not want to spend more then 500 on each speaker what would yall suggest. Again my HT system is the Orb Mod2 system.

WAIT!!!!......Get your Mod 2's all set up and take a listen you might be surprised even more than you think with regards to the way they handle music. Don't get me wrong my main HT system has Paradigm Studio 100's which are floorstanders so I know where your coming from but let me just say this. Before I listened to some Orbs I was very skeptical, I second guess any audio purchase over 500 dollars incessantly but these things are keepers. These are the best sounding sub/sat speakers I've ever heard and they don't fall apart for music like most of the others in this category of speakers, just get these things in your house and hook them up you won't be disappointed :D

You bet there gona be in my main HT room to accompany my 61" DLP tv :) Ok I will wait and see how they sound. Just saw NIN (nine inch nails) last night and man was it amazing. So want to reporduce some loud music.

I went and listened to Orb Audio Speakers here in L.A. 3 weeks ago and bought the Mod2 Home Theater Speaker System. (5.1) Had a friend hook it all upand they sound glorious with Movies (started with Top Gun), Live Sports Events and all kinds of music. From Bluegrass to Jazz and Hard Rock, my speakers ROCK! They're hanging from the corners of my living room with 2 satellites above my tv and it sounds great. This coming from someone who's never had true surround sound in a home before too. I'd recommend them to anyone.

I went and listened to Orb Audio Speakers here in L.A. 3 weeks ago and bought the Mod2 Home Theater Speaker System. (5.1) Had a friend hook it all upand they sound glorious with Movies (started with Top Gun), Live Sports Events and all kinds of music. From Bluegrass to Jazz and Hard Rock, my speakers ROCK! They're hanging from the corners of my living room with 2 satellites above my tv and it sounds great. This coming from someone who's never had true surround sound in a home before too. I'd recommend them to anyone.

pics please! i was thinking of mounting mine in the corners too since i have the plasma over the fireplace.

yes pixs plz!

I am jealous and want to see the mounts, which ones you went with and why, and how happy with them you are.

I am having custom cabinets made (40' of them) to include the area around a projection screen. I am debating a pair of small custom shelves to hold Left and Right Mod 2's (copper) on boss stands, or use a wall or included mount.

I am so jealous, my room is still nothing but concrete floors and block walls. I will be doing the tile floors, studs, drywall, & trim. All a justification for 7k of HT toys! :p

Well I would love any pics and reviews.

CHolleman: Still love to see those pics!!!

Good news, everything should be delivered today!! I can't wait. UPS has the sub wonder what there going deliver it or not... But hey at least the speakers and recievers are "out for delivery" !! Woooohoooo

I go them!

Ran home during lunch and opened them up! Here are a few pics of the receiver and the speakers.

Receiver:

packaging:

http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20001.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20002.jpg

out of the box:

http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20011.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20012.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20013.jpg

Speakers:

packaging:
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20003.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20004.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20005.jpg

out of the box:
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20006.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20007.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20008.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20009.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers1%20010.jpg

Well,

I am impressed! 2 Channel Music blows me away. Still have yet to watch a movie but will tonight in pure DTS loven. So more results to come

Hey Outie, Congrats on the new system. Is that the gloss black color on the orbs? Looks like some colored specks on them, or is it just the pixs

Well,

I am impressed! 2 Channel Music blows me away. Still have yet to watch a movie but will tonight in pure DTS loven. So more results to come

I knew you would be happy with them. Did you get your sub yet?

Hey Outie, Congrats on the new system. Is that the gloss black color on the orbs? Looks like some colored specks on them, or is it just the pixs

I own the black ones too. They are jet black high gloss. Here's another look at two of them as a center channel.

Russ,

Yep got the subwoofer in the same say as well (super 8) and omg is it loud! lol. I have it set to less then half way atm. I just got finished setting it all up and time for bed ill get some pics up tomorrow.

Russ,

Yep got the subwoofer in the same say as well (super 8) and omg is it loud! lol. I have it set to less then half way atm. I just got finished setting it all up and time for bed ill get some pics up tomorrow.

Everything will sound better after it gets broken in a bit, one other thing did you get the speaker crossovers set up alright. This is how they set them up at Orb and how I set mine.

ALL speakers set to small on receiver

Crossover on receiver set to 150hz (I know that sounds high but it works with the Super 8)

Off/Auto/ON switch on sub switched to on not auto (at lower volumes with Orb speakers sometimes the sub won't "wake up" in auto mode

Crossover on sub all the way up to 160hz (as far as it will go)

Sub Volume (however you like it, I have mine exactly half way)

0/180 Phase switch on 0

The sub will start to get a lot better sounding after its got some hours on it, but at any rate Gary Pelled from Orb who designed all this stuff suggests these settings and I looked for my self last time I was in the So Cal store and can confirm this.

Russ,

AHH I have everything setup as you suggested except for the crossover on the speakers themselves (currently at 100Hz). What can I expect to hear by turning them up to 150Hz? Thanks

Chris

Everything will sound better after it gets broken in a bit, one other thing did you get the speaker crossovers set up alright. This is how they set them up at Orb and how I set mine.

ALL speakers set to small on receiver

Crossover on receiver set to 150hz (I know that sounds high but it works with the Super 8)

Off/Auto/ON switch on sub switched to on not auto (at lower volumes with Orb speakers sometimes the sub won't "wake up" in auto mode

Crossover on sub all the way up to 160hz (as far as it will go)

Sub Volume (however you like it, I have mine exactly half way)

0/180 Phase switch on 0

The sub will start to get a lot better sounding after its got some hours on it, but at any rate Gary Pelled from Orb who designed all this stuff suggests these settings and I looked for my self last time I was in the So Cal store and can confirm this.

Russ,

AHH I have everything setup as you suggested except for the crossover on the speakers themselves (currently at 100Hz). What can I expect to hear by turning them up to 150Hz? Thanks

Chris

Your letting the sub handle the frequencies which those 3 " drivers in the speakers are just going to have a tough time getting down to if they get there at all. By running them at a higher crossover they have to do far less work.

After looking at the specs on these things I thought 150hz was very high but I'm not about to argue with the man who designed them. That's why the Orb subs cost 400 dollars for a 8". I would let it do its work.

Bottom line whatever works for you!

so basicly everything under 150hz is run to the sub and everything 150 and above runs to the speakers? Is there a chart of what sounds etc are under 150? Because I dont want some audio being routed to the sub on accident.

Ok heres the last post ill make before I try it out tonight. Maybe Russ can have some input on it:

Ethan Siegel -- to me:

Maybe Gary was responding to a specific situation...our general advice is to cross it lower, like 100hz. It varies by room and personal taste...everyone hears things differently and even "wrong" settings probably sound better to 40% of people than "right" settings.

Enjoy the system...

Whatcha think?

Ok heres the last post ill make before I try it out tonight. Maybe Russ can have some input on it:

Ethan Siegel -- to me:

Maybe Gary was responding to a specific situation...our general advice is to cross it lower, like 100hz. It varies by room and personal taste...everyone hears things differently and even "wrong" settings probably sound better to 40% of people than "right" settings.

Enjoy the system...

Whatcha think?

Well okay since Ethan says 100hz and Gary says 150hz I will try it at 120hz for a few days and see how that goes. There is no hard and fast rule here I will agree with that....

True,

What have you been running yours at? What system do you have? I have the "Peoples Choice". Ill try both and listen to the same Blue October concert and see if theres a diffrence. Lots of instruments and noise so should be a good test.

Russ heres the complete setup... The two rear speakers are not pictured becuase ... well there just two tiny speakers on the end table pointed towards couch lol.

Component Cabinet:
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers2 001.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers2 002.jpg

TV with Speakers:
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers2 003.jpg
http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/Speakers/Speakers2 004.jpg

Cant wait to get home and play :D

Probably want to put that sub on the floor...IF dlp rear pro is a rare find, how do you like it?

I read in one of these posts that the orbs are not ceiling mountable... Is this true????

They ARE ceiling mountable. They even make special mounts to do so. Why should I put the sub on the floor? Nothing is rattling as of now...

Chris

They ARE ceiling mountable. They even make special mounts to do so. Why should I put the sub on the floor? Nothing is rattling as of now...

Chris

You don't want to put that brand new Outlaw receiver thru the constant vibration that the sub will be putting out. I was going to say something about that but got to writing about the crossovers.

I'm running Mod 2's in a 5.1 setup in my rec/pool room. I got another room dedicated to HT with my big stuff in it, but thats another story.

You don't want to put that brand new Outlaw receiver thru the constant vibration that the sub will be putting out. I was going to say something about that but got to writing about the crossovers.

I'm running Mod 2's in a 5.1 setup in my rec/pool room. I got another room dedicated to HT with my big stuff in it, but thats another story.

Do you really think it would cause damage to the other components?

Do you really think it would cause damage to the other components?

Over the long run....YES. No doubt about it.

Never heard their speakers, but I give them immense credit for providing the audio community with a refreshing new take on suggestive advertising. Orb should be justifiably proud.

Over the long run....YES. No doubt about it.

Russ,

I moved the sub to the back left corner of the room and the component rack seems to rattle more since its in the line of fire! Strange huh. So I tried on the opposing wall and still rattles the rack. Seems with the sub in the rack the components did rattle as much but hey what do I know. I could try the ajacent corner (opposite of the rack) but gona need a long ass sub cable for that.

Chris

Russ,

I moved the sub to the back left corner of the room and the component rack seems to rattle more since its in the line of fire! Strange huh. So I tried on the opposing wall and still rattles the rack. Seems with the sub in the rack the components did rattle as much but hey what do I know. I could try the ajacent corner (opposite of the rack) but gona need a long ass sub cable for that.

Chris

LOL I am so anal when it comes to both my camera and audio gear that I started to hyperventilate when I saw that sub in the rack. I feel better now ;)

So nominaly which corner should the sub be in? Does it matter if its in the front or back corners?

So nominaly which corner should the sub be in? Does it matter if its in the front or back corners?

This is a good article that is sure to help you on sub placement.........

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/loudspeakers/subwooferplacementguide.php

hmmm so from the article it just says what type of sound to expect from where you locate the sub. Doesnt say if the sub should be near the front or back of the room. Problem is with my setup the front wall is full (unless I use the component rack) and the sub cannot be placed there. The back wall has some room in each corner. saying that here is a layout of my room:

http://www.boredincorpus.com/images/layouta.gif

Where the sub is drawn in on is where OrbAudio suggested to put it which is where my Componenet rack is..

What do you suggest?

--- Note the speakers on the back really are not that far away.. there is like 3 feet of space between them and the wall.

The scale is off.

I think I'll try this method:

Generally it sounds best up front, but it does matter. The best way to determine where to put it is to place the sub where your primary seating position is. Next, find the spot where it sounds the best by either walking around the room (or crawling) or moving a chair a foot at a time all around the room. Wherever that spot is, put your sub there.

I think I'll try this method:

Generally it sounds best up front, but it does matter. The best way to determine where to put it is to place the sub where your primary seating position is. Next, find the spot where it sounds the best by either walking around the room (or crawling) or moving a chair a foot at a time all around the room. Wherever that spot is, put your sub there.

Everyone I know does it this way. For awhile I was running two Mirage S10's in my HT room but I just planted those things one on each side of my mains. When I replaced those with a SVS PB12/2 I did the crawl method again and it wound up as a end table next to the recliners.

Russ so should I put the volume up half way on the subwoofer and then do the crawl? Also what did you find out with your orbs as far as the crossover?

Chris

Russ also for the speakers what should I set the speaker impedance to? There is a manual switch on the Outlaw 1070 for this either 8ohms (I am assuming ohms) or 4ohms.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_12_3/images/outlaw-1070-receiver-rear-panel-large.jpg

Thanks

Set the impedence to 4 ohms since you got the Mod2 speakers.

Russ so should I put the volume up half way on the subwoofer and then do the crawl? Also what did you find out with your orbs as far as the crossover?

Chris

For me in the room I got these things in I played around and I'm going to leave them crossed at 120. I'd love to tell you what to do with your sub but I cant...I'm not there to hear it etc. Volume and everything where it should be on the sub initially you can always fine tune everything after you find a good spot for it.

I also have my crossover set at 150Hz, but I'm more of a basshead. The orbs do a VERY good job with higher bass runs and bass drums, excellent quality. The super 8 does the rest of the work, and can handle just about anything except low, loud frequencies. That will soon be fixed when I buy another super 8 and run dual subs. :)

So I should set it to 4 ohms even though the back surrounds are mod 1 speakers? Right now it is set a 8 ohms and sounds good. What does this setting do?

So I should set it to 4 ohms even though the back surrounds are mod 1 speakers? Right now it is set a 8 ohms and sounds good. What does this setting do?

Just leave them at 8 ohms.

lol ok. the reciver states setting to 4 ohms just restricts the power to speakers

I had to set my Yamaha receiver to 4 ohms because it was getting too hot at the 8 ohm setting. My receiver is about 5 years old, but it has separate settings for separate sets of speakers. I have Mod2's all around, so I set them all to 4 ohms. If you leave it at 8, make sure you keep an eye on whether your receiver is getting hot.

For me in the room I got these things in I played around and I'm going to leave them crossed at 120. I'd love to tell you what to do with your sub but I cant...I'm not there to hear it etc. Volume and everything where it should be on the sub initially you can always fine tune everything after you find a good spot for it.
Regarding the crossover, anywhere from 100 to 150 will "work". However, 150 will give you the maximum dynamic range that the system is capable of. As the frequency goes up, the need for piston area and excursion goes down (the opposite is true, of course). The Orb system is "optimized" for the 150 hertz crossover. Why does Orb give you (us) the choice? Well, Gary Pelled told me that many receivers do not offer multiple crossover choices. Hence their reco of the Pioneers that do.

One other point: if you really want a seamless front soundstage AND can accommodate it, place the center channel vertically. This is the best way to configure any center that uses dual midranges, and with the Orbs' small size, is very doable in many installations.

Regarding the crossover, anywhere from 100 to 150 will "work". However, 150 will give you the maximum dynamic range that the system is capable of. As the frequency goes up, the need for piston area and excursion goes down (the opposite is true, of course). The Orb system is "optimized" for the 150 hertz crossover. Why does Orb give you (us) the choice? Well, Gary Pelled told me that many receivers do not offer multiple crossover choices. Hence their reco of the Pioneers that do.

One other point: if you really want a seamless front soundstage AND can accommodate it, place the center channel vertically. This is the best way to configure any center that uses dual midranges, and with the Orbs' small size, is very doable in many installations.

Tony

I had all mine crossed at 150 but I decided to try it at 120 and I confirm what your saying here and what Gary also told me in person when I was at Orb and that's to run these things at 150. They do sound better at least in my situation crossed higher. So I bumped everything back up to 150 and will be leaving it there.

Ok yall convienced me to try it!! I was wondering if crossing them at 150 matters if the front 3 are mod2 and the surrounds are mod1 ? I dont want to hurt the speakers. Will I be safe crossing them at 150? Thanks again guys.


On a side not I moved the sub to the right of the component rack in betweek tv and the rack and what a world of diffrence that made! No more hanging frequencies and the sound is less echoie!

Thanks again for the help

Crossing over at 150 will decrease the chance of hurting the speakers. Keeping low frequencies out of small drivers enhances driver life, although sealed speakers are less prone to blowing up than vented speakers operated below resonance.

so then comes the question. What exactly happens when you change the crossover from 100 to 150 and how will that effect the mod2 vs the mod1 speakers?

Basically, frequencies above 150 will get routed to the Mods, frequencies below will go to the sub. By doing this you will lighen the load on the Mods, increasing their dynamic range and lowering distortion. They should play cleaner and very loud.

Off topic,
Just for the record I ordered a pair of these for my boss (mod 1) and hooked them up to the 8w built in amps in his flat panel (for his kids room). I have to admit out of the box I was impressed. I definately expected them to sound much 'tinnier', however I would have to hook them up to my home setup to see how they compare to speakers I'm used to hearing.
I'm also curious how they compare to big box store JBL, Infinity, Polk, and Yamaha speakers that are identically priced.

Seth

Off topic,
Just for the record I ordered a pair of these for my boss (mod 1) and hooked them up to the 8w built in amps in his flat panel (for his kids room). I have to admit out of the box I was impressed. I definately expected them to sound much 'tinnier', however I would have to hook them up to my home setup to see how they compare to speakers I'm used to hearing.
I'm also curious how they compare to big box store JBL, Infinity, Polk, and Yamaha speakers that are identically priced.

SethI will not make any comparisons to any other speakers. I will say that I currently have a Stereophile Class A rated system off to the side while I enjoy my Orbs.

Off topic,
Just for the record I ordered a pair of these for my boss (mod 1) and hooked them up to the 8w built in amps in his flat panel (for his kids room). I have to admit out of the box I was impressed. I definately expected them to sound much 'tinnier', however I would have to hook them up to my home setup to see how they compare to speakers I'm used to hearing.
I'm also curious how they compare to big box store JBL, Infinity, Polk, and Yamaha speakers that are identically priced.

Seth

Well I can tell you this much. I have a room that was built for the sole purpose of A/V. I put the best speakers that I could afford in it. Paradigm Studio 100's, Studio 20's, CC570 Center Channel, SVS PB12/2 sub, all running on a Arcam AVP 700 Pre/Pro and Anthem MCA 50 Amp.

In another room I have a Orb Mod 2 setup with the Orb subwoofer running on a HK 635 receiver.

I entertain alot and without a doubt I get more people who are over for lack of a better word are "shell shocked" after I demo the Orbs than I ever did with my big stuff. The general consensus is they expect it out of the big speakers but are absolutely blown away by Orbs.

Russ,

i set them to 150 and couldnt really even tell a difference? How settle or not settle should the change be? Any suggestions on what to play to really hear a change? I set them to 120 for now.

CH

Russ,

i set them to 150 and couldnt really even tell a difference? How settle or not settle should the change be? Any suggestions on what to play to really hear a change? I set them to 120 for now.

CH

If your happy with them at 120 great. No reason to do anything else now but enjoy your stuff.

Have anyone here tried to put 3 or more Orbs together to make a single speaker? Is it doable?

Rgds
barry

I have read of people putting 4 together... No idea how

Glad to hear the Orbs sound great!
I'm thinking of getting some for a 2nd room.

Has anyone compared these to the Gallo systems?
The A-Diva or Nucleus systems?

Seems like these are natural competitors.

Thanks,
G

I have read of people putting 4 together... No idea how
That would be a 2 ohm speaker. You'd need one hell of an amp to drive it.

Glad to hear the Orbs sound great!
I'm thinking of getting some for a 2nd room.

Has anyone compared these to the Gallo systems?
The A-Diva or Nucleus systems?

Seems like these are natural competitors.

Thanks,
G

Gary Pelled who owns Orb Audio was the Chief Designer at Gallo and designed or co-designed the Gallos your speaking about. He told me that in person the last time I was at their location here in LA.

Glad to hear the Orbs sound great!
I'm thinking of getting some for a 2nd room.

Has anyone compared these to the Gallo systems?
The A-Diva or Nucleus systems?

Seems like these are natural competitors.

Thanks,
G

Orbs are excellent for music. I have compared my 5.1 ($960) with a pair of B&W 805S ($2500/pair), and I didn't hear enough difference to justify paying the the extra.

barry

I had Thiel 1.6's and a SCS3 in my living room with a 50" Pioneer Elite TV setup with a couple Boston surrounds and a Sony ES 4 AVR. Finished my basement and wanted to take the Thiel's into the new dedicated Theater room. I have a large "surround" entertainment center with enclosed area for speakers behind grills. Not what I ever wanted to use for speakers but the wife wanted some hide away speakers and since I was getting a dedicated HT room in the basement I said OK.

That is when I discovered the ORB's. I bought three mod-2's: L, R and Center. The key is a put the L and R in the cabinet and they sound great. No issues with the reverb out of the cabinet - they project well as the folks at ORB said they would. I can HIGHLY recommend these speakers for inside cabinet mounting. I have the crossed at 150 with an Energy sub. Still have the Boston surrounds since they are "attached" to the wall and the wall is wall papered. Fully satisfied with the sound and the surround impact in the room.

IMHO I really think these little speakers work well as everyone says. I can further attest they work well inside an enclosed speaker enclosure in an overall entertainment center.

Jim

That would be a 2 ohm speaker. You'd need one hell of an amp to drive it.
If you took 2 and wired them in series (16-ohm) and wired the other 2 in series (16-ohm) and them wired these "pairs" parallel to the amp, you'd get an 8-ohm load.

Not sure how it would sound though but it should be able to handle a lot more power and go louder!

I've got orbs also. Just curious how you all have them wired. fronts through sub and then to amp or fronts to amp and using lfe? I've tried both and prefer wiring fronts to amp and using lfe to the sub. not to mention a cleaner install requiring less wire. just wondering.

Ummm not sure what LFE means but I hooked them up to the reciever... Not sure why you would hook them up to subwoofer? I just hooked my 5.1 system into the LF,RF,C,RR,RL. Watching James Blunt in HD and its magnificant!!!

Ummm not sure what LFE means but I hooked them up to the reciever... Not sure why you would hook them up to subwoofer? I just hooked my 5.1 system into the LF,RF,C,RR,RL. Watching James Blunt in HD and its magnificant!!!

Read thru this article and you will learn all about LFE (Low frequency effects)

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_2/feature-article-misunderstood-lfe-channel-april-2000.html

Cool,

I just set mine up as orb suggested and as Russ did earlier in this forum.

hooking up to the sub allows you to use the subwoofer crossover rather than the crossover in the amp.

you have the sub cross set to max and are using the amp to do the crossover.

either way is fine, some prefer one over the other.

Hi,
I'm thinking about upgrading my HK230 which is driving my ORB mod2s. I'm debating between the Pioneer VSX 1015, Outlaw 1070 and the Denon 3805. I do more music than movies. Posted the same question under the receiver area, got no answer. Wondering which of these you experts out there with the ORBs recommend? Thanks!!

Hi,
I'm thinking about upgrading my HK230 which is driving my ORB mod2s. I'm debating between the Pioneer VSX 1015, Outlaw 1070 and the Denon 3805. I do more music than movies. Posted the same question under the receiver area, got no answer. Wondering which of these you experts out there with the ORBs recommend? Thanks!!

They are all going to work well, Orb's pretty confident with their speakers if you go to their facility here in Los Angeles the demo room has a Pioneer 815 handling all the speaker duties. So you really don't have to go nuts on a receiver which in this day and age is nice. I run mine with a HK 635 and it's nothing but oohs and aaahs over at my place when people hear them.

Thanks Russdawg for your input. I'm a newbie in HT stuff, so this may sound stupid. For the same sound tracks, I don't hear the "s" and "sh" as I accustomed to hearing in my car. Do you think this is a calibration issue? If so, I may not need the upgrade afterall.

Thanks Russdawg for your input. I'm a newbie in HT stuff, so this may sound stupid. For the same sound tracks, I don't hear the "s" and "sh" as I accustomed to hearing in my car. Do you think this is a calibration issue? If so, I may not need the upgrade afterall.

Without being there firsthand it would be impossible for me to say....Sorry

Ummm not sure what LFE means but I hooked them up to the reciever... Not sure why you would hook them up to subwoofer? I just hooked my 5.1 system into the LF,RF,C,RR,RL. Watching James Blunt in HD and its magnificant!!!

Sorry to be thick but I was wondering the same thing as Murphypj ... where did you hook up the subwoofer (on some recievers it's marked "LFE") ? Did you use the RCA jack in the "preamp outputs" bank ? The speaker connectors on the 1070 are "L,R,CEN,SL,SR,SBL,SBR". I don't see anywhere besides the preamp to plug in a subwoofer.
This is driving me crazy ... so thanks for any help!

-R

Sorry to be thick but I was wondering the same thing as Murphypj ... where did you hook up the subwoofer (on some recievers it's marked "LFE") ? Did you use the RCA jack in the "preamp outputs" bank ? The speaker connectors on the 1070 are "L,R,CEN,SL,SR,SBL,SBR". I don't see anywhere besides the preamp to plug in a subwoofer.
This is driving me crazy ... so thanks for any help!

-R

If you are using a sub with a built in amp look for the connection on the back of your receiver in the pre/outs that says SUB/LFE. plug your RCA jack there.

Rustlex look near the center bottom of the amp. there is a "SUB" input there. This is a non powered port :)

Chris

Thanks Russdawg and Outie .... I've been using a crappy sub with no amp for a long time and the obvious non powered option didn't occur to me. Can't wait for my Orbs to arrive Wednesday! :)
Now I have to decide between the Panasonic SA-XR57 or the Outlaw 1070. I'm like the price of the panny and it's hdmi's but since it's not out yet who knows about the sound (dare I mention the SH-FX60 wireless surround solution? probibly crap? or not?) . The only downside I can see to the Outlaw is the old school DVI connectors and the slightly higher price.
-Rus

Well not to start a DVI HDMI debate but if you get down to brass taxs and see what realisticly is the diffrence... there almost is none. DVI can shoot just as good quality as HDMI :S

Well not to start a DVI HDMI debate but if you get down to brass taxs and see what realisticly is the diffrence... there almost is none. DVI can shoot just as good quality as HDMI :S

you are definately correct in that statement. I didn't mean to diss the quality of DVI since it's the same as HDMI minus the audio. Actually the Outlaw may be the better choice for me since my Oppo DVD uses DVI and I already have a 50' HDMI to Dvi cable from my projector.

-Rus

looking for pics of an orb set up for some ideas, other than whats on the orb websight. Any members have pics in the photo gallery
thanks

Got my Orbs (People's Choice white) this week and they are truly awesome! The only possible criticism would be that the wall mounts are way over priced for what they are and the expensive sub cable isn't anything special. But: Really I love these speakers!
Saving my pennies for the Outlaw to go with them :)

Got my Orbs (People's Choice white) this week and they are truly awesome! The only possible criticism would be that the wall mounts are way over priced for what they are and the expensive sub cable isn't anything special. But: Really I love these speakers!
Saving my pennies for the Outlaw to go with them :)

Give them 20 hrs or so to break in you will like them even better. The sub really starts cookin after a little break in time on it!

That would be a 2 ohm speaker. You'd need one hell of an amp to drive it.

I have just read this today,
http://www.orbaudio.com/images/HTMagSept2005.pdf

And it mention about Orb QUAD!!! :eek:
But it didn't mention how the connection is being done.. anyone has any idea?

Got my Orbs (People's Choice white) this week and they are truly awesome! The only possible criticism would be that the wall mounts are way over priced for what they are and the expensive sub cable isn't anything special. But: Really I love these speakers!
Saving my pennies for the Outlaw to go with them :)

DO it man, save for the Outlaw 1070 you will not be dissapointed. Hell if I had the money id loan it to you. The build quality, sound, setup, damn near everything is amazing and in the upper classes of design. I do not have one complaint about it.

The only quirk I have found is that there is an On/Off button that doesnt turn it on lol. To turn it on you hit an input source. But my Harmony 880 already knew to do that so I am happy as can be.

I have just read this today,
http://www.orbaudio.com/images/HTMagSept2005.pdf

And it mention about Orb QUAD!!! :eek:
But it didn't mention how the connection is being done.. anyone has any idea?


There tech support via email and over the phone is 2nd to none. Yes I said it, its 2ND TO NONE! Its absolutly amazing. Call them up and they will tell you how or email them.

Outie,
Thanks, I have emailed Orb and they have responded within 1 minute! Indeed the Mod4 is doable.

I have another question for all the owners here, how do you find the Mod2 being used as the center channel? When I compared it against the Axiom VP100, the Mod2 is sounding too thin, the mid range is not there and the human voice sounded too high pitch.

What I hope is that by upgrading to Mod4, it will improve the mid range. What do ya'll think?

Rgds
barry

hmmm I like my Mod2 center... Mod4 I have read (not hear) to enhance the center speaker greatly and some have even done Mod4 across the front and mod2 for surrounds (Peoples Choice on crack).

I think the sub carries the weight of the speakers fairly well. But gimme an example of where your hearing this and ill try to replicate it.

Woops forgot to add. Using a Mod4 I think will run at a diffrent ohm or something like that (I am not a super audio phile.... yet) but not sure I do know it will def. use more power so make sure your reciever can handle it. Small Speakers so shouldnt be a big ordeal but you never know

Oh, actually Ethan emailed me back that Mod4 is done by cross-connecting 2x Mod2 to make it an 8 Ohm speaker. So it's not 2 Ohm as most people initially thought.

I found that the Mod2 center is generally lacking the mid-low frequency when it comes to HT, regardless of what DVD I'm playing. I can hear this because I do have a neighbour which owns an Axiom EPIC 50, so the difference in HT experience is pretty significant.

Orbs are great for music (Better than the Axiom that I heard), but can't really compete in the HT realm. I'm trying to see what else I can do to improve my Orbs when it comes to HT, I'm not thinking about selling my Orbs now..they're too pretty.

wow I think they are much better then my Yamaha system I pieced to gether. The sub is great!

do you have your crossover set very high? maybe it's cutting everything from 180 or 200hz off in the center?

I have mine set at 125

I set my crossover at 150Hz, I also tried 100Hz, but didn't hear much difference. When I looked at the frequency curve here:
http://www.orbaudio.com/images/HTMagSept2005.pdf

It seems to tell me that I'm just listening to what the small Orbs are capable of. :confused:

Outie,
Thanks, I have emailed Orb and they have responded within 1 minute! Indeed the Mod4 is doable.

I have another question for all the owners here, how do you find the Mod2 being used as the center channel? When I compared it against the Axiom VP100, the Mod2 is sounding too thin, the mid range is not there and the human voice sounded too high pitch.

What I hope is that by upgrading to Mod4, it will improve the mid range. What do ya'll think?

Rgds
barry

Try running everything without a center at all...you might find you like what you hear alot better. This is especially true in a small room where the sweet spot is so narrow, make sure you try it with both music and movies.

I set my crossover at 150Hz, I also tried 100Hz, but didn't hear much difference. When I looked at the frequency curve here:
http://www.orbaudio.com/images/HTMagSept2005.pdf

It seems to tell me that I'm just listening to what the small Orbs are capable of. :confused:

One other thing what kind of sub are you running?

DO it man, save for the Outlaw 1070 you will not be dissapointed. Hell if I had the money id loan it to you. The build quality, sound, setup, damn near everything is amazing and in the upper classes of design. I do not have one complaint about it.

The only quirk I have found is that there is an On/Off button that doesnt turn it on lol. To turn it on you hit an input source. But my Harmony 880 already knew to do that so I am happy as can be.

I got my 1070 and It truely is a great sounding machine! Complements the Orbs very nicely. My only gripe that I can think of is when watching sat. tv from from the s-video source I can see alot of what I guess is interlacing (jagged or smeared lookling titiles, Simpsons/Southpark/Family Guy jagged mouths/edges). My old Sony didn't have this so it must me a setting I can't find.

When you are talking about the on/off button do you mean the "standby" button on the unit? That works fine on mine. If you are talking about the HUGE remote I think mine is still in the box, used the Harmony 880 from the start.
Cheers,
-R

Which do you think would sound better.... Two Orb Mod 2's (L&R) with phantom center, OR Mod1 L&R with Orb center?

I'd go with 3 Orb 1s across the front for home theater, two mod 2s for stereo.

One other thing what kind of sub are you running?

I'm using the super-8 sub..! :D

They're modular, so you can probably try it both ways.

I just placed the order for 3 sets of Mod2's! I plan on mounting a speaker at each corner of my plasma (there are screws in back that should work well with the "cozy bracket"), screws are located right at the corners of the viewing area, so should look really cool. Then one Mod2 for a center. Just wish they had a matte black option, but easy to spray if they look to shiney to me.

Going to see how my Paradigm 70's sound as surrounds; any problem with the Mod2's 4 ohms and the Cinema 70's 8 ohms? Have an Athena AS-P4000 sub (and a Paradigm PDR8 that might work better with Orbs). I was torn between these Orbs and upgrading to Paradigm 110C and 90's (for much less$$), but for $18-$20 worth of shipping costs it seems these are worth a shot. I sure hope they're everything everyone raves about!

Subwoofer -

trying to figure this out here, I'm running the Mod2 setup with their sub, and I love the low end sound, on music, movies, etc - but there's one problem. When there's supposed to be a rumble, or thunder or something else, it sounds like complete ****! It's just this loud f'n rattle sound - is this normal? to me, it's just plain bothersome. I'm running a HK 635 with the auto EQ. Any help is much appreciated. thanks.

Outie - not sure if you're still around, but all the pics you posted in this thread have dead links now. Any chance of rehosting them? Thanks.

I hope I didn't screw up. I purchased a set of Orb Audio satellite speakers.

I got a 7.1 system with their small (8") subwoofer. The front three channels (left, right and center) are dual element speakers. The other channels are single element speakers.

I went ahead with this despite the nearly total absence of user reviews (until I found this thread today) because they offer a 30 day "audition" (no questions asked return policy). If I like them, I keep them. If not, I send them back for a full refund. I am still at risk of damage while in transit.

I am going to give the wife veto power on the decision to keep them.

I did this because today I auditioned all my bookshelf speakers and was not happy with the sound. These speakers are great for music but were "lacking" with respect to speech (vocal content). What I mean is they reproduced everything. I am conditioned to like a narrow-bandwidth center channel for speech. I need a center channel.

Also, the bookshelf units don't like to be fed with deep, powerful bass. They are very "musical" and "transparent" but they are no that good for waterfalls and such that you find in movies. I plugged the rear ports with towelling and this helped a lot but I knew I was fighting a losing battle, so I ordered the sub and the sats today.

I will be feeding them with a SONY STR-DA5300ES AVR.

Am I crazy, or what?

Outie,
Thanks, I have emailed Orb and they have responded within 1 minute! Indeed the Mod4 is doable.

I have another question for all the owners here, how do you find the Mod2 being used as the center channel? When I compared it against the Axiom VP100, the Mod2 is sounding too thin, the mid range is not there and the human voice sounded too high pitch.

What I hope is that by upgrading to Mod4, it will improve the mid range. What do ya'll think?

Rgds
barry

I know this is an old thread, but wanted to add to this comment.

I've recently bought a set of Mod 2s for the center channel and am really finding the sound too thin, highly localised - the presence and sound stage isn't there. Did you find upgrading to Mod 4 for the center really improved this?

I'm very tempted to send mine back (30 day satisfaction guarantee!) and just go with the phantom center channel which my wife agrees sounds much better.

Cheers.

Felix