Orb Speakers Official Thread - Page 43

apologies for the typo - its gets hard tried to type on mobile device when you have three kids constantly running around so i tried to do things quick, hence the mistakes

a5ian300zx

No apology necessary. I thought the irony was hysterical.

I own them for their aesthetics but am surprised by how well they work for home theater. They blend in, in a way regular speakers cannot. They have been accepted by my wife. Every time I bring the small bookshelf speakers out (Paradigm Studio 20's), she says, "No way!", even though they sound a LOT better, especially so when listening to music.

I have been looking for an alternative to Bose, and am considering a 2.1 setup with Orb. Room size is 15 x 14 with an additional 90 sq ft if you include the dining room (its open floor plan so really one big room)

I live in a condo/highrise so cannot have huge speakers and wanted something aesthetically different than your standard bookshelf speaker. Majority of time will be used for television but want something that sounds very good when playing music for parties (house & alternative rock). I will pair them with a sub from another manufacturer which I open to suggestions. Will 2 speakers suffice or do I need Mod2? Also need to buy a new receiver...

TIA

BK

The true benefit of OrbAudio speakers is that they have exceptional form while still providing adequate function.

That said, you have a pretty large room. If you are sticking with 2.1, you'll want to step up to Mod2 with the Orbs. Some people will probably say that you could get by with Mod1 (and you might be able to) but you'd be really stretching their capability and I don't think you'll end up being very satisfied with the result.

Naturally, upgrading to 2.1 Mod2 will significantly increase your cost over a 2.1 Mod1 setup.

A Mod2 2.1 setup should be adequate for your needs but you'll need to decide if the added cost is less important to you than the Orb asthetic form.

There are many cheaper options that could fit your performance needs better.

But few of them will look as good as the Orbs while doing it.

*edited to add- One of the beauties of the Orb design is that you *can* start with Mod1 and then easily upgrade to Mod2 later if you feel you need to. Not many other designs can claim that.

IMO, you are spot-on, Bob58.

thebk, if you are using them for TV, you might want to consider a center channel, too, especially if you are getting a new receiver which will certainly offer a center channel output.

The modularity and expandability really is a nice feature of the Orbs.

Let me take it one step further, so you understand how flexible they are. I have a mod2 center channel with black Orbs. The rest of my 7.1 set up uses white Orbs to best match the walls on which they are mounted.

I also admit that I started with a mod 1 set up all around but the center and two fronts (that are always used) are now mod 2's. The sides and rear surrounds are mod 1.

Hello everyone, I recently joined the forum as i ordered my first ever home theater system "ORB People's choice 5.1 config" with a Pioneer 102K 7.1 AV receiver.

I am excited to receive the same. I did not order the FLOOR Stands (Though i was tempted to) due to the HUGE price tag on them. I know they might be worth but couldn't justify the value for money (which i am getting in the speakers).

Can anyone suggest/recommend alternative floor stands available on eBay/Amazon that would fit the Orb Mod1 and Mod 2s?

Appreciate your help!
Thanks!

Hi Rancho:

I have a Mod 2 5.1 set-up and am using Sanus stands for my front left and right and my rear left and right.

I think the model is EFsat.

They are simple and non-obstructive and serve the purpose very well.

Hello Orb owners,

I'm from Canada and have own the Orbs 2.1 setup for 2-3 years. I got them in a white trim and love how it sounds with the matching Super8. However, I have recently spoiled myself and upgraded with newer Paradigms. Anybody interested in buying my 2.1 system? It does not come with any stands, in mint condition, and original boxes. Please send me a note at subzer06o4@hotmail.com if you would love to take them off my hands.

Thanks

Hi,

I have finally setup my system after receiving my sub and all I can say it sounds great very detailed sonic sound with the sub it blends in perfectly not too boomy.

I had a demo of the B&W M1 5.1 setup in Superfi and all i can say that the Orbs sounded way better it felt like someone had their hands in front of the M1's compared to the Orbs even at default settings.

Loving them.

a5ian300zx

Hey, I just ordered a Definitive Technology Supercube 2000 from an online store to replace my uber 10. I wanted something that sounded a bit better with music. The tiny definitive sub (smaller than the super 8) actually has better specs too. Before I get it though, I was wondering if I made a good choice. The specs for the Uber 10 are 10 inch driver, 300 watts (peak 500), and frequency response 24-160hz. It's also 13.5 inch cube (price 699). While the specs for the subercube are one 7.5 inch driver, two 7.5 inch low bass radiators, 650 watts, and a frequency response of 20-200hz (price 599 sale 475). It seems too good to be true. How could this thing be that much better on paper at a lower price and size even? Any thoughts on the comparison of these two? It seems like the specs would indicate that the super cube would not only be better for music, but it would also have a better low end too. By the way, the sub will be matched with a mod 4 center channel and mod 2's for the other four channels.

I just ordered a 3.1 setup with Mod 2s for all three and the Super 8. I got the Denon 1613 receiver and am considering expanding to 5.1 if I like what I hear.

My question is if I expand to a 5.1 should I get the Mod 1 or Mod 2s? My room is 15' X 20' with the TV caddy corner at the long end. The sofa sits directly in front of the TV approximately 10' back (have a love seat that sits off to the side in a slanted L shape, but obviously this is not prime seating position for home theater.) Also, I have 14' ceilings. My plan (due to room limitations) was to put the rear speakers slightly behind the sofa and about 1-2 feet to the outside on tall speaker stands.

I occasionally listen to music, but I mostly watch TV and movies and am a big sports fan (college football).

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Going from 3.1 to 5.1 will be a big step up in performance (and of course price) that is very well worth it. Frankly, I wouldn't bother with a 3.1 set up from Orb in a room that size. There are, overall, better options (price and performance) out there for just a 3.1 setup.

Mod1 rears will work fine in your situation. Mod2 rears will be better but may not be worth the expense given where you plan to place them.

My 5.1 setup is all Mod2 and I would do it again but most folks says that Mod1 rears work just fine for them.

Thanks for the response! Because of space limitations (and honestly, I hate big speakers aesthetically), I went with orb because they fit nicely in my space. I will almost definitely be upgrading to a 5.1, so your post was very helpful!

Just a quick follow up. I decided to go Mod2 all the way around for the 5.1, and I'm glad I did! The Mod1s would have probably been okay, but I really like the balance of having the Mod2s all the way around. The speakers are still breaking in, but so far they sound great.

Hi All, I am in the process of reading through the orb owners thread but I have a few questions and thought someone may be able to guide me. I am looking to purchase the peoples choice setup from orb. I am however, located in Australia and I am wondering if I should just buy the speakers and source a sub locally and maybe save on postage and in the process get a "better" sub. I have no experience of home audio and apart from a cheap sony HTIB box system I haven't any further experiecnes. I did however listen to a Bose setup and liked the sound of that (I am hoping to acheive similar with the orbs). I have mostly chosen the because of the way they look. (I am the wife so WAF is very important) My house is very open plan with tiled floors so maybe the super 8 won't "cut it" I have read that some people seem to combine the orbs with an svs sb12. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks for the guidance. Cheers

Hi, I can offer some thoughts about that. I had (have) a People's Choice system that I got in early 2008 which was my first 5.1 system. From the little that I've listened to Bose systems, the Orbs will perform better in my opinion.

Regarding the SB12 question, I did replace the Super 8 sub with a SVS SB12-NSD about a year ago. The SB12 is a VASTLY superior sub and if you have the option of getting one, I'd highly recommend doing so.

My initial reason for replacing the Super 8 was it's tendency to exhibit "port chuff" during movie scenes with strong low frequency content. This is a raucous noise created when the volume of air moving through the reflex port exceeds the port's capacity for laminar flow and turbulence results. I tried a number of things to try to get around this, but nothing really worked. FWIW, getting an Uber 10 may not resolve this problem either. There were some members with Uber 10's who reported the same phenomenon with their units. In addition, an Uber 10 will cost you about the same as an SB12.

As an additional consideration, another member here reported that his Super 8 amp had appeared to have failed and kept blowing fuses. I offered to sell him my spare Super 8 for cheap. Prior to shipping it, I decided to check it out to make sure everything was ok. As soon as I fired it up, it also blew it's fuse. I got replacement fuses but it blew every one of them, so something is obviously kaput in the amp.

I'm not saying the Super 8 is a bad unit, but the SB12 is just so much better. Once I got it installed and ran Audyssey calibration on the system, the sound was just so much richer. Even my wife, who really doesn't care about all this, was pretty surprised at how much cleaner the system was with the SB12. If anything, it blends with the Orbs even better than the Super 8 as its frequency response is pretty flat well up into the 200 hz range which is necessary to blend with the Orbs.

Some of the guys on the SVS forum sort of phoo-phoo the SB12 as it's the smallest unit that SVS makes. However if you're not an ultra-bass freak who likes your chest compressed everytime there's a car crash, you might find the SB12 very satisfactory.

Based on the latest Home Theater Magazine review, I would say the Orb should sound a lot better than Bose, which measure like crap the last time I checked.

I was kind of surprise how well the Orb measured! It was 200Hz-9kHz +/-2.5dB! And +2.84/-2.04dB from 200Hz - 16kHz. Very surprised how well the Orb measured because the Bose would be like 200Hz-10kHz +/-15dB.

That's why Bose gets all the bashing from most guys - they measure extremely poorly.

But 200Hz-9kHz +/-2.5dB will only get praises from most guys.

Can anyone tell me about how a mod 2 set of Orbs would compare to say the NHT Superzero 2.0, Cambridge S30, Polk TSi100 and any others in this basic size range. Since the Orbs don't have tweeters, does this make a big difference compared to the others. Thanks

I just posted this under speakers in general, but was referred to this thread, so I will re-post here.

I just ordered the Orb Mod 2 yesterday..... So it may arrive next week. I'm so excited about FINALLY being able to add sound to my home theater room.

My wife was adamant about a "small form factor"..... in her eyes, the smaller the better, and I didn't want the Bose ( though I am not a Bose hater ), so I went with the Orbs. My plan is to get the Mod 2 set up, and then order more speakers as needed, and it most surely will need a little more. The room is 700+ square feet - my entire attic, minus a closet and bathroom.

Tell me, assure me, that for my $1000, or under budget, I did the right thing. It kills me to have bought speakers without listening to them first, but then again, I have bough speakers before based on what I heard in the showroom, and been disappointed when they got home.


LOL, yes, I did exceed my $1000 budget by $98..... but with no tax, it was still cheaper and better - IMO - than the Bose Accoustimass 10, where I would have paid tax.
Edited by Papa2x - 11/2/12 at 8:01pm

Given their small size, they are fantastic. Just make sure to set up your A/V correctly so you can get the most out of them. The only thing I would change (I've got the Mod2) is maybe the quad for the center channel. Sometimes dialog from male actors whose voice blends in to the rest of the scene is hard to make out. Could be me, could be the Onkyo receiver or my room.

Other than that, very happy with them (four year owner) for the WAF.

Hi,

I have added two single mods to change mine to 7.1

here is a pic











Thanks

I like the quad center. Did you do a double first then quad it later? If so, was it worth the improvement?

Cause i'm thinking of going quad and want to know if it makes a big enough difference to justify another $239.

Hi,

I can't really say as I just went straight to quad for better vocal clarity.

I did test 2 and 4 channels on single stereo amplifier and did not sound much different just slightly louder.

Thanks

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

And you're happy with the vocal quality of the quads?

Hi,

Yes, vocal clarity is spot on. Plus I like the look of the four orbs at the centre

Thanks

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Excellent feedback. Got my Christmas present wishlist made!

Thanks

Well, I have had mine set up for about 10 days now..... I like them, but don't love them. I fully understood the limitations of such small speakers - I DJ for a loving and use all different kinds of speakers. But I guess, based on all the glowing reviews of people who use them, I probably let myself set the bar too high. I guess, it all comes down to money... If I had spent less on this system I think I would have felt more satisfied. That said, I do plan to add 3 more orbs - at least - to fill it all in..... OR, and this may be a smarter move - convince my wife to move this system down to the family room, and really get what I want for the home theater. I'm satisfied by and large, but they don't rock me as much as I had hoped.

Going from mod2 to mod4 for me was like going from Dolby Digital to TrueHD. Mod2 much like Dolby Digital had a sound I can only describe as narrow whereas adding the additional speakers widened the sound for a deeper, rich audio experience. Even for a center channel going to mod4 made voices ever so much more to distinguish. Hind site being 20/20 if I was to do it again I wouldn't because mod4 delivers to audio experience I wanted but doesn't deliver necessarily good value unless you are on a constrained budget. If so the ability to grow as finances increase allows you to build the experience over time.

On that note, I learned if you are growing, call them on the phone and tell them. Orb will discount any speaker you buy that is being added to a existing Orb home theater purchase. Going for,the Super 8 to the Uber 10 allowed for the same deep, bass line at higher volumes, but at its limit still exhibited port chuff. But the uber 10 sounded exactly the same as the Super 8. So now I am faced with adding a second Uber 10 or adding a 12-15" Sub that can really bring out the low end of action movies. Gotta keep one Uber 10 because it complements the db drop off below 200hz of the Orbs.

Last thing, I love classical and jazz with the orbs as well as highly vocal music. House, rock, rap, rave, not so much. When this type of music is mixed in for a movie it sounds fantastic, but right off a cd or mp3, not so much. Something sounds missing like I said with house,rock,rap, and rave.

Hi all, I'm selling off my Orbs 5.1 People's Choice system. It has the quad 4 center, Super 8 sub and the mighty HOSS floorstanders. Trying to sell as much as I can in one package...all the details here:

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/ele/3451380102.html

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/ele/3466343110.html