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New member Username: MkhowePost Number: 3 Registered: Dec-03 | I'm currently looking to replace a home theater system. Read allot of great posts/reviews about Mirage Omnisat and Orb Audio speakers. Looking for some recommendations on which is better. Room dimensions 18'X 15'with 20ft slanted ceiling and opening into a kitchen. I realize not optimal but its what I have. Will be used for Home theater and music, 85% of the time home theater. Specific speakers I'm looking at: Mod2 with sub. Mirage Omnisat or Micro with Nano Sub or Omni S8. Is there a different sub for each product you would recommend? Would the Pioneer VSX-1015TX also be a good match that is recommended by Orb? Other subs? I have a good DVD player. Has anyone had quality issue with either? |
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New member Username: VaritPost Number: 3 Registered: Mar-06 | I love my Orb system. I really don't think you can beat Orb in their price range. It's a great system for both theater and music, and the sub is definitely in the big leagues. The company has been great to deal with, too. |
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Bronze Member Username: AngeloNew york Post Number: 19 Registered: Mar-06 | save your money dont buy the super 8" for your room get an svs sub I have orbs and there great My room is smaller than yours and celings are only 7ft but I needed to get another sub super 8 is small and compact and is ok but if you want real bass go for svs sounds even though there more expensive. |
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Bronze Member Username: Mark_mcintoshGastonia, NC USA Post Number: 39 Registered: May-05 | I guess the sub part of your question depends on how much bass you like. I have the Orb Mod2's all around with the Super 8. I never turn the sub up over 1/3 and it sounds GREAT - plenty of tight, thumping bass. I listened to every sub/sat system I could before deciding on the Orbs and felt then (and still feel) that they are the class of the field in the sub/sat systems. |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 884 Registered: Feb-05 | sure, go for SVS if you like boomy, home theatre croud oriented bass, with the exception of their ultra high end stuff. stick with the super 8 |
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Bronze Member Username: BasicaudioChula vista, Ca US Post Number: 35 Registered: Mar-06 | mirage and orb is a hard choice and so is OHM? all three create a three dimensional soundfield and have always considered room size in their design, not like some systems which you need mansions like beveridge, genesis, wilson, von schweikerts and them old acoustats for example? what about kleggs or anthony gallos? |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 911 Registered: Feb-05 | Ohm also makes small sats as well as HT systems based on sats. Many people do not realise this. |
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New member Username: VaritPost Number: 5 Registered: Mar-06 | Go Orb...you will love them. They consistently make me smile. Best audio deal out there... |
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Bronze Member Username: BasicaudioChula vista, Ca US Post Number: 39 Registered: Mar-06 | like I said, you can't go wrong with orb, mirage and ohm's...i own ohm's that's why i choose them over most anything. german physiks and duevel is way out of my pocketbook even ohm's newer and higher models. I would get orbs and mirage in the future for a bedroom or small room. I just can't believe how people are fooled of bose acoustimass or lifestyle trash, when you have ORB, MIRAGE, OHM SATS, ANTHONY GALLOS, KLEGGS and those picture frame like ARTCOUSTIC. |
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New member Username: MkhowePost Number: 4 Registered: Dec-03 | Purchased the Orbs this weekend. I appreciate the posts. |
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Bronze Member Username: BasicaudioChula vista, Ca US Post Number: 48 Registered: Mar-06 | MKH, enjoy your ORBS, that's a great choice as well as any of the other manufacturer mentioned like mirage, ohm, anthony gallos, artcoustic(not in the same price range, they use these for custom built homes which i used to install high end in-walls)and kleggs. if you really want to improve your system and make your ORBS sing even more and your receiver, go check www.dakiom.com and invest on some feeback stabilizers for HT use. I highly recommend such tweaks. |
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Bronze Member Username: BasicaudioChula vista, Ca US Post Number: 49 Registered: Mar-06 | By the way MKH, I have the PIONEER VSX 1014, the 1015 is a small upgrade, it has the MACC to balance your pink noise for room equalization automatically. I believe yamaha has a similar circuitry. It seem to work with my OHM's pretty well. If that is what ORB recommends, that's what I would go by, since equipment matching is important, I even read that on one of mr.vigne's report. we are all here to learn and some that are audio engineers/sellers/gurus, we're here to learn from them, but the final choice is always the buyer! |
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Bronze Member Username: Mark_mcintoshGastonia, NC USA Post Number: 41 Registered: May-05 | Congrats on your purchase. I hope you love them as much as I love mine and make sure you come back and post your experience. What did you end up ordering? |
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New member Username: MkhowePost Number: 5 Registered: Dec-03 | I went with the Mod2 Home Theater Speaker System. The configuration of my room makes it impossible to go with a 6.1 or 7.1 configuration at this time. When I move I will add speakers. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3780 Registered: Mar-05 | Cool-looking speakers...but certainly not cheap! A pair of Mod2s goes for $420 + shipping, holy smokes. You can get very good small bookshelf speakers for that kind of money; a pair of Ascend 170SEs is about $370 shipped and I cannot imagine the Mod2s' dual 3" drivers keeping up with them. Also the Ascend HTM-200s go for $300 shipped and would probably be just a wee bit bigger than the Mod2s...it would be an interesting AB comparison, the Mod2s vs. the HTM-200s. Five HTM-200s with a Hsu STF-2 sub at $1080 shipped would've been my pick. |
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Bronze Member Username: Mark_mcintoshGastonia, NC USA Post Number: 42 Registered: May-05 | Edster, I have thoroughly enjoyed your posts since I have been following this forum and you seem very knowledgeable. This comment is not specifically addressed to you. What purpose does it serve to comment in a thread that has been going for over a week where the original poster has been asking for help, has made a decision, and acted on it. THEN, after the fact, someone comes in and says something negative about the decision or they would have picked something else. Where were you BEFORE the decision was made? And another thing, if you haven't heard the speakers, how can you say you would have picked something else? It's not that I don't respect your opinion, but I just don't see the point of posting something like this after a purchase has been made. MKH, enjoy your purchase. |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 947 Registered: Feb-05 | Edster, the orbs can keep up with any decent speakers quite well. I had the pleasure of hearing them in MYC, so I can no longer say that I haven't heard them, and is why I have been reccomending them. I know how full they are. |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 949 Registered: Feb-05 | that should read NYC |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3781 Registered: Mar-05 | Mark, you have a point there, unfortunately I have been away from my computer the last several days and didn't stop to read this thread until today. I had heard of the Orbs before of course but didn't remember how much they cost, so when I browsed their site today I was pretty stunned. MKH: sorry, I don't mean to rain on your parade. Gavin's testimony on the Orbs is quite reassuring so I'm sure you will enjoy your purchase. All the same I'd be very curious should you ever AB the Mod2s against a good small bookshelf like the Ascends. Which is another way of saying, *I* should order the Mod2s to hear them for myself and pay return shipping within 30 days. LOL |
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Bronze Member Username: Mark_mcintoshGastonia, NC USA Post Number: 43 Registered: May-05 | A classy response to my somewhat snippy post about a personal pet peeve. If you ever AB the Orbs and Ascends, let us know your thoughts. |
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New member Username: MkhowePost Number: 6 Registered: Dec-03 | Thanks for the candid conversations. I feel very comfortable with my decision. I spent alot of time reading reviews and reading through a number of threads on various forums. I will let you know how they work out. |
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New member Username: VaritPost Number: 6 Registered: Mar-06 | Edster...you didn't look at the package prices. They aren't nearly as expensive when purchased in HT packages. The top of the line Mod2 5.1 system is only $1169 and the People's Choice (what I have) is $999. Both include 5 sats and a sub. |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 951 Registered: Feb-05 | eddie, the orbs have a nice midrange. While it isnt SUPER clean to the extent of a planar, it is good. They also have decent highs for being tweeterless, and X-O to the sub low enough to not be detected if everything is done properly. I would give them a shot against your ascends. I am sure they won't totally keep up, but they won't embaress themselves unlike Bose :-) |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3784 Registered: Mar-05 | varit, actually I did look at the package prices, that Mod2 5.1 system at $1169 (not sure if that includes shipping or not) with the 8-inch sub is actually a little more expensive than the Ascend HTM-200 5.0 system coupled with a much more powerful 10-inch Hsu STF-2 subwoofer at $1088 shipped. The shock of that is probably what spurred my initial post on this thread. |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 953 Registered: Feb-05 | eddie, the sub is quite powerful, I think you would be impressed with it. Don't be fooled by the driver size, the bass goes down deep, and it is tight and was loud enough for me. after all... is size really everything? :-) |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3787 Registered: Mar-05 | > is size really everything? LOL I agree, but size is one of the main selling points of satellite speakers and the HTM-200s are only 2" taller, 2" wider and 2" deeper than the Mod2s, and being a sealed design are equally easy to position. As for the sub, here's how they stack up: Hsu STF-2: 200w RMS, 800w peaks, 25Hz extension, 24db crossover slope, high-efficiency BASH amp, 52lbs Super8: 150w RMS, 400w peaks, 28Hz extension, 12db crossover slope, AB amp, 31lbs I'm sure the Super8 would hold its own in a small bedroom but have a hard time believing it could keep up in a medium to large room. This is not to say that the Super8 in its own right is not a nice sub of course, just comparing what else is available at the same pricepoint. |
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New member Username: VaritPost Number: 7 Registered: Mar-06 | Edster...I respect your opinion and see you post here a lot, but that doesn't really show anything. For the satellites, 2" taller, wider and deeper is 50% bigger on EVERY side. That's a huge difference. Plus, the Ascend speakers are plain/cheap looking at the very best. So it's not as straightforward as you suggest. I also wouldn't knock the Orb sub...it is phenomenal. You don't have to just take my word for it, there have been a few reviews lately on avsforum from very well respected posters that have ranked the Orb above 10" designs from SVS and Hsu. At least wait until you hear it before dismissing it for medium/large rooms. It definitely works (mine is in a big room and has never been above about 40% volume). It's probably better for music than those bigger subs, too, so it really depends on what your mix of music and movies is as well. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3790 Registered: Mar-05 | > Plus, the Ascend speakers are plain/cheap looking at the very best. That might be true of the CBM-170, but the HTM-200 is actually a very elegant little package. On the other hand the Orbs are indeed UNIQUE-looking, though it's just a matter of preferences---some people with more contemporary tastes might enjoy looking at two 4.5" metal balls stacked on top of each other, while others might consider THAT to be ugly-looking. Bottom line though is that if we were all after optimal form factor above all else, we'd all own Bose. Thank God that's not the case, lol. Also I have to correct your asserton that "2 inches taller/wider/deeper is 50% bigger on EVERY side"---it's 50% wider yes, but only 30% deeper a mere 16% taller. (HTM-200s: 11" H x 6.4" D x 6.5" W, Mod2s on desk stand: 9.5" H x 4.9" D x 4.2" W) Within the context of an average medium-sized (say 12' x 18') room in which one usually sits about 6-10' from the speakers, the two would be virtually the same size visually. As for the Orb sub, I am not "knocking" nor "dismissing" it since I admittedly have not heard it...just pointing out the very obvious differences between it and the identically priced Hsu STF-2. Perhaps Orb Audio has figured out how to circumvent the laws of physics...in all fairness I'll withhold judgement until I get a chance to hear their products myself, but see no harm in pointing out those differences to others in the meantime. btw if you have any links from AVS "ranking the Super8 above the 10" designs from SVS and Hsu," please post them. I guess my basic point is that the only reason I can see to go with satellites is if they offer a significant advantage in size or in price because I would expect a significant compromise in SQ especially during music listening. From persuing the Orb Audio website I can see VERY LITTLE advantage in size and ZERO advantage in price when compared to the Ascend HTM-200/Hsu STF-2 config. However since I have not personally heard the Orb system myself I cannot in fairness say if there is a compromise in SQ compared to the Ascend/Hsu system. |
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Silver Member Username: MonolgouePost Number: 105 Registered: Feb-04 | Argue sound quality all you want (if you've heard the speakers) but stop arguing size. The Orbs are dramatically smaller than the Ascend HTM-200. I've seen them both. You are forgetting the Orbs are round and are at that widest measurement at only 2 points. The Ascends take up every square inch of their stated dimensions. The Orbs do not...they are not square. They are a 4 3/16" or 4 1/4" round enclosure and that's as wide and deep as they are. The extra depth on their website is probably for the binding posts. Also, on mounts, they are under 9" tall since they don't need the desk stand. You can also use a single 4 1/4" sphere, which is obviously a much smaller option. Basically, there is no comparison in size and this illustrates why it's a waste of time to argue over paper specs. When it comes to sound quality, I've voiced my happiness w/ my Orb system in the past on the main Orb thread and don't need to rehash it again. I love them and they are my favorite electronics purchase of all time (perhaps about to be dethroned by a new TV). They have big sound, are great for music and movies, and my wife can live with them. Your mileage may vary. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3792 Registered: Mar-05 | > Basically, there is no comparison in size and this illustrates why it's a waste of time to argue over paper specs. LOL nobody's arguing, just pointing out the obvious. I'm glad that you're happy with your Orb system and sincerely wish that this thread's OP (MKH) will be too. The size issue though is a non-issue. I'm sure that having 2 spheres on top of each other might look and feel very different from having a petite bookshelf like the HTM-200s if one is highly sensitive to how objects are SHAPED. Bottom line is that both speakers will take up virtually the same visual space...that's not "paper specs," just geometric reality. For the latest in funky avant-garde stylishness or for maximum WAF brownie points with my wife, the Orbs are the clear winner, no argument there. |
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New member Username: VaritPost Number: 8 Registered: Mar-06 | Bottom line of this all is I think we are in somewhat of a golden age of reasonably priced speaker systems...$999 did not get you 5 speakers and a sub of any quality a few years ago, now there are choices for every taste. Maybe it's the direct business models or just more efficient businesses and better designs, but I don't really care as long as I can continue to get affordable speakers! |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3795 Registered: Mar-05 | varit, you are absolutely correct about that...I like to think of it as the democratization of audio excellence. The same thing is happening on the electronics end through the introduction of ridiculously inexpensive digital switching receivers such as the Panasonic sa-xr55...of course these are not Internet direct though. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 2144 Registered: Dec-04 | There it is, Ed. I won 5 bucks knowing that you would bring it up on this thread. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3798 Registered: Mar-05 | LOL, just had to extend on Varit's observation... |
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Bronze Member Username: BasicaudioChula vista, Ca US Post Number: 51 Registered: Mar-06 | i think if one's other half, wife, girlfriend decides to get a CAT or another cat, EVERYTHING will be OVERTHROWNED and turned into a scratching post. Is ORB cat proof? or does it like a ball for a cat to play? no matter what, the cat wins! If you get a regular box or rectangular speaker, it's a scratching post. If you get an orb, anthony gallos or mirage, it's another ball for the cat to play. You lose, the cat wins who belongs to your other half? I guess that's why some people get in-walls, picture frames speakers so the cat can't play with it! avant garde was intended for DOGS...it speaks volumes and are in a whole other league with the big boys! I don't know why a large system like that is mentioned on this thread? too bad systems are out of reach for people with normal pay (-: still looking for that audiophile that will give theirs away! |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3801 Registered: Mar-05 | actually cats who misbehave like that usually do so because their owners don't play with them enough nor provide them with enough of their own things to play with (cat trees, scratching pads/posts, etc.). The cat is probably the single most misunderstood domestic pet out there. Great source of cat info: cats.about.com |
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Bronze Member Username: BasicaudioChula vista, Ca US Post Number: 52 Registered: Mar-06 | EDSTER922, does that mean you are going to start CAT AUDIO? not a bad idea! as long it's not mistaken for a CAT erpiller construction vehicles. You talk about pampering cats, sounds like my sister's and brother in laws fat cats, they are like round balls, like anthony gallos, the larger designs made in the 90's! not quite as huge as the chinese cat that has a 33 inch waist but up there that was all over the news! CAT SPEAKERS, CAT AMPS! every generic brand have used the DOG already, like that cheap van speaker DOGG DIGITAL/theater research. CAT AUDIO has a good ring to it! new line of tweeters....CAT TWEETERS....SYLVESTER LINE. TWEETY BIRD SERIES! DEPUTY DOG WOOFERS! horns! FOGHORN LEGHORN series! watch out avant garde! |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 2159 Registered: Dec-04 | In fact, Ed runs a cathouse. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3807 Registered: Mar-05 | > In fact, Ed runs a cathouse. heh, don't I wish... (the 2-legged variety, I'm assuming you're talking about) |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 959 Registered: Feb-05 | is a cathouse another word for a brothel? Im only 22, so sometimes I don't get these things UGH... I feel like a dumbass. :-) my gf, WHO IS THE SAME AGE AS ME... said and I quote... "yeah it is" for a minute I was thinking pussyhouse, (and I'll be shocked if that shows up), but isnt that what it means? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3820 Registered: Mar-05 | si, senor. |
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Bronze Member Username: Mark_mcintoshGastonia, NC USA Post Number: 51 Registered: May-05 | Wow, this thread has certainly changed direction since the last time I was here! |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 960 Registered: Feb-05 | HOLY $H!T I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT POSTED... aargh... wait til the kids figure out that you can use immature language now. thats all we need. |
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Bronze Member Username: BasicaudioChula vista, Ca US Post Number: 56 Registered: Mar-06 | new 9.1 cat surrounds....cats do have 9 lives so the new HT'S are 9.1 cat surrounds. guess what CARVER SUNFIRE receivers have already developed the 9.1 configuration. so my theory on cat audio is being utilized. I brought up cats because if you have another HALF that has something to say of ht or audio purchase and speaker placement and purchase, you know 99 % of the time, CATS are involved. Where the hell is cat woman? she is the interior designer for most of our audio elites here who can afford mega systems! after you are finished enjoying your audio nirvana, you audiophiles do need to take a cat nap! |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 2199 Registered: Dec-04 | And THESE? are the days of our lives? Oh man I need another hobby. Jan, kick my a$s |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3826 Registered: Mar-05 | to quote the guy from "Sideways"...MEOWRRRRRRR! |