Digital Trends

Orb Audio Classic Two

February 3rd, 2005 | by Ian Bell

Small Speakers, Big Sound

It's safe to say that you usually set a certain level of expectations when you are about to listen to a speaker system. If the system consists of huge 5 foot tower speakers for example, you expect them to be loud, and when you think of small speakers, you sort of automatically lower your expectations. Ever wonder why Bose has to have such a controlled environment when their speakers are on display at a retail store? It's hard to sell a small speaker system in such a loud environment.

Straight out of the box the Classic Two System fom Orb Audio blew us away. Their sound is very distinct and we could have sworn some trickery was going on — they simply could not sound this big! After breaking them in for a couple weeks, their sound just kept getting sweeter. Because we were in a 2.1 setup, it didn't take us very long to get the subwoofer phase, level and low pass frequency to where we wanted it. But if you are in a 5.1 setup, chances are you will have to fiddle with them more often to get them to sound just right for both music and movie listening.

We tested the Classic Two system using several genres of music, from Rock and Hip-Hop to Electronica and Easy Listening. When listening to Amorica from the Black Crowes we noticed that their electric guitar riffs did not drown out the singing by Chris Robinson. His vocals came across very clear and balanced. There were some of us that felt the highs were a little more flat than we would have liked, and that is most likely due to the absence of a true tweeter in their satellites. But we were very happy with the way these speakers handled rock music.

Undoubtedly the two albums which sounded simply phenomenal on this system were David Grey's White Ladder and Sting's Fields of Gold. The acoustic guitar in White Ladder sounds as if you are in the same room with David Grey, and his voice came across as being very clear and accurate without any sort of distortion. Sting's band has a lot of instrumentals, from saxophones to electronic keyboards, so it was a good way to see how the Classic Two system handles all of the different instruments. Naturally Sting has a very warm sounding persona to all of his recordings, and this is where the Classic Two really shines. The Super Eight subwoofer does a very good job of filling in the gap that larger mid-range woofers would otherwise handle. Overall the system can sound very warm which in our minds is a great thing, and certainly something that is hard to accomplish in a speaker system of this size.

If you are into Electronica or Hip-Hop, you should not be deterred with the systems 8-inch subwoofer. It sounds much larger than it really is. Think Sonance or Sunfire quality sound in a $400 speaker and you will get the picture — it sounds that good. Bass was very nice and tight and we had no problems hitting the low tones. In A Tribe Called Quest's Hits, Rarities & Remixes Album, the bass was not muddy or sloppy sounding at all. And the Super Eight subwoofer was super smooth when playing back music from Massive Attack.

Our observations with the Classic Two system tell us that they sound better if mounted up high and are facing down. While the sound stage is very good with these speakers, they can be very directional at times and sound their best when at ear level. We were able to turn the volume on our receiver up to 75% or more without any noticeable distortion and when you reached compression it was very soft. The speaker system sounded good at considerable volumes which is very impressive.

If you want to compare the Orb Audio speakers to speakers by Anthony Gallo, they both sound very similar. The Anthony Gallos, of course, have a more elegant and refined look to them were the Orb Audio speakers can look very raw. It just depends on the setting you are placing them in and the look you are going for. Of course the Orb Audio speakers cost considerably less.

Conclusion

One listen to these tiny speakers and you will swear you are imagining things. Sound so loud simply could not come from speakers this small. But it does. What makes the Orb Audio speakers so special aside from their great sound is the fact that they are so small.

In a market segment dominated by manufacturers such as Bose, the Orb Audio speakers are a breath of fresh air. It just goes to show that you can get a high quality American product at an affordable price. The Orb Audio Classic 1 and Classic 2 systems would be better suited for your living room or family room while their Mod 1&2 systems would be good in a home theater setting.

We would like to see the company offer a more variety of finish options as well as a color manual packaged with their speakers. But one thing is for sure, Orb Audio is off to a great start.

The Orb speakers can look unrefined and raw, or elegant and rich depending on the finish and setup you choose. The HOSS speaker stands are cool to look at and you can even see the welding marks from when they were built; we wouldn't change a thing about them. You can buy their floor stands, desk stands or wall mounts allowing you to put these little speakers just about anywhere.

The greatest thing about the Orb speakers is their price. With a starting price of just over $500 dollars for a 2.1 setup and maxing out at around $1000 dollars you don't have to break the bank to get good sound. And the folks at Orb Audio are a joy to work with. As you can tell, we are pretty excited about these speakers.