Orb Audio Classic Two
February 3rd, 2005 | by Ian Bell
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Average user rating from 20 users |
Wow.....
by Jim on Jan 21st, 2008 at 10:46 AM:
Just replaced a five year old mid range Polk surround system with the People's Choice version of Orb.
Movie? Why would I watch/listen to a movie when I could do the CD thing?
I have never "splurged" on speakers before, but now I wait for the moment when the family room is open and I can listen to an old audio CD to see what I've been missing!
First night with the Orbs, wife noted the surrounds pointed to the rear wall (I thought the surround channel was set high).
She said Heck no...I hear footsteps on a wood floor and I wanted to hear more....
Go Orb.......when the wives are on board...there's no stopping us!
Got to hear it to believe it!
by Glen on Nov 28th, 2007 at 4:35 PM:
I researched for speakers and somehow found ORB audio. After a week or so I ended up listening to the speakers in their CA branch and I must say that I was impressed. They were kind enough to demo a couple of DVD's as well as a CD to demonstrate what these speakers are all about. It was also an added bonus to see them actually being built on site.
To make a long story short I purchased ORB's MOD2 to compliment my Onkyo 875 and I must say I'm very pleased with the sound I'm getting out of these ORB's. I never thought that I could replicate the sound from their show room, but I was wrong. Here's another positive review for ORB Audio!
Most bang for the buck
by Joshua on Jun 2nd, 2007 at 7:26 PM:
I recently bought five of the Mod1 speakers for my living room, using only one speaker in each position of my 5.1 setup. I started with the Mod1's as an affordable way to start building my surround sound system, with the intention of upgrading to Mod2's in the 3 front positions soon, and possibly in the rears as well sometime down the line.
I can't even begin to describe how satisfied I am with the purchase so far. Initially, after hooking everything up, I was slightly disappointed. . . then I realized that my DVD player had DTS and Dolby Digital disabled. Once I corrected this simple oversight, I was floored by the performance.
The pros:
Unbelievable clarity, imaging, balance, etc. for speakers this size (each sphere is around the size of a compact disc in diameter). Better than Bose systems twice the price, and far superior to any home theater in a box system from the big box retailers.
The cons:
Few and far between. I will say that, while the surround speakers seem to hold there own, the center channel (with just one Mod1) is slightly "tin-can" sounding with the dialogue on many movies. I attribute this less to a performance flaw and more to the fact that even Orb recommends a Mod2 setup in the center position, which I plan to try out soon.
I can't comment on the Orb subwoofer. . . I am using an existing sub that I already owned, and while it carries its own weight, I will consider the Orb sub in the near future to hopefully make the frequencies blend together a little more naturally.
Installation is a breeze. For what they are, the multimount stands I purchased for the 4 surround speakers are a tad bit overpriced at $17.50, but then again with most mounts costing 40 - 60 bucks or more for a pair, and most comparable speaker systems costing three times what I paid for the Orbs, I think a little cash in the pocket of the orb guys is well deserved. They were easy to install and work perfectly.
Two Years in, still phenomenal
by Tom Lawson on May 2nd, 2007 at 5:23 PM:
Two years ago we had just completed building our retirement home and wanted to set up a home theater. We prewired the room (24x30') for a 5:1 surround system (duh, didn't even think of 7:1 at the time) and ordered a Yamaha RX-V2400 Receiver, a Sony 400 disc DVD player and a Panasonic 50" plasma TV (now replaced with a Panasonic PT-AE900U projector and a 150" elite elec screen). Left the speakers til last, since although I hadn't a clue, my wife absolutely hated the thought of 'big' speakers.
So, when everything else was in, I spent about two months on the web, researching every speaker I could find, and even went to my then bosses house to listen to his $5000 stereo speakers. That's right, $5,000 for two speakers. They sounded great but, they were huge and, they were way beyond my budget.
Being a total non-audiophile, I read and learned non-stop on speakers. Without going through all of my research, let me simply state that I ended up, over and over, coming back to the ORB web site. They had terrific reviews, I called and they called me back every time, within an hour or so (that is, if they didn't answer the phone right away which was 99% of the time) and, they sounded like decent guys.
So, I took a chance and ordered 14 white Orbs and two subwoofers, with the plan to install a 5:1 in the library/home theater and the other four (2:1) set up in the family room.
Well, since I was in the Navy and worked 150 miles away, and was busy doing other things when I came home on weekends, the Orbs sat in their boxes for almost a year before they were ever 'fired up'. However, the day that I finally got the entire set up, set up, to watch a DVD on the Panasonic 50" TV, my brother and sister in law were staying with us and they chose Titanic.
Well, the sound from those 10 Orbs was better than ANY movie theater I have ever been in. My sister in law, Ann, raved about the sound and said to my brother, "this is the best sounding movie I have ever been to, we've got to get this set up for our retirement house".
Well, since he was my brother, I ended up selling him one of the Orb subwoofers and four of my Orb white speakers (Mod 1's). He also has a 5:1 set up, with a Panasonic PT-AE900U, the same Yamaha receiver, and two Rectilinear III's as front left/right speakers (that he managed to get out of me about 20 years ago). Last August, we went to his house and even though he has 4, vs our 10 Orbs, the sound was still fabulous.
Before I bought Orbs, I had the usual questions about who the h%ll are these guys and are these some tinny little speakers?
All I can say is that, for me, a sonic novice, I have no desire to ever have another set of speakers, other than Orbs.
Finally, I'm getting ready to order another subwoofer from Orb, to go with my Yamaha YSP-1 sound processor (don't buy one, buy Orbs). I got mine for $572.00 and even at that ridiculously low price, it can't begin to compare with just two Orb mod-1's (single speakers..you can stack two of them on top each other with an Orb stand, hence the names Mod-1 for one speaker alone or, Mod-2 for two of them stacked).
In closing, we have people over for ' a night at the movies' about every month or two. In every case, our neighbors can't believe it. Neither my brother nor I have had one single problem with our Orb's or our Orb subwoofers, even though they have been left on automatic continuously now for 1 and two years.
If you are looking for superlative speakers and very, very reasonable prices, do yourself a favor and order them. They even give you 30 days to evaluate them. What do you have to lose?
P.S. I don't work for Orb, don't know any of their employee's, owners personally and haven't a clue about their company, other than if I were a betting man, I'd bet that you will feel the same way.
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Orb Audio - These speakers rock!
by Jose Bordetas on Dec 10th, 2008 at 10:17 AM:
I came from a world where space was available and big boxy speakers where the norm. When I moved to NYC i found myself in cramped quarters and my big boxy (and beloved Infinity's) simply did not fit. My GF wanted for us to go the Bose route, but I simply could not stand the design or hollow sound. Enter the Orb's... I will admit that at first I had an issue with going for speakers that I could not hear or ever see live. I read review upon review, pitting them against everything I could find, especially the high end Bose system my GF was pushing for.
That I took the plunge (behind her back) was probably the most courageous and in turn best thing I have ever done. WE LOVE OUR SYSTEM!!! these speakers are incredible. The sound that emanates from them rivals my old towers, I could not believe that a single driver paired with a sub could provide the imaging that I get. Properly place and calibrated these speakers and my trusty Denon 2807 sound absolutely wonderful. Do they sound like my buddy's $4000 B&W setup, no... But man o man it is sooooo close!
I recently had a friend over and she was asking us where did all this sound come from as we were watching Days of Thunder on our 58" plasma. I pointed to my orbs, which BTW look sick on their HOSS stands ( I got four stands and they simply look like a work of art). She was blown away, so much in fact that after the movie, I showed her the web site and she bought the same system that night. She had the advantage of having been able to hear them live before buying. I went and setup her orbs when they came. We did a before and after comparison of Pink Floyd's Shine on your crazy Diamond and I was simply floored by the difference in sound while using the same Sony receiver. She is a happy camper no doubt!
As my speakers have broken in, we find ourselves listening to more music than ever before, the way these speakers handle themselves is something that has to be heard to be believed. The highs, mids and the bass, the bass is awesome. The Super 8 has to be one of the best subs I have ever heard!
I love these speakers so much that for Christmas, I am getting a Classic 2 set for my PC. Let's see how Bioshock sounds on those puppy's!
I recommend these speakers to anyone that cares to listen to me evangelize about their prowess with Music and HT. They are the best value on the market and the guys at Orb, love what they do. They answered all of my questions, all of my questions and trust me they were plentiful!
Go for it, trust me when I say that there is simply no way you will be returning them once you have set them up.
Strengths:
The SOUND! The look, the luxurious texture and craftsmanship. They look like a work of art and the SOUND, did I mention the sound? Splurge for the HOSS stands and smile every time you walk into your room!
Weaknesses:
IMO - NONE. Well, perhaps the fact that I live in an apartment and can't crank them up the way I want to all the time.
Similar Products Used:
Never had satellite speakers before , but have owened the following:
Infinity RS series
Paradigm
Bose 901
these speakers blow all of these away