While I have not built one of these, I had the opportunity to listen to one that was built locally.
This is a well thought out and executed design. The soundstage is very realistic, the vocals are smooth and lifelike without "box artifacts", the treble was extended with no harshness and the bass was very realistic. All of this blended together for a seamless presentation that was very natural sounding. You would be hard pressed to go wrong building this speaker.
everett
This is a well thought out and executed design. The soundstage is very realistic, the vocals are smooth and lifelike without "box artifacts", the treble was extended with no harshness and the bass was very realistic. All of this blended together for a seamless presentation that was very natural sounding. You would be hard pressed to go wrong building this speaker.
everett
I'm building a modified Orion (or one piece Phoenix) at the moment, using 2 Seas W22, the Millenium and two Adire DPL12s a side.
I've finished the test baffles and it sounds so good I sold my Wilson speakers. I used to have Martin Logan CLS electrostats also, and it sounds like the best of both those speakers. The clarity of the 'stats with the dynamics of the Wilsons.
I would highly recommend it also.
I'm on Oz also. Fortunately the Seas and Peerless drivers are available here. I imported the DPL12s from the States.
Steve
I've finished the test baffles and it sounds so good I sold my Wilson speakers. I used to have Martin Logan CLS electrostats also, and it sounds like the best of both those speakers. The clarity of the 'stats with the dynamics of the Wilsons.
I would highly recommend it also.
I'm on Oz also. Fortunately the Seas and Peerless drivers are available here. I imported the DPL12s from the States.
Steve
Linkwitz Orion's
I completed a set of the Orion's a little over a week ago. I am now cycling my music collection through them. They are outstanding. Great sound stage and imaging. A very coherent and natural sound from top to bottom. I need to visit my local Revel dealer to listen to some of the same music.
Construction is pretty straightforward. Siegfried supples an outstanding documentation package and provides support on his website for updates to the documentation.
I highly recommend them.
Jeff Bookwalter
bookwalter.1@osu.edu
I completed a set of the Orion's a little over a week ago. I am now cycling my music collection through them. They are outstanding. Great sound stage and imaging. A very coherent and natural sound from top to bottom. I need to visit my local Revel dealer to listen to some of the same music.
Construction is pretty straightforward. Siegfried supples an outstanding documentation package and provides support on his website for updates to the documentation.
I highly recommend them.
Jeff Bookwalter
bookwalter.1@osu.edu
Orion
I have not built a Thor subwoofer. In listening and measuring the Orion in my room, the base extension and output are sufficient. SL indicates that most users will not need the Thor. My room is relatively small (about 22 square meters, 220square ft.) so max. sound pressure level is not a problem. I do have a few serious suckout problems that I will have to remedy with room placement, but as awlays, that is a cut and try proposition.
Jeff
I have not built a Thor subwoofer. In listening and measuring the Orion in my room, the base extension and output are sufficient. SL indicates that most users will not need the Thor. My room is relatively small (about 22 square meters, 220square ft.) so max. sound pressure level is not a problem. I do have a few serious suckout problems that I will have to remedy with room placement, but as awlays, that is a cut and try proposition.
Jeff
what are you guys using for amplification?
I am building the orions this summer. Just received my plans today so am quite excited and eager.
I am planning all the things that I need to implement these and the amplification is the biggest problem. Am going to build eight LM3875 gainclones to power these. I am hoping that this is enough power for the peerless drivers. Does anyone have any comments on what they are using?
Thanks
wasser
I am building the orions this summer. Just received my plans today so am quite excited and eager.
I am planning all the things that I need to implement these and the amplification is the biggest problem. Am going to build eight LM3875 gainclones to power these. I am hoping that this is enough power for the peerless drivers. Does anyone have any comments on what they are using?
Thanks
wasser
I finished my Orions about 10 months ago.
I regularly listen to rock + techno at average levels up to 90dBC full-range, full-scale orchestral works at subjectively realistic levels full-range, and reference level home theater (high pass at 80dB 2nd order, switching to 40Hz 4th order).
At the recomended listening distances in a home setting, the output is there for everything except full-range home-theater use (a 40Hz 4th order cross over will do the trick) and perhaps organ music (haven't tried this at realistic levels).
Use SL's spreadsheet if you want numbers on the maximum output.
I regularly listen to rock + techno at average levels up to 90dBC full-range, full-scale orchestral works at subjectively realistic levels full-range, and reference level home theater (high pass at 80dB 2nd order, switching to 40Hz 4th order).
At the recomended listening distances in a home setting, the output is there for everything except full-range home-theater use (a 40Hz 4th order cross over will do the trick) and perhaps organ music (haven't tried this at realistic levels).
Use SL's spreadsheet if you want numbers on the maximum output.
Orions
Wasser,
I have built the Orions and was pleased when powered by two lm3875 stereo amps for mid and tweeters and by a muscle amp delivering whay to much power for the woofers (500 w/ch at 4 ohms padded to the right sensitivity).
Recently I have just completed 4 more chip lm3875 amps for the woofers and was not satisfied with the results. Bass is flaby not boomy but without any control, I think a fair amount of damping from the part of the amp is desirable for dipole woofers.
This speaker system truly deserve a quality amplifier, don't forget M. Linkwitz designed it using the AT6012 amp from ATI and that altough I have NOT heard it YET, it must play an important role in the performance of the Orions.
The 3875's for the bass don't cut it, at least for the bass section of the dipoles. Is it a matter of power supply? I am using a 160Va/21v.sec for a 30v rail transformer per chip.
Jacq.
Wasser,
I have built the Orions and was pleased when powered by two lm3875 stereo amps for mid and tweeters and by a muscle amp delivering whay to much power for the woofers (500 w/ch at 4 ohms padded to the right sensitivity).
Recently I have just completed 4 more chip lm3875 amps for the woofers and was not satisfied with the results. Bass is flaby not boomy but without any control, I think a fair amount of damping from the part of the amp is desirable for dipole woofers.
This speaker system truly deserve a quality amplifier, don't forget M. Linkwitz designed it using the AT6012 amp from ATI and that altough I have NOT heard it YET, it must play an important role in the performance of the Orions.
The 3875's for the bass don't cut it, at least for the bass section of the dipoles. Is it a matter of power supply? I am using a 160Va/21v.sec for a 30v rail transformer per chip.
Jacq.
Jacq,
don't give up on the LM3875 as yet... You may have a resonance in the PSU and / or filter caps of a too small value. These chips are no powerhouses but should be enough for decent amplification at normal SPL's. Something may not function optimally in your setup.
PSU resonance may be caused by long DC lines for instance (after rectification), I had that once on a DIY design - boomy bass when using very log (several feet) of cable after the PSU. Filter caps, on a 160 VA for 1 chip, could be around 10,000 uF for smoothing plus a say, 100 or 220 uF locally at the chip for decoupling (in addition to 100 nF decoupling caps).
Depending on how long your cables are etc., you could also be encountering oscillation, lowering your available power and control in the audio range. I'd try one of the Zobels recommended in the LM data sheets, and / or the L-R series connection.
Alternatives:
Series connection would give you a higher damping factor (double Z to drive), but then you'd have to use 2 chips in bridge mode to get the same voltage swing from a given supply, which negates the damping factor gain.
Woofers in parallel would lower damping factor, so it's no use.
Driving the woofers in series with a bridge-parallel chip amp (4 chips for 2 woofers) would increase damping in theory, but with the recommended series output R for paralleling the chips you'd be back to square one...
I would think an optimized PSU and Zobels should do the trick.
don't give up on the LM3875 as yet... You may have a resonance in the PSU and / or filter caps of a too small value. These chips are no powerhouses but should be enough for decent amplification at normal SPL's. Something may not function optimally in your setup.
PSU resonance may be caused by long DC lines for instance (after rectification), I had that once on a DIY design - boomy bass when using very log (several feet) of cable after the PSU. Filter caps, on a 160 VA for 1 chip, could be around 10,000 uF for smoothing plus a say, 100 or 220 uF locally at the chip for decoupling (in addition to 100 nF decoupling caps).
Depending on how long your cables are etc., you could also be encountering oscillation, lowering your available power and control in the audio range. I'd try one of the Zobels recommended in the LM data sheets, and / or the L-R series connection.
Alternatives:
Series connection would give you a higher damping factor (double Z to drive), but then you'd have to use 2 chips in bridge mode to get the same voltage swing from a given supply, which negates the damping factor gain.
Woofers in parallel would lower damping factor, so it's no use.
Driving the woofers in series with a bridge-parallel chip amp (4 chips for 2 woofers) would increase damping in theory, but with the recommended series output R for paralleling the chips you'd be back to square one...
I would think an optimized PSU and Zobels should do the trick.
I've listened to Orions here in France. Power Amp was ROTEL RMB1048 4*40Watts.
Natural sound, smooth, beautiful piano, one of the best i've ever heard but i think Orion lacks micro-details, i came back with my dvd player to check this and it was the same.
Bass seems to be like perfection but some tracks make ROTEL run into protection on bass channel, sure that bass dipole is demanding a strong power amp. On some big bass, sound was not so clean, I was a bit disappointed, Peerless XLS also have IMHO some "noise" due to long excursion, with deep bass, excursion was so strong that some noise come from cabinet And/Or speakers.
I'm very interrested by the dipole design, the "no box" sound.
I'm going to try this design with a DSP behringer and high efficiency speakers like JBL, B&C Beyma. A horn and compression for the tweeter will give me more dynamics and micro details, one or two 10'' drivers will give very low distorsion and high impact in midrange, i want to go as low as 80 Hz in dipole configuration with them. For bass, I still think a good BR box with something like a Shiva will be more suitable for the band 20-80 HZ
Natural sound, smooth, beautiful piano, one of the best i've ever heard but i think Orion lacks micro-details, i came back with my dvd player to check this and it was the same.
Bass seems to be like perfection but some tracks make ROTEL run into protection on bass channel, sure that bass dipole is demanding a strong power amp. On some big bass, sound was not so clean, I was a bit disappointed, Peerless XLS also have IMHO some "noise" due to long excursion, with deep bass, excursion was so strong that some noise come from cabinet And/Or speakers.
I'm very interrested by the dipole design, the "no box" sound.
I'm going to try this design with a DSP behringer and high efficiency speakers like JBL, B&C Beyma. A horn and compression for the tweeter will give me more dynamics and micro details, one or two 10'' drivers will give very low distorsion and high impact in midrange, i want to go as low as 80 Hz in dipole configuration with them. For bass, I still think a good BR box with something like a Shiva will be more suitable for the band 20-80 HZ
I've listenend one more time to Orions and love them, i was planning to build it but room placement is a big issue due to distance between baffle and rear wall, I'm still considering Orion but looking at a solution, maybe move them each time I listen to music....
I'm planning to use two rotel RMB1066 units wich are 60Watts rated like ATI 6012 and should be more suitable for Orion.
I'm planning to use two rotel RMB1066 units wich are 60Watts rated like ATI 6012 and should be more suitable for Orion.
Are there any dutch DIY'ers who have built the Orion? Or maybe german and belgium builders not too far from the border? I'd really like to listen to a pair of Orions somewhere in the future. I'm currently building a 4-way dipole and would like to compare the endresult in a A/B if possible.
Cheers!
Cheers!
I built Orions in 2009 and have greatly enjoyed them ever since. Mine are powered by a Sonance Sonamp 1250 (12 x 50 RMS) with a bridged pair driving each woofer and a single channel each driving the mids and the paralleled tweeters. I found that a rigorous setup process to carefully gain match the channels and a lot of trial and error positioning the speakers in my listening room provided solid listening dividends. I have maintained them along SL's upgrade path through 3.3.1 but I don't anticipate moving on to the W frame as I don't expect this to provide benefit commensurate with the effort and cost. These are my last speakers (DIY heresy)!
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.