What do you think of the Orbs?
Ok, I couldn't wait any longer! I order my Orbs and hope to get them before the week is over (probably not, though
) I got the "People's Choice" Package. Comes with Mod2 (dual orbs) for the fronts and center, and Mod1 (single orb) for the rears. Hopefully they live up to my expectations!!
I ordered the Orb Mod2 system about the same time you wrote this post. I kept mine because they sound surprisingly good to my ear and the Super 8 sub also sounds very good. I also like the small profile that is visually inconspicuous which is important for my home theater setup. I must admit, I was a bit dubious when I pulled the first Orb from the box and it weighed about a pound ... I didn't know what to expect, but, something more substantial seemed in order. You cannot judge a book by it's cover and a similar euphemism must apply to prejudicial impressions about speaker weight.
I've listened to the small/mini/micros from Definitives, Mirages, Klipsch, and Bose. They all seemed to have some nuance that I didn't like. Of those, the Orbs are the most full-range, unbiased, and musical to my ear. My only issue with the Orbs is that the low end of the midrange sound spectrum seems weak, but not to the extent that I noticed that or some other weakness from the aforementioned brands. I suppose it could be my hearing ... My wife agrees with me about the lower mid-frequence range softness, but, she loves the Orb sound and she'll turn the volume up during the MusicHD concerts ... she'd never done that before with my venerable old ESS floor standing speakers from the early '80s. The Orbs have made me (almost) forget my beloved ESS speakers.
Another thing, prior to buying them I wrote a technical question to Orb about the Orb speaker impedence, amplifier characteristics, and frequency response. The Pres. of Orb, Ethan Siegal, wrote back a clear, complete response. That speaks to me!
