Orb audio... Any good?

[sdhelo]

anybody own or heard the orb5.1 mod 1 set up? Thinking about buying it.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Never heard of the company. When looking for those speakers I would stay far away from them.. They don't even show specifications on their site for those speakers/sub. Pretty much looks like some cheap speakers with stylish design and that's all.

What is your budget for 5.1 setup? Do you have receiver already? If not, do you have separate budget for it or does it go with same budget? What size is your room?

 

[markw]

Remember, you can't change the laws of physics. They are small speakers and therefore limited in loudness and detail.

These sell on style, not performance. There are better available for around the same price but if you like the looks and size, then they aren't that bad for a small room.

 

[shadyJ]

Orb doesn't look bad for the size. There are reviews with measurements here and here. IF you can fit larger speakers in your setup, you can get something with better performance. For a PC desktop system with limited space or something like that, I think Orb is fine.

 

[noclue]

At one time they well thought of and for a small room they are probably good. There has been a lot of new speakers that have came out that are low in cost and probably are a lot better in price versus value.

Wave crest HVL-1 is a good example. The Ascend 170's and 200's I would say are a lot better too.
SVS has some new satellite speakers and a good in home trial to see if you like them.

If i remember right Orb has a in home trial also. They also have a nice WAF factor too.

I would check out what Ascend Acoustics compares price wise against there 170, 200 and 340 speakers.
Also look at SVS, Chane, Wave Crest, or some of the JBL studio line.

One thing to consider is that you will need a sub to go with all of these speakers. The size of your sub will depend on the size of you room and what you want to get as far as base. IE chest pounding window shaking or smooth even base.

Another thing to consider is shipping cost and return cost SVS and JBL ( IF you buy from there web site) offer free shipping to and return also. Ascend charges for shipping but at a reduced rate and same for there returns.

If your AVR has a low watts per channel rating you may need to look at efficient speakers. For example a lot of folks like Polk speakers but most will say that they need a lot power to sound good. A Ascend 340 is a example of a efficient speaker a lower watts per channel AVR would work good with it

If you don,t go with Orb best to to start with a 3.1 set up to start this will give you more money top spend for what is important your left right center and sub. this will also lower the cost if you have to pay return shipping

 

[theJman]

I bought some to see what the fuss was about. I also happen to be a fan of point source and full range speakers. Note that mine had the previous generation of driver, so I can't say with certainty what the new version is like.

For starters, you would probably need to get the Mod2 system in order to achieve a sufficient undistorted output level. The singles have difficulty doing that, unless you listen at a lower volume. For some that's fine though (always get a dual for the center, regardless). If you get the Mod2 that means you're spending at least a grand just for the speakers, which in my opinion is not a good value.

Then there's the crossover, which can't be set for anything less than 100Hz (although 120Hz is probably better, especially if you go with the singles). As such, the subwoofer will need to go higher than most people find acceptable - because sometimes it can then be audibly located - so tuning could be an issue.

If you stick with Orb for the whole system only consider the subONE, which for the price is actually not bad. However, add another $100 to your budget and you start to get into the range where you can buy some pretty impressive units.

FWIW... the guy who started Orb used to work at Gallo Acoustics. He basically copied Anthony's design for his Micro, so you can consider these a 'lite' version of the Gallo speakers.