ORB Audio Mod2 Home Theater System

Rob Williams · 06-13-2007, 01:59 AM

Here’s something that’s a bit different for Techgage – we have an in-depth look at a multichannel speaker package from ORB Audio, a new direct-selling speaker manufacturer that’s quickly gaining popularity. And for good reason, as we soon find out.

You can read the full review here and discuss it here! Please let us know your opinions on the review and if you'd like to see more HT-like reviews in the future.

Greg King · 06-13-2007, 10:01 AM

Thats a solid set of speakers. I don't know if I am personally sold on the "orb" look of the things, but without that design, it kind of defeats the marketing scheme of ORB Audio.

Good review!

madstork91 · 06-13-2007, 05:19 PM

"He's Got Big Balls, She's Got Big Balls…" - Rory

I lol'd

That being said; Those things cost way too much.

Rory Buszka · 06-13-2007, 06:26 PM

It depends on what you're looking for. These aren't PC speakers, or at least, not as most people think of them. That's actual steel and stainless -- these are beefy little speakers. The sub is also far above what I've seen in any PC speaker package, including Logitech's 8". If ORB Audio brings these to the PC market like I've heard they plan to, don't expect them to be cheap. When it comes to a high-end product, at some point you've just got to pay to play.

MakubeX · 06-13-2007, 06:58 PM

Decent speakers. Orb is known for making good speakers for the size.

06-13-2007, 11:56 PM

i think logitech z5500 is more cheap compare to the Orb speaker in the review.Logitech z5500 has dolby & DTS hardware decoding and of course,10 inch subwoober.and i already own it

07-04-2007, 10:29 PM

These blow away any computer speaker you've ever heard...compare them to $2,500 systems you see in stores, and then you realize they are NOT expensive! Best purchase I've made in a long time...

DLO · 08-08-2007, 10:18 PM

My first post in the land of all people seriously techy. Imagine you have an empty house, love for music and films and want it all over the house. Sources would be web, itunes, MP3, dvd, cd, records, etc. You go and buy a load of ORB speakers and a SONOS system (because you know no better)
Where now?

Rob Williams · 08-10-2007, 01:16 AM

You go to downtown San Fran and pick up some good Sushi, that's what you do. In reality.. I am just bumping this thread for someone else to better reply since I have no clue about audio.

04-30-2008, 03:28 AM

I've had my Orb Mod 2 7.1 system with the 10-inch subwoofer installed for a couple of weeks now. I'm still tweaking the room acoustics to get the sound perfected, but the bottom line is that these things completely blow away the Bose system that preceded them. A very high-quality and much more expensive bookshelf or floorstanding speaker set might marginally outperform these things, but they wouldn't be as attractive, and they wouldn't make the wife as happy.

My setup is built completely around a home theater PC, BTW. I've got an Intel board that supports high-definition audio output, which means that it has a TOSlink connector that can output either regular old S/PDIF or something called ADAT - Alesis Digital Audio Tape.

ADAT is a format that recording professionals have been using for decades. It's comprised of 8 channels of discrete PCM digital audio at very high bit rates.

Why is that important? Because my PC is doing ALL of the DSP functions that are normally the province of the receiver. All that stuff about delay adjustment, speaker tuning, bass processing? That's all handled by processing on the PC. The only thing between my PC and the speakers is a Simplifi Digital 7075A amplifier. (www.simplifidigital.com). The amplifier has only two jobs: D/A conversion on those 8 channels, and amplification on the analog result. The sonic result is truly amazing, and the money I'm saving by not having to buy the kind of high-end receiver that can do all of the things my PC can do more than pays for the additional cost of the Orbs.

It's just silly to compare the Orbs to any of the PC-oriented speaker setups out there. There just isn't any similarity. The best comparison, as the reviewer notes, is with Anthony Gallo's vastly higher priced Nucleus speakers, which are only available at audiophile dealers. I've listened to them, and I can't tell any difference between my Orbs and the Gallos.

If you're serious about showing the audio snobs in your neighborhood what an HTPC can do, consider the combination of the Simplifi device and the Orbs.

- Mitch

Merlin · 04-30-2008, 05:41 AM

1289.00
Dont think I could put that out for just speakers.
I'm not one of those that has too much mooolah and dont know what to spend it on.

Merlin

06-13-2007, 01:59 AM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	ORB Audio Mod2 Home Theater System Here’s something that’s a bit different for Techgage – we have an in-depth look at a multichannel speaker package from ORB Audio, a new direct-selling speaker manufacturer that’s quickly gaining popularity. And for good reason, as we soon find out. You can read the full review here and discuss it here! Please let us know your opinions on the review and if you'd like to see more HT-like reviews in the future. __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

06-13-2007, 10:01 AM	#2
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	Thats a solid set of speakers. I don't know if I am personally sold on the "orb" look of the things, but without that design, it kind of defeats the marketing scheme of ORB Audio. Good review! __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2

06-13-2007, 05:19 PM	#3
madstork91 The One, The Only... Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: TEXAS! Posts: 1,434	"He's Got Big Balls, She's Got Big Balls…" - Rory I lol'd That being said; Those things cost way too much. __________________ ..

06-13-2007, 06:26 PM	#4
Rory Buszka Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 388	It depends on what you're looking for. These aren't PC speakers, or at least, not as most people think of them. That's actual steel and stainless -- these are beefy little speakers. The sub is also far above what I've seen in any PC speaker package, including Logitech's 8". If ORB Audio brings these to the PC market like I've heard they plan to, don't expect them to be cheap. When it comes to a high-end product, at some point you've just got to pay to play. __________________ Best Regards, Rory Buszka

06-13-2007, 06:58 PM	#5
MakubeX Partition Master Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 277	Decent speakers. Orb is known for making good speakers for the size. __________________ HP LP2065 20.1" S-IPS LCD \| Lian Li PC-7077A case w/window \| Asus P5Q Deluxe \| Intel Q9650 4.2GHz - 1.33v 4GB G.Skill PI PC2-8800 \| Asus HD 4870X2 \| Ultra X3 1KW PSU \| X-Fi Fatal1ty w/ Front Panel\| Logitech Z-680 THX 5.1 Speakers EK Supreme \| EK FC-4870X2 block \| Enzotech SNBW-SLI \| Swiftech MCW30 \| DDC-2 w/ XSPC Top \| Laing D5 \| Thermochill PA120.3 \| Weapon Heatercore

06-13-2007, 11:56 PM	#6
mie Guest Poster Posts: n/a	i think logitech z5500 is more cheap compare to the Orb speaker in the review.Logitech z5500 has dolby & DTS hardware decoding and of course,10 inch subwoober.and i already own it

07-04-2007, 10:29 PM	#7
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Orbs Rule! These blow away any computer speaker you've ever heard...compare them to $2,500 systems you see in stores, and then you realize they are NOT expensive! Best purchase I've made in a long time...

08-08-2007, 10:18 PM	#8
DLO Obliviot Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: San Francisco Posts: 1	My first post in the land of all people seriously techy. Imagine you have an empty house, love for music and films and want it all over the house. Sources would be web, itunes, MP3, dvd, cd, records, etc. You go and buy a load of ORB speakers and a SONOS system (because you know no better) Where now?

08-10-2007, 01:16 AM	#9
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	You go to downtown San Fran and pick up some good Sushi, that's what you do. In reality.. I am just bumping this thread for someone else to better reply since I have no clue about audio. __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

04-30-2008, 03:28 AM	#10
Mitch Shults Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Excellent review I've had my Orb Mod 2 7.1 system with the 10-inch subwoofer installed for a couple of weeks now. I'm still tweaking the room acoustics to get the sound perfected, but the bottom line is that these things completely blow away the Bose system that preceded them. A very high-quality and much more expensive bookshelf or floorstanding speaker set might marginally outperform these things, but they wouldn't be as attractive, and they wouldn't make the wife as happy. My setup is built completely around a home theater PC, BTW. I've got an Intel board that supports high-definition audio output, which means that it has a TOSlink connector that can output either regular old S/PDIF or something called ADAT - Alesis Digital Audio Tape. ADAT is a format that recording professionals have been using for decades. It's comprised of 8 channels of discrete PCM digital audio at very high bit rates. Why is that important? Because my PC is doing ALL of the DSP functions that are normally the province of the receiver. All that stuff about delay adjustment, speaker tuning, bass processing? That's all handled by processing on the PC. The only thing between my PC and the speakers is a Simplifi Digital 7075A amplifier. (www.simplifidigital.com). The amplifier has only two jobs: D/A conversion on those 8 channels, and amplification on the analog result. The sonic result is truly amazing, and the money I'm saving by not having to buy the kind of high-end receiver that can do all of the things my PC can do more than pays for the additional cost of the Orbs. It's just silly to compare the Orbs to any of the PC-oriented speaker setups out there. There just isn't any similarity. The best comparison, as the reviewer notes, is with Anthony Gallo's vastly higher priced Nucleus speakers, which are only available at audiophile dealers. I've listened to them, and I can't tell any difference between my Orbs and the Gallos. If you're serious about showing the audio snobs in your neighborhood what an HTPC can do, consider the combination of the Simplifi device and the Orbs. - Mitch

04-30-2008, 05:41 AM	#11
Merlin The Tech Wizard Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Lakeland, Fl Posts: 1,855	1289.00 Dont think I could put that out for just speakers. I'm not one of those that has too much mooolah and dont know what to spend it on. Merlin __________________ Win7 64 bit Intel i7 920 watercooled Asus P6X580 Premium mobo, GTX280 GPU watercooled Synology NAS 207 Network Server with 2 Hitachi Terabite drives LG NAS N2R1 with 2 ea 2 tb drives LINKSYS PLK300 Powerline Network Kit

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Home Theater Reciever died...	On_Wisconsin	Audio	6	01-01-2010 04:42 PM
Folding@Home	Merlin	General Software	6	03-04-2009 01:18 PM
Audioengine AW1 Wireless Audio System	Rob Williams	Reviews and Articles	0	10-05-2008 08:48 PM
Channels in an audio system -- a clarification	Rory Buszka	Audio	3	09-11-2007 11:14 AM
Whoops - don't try this at home...	Yaotl	Off Topic	9	12-20-2005 09:48 AM