Sneak Preview of New Orelos

[briefremarks]

Peter informed me (a while ago) that my new Orelos are finally ready.  I've been on a crazy travel schedule ever since, and so am only now getting back to arranging logistics, etc. to have them shipped to me.  I will post photos and my impressions once I have them.

BUT, I could not resist posing this sneak preview.  Peter and Bert have been amazing working on the aesthetics collaboratively, and I think we have ended up with a real work of art.  Providing just a glimpse for now, a slow reveal.

More soon...

Ramesh

[PeterSt]

Ha !

[Scroobius]

Looking very classy !!!

Nice 

[manisandher]

Hey Ramesh, they look truly amazing - well, the bit you've revealed at least. Well done! Looking forward to seeing more.

Mani.

[arvind]

Hi Ramesh, it looks amazing. Better than my black one. All the best. Enjoy it. Remember it takes quite a while to break in.

Regards,

Arvind

[briefremarks]

I could not resist posting another view.

[PeterSt]

Hi Ramesh, it looks amazing. Better than my black one.

Better than my black as well !
haha

Peter

[briefremarks]

THE ORELOS HAVE ARRIVED!  This sounds a bit like the announcements made about mussels in Belgium and wines in California.

I have a lot more detail to provide, but for now:they look fabulous and sound exceptional.  It took a good week for them to "settle" and I can hear on-going opening up of the sound.

My major anxieties have vanished: no hiss or noise, excellent imaging, not too finicky of a sweet spot (one does need to be sufficiently far back), deep and wide sound stage.

The dynamics, precision/detail, realism of instrument timbre are better than anything I have owned or heard.  This fact has been validated by friends who have heard my previous speaker incarnations.  At least in my setup SQ with Intona is superior.

The Orelos are LARGE!  I was asked snidely if I was compensating for anything.

A more detailed review and photos soon.  One for now in its new space.

[Robert]

Looking great, but glass coffee table is great bright reflector of sound.

I know I had one and removed it under protest but we now live without coffee table replaced with smaller couch side tables of wood.

Anyway just a kind suggestion also would move the right leg rest couch(closest to RH speaker) in photo so couch ends are the same facing both speakers. I do realise its all a compromise(especially involving others) but after going to all the trouble of playing with these speakers well worth it. My partner so appreciates the good sound she goes along with most things(but not ALL!!!).

Robert

[briefremarks]

I’m finally getting around to writing a review of the Orelo Mk II speakers.  There is a lot of information in the forum on design, measurements, etc. so I won’t get into any of that.  Just my impressions after having lived with them now for several months.

Ordering and customizing

First, getting the Orelos is nothing like buying speakers from anyone else.  Peter and Bert went out of the way to make sure that what I wanted for veneer, horn color, other finishes were exactly done, and offered suggestions, often blunt, about what would and would not work.  The result is a speaker that looks spectacular—a hybrid of angel and winged beast.  We finished the woofer baffles in figured mahogany finished to a high-gloss “guitar” effect.  This brings out the figuring in 3D much like you see in figured maple and mahogany guitars—which is where the idea came from.
 
The horn in BMW Valencia Orange (B44 for anyone who might want to do this).  The BMW Valencia orange is perfect with the mahogany, a rust-toned, rich, metallic orange.  The front “nose” and decorative grille are gloss black, and everything else is matt black.

Arrival and assembly

The speakers arrive packed expertly in four large crates.  I was initially a little apprehensive about assembling them.  But here is the surprise.  They are VERY easy to assemble!  It will take two people to move the woofer column, but the actual assembly only involves: bolting the baffles in place (they fit perfectly), placing the horn on its padded rest, wiring the horn, inserting the decorative grill into the pre-made slots, and THAT IS IT!   Once I had all the components unpacked and the woofer columns in place, it took less than an hour.  The packing includes a pair of soft gloves to use with the horns not to smudge them!

Wiring and getting ready to play

Wiring the speakers is extremely simple.  One connection for the input from the DAC, and one for power.  I cannot tell you how complex wiring my previous set up was with ten channels of amplification, active cross-over, associated interconnects, speaker cables, power cables, power supplies, etc.

Sound

I have not heard speakers that sound better.  I’ve had “audiophile” friends over to listen.  A problem evaluating SQ is that not many people listen to live music, and are therefore acclimated to an unnatural “hi-fi” sound.

The Orelos are completely neutral and balanced, extremely fast and dynamic, detailed and engaging.  The Orelos have none of the coloration associated with “horns.”  More importantly, I am beginning to recognize that wide-dispersion cone drivers are in fact more colored, except everyone is used to this particular coloration of sound.
It took a few weeks for everything to loosen up and break-in, the bass initially seemed slim BUT this was both because of the need for break-in AND the absence of aliased frequencies that give artificial “weight” to bass.  I still have my previous speakers set up in another room (LX521 without the NOS1a), and can hear the difference in quality of bass, even though the LX521 bass is very, very good.  The Orelo bass is now some of the best I have heard—deep, resonant, natural, with body, without bloat.

Positioning the speakers properly is critical, but not overly finicky.  I have them 10 feet apart center to center, with very slight toe-in, 4 feet from back (front) wall, and 10 inches from side walls.  Toe-in and distance from side wall have probably been the most import influence on sound.  VJ Rao has posted on his dramatic improvement with room treatment, and this may be something to consider.  Hoping to meet up with VJ again soon.  The Orelos seem to actually benefit from some side reflection, this at least is my observation.

I have tried the F-M switches, but flat (slope, dip and high all at 1) seems best for me.  Would like to hear what others are doing.  I would prefer one setting that works for all genres, or maybe a setting per genre (orchestral, small jazz combo/string quartet, singer-songwriter) than tweaking for individual recordings.
The one area for improvement in my set up is probably imaging and width of sound stage.  All relative.

Conclusion

The Orelos are spectacular, world-class speakers, worth the price easily if you consider they include amplification, DSP for bass, F-M filters.  I have listened to a wide range of music on them: classical, modern, rock, electronic, pop, experimental.  Some poor recordings sound bad, because that is reality.  I have not tried aggressive use of the F-M switches to fix that.

Peter and Bert are obsessed with customer satisfaction in a way that is simply unmatched.  

It would be good to have a little more on the forum from Orelo owners—setup, tweaks, etc.
 
A very happy owner!!

[manisandher]

Ramesh, your Orelos look stunning. And it's great to hear that you're happy with their sound. Nick has my 'old' Orelos and, after a lot of tweaking', is very pleased with them too (which is a massive relief for me).

There's no doubt that they're right up there with the best speakers available at any price. I'm even more convinced of this since my attendance at the Munich High End show earlier this year.

Mani.

[PeterSt]

Well Ramesh, what a super joy it is to read this. I feel honoured (and I am sure Bert too or even more).
And what a phantastic photo !

What I also (only now can) notice is how we both managed to let this blend in that room. Very very well done of you, but also very well done of us both without ever being there (or you being over here). I think we'll agree that it has been most challenging and the opposite of being on the safe side and make them piano black, like my own. So I recall that even for myself I couldn't decide what to do because of being afraid it wouldn't work out.

About the F-M settings : only very occasionally I try the Highs one step up. Just when I think the music can have/bear it. But these days it doesn't last long, probably because there already is so much highs because of all the added up "tweaks", plus that those means make the highs louder in a more natural way. So the F-M highs surely makes the sound more spacious, but also with less color in the upper regions. Well, that was my perception the last time which was prior to the Lush I think, so maybe I must try it again.

Thank you very much for this nice write-up !
Peter

[music33]

Hi Ramesh,
First the speakers look gorgeous.  I hope you don't mind a couple of questions.  I notice the room is different in the earlier picture - did changing the room affect the sound.  In the current room, what are the dimensions and how far is the listening position to the speakers.  I ask as I have just moved my system to a room that looks similar.  Thanks, Dave

[briefremarks]

Dave,

Yes, I did move the speakers; initially not for sound but convenience.  I spend more time in this space, which is a family room, breakfast area and kitchen space--a lot of space behind the listening position (at least 20 feet).

The speakers are 10 feet apart center to center, and I listen on a couch which is 10 feet away (triangle apex = 10 feet, not distance to speaker, which is a bit more).

I spaced the speakers as far apart as I could, and then toed-in just enough to get a solid center.  Measured distances to within 0.25 inches for accuracy. 4 feet from front wall.  10" from side walls.

The speakers sound gorgeous, exceptionally good.  Most recent "tweak" has been with the F-M curves, now set to green, orange, orange (based on VJ Rao's visit).  I like the depth added to the sound stage, and a little more "presence" in the mid-range.  All relative, of course.

I listen to a wide range of music, but still try to optimize set up for classical orchestral pieces.  My sense is if we can get this right, most everything else will sound good, EXCEPT of course for ancient rock recordings--the MQA versions really help.

Ramesh

[Scroobius]

Hi Ramesh - Your Orelo's look fantastic you are set for many years of musical enjoyment now.

Cheers

Paul