Poultrygeist
Lunatic Member
While box speakers work to eliminate the back wave OB speakers embrace it. Much of the sonic advantage of OB's lies is that rich ambiance which comes from rear wall reflections.
If you attend live concerts, you know that music comes at you from all directions and not from a couple of boxes. The OB sound stage is more like attending that live concert. It is extremely open, wide, transparent, and with less negative room interaction and coloration.
Linkwitz says OB bass is more accurate than box bass. Bass notes are more defined but you'll get little in the way of slam since OB's don't pressurize the room.
That slightly delayed back wave results in a natural reverberation that can be intoxicating.
The closest way ( and it's not really all that close ) to duplicate some of the OB magic is to take box speakers outside, place them on stands facing the house and listen to them while seated with your back against the house wall. The bass will be limited but you'll hear a more open and less colored presentation.
OB sound is holographic, live, and notes seem to linger in mid air and as a matter of fact I named a pair of my OB's, "The Note Hangers".
While the Betsy's can hook you on the OB sound the next natural progression would be to augment those full range drivers with inexpensive high Qts pro woofers.
With the addition of woofers the baffle size can be drastically reduced which no doubt will increase WAF.
A tombstone version of the Betsy without woofers will be bass shy.
If you attend live concerts, you know that music comes at you from all directions and not from a couple of boxes. The OB sound stage is more like attending that live concert. It is extremely open, wide, transparent, and with less negative room interaction and coloration.
Linkwitz says OB bass is more accurate than box bass. Bass notes are more defined but you'll get little in the way of slam since OB's don't pressurize the room.
That slightly delayed back wave results in a natural reverberation that can be intoxicating.
The closest way ( and it's not really all that close ) to duplicate some of the OB magic is to take box speakers outside, place them on stands facing the house and listen to them while seated with your back against the house wall. The bass will be limited but you'll hear a more open and less colored presentation.
OB sound is holographic, live, and notes seem to linger in mid air and as a matter of fact I named a pair of my OB's, "The Note Hangers".
While the Betsy's can hook you on the OB sound the next natural progression would be to augment those full range drivers with inexpensive high Qts pro woofers.
With the addition of woofers the baffle size can be drastically reduced which no doubt will increase WAF.
A tombstone version of the Betsy without woofers will be bass shy.