Help! Omega 4” Midrange Drivers

[Mark_L]

My typical speaker rescues usually go much smoother than this. I’ve really got to stop. I bought a $25 pair of Omega 3 way speakers in disrepair. If there was a model label at one time, it has fallen off or was removed. I can’t recall if I have heard of this brand or not. The seller estimates he bought them in about 1979.

It’s a well-made, heavy box, nicely insulated, with real veneer. The woofers are good, just need foam. The middle and high drivers are apparently all shot. I heard something rattling around inside one of the mids. I’ve located a pair of tweeters, but so far replacements for the mid drivers are elusive. The tweeter code produced results when searched on google, but I got nothing when I searched the mid driver code. Vintage replacements for the mids would be nice, but at this point I would use anything reasonably priced.

And now for the second issue. I see no evidence of a crossover anywhere inside the box. There is just what I guess is a circuit breaker with two terminals, but when I opened the speakers up the leads were all disconnected. Any advice to get these things going again as cheaply as possible as welcome. As always, thanks for the help. I’m sure you all will have the solution.

 

[stickman]

In your ruler picture the fact the farthest apart points on the basket are 5 inches apart means this midrange would be considered a 5" driver, fortunately a very common size for sealed back and cannister backed midrange speaker drivers.

Japanese made drivers don't have EIA Codes (which are US manufacturer specific) and therefore any model ID code numbers stamped on the back have little to no meaning as far as manufacturer and model traceability are concerned.

The odds of finding exact replacements even off eBay would likely be slim, so it's Frankenspeaker time to try some alternative 5" diameter sealed back (or cannister backed) midrange drivers and hope they offer a decent replacement in terms of efficiency and sound quality. If you can find some online at a reasonable price, then sealed back midranges made by ROLA (EIA Code 285) tend to offer good performance and efficiency and were used in brands like the Scott S series of speakers..

 

[70's Rockfan]

Overall Outside Diameter4.96"
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-pc105-8-4-full-range-poly-cone-driver--295-160

 

[pauldrewry]

If there is no crossover, I would consider Ewave. There's posts here to tell you how.

 

[Mark_L]

Overall Outside Diameter4.96"
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-pc105-8-4-full-range-poly-cone-driver--295-160

I need a closed back, or do I ?

 

[Nat]

Hard to tell, but to my eye that back looks closed. I'm not sure that you should move heaven and earth to find the exact replacement, or that an Ewave should be your first thought - among other issues, they aren't exactly cheap, and until you know if the low end of the speaker justifies the expense, it might be worth just using something affordable that works. You can always add a back to a open backed driver, by the way - Bozak used something that looked suspiciously like a salad bowl, and flower pots are also mentioned...

 

[mnrocketry]

Omega speakers were made by DLK in the Minneapolis area for the former Schaak Electronics chain back in the 70s to mid 80s. Omega was their "budget" house speaker brand; DLK was the better house speaker brand. I've owned many different DLK models, but I've never owned any Omegas.

DLK models used a similar sized midrange, but they didn't have sealed backs.

 

[hopeless]

Omega speakers were made by DLK in the Minneapolis area for the former Schaak Electronics chain back in the 70s to mid 80s. Omega was their "budget" house speaker brand; DLK was the better house speaker brand. I've owned many different DLK models, but I've never owned any Omegas.

DLK models used a similar sized midrange, but they didn't have sealed backs.

Bingo, I was the unfortunate owner of a pair of Omega 300s. Schaak had a fun event which was a 24 hour sale. I went in for either of two different speakers and a JVC integrated like my buddy had. At 2 am when that stuff was on big sale, it was all cleaned out. I ended up with a used h/k 330C, a used Kenwood table, and the aforementioned speakers. Due to life's up and downs, it took 10 years to get rid of them for a pair of Maggies.

The box wasn't bad.

 

[70's Rockfan]

I need a closed back, or do I ?

here's a sealed back mid
https://www.parts-express.com/pyle-pdmr5-5-sealed-back-midrange-speaker-driver--292-200

 

[Chris Durant]

Funny thing I got a set of these today, Omega 300 In near mint condition. I think they sound pretty darn good overall, kinda of shocking, I was expecting crap after reading other post here and there.
I wonder if replacing or actually adding a real crossover from Parts Direct would make them sound even better, as well as maybe a Dome Tweeter in place of the paper cone. Just be fun maybe with a $35.00 investment in parts. I paid $20.00 for both speakers and they look nice overall, too me. Just as a reference we have 15 pr of speakers now for funsy, from Sansui and Kenwood, as well as Wharfedale and Kef, we even have oddballs like Jamo, Dali, Magnat, they all sound pretty good in one way or another, but these Omega 300 surprised me, do not mis-understand me there not as good as the Kef or the Wharfedale, but the difference is not as much as I would have thought it would be. They would be great speakers for many people on a budget or that just does not listen as critically. And I think they will be fun to play with.

 

[Nat]

I'd start with simply replacing the capacitors, which were probably cheap electrolytics and have probably have wandered out of spec. That may be enough to make them even more satisfactory and will cost a few bucks.
The problem with premade crossovers is two fold: They are made without any knowledge of what drivers will be used for them, so the crossover points and the slopes may not suit very well. And the more crossover components are involved, the less efficient the speaker becomes - caps and coils are used to block specific frequencies, which may make for flatter response in theory or in an anechoic chamber, but that isn't the same as the response in your room. Meanwhile, you've lost dynamics, and the speaker quite possibly has become harder to drive since it is a more complex load, so your amp may not be happy either.
You are pleased with your pretty good sounding and looking cheap speakers. It may not make sense to turn them into pretty good sounding and looking more expensive speakers.