Blumenstein Orcas

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by Merrick, Oct 3, 2016.

  1. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    As some of you may know, I've been talking with @shaizada for some time at length about audio and working towards the goal of creating my first truly thought out two channel system, as opposed to just slapping random components to an A/V receiver.

    This particular system is going to be anchored by the Blumenstein Orcas, and to that end I just ordered a pair tonight. Prior to this, every two channel component I've bought had been budget conscious, trying to get the most bang for the absolute least amount of money. $100 speakers, $200 turntable, and so on.

    This system is going to change that. I've not got unlimited funds, but I'm trying to find the components that best fit together, even if that means stretching my budget.

    Anyway, my Orcas have a month of build time before I get them. I've currently got a Fleawatt 15 wpc amp to run them with while I save up for a proper SET amp to pair them with. I know some people here have experience with full range drivers, and some people specifically have the Orcas, like Adam. I noticed as I researched that there's actually not a lot of talk about Blumenstein in general online, so I thought we could get a discussion going here (which is why I opted to start a new thread instead of add to an existing one). I will of course report in once I have the speakers and discuss their sound.

    I want to thank shaizada for all his generosity and help, as well as the people here who've shown off their systems and discussed different speakers. I haven't been able to hear them all but I'm enjoying seeing what options are out there.

    If anyone has any experience or thoughts or questions about the Orcas or Blumenstein audio in general, please post it here!
     
  2. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

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    U r very welcome Merrick \/

    Just be aware of the long break in period. At around 100 hours they start opening up. Almost 400 hours they are 90% broken in and the next 10% still improve from there on out. Notoriously long break in on the Fostex drivers I feel. But who's complaining....the good things in life come to those who wait.

    Congratulations!
     
  3. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    I'm peering down the 2 channel road myself and I continue to come back to single full range drivers as an intriguing option. Despite the tradeoffs, it sounds like they can deliver a compelling listening experience and holographic soundstage - kinda perfect for my desktop requirements.

    Unfortunately we're a bit (read severely) limited in terms of gear availability to test here in SA, and biting off the $1.5k price tag for Eclipses unheard is a bit more than I can justify. The Blumenstein Orcas are a lot less costly, but I've not heard of them before - care to relate how you came to that decision and what the value points are for you?
     
  4. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    Damn, and I was just in Seattle a couple of months ago...
     
  5. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    Hwat? How the hell you sell a speaker that takes half a year to sound right?
     
  6. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    That would be 4000 hours :)
     
  7. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    Let's say you listen for 2h a day on average, that's like 60h a month... Ok, not half a year, but you get where I'm going with this. With the stuff I sell, if you fail to impress in the first minutes, you're dead!
     
  8. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Look - you are all grown up talking about speakers. Congrats on the order Merrik! I've had an eye on these ever since I saw a recommendation on a Bottlehead forum as a good pairing with their speaker amps. I was quite surprised to learn they were a favorite here. Very excited to see pics, hear impressions and so forth.

    Out of curiosity - what box material did you go with?
     
  9. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Thank you! I'm very excited to get them and to be able to provide impressions. :)

    I went with the caramelized bamboo. I have white walls in my listening room so all the decor runs darker for contrast.

    I heard a different pair of Blumenstein speakers at shaizada's, the no longer in production Nagas, and I was immediately struck by their purity of tone and superior speed and imaging. I then noticed @drfindley also recently added a pair of Blumensteins to one of his systems, he had also been setting his up with shaizada's help, and it reminded me of how good they were.

    The Orcas work for my listening space. It's small and doesn't require a ton of volume to fill up. I also highly value imaging and euphony, even at the cost of total volume and deep bass. For me, those trade offs are worth it. They certainly wouldn't be for everyone. And down the line I may end up needing to add a sub and/or super tweeter, but for now I just want to enjoy the base speakers.
     
  10. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

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    I would play music through the drivers even when I'm not listening. Maybe throw a blanket over the speakers, wire them out of phase (have them facing each other), and just play pink noise through them even, when not listening.

    The Fostex drivers are made of this paper/banana pulp mixture. Its just the nature of the driver as it needs to get loosened up.
    Who says they don't sound great out of the box? :) Its a fantastic speaker out of the box. It gets better as more hours add up.

    My main speakers took almost a 100 hours for the ceramic drivers to sound right. Its not a belief system. It's real life experienced fact ;)
    Some drivers might not need any break in. I have direct experience with the those particular Fostex so just sharing that first hand experience so Merrick has an idea of what to expect down the line with his awesome new purchase!

    @Merrick , you can think about the matched subwoofer down the line to increase the bottom extension of the sound. Maybe a supertweeter might be in line as well for later. We can discuss that. The speakers by themselves don't "NEED" anything...the sound amazing to me.
     
  11. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Luckily my listening room is separated from the rest of the house, and the amp I'm using for now is SS, so I can run it four hundreds of hours without disturbing anyone.

    @shaizada It's true, I may never feel the need to supplement with a sub or tweeter. I know those areas are where FRDs don't excel, which is why I mentioned it. For now I am ready to enjoy the experience of the speakers just as they are. Once they're built and shipped to me of course.
     
  12. Hekeli

    Hekeli Facebook Friend

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    Are these some sort of Grados of the speaker world? $10 drivers in $1000 cases? :eek: Nice and captivating pages, but when you actually dig into it.. eh. High end Pioneer Bofu? I guess it takes 10 years to perfect configuration for such a driver.

    edit: I'm not saying these are ripoff.. quite cheap in the hifi realm considering. If they manage to make something nice from parts express pieces, that's fine. Clearly a more artisany shop.
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2016
  13. batriq

    batriq Probably has made you smarter

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    I have a pair of Orcas connected to a 6SN7/300B amp. I highly recommend adding a sub.
     
  14. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

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    Blissed out listening to Blumenstein Nagas :)
    Congrats again @Merrick , u r going to love your Orcas!!

    IMG_0038.JPG
     
  15. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Thanks @shaizada! I'm counting down the days!
     
  16. ald0s

    ald0s Facebook Friend

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    Hey @shaizada there are some Orcas available near me for for a song but they're the version before the currently available one. Would your recommendation for them still stand 1 revision back?

    They are very, very well priced.
     
  17. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

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    I think they are wonderful speakers. You may not, depending on what you are listening for.
    That said, the cash outlay for these speakers tend to be so low that it is really a no brainer to try out.

    I am sure if you don't like them and you post them here for sale, they will go quick. Maybe the new owner can benefit from the amazing deal you are getting if you pass on the savings? That would be nice! ;)
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2016
  18. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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    Congratulations Merrick, this looks like a great buy.
     
  19. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I don't have Orcas but I did DIY a set of speakers with the same drivers. I can confirm that the drivers do open up with some break in. They sound good at first and get better.
     
  20. ald0s

    ald0s Facebook Friend

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    Any recommendations for a SET amp under $1200 that could drive these things nicely?
     

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