Parts Express Orian Speaker Review

[RickS]

Parts Express Orian 3-Way High Output Bookshelf Speaker Kit Review

The Orian 3-way bookshelf speaker is a high-output, coaxial design with a dipole midrange and an 8” bass driver, for only $675/pair. How can it be priced so low? You have to assemble it yourself!

www.audioholics.com

This kit has been out a while and had some high hopes for it as a KEF R3-like speaker, Comes up pretty shy unfortunately. Notably, the directivity is pretty awful.

p.s. Find it suspicious these did not get sent to be measured by Amir or Erin. Have more confidence when a review does not start AND end with a "buy from our affiliate" link.

 

[Ron Texas]

I like the blue paint job.

 

[tmtomh]

Parts Express Orian 3-Way High Output Bookshelf Speaker Kit Review

The Orian 3-way bookshelf speaker is a high-output, coaxial design with a dipole midrange and an 8” bass driver, for only $675/pair. How can it be priced so low? You have to assemble it yourself!

www.audioholics.com

This kit has been out a while and had some high hopes for it. Comes up pretty shy unfortunately.

Thanks for sharing, Rick! Very interesting.

It's very interesting how this speaker seems to use a treble directivity error to compensate for reduced treble output (or perhaps the reverse!), resulting in seemingly okay perceived frequency response but at the cost of a loss of imaging precision because so much of the mid-treble energy comes from reflections.

I wonder if this kind of thing is what's responsible for a lot of the "character" and perceived variation among speakers, especially in the past (and in some current-day situations) when proper measurements were not used during the design and development phase.

 

[RickS]

Thanks for sharing, Rick! Very interesting.

It's very interesting how this speaker seems to use a treble directivity error to compensate for reduced treble output (or perhaps the reverse!), resulting in seemingly okay perceived frequency response but at the cost of a loss of imaging precision because so much of the mid-treble energy comes from reflections.

I wonder if this kind of thing is what's responsible for a lot of the "character" and perceived variation among speakers, especially in the past (and in some current-day situations) when proper measurements were not used during the design and development phase.

Without some raw driver measurements for the coaxial, it is difficult to see what the designer had to work with for starters. The crossover seems pretty complex but does not really get the job done even on-axis.

 

[ryanosaur]

Considering the cost of the whole kit, with flatpack, it is pretty impressive. I agree, however, that the design could definitely be improved upon.

 

[kemmler3D]

I think this goes to show why DIY for mainstream designs (any monkey coffin) is a tough proposition these days. Commercial designs are just too good to justify the effort.

For $675 you can have this reasonably decent but flawed 8" coax 3-way. But, you have to build it yourself, paint it yourself, and find an amp to drive it.

Or spend another $120 and get the undeniably superior and very similar active Kali IN-8s and call it a day.

Or even save a few bucks and get a used pair.

 

[ryanosaur]

I think this goes to show why DIY for mainstream designs (any monkey coffin) is a tough proposition these days. Commercial designs are just too good to justify the effort.

For $675 you can have this reasonably decent but flawed 8" coax 3-way. But, you have to build it yourself, paint it yourself, and find an amp to drive it.

Or spend another $120 and get the undeniably superior and very similar active Kali IN-8s and call it a day.

Or even save a few bucks and get a used pair.

I agree in many ways... It really comes down to where the prospective owner places their values. Some people love doing this kind of thing and would never buy from Kali or the like.
I'm not here to judge either option.

As an aside...
I couldn't help but think of what @sigbergaudio achieved in the Manta. Different. Similar. Way better finished product. His response from that SICA Coax is pretty spectacular!

Of course, if partnering with PE and Dayton, and building something on a budget where PE can still bring in a margin, this does kind of make sense. From an earlier comment, I wouldn't necessarily compare this to KEF R3 or even the Manta. I don't think we are discussing the same market segment (even for Active Monitors like Kali). Perhaps if it were a kit offered by our late friend Rick Craig / Selah Audio... but then he wouldn't be short cutting driver selection and would put something out with a much better response... and a ticket to match.

 

[kemmler3D]

I agree in many ways... It really comes down to where the prospective owner places their values. Some people love doing this kind of thing and would never buy from Kali or the like.
I'm not here to judge either option.

As an aside...
I couldn't help but think of what @sigbergaudio achieved in the Manta. Different. Similar. Way better finished product. His response from that SICA Coax is pretty spectacular!

Of course, if partnering with PE and Dayton, and building something on a budget where PE can still bring in a margin, this does kind of make sense. From an earlier comment, I wouldn't necessarily compare this to KEF R3 or even the Manta. I don't think we are discussing the same market segment (even for Active Monitors like Kali). Perhaps if it were a kit offered by our late friend Rick Craig / Selah Audio... but then he wouldn't be short cutting driver selection and would put something out with a much better response... and a ticket to match.

I'm well acquainted with the urge to DIY stuff regardless of how bad the value proposition is... I still have some furniture in my house that proves it.


I think in the old days you could get a very strong performance / $ out of DIY. Now you really have to enjoy building speakers to justify it, most of the time.

If you want to build a large OB speaker, or something like that, it can still be the best option. But for something that competes with the numerous other excellent bookshelf speakers out there, getting a good bang-for-buck is like trying to build a hotrod faster than a Ferrari. It can certainly be done, some people actually do it, but it's far from easy.

 

[RickS]

I think this goes to show why DIY for mainstream designs (any monkey coffin) is a tough proposition these days. Commercial designs are just too good to justify the effort.

For $675 you can have this reasonably decent but flawed 8" coax 3-way. But, you have to build it yourself, paint it yourself, and find an amp to drive it.

Or spend another $120 and get the undeniably superior and very similar active Kali IN-8s and call it a day.

Or even save a few bucks and get a used pair.

Agree. it is a difficult price point for DIY to compete but, in my opinion, DIY needs some compelling reason to build them anyway. This one does not get there.

 

[ryanosaur]

FWIW, I have a pair of Kali on my shortlist for getting rid of the cheesy Klipsh and Logitech 2.1 THX toys I've kept around for years (decade?).

DIY needs some compelling reason to build them anyway.

For some, isn't it just because they are there and can be built?

 

[fpitas]

FWIW, I have a pair of Kali on my shortlist for getting rid of the cheesy Klipsh and Logitech 2.1 THX toys I've kept around for years (decade?).


For some, isn't it just because they are there and can be built?

Definitely. But people come here all the time thinking that they'll toss something together and have SOTA for cheap.

 

[RickS]

While agree about DIY value prop, @kemmler3D and @ryanosaur both mentioned the Kali In-8.

Is really more of a studio monitor, so does not directly compare, but recall Amir panned it. Has something changed?

 

[ryanosaur]

Definitely. But people come here all the time thinking that they'll toss something together and have SOTA for cheap.

Not just here... got a guy over on AH with an Epique 7 and no idea of what to do with it. Hell, I don't even know what I would do with those and their 83dB sensitivity rating.
Besides, other than for determining possible cabinet size, how many folk start a build concept with a woofer? I always look at Tweeters first and then what matches to that running down through mid to woof.
That, at least , is what has made sense to me. *shrugs

 

[ryanosaur]

While agreed about DIY value prop, @kemmler3D and @ryanosaur mention the Kali In-8.

Is really more of a studio monitor, so does not directly compare, but recall Amir panned it. Has something changed?

I think Erin did a review of the In-8 v2 that seems to have fixed some of the flaws.

Though I would be looking at the In5 for me... much more near field in my setting though I would love to have the 8" Woofer.

Edit:

Kali Audio IN-8v2 (Second Wave) 3-Way Studio Monitor Review

Kali Audio IN-8v2 3-Way Studio Monitor Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

Still has some cheese up top... but looks better as I try to recall Amirs v1 review.

 

[gorb]

While agreed about DIY value prop, @kemmler3D and @ryanosaur both mentioned the Kali In-8.

Is really more of a studio monitor, so does not directly compare, but recall Amir panned it. Has something changed?

His initial sample was broken. He remeasured and was much happier the second time around.

Kali Audio IN-8 Studio Monitor Review

thank you @napilopez for your response. I'm waiting for the retest results because i want to do a multichannel setup 7.4.4 with these or the presonus sceptre s8.

www.audiosciencereview.com

The v2 has 12 dB less noise and these were measured by Erin:

Kali Audio IN-8v2 (Second Wave) 3-Way Studio Monitor Review

Copy/paste from my site. Review may not translate from my site so here is the link to the full review on my site: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/kali_in-8v2/ Kali Audio IN-8v2 (Second Wave) 3-Way Studio Monitor Review Saturday, Jun 26, 2021 Foreword / YouTube Video Review...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[RickS]

His initial sample was broken. He remeasured and was much happier the second time around.

Kali Audio IN-8 Studio Monitor Review

thank you @napilopez for your response. I'm waiting for the retest results because i want to do a multichannel setup 7.4.4 with these or the presonus sceptre s8.

www.audiosciencereview.com

The v2 has 12 dB less noise and these were measured by Erin:

Kali Audio IN-8v2 (Second Wave) 3-Way Studio Monitor Review

Copy/paste from my site. Review may not translate from my site so here is the link to the full review on my site: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/kali_in-8v2/ Kali Audio IN-8v2 (Second Wave) 3-Way Studio Monitor Review Saturday, Jun 26, 2021 Foreword / YouTube Video Review...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Thanks, and see it has it own thread and still not all that special for active monitor. Back to the topic at hand...

 

[Trdat]

I think in the old days you could get a very strong performance / $ out of DIY. Now you really have to enjoy building speakers to justify it, most of the time.

If you want to build a large OB speaker, or something like that, it can still be the best option. But for something that competes with the numerous other excellent bookshelf speakers out there, getting a good bang-for-buck is like trying to build a hotrod faster than a Ferrari. It can certainly be done, some people actually do it, but it's far from easy.

Yeh, but I think the idea that speakers these days are decent enough quality and DIY has no compelling reason revolves around standard bookshelfs. Correct me if I am wrong but what about putting a quality coax with two 8 inch woofers with software DSP(obviously if you know how to use it) it will be siginifcantly cheaper than its according couterpart or are you suggesting you can even get that type of speaker for such a price that DIY'ing is pointless?

 

[Trdat]

Thanks, and see it has it own thread and still not all that special for active monitor. Back to the topic at hand...

Back to the topic....

James mentions that the lack of imaging is probably from the how the coax provides a waveguide to the tweeter and ruins its dispersion characteristics. or someting along these lines. Can't we confidently say that the problem is from the coax driver itself? Or how about I put the question this way, you mention that without raw driver measurments we can't know exactly what is wrong but is there any indication that the issue is coming from somehwere else other than the coax?

 

[kemmler3D]

Yeh, but I think the idea that speakers these days are decent enough quality and DIY has no compelling reason revolves around standard bookshelfs. Correct me if I am wrong but what about putting a quality coax with two 8 inch woofers with software DSP(obviously if you know how to use it) it will be siginifcantly cheaper than its according couterpart or are you suggesting you can even get that type of speaker for such a price that DIY'ing is pointless?

Well, let me put it this way. You can certainly DIY something that sounds and measures great in almost any style. 2x 8" 3-way should be pretty cool. But there is still "competition" at every price point that does extremely well. For example if you've got a budget of around $1000, can you really beat the Ascend Sierras? If you've got a budget of $2000 can you really beat the next best thing at that price? etc. etc.

I think DIY wins on cabinets that are so big that they're impractical to ship and therefore cost a ton. Subs can be a good DIY option. An 18" powered sub is not rocket science to get right, and if you don't mind building the box I think you can come out ahead of commercial designs in dollars. Also, unusual designs like synergy horns, OB, basically anything big and weird looking.

As you note, the more "normal" the design the more "competition" the DIY solution has.

 

[Trdat]

Well, let me put it this way. You can certainly DIY something that sounds and measures great in almost any style. 2x 8" 3-way should be pretty cool. But there is still "competition" at every price point that does extremely well. For example if you've got a budget of around $1000, can you really beat the Ascend Sierras? If you've got a budget of $2000 can you really beat the next best thing at that price? etc. etc.

I think DIY wins on cabinets that are so big that they're impractical to ship and therefore cost a ton. Also, unusual designs like synergy horns, OB, basically anything big and weird looking.

As you note, the more "normal" the design the more "competition" the DIY solution has.

I agree, my 100 litre horn system cost me peanuts but once you go normal the more competition the DIY solution has. And that probably answers my question, within a few years will probably find an affordable 3 way with a Coax and two 8 inch woofers that measures supremely well.