Blumenstein Ultra Fi

Clark,

I too have an ultra near-field set up of the classic caramel Orca's on desktop stands, BUF Sub, and 2A3 Stereomour.  The speakers are about 24 inches from my ears but I still get a nice wide soundstage and that reminds me of the AKG K1000 in several ways. 
 
The bedroom system was split in two mono ones. FM and tubes make my life at the office a little bi betterr.
 

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Any Bottleheads out there have experience with the Thrashers?  There's a model shop at our office and I'm hoping there's budget left over to get a pair.
 
I have a set of Orcas on order and was just comparing the dimensions of the Orcas to that of the Fostex Bass Reflex design for the FE83n. I noticed that the Orcas are quite a bit smaller, but have a lower bass frequency. The Orcas should go down to 75hz, while the Fostex enclosure has been tuned to 90hz.

All things being equal, I always thought the larger enclosure would have the lower bass. Would someone be able to explain whether a) my reasoning is incorrect, or b) what Clark does differently that allows for the lower bass frequencies?

I should add that I know nothing of speaker design, and that the above "discrepancy" has me very curious.

Cheers,

Gunter
 
I think you nailed it with, "all things being equal."  The Orca has a very rigid, has a tuned port of bamboo on the rear and there is some tuning inside the cabinet.

I would say trust your ears when you get the Orcas.
 
Thanks for the reply Grainger.

I suspect the extra rigidity that allows Clark to not use dampening material plays a role. I can imagine that those materials cut off a bit of both the bass and the highs.

I am also curious to see how the bass reflex port dimensions compare to that of the Fostex enclosure, i.e. smaller or larger than the Fostex and how exactly that affects the sound.

I have to say, the wait for these is killing me, and I probably spend way too much time trying to figure out how they work. Will be great to be able to finally listen to them.
 
A speaker can have some response below tuning.

Depending on your goals, you can change the Q of the box to suit your needs.

Also, frequency response numbers are pretty meaningless without the "+/- XdB" specification. (I once bought some Sony ear buds at an airport that boasted a frequency response of 5Hz-100kHz)
 
I think we should all wait for Clark to reply. I have myself talked with him at length on various occasions about these issues, and I know he knows what he is doing, and has thought - and listened - carefully to arrive at his designs.
 
PB - I would hate to think that the difference is purely due to the measurement criteria, but I see your point.

PJ - Would be great if Clark would reply, although I don't expect him to divulge all of his secrets.

Perhaps I should just see if I can build the Fostex enclosure and compare that to the Orcas once they arrive.
 
grausch said:
Perhaps I should just see if I can build the Fostex enclosure and compare that to the Orcas once they arrive.
Click to expand...
That's not a bad idea.  IMO, the factory built Fostex boxes aren't really good specimens to evaluate the actual design, so going out and getting some decent plywood and doing your own build is a solid decision.

-PB
 
I remember the old days when you needed to have 12 to 15 inch speakers in enormous cabinets to achieve decent bass response. Speaker technology has come a long way since then. The Orca from Blumenstein is a fine example. I really enjoy my set and will likely buy another pair for my home office system early next year after I complete my remodel. I do feel however that a sub-woofer is necessary for some music categories. I use two of the older subs that have the separate amplifiers in a 2.2 configuration. The subs integrate nicely with the Orca's. It took a while for me to get the levels and crossover controls dialed in. But when I did, WOW! I'll steal a phrase from Jim R. And call them, "bass extenders" rather than sub woofers. So depending on what type of music you listen to and your personal tastes a Dungenes sub or two might be in your future. Expecting a lot of bass from a 3 inch driver is pushing it a bit. That's just my opinion YMMV.

Please do report back once you have auditioned the speakers. Make sure you break them in a bit before making any critical observations. The bass of the orca will dig a little deeper after they break in.

Here is a quote from Clark from when I wrote to him about the bass of the orcas.
Initially, the Orcas aren't going to be making a ton of bass, so you'll want to have them with their backs pretty close to the wall to reinforce the majority of what comes out of their port. As time goes on, you'll hear them becoming a bit boomy so you'll want to begin pulling them out a little bit more as time goes on.
Click to expand...
 
Enjoying a pair of orca subs with my abbys. I like it. My new place seems to let the fostex tweeters work better too.
 

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Paul Joppa said:
I think we should all wait for Clark to reply. I have myself talked with him at length on various occasions about these issues, and I know he knows what he is doing, and has thought - and listened - carefully to arrive at his designs.
Click to expand...

Gunter - PM sent.

Thanks for the moral support, Paul!  Indeed we have done alot more than just think, talk about, or even just listen to these designs, which is why my responses can take a little while sometimes...  we are busy just filling our orders and physically growing the company fast enough to keep pace with demand! 

Still, the only numbers that I ultimately focus on are the many pleased customers who agree with our design philosophy to the point that they are willing to see whether or not our little magic trick with a 3" fullrange driver can happen for real by just ordering a set and trying them out for themselves.  The folks that do so are still coming back happy so we must be on to something.  Its all about enjoying the music, you know!?! 

And P.S., check out the new Thrasher review and publisher's letter from Jeff Dorgay!

http://www.blumensteinaudio.com/blog/2014/8/31/the-thrashers-toneaudio-magazine-review

Cheers,

Clark
 
I too am planning on building a portable system around the Thrashers paired with Quickie/Quicksand for use in multiple locations.  I hope the pair work well together.
 
Just wondering if using the ORCA DELUXE BAMBOO with the Birch stands is a good combination? Have you had many customers that do this? What am I giving up using your birch stands versus the bamboo stands? Really trying hard to limit my purchase to $1200. Have never heard your speakers but have certainly read the reviews. One of my biggest hopes with new speakers (currently using an old pair of Design Acoustics PS10's) is a huge soundstage with lots of depth (and sweet sound of course). Using an equally old (but good) Denon DRA-345R receiver.  Also, what color ORCA DELUXE does Clark and Molly think might look best with the birch stands?  I'm kinda thinking the Chocolate as the "natural" or 2-tone might clash.  Thanks!
 
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