Pipettes vs Orcas

[FS]

Hey Doc,
If you had to compare these two single-driver loudspeakers in a few sentences - main audible differences, strengths and weaknesses, what would you say?
My take - without listening to the Pipettes, just from the product description - was that this would be a choice for someone who is looking for a pair of (relative) inexpensive near-field, full-range speakers - an introductory set without breaking the bank, very much targeting the same audience as the Blumenstein product. Would that assessment be essentially correct?
Thanks!
FS

 

[Doc B]

Well, Pipettes would be for someone who wants to assemble their own small speaker system. So a bit different than the fully handbuilt and finished Orcas from that standpoint. But yeah, they are both small speakers that are not crazy expensive.

I prefer the sound of the Pipettes with our gear. I sell the Pipettes. So caveat emptor. Clark makes a really nice product and I happily used Orcas for several years. I would say that the Pipettes emphasize the treble just a wee bit more with a very slightly laid back midrange and the Orcas are a little bit more midrange oriented and a bit more soft on top. Not a dramatic dfference and IMO both of these tiny driver speakers need the help of a subwoofer. It's just physics. Hence we will have the new Subette subwoofer and amp out soon. In fact my next task is to get the sub amp assembly manual completed next week.

One thing I really like about the Pipettes is that Matt was excited to do the fronts in solid alder to match the look of our amps. We've always had a bit of an issue with a slight mismatch looks-wise between our alder based amps and speakers like Orcas and even our own baltic birch Jagers. The matching look of the pipettes has made me happy, to the point that we are exploring a similar look for a new version of the Jagers. No doubt Jagers will be quite a bit more costly to produce if we use custom veneered hardwood plywood and/or solid front baffles. But I think the result might be quite striking just as with the Pipettes.

It seems appropriate to post a new product shot of the Pipettes and the new Subette here, that I just took yesterday for our upcoming website revamp.

 

[Hank Murrow]

Dear FS;

I have been a happy owner of pair of Orcas in bamboo fully modified by Clark with the depth of field mod; as well as a pair of his bamboo BUF Subs(also modded by Clark. They have been out of the system for awhile because PB built me a pair of Jaégers which are magnificent driven by the Kaiju PB also built for me. These are complemented by the Custom Eros and very special Soul Sister Linestage(MQ cobalt B7 outputs) he also built for me.

I loved the Blumenstein loudspeakers running in this system until I had the Jaegers. I feel they are more there in both the treble and bass portions of the spectrum while having much greater ability to play louder without distortion. I have not heard the Pipettes yet, but from the comments of users, it sound like they go further into the treble and with a sub they might have a slight edge in the bass compared to my old Blumenstein set.

Cheers, Hank in Eugene, OR.

 

[Paul Birkeland]

I removed the for sale portion of Hank's post since we don't generally allow for sale posts on here.

Hank, I bet those would sell very quickly on US Audio Mart if you're looking to part with them.

 

[Hank Murrow]

I did place an ad for my Orca and BUF Subs on Audio Mart, but have had only an offer for just the Orcas, so I may give the system to a friend to support his LG TV like mine, which sounds great through my Jaegers and my BH system. Thanks for the great BH builds Paul. Cheers, Hank in Eugene