Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Linkwitz Lab Orion Speakers by ccd

Model:	Orion
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$2,200 - $6,650
Description:	Open baffle 3-way active speaker system
Manufacturer URL:	Linkwitz Lab
Model Picture:	View

Review by ccd ( A ) on August 31, 2003 at 13:30:01
IP Address: 68.50.181.167

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for the Orion

I just came back from listening to the Linkwitz Orion speaker at the home of Don B., who lives in the DC area.
The speakers are setup in a room that measures approx 20'x12' with ceiling which were probably 8' tall. The speakers were setup along the front wall which is 12' wide, toed in around 30 degrees. The Orions were about 3.5' from the front wall and 1.5-2' from the side walls. The listening position was against the back wall.
Let me start by stating that I would consider this as less than an optimal setup for a dipole. Linkwitz himself lists 4" from the front wall and 2' from the side walls as minimum distances. In a bigger room and without SAF considerations, I'd place these speakers 1/3rd of the way from the front wall and the listening position 2/3rds of the way from the front wall.
The speakers themselves did not dominate the room. They are fairly compact. Don finished his speakers with what looked to be a gray lacquer and a gray cloth over the woofers which blended beautifully with the room (which also had gray themes).
Associated equipment was an 8 channel ATI amp, what looked to be run of the mill cables, and a CD player.
I threw a lot at this speaker, jazz, piano, acoustic guitar, classical, voice. What I noticed immediately was the seamless integration of the drivers. This is an extremely well balanced speaker, no part of the frequency range stood out. The next thing I noticed was the clarity of the speaker. You could hear everything. On one piece, I could hear the breathing of the person playing acoustical guitar, which I had never noticed before.
I would say that this is the best speaker for classical music that I have ever heard, period. I'm including every commercial offerings in this comparison. This speaker just comes alive with classical music. I've never heard anything like it, especially for a speaker this size. Large orchestral pieces were presented with an authority I always thought was the province of MUCH bigger speakers.
With jazz, I was less impressed. The problem is that all the imaging, though crystal clear, always came right up the center. I could not close my eyes and tell where the singer was or where the bass player was. I mentioned this to Don and he thinks the lack of pin point imaging is due to the speaker and the listening position not being far enough away from the walls. I have no reason to question Don, but I cannot independently confirm this.
On piano, the question ran through my mind as to whether the presentation was a tad too dynamic. This could be due to my experience listening to the Mangers which have a more flat presentation which I prefer. It's just a matter of personal taste as to what you would prefer.
The real surprise was bass response. The Orion has the best bass response of any speaker it's size (or twice its size) that I have ever heard. At least in a room this size, this speaker CAN do organ music convincingly. It actually rattled the windows! Even more surprising, the speaker did not excite any room nodes, IOW, the room geometry did not accentuate any bass frequency which is VERY unusual. This speaker has as good a bass response as I have ever heard.
Keep in mind that the Orion is powered by a 8-12 channel ATI amp which, besides having low distortion, is nothing out of the ordinary. This speaker delivers superlative sound without an exotic amp or cables. From what I heard, it just doesn't need them.
In sum:
1) I would HIGHLY recommend that anyone with $6500 to spend on a speaker, amps and cables listen to the Orion. This is a speaker with performance well beyond what its size would suggest IF you can get it away from the walls. You could spend 2-3 times the price of the Orion and not end up with a better speaker (and you'd still have to buy an amp).
2) If you can't get the speaker away from the walls, there are better options.
3) My biggest reservation is the lack of pin point imaging, but that could be due to the position that Don had to use to keep his wife happy. If positioning does not cure this problem, there are better speakers for jazz (my Manger speakers are much better for example and there are other speakers that are better as well).
3)If you mainly listen to classical music you MUST listen to this speaker. For classical music, this is as good as it gets, IMHO. This speaker outperforms my Manger based speaker on classical music (or any other speaker I've heard for that matter).
4) This speaker is the gold standard in terms of bass response, especially for a speaker its size. I've never heard any speaker near its size that even comes close.
5) This is the speaker to audition if you want a speaker that does not physically dominate a room, but want the authority which comes from bigger speakers. It can play like a MUCH bigger speaker when the music requires that (large orchestral pieces).

Product Weakness: In setup I listened to speakers, all imaging came from the center (a lack of pin point imaging). This was the only major flaw and could be due to less than ideal positioning of speaker and listening position. Perhaps a tad too dynamic with piano solos (a matter of taste).
Product Strengths: Seamless integration of drivers, great balance from top to bottom, great clarity, outstanding bass without exciting room nodes. Absolutely superb with classical music, can present orchestral pieces with the authority of a much larger speaker.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	ATI Power Amp
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Did not notice preamp
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	CD
Speakers:	Orion
Cables/Interconnects:	Standard stuff
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical, jazz, acoutic guitar, piano, voice
Room Size (LxWxH):	20 x 12 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	None
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Approx 1 hour
Type of Audition/Review:	Dealer Demo
Your System (if other than home audition):	DIY Manger based system

Product Weakness:	In setup I listened to speakers, all imaging came from the center (a lack of pin point imaging). This was the only major flaw and could be due to less than ideal positioning of speaker and listening position. Perhaps a tad too dynamic with piano solos (a matter of taste).
Product Strengths:	Seamless integration of drivers, great balance from top to bottom, great clarity, outstanding bass without exciting room nodes. Absolutely superb with classical music, can present orchestral pieces with the authority of a much larger speaker.