The Federated Mike from Mid West use to post good pictures about his Hi-Fi shows. Nowadays he thinks that his is “a publication” and his pictures are imbedded in some kind of java-crap driven idiotic format that slow like hell and crashes frequently. Why he does it I have no idea. Why he need publish this empty-headed Spintricity “publication” filled with primitive bravado the brands he sells I have no idea as well. However it is his business and I am sure and hope this Spintricity keeps him very happy.

Anyhow, I looked today over Mike’s pictures.  It looks like it was a boring show; at least I detect nothing worth attention or interest, nothing besides one room that I got a curiosity in. The room looks like belong Viola Audio Laboratories electronics and the use loudspeakers that I did not see:

http://spintricity.com/64/6810/jan-2010/ces-2010---venetian-floor-30-wing-300-continued-18

http://spintricity.com/64/6811/jan-2010/ces-2010---venetian-floor-30-wing-300-continued-19

I know nothing about them but it looks interesting 4-way idea.  Is anybody knows anything about them?

Thanks, ferenc.

I went to Ocean Way Recording the Federated Mike mentioned but I did not see anything in there and I did not know that they have also an oceanwayaudio.com site. They call it the HR2 and it was built for them by Allen Sides, so it is not their own speaker.

http://www.oceanwayaudio.com/HR-2-pop-specs.htm

From their web site:  “About the monitor systems:

The HR2 monitor system is designed as a high definition reference point to sonically judge and decide intricate musical balances for final mixes. What separates the HR2s from other high end audiophile loudspeakers, apart from its use by professionals, is its capacity to provide virtually unlimited dynamic range while maintaining absolutely matched uniform frequency response between channels. The two sides from 1k to 20k typically fall within 1dB of each other creating absolute symmetry in regards to stereo imaging. The HR2s unique 120 degree dispersion coupled with having identical flare rates on both HF and LF horns also allows for a very wide listening window eliminating the narrow "sweet spot" effect. The HR2 also produces extended and detailed low end to 18Hz.

In some circles of the audiophile community, the word "professional" can have a somewhat negative connotation. Prior to the HR2 "Professional" was often synonymous with loud, harsh and a lack of depth of field. The HR2 finally bridges the gap between superb audiophile and accurate professional studio monitors. There is nothing currently manufactured anywhere in the world, at any price that looks, sounds or performs like Ocean Way HR2 monitors. The HR2 integrates brilliant horn designs never fully realized from the late 1950's with exceptional wide bandwidth low distortion drivers and a tri-amplified and equalized electronic package second to none.

From an audiophile or a professional recording engineer's standpoint, what could be more perfect? The HR2 will reveal things in your best recordings and mixes you may have never heard and provide dynamics you may have not thought possible. If there is a negative aspect to the HR2 it is that poorly recorded music will be revealed, with every nuance starkly evident. From a recording engineer's standpoint, these are invaluable assets allowing for the best recording and mixes possible and from the audiophile's standpoint, their best recordings will sound simply exceptional.

Additional note: The purchase of a pair of HR2s may lead the new owner to be a bit more selective as to what music they are willing to play for their discerning friends.

About the designer:

The designer of the Ocean Way monitor systems, multi Grammy award winning engineer /producer and studio owner Allen Sides, has been a die-hard audiophile and musician since the age of 13. The HR2 is in some ways the culmination of almost 40 years of his experience designing high resolution studio speaker systems for his many studios as well a wide variety of commercial installations including George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch scoring stage, Trevor Horn's Sarm studios in London, and Walt Disney's Hollywood Records as well as private installations for musical artists like Gwen Stefani, David Grohl and Beck. Mr. Sides has also personally recorded over 500 albums many of which have become audiophile classics. Mr. Sides designed, built and owns Ocean Way Studios Hollywood, Ocean Way Studios Nashville, Ocean Way Studio St Barth's at Eden Rock and Record One Studios Sherman Oaks. Together these comprise the most award winning and successful music studios in the world. Albums recorded in Mr. Sides' studios have sold in excess of 1 billion copies. A brief list of artists Mr. Sides has worked with would include Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Green Day, Faith Hill, Mary J Blige, Alanis Morissette, Neil Diamond, John Williams, Andre Previn and Ry Cooder. Mr. Sides brings a new dimension and understanding to what is possible in high end speaker design and the HR2 is the realization of this experience.”

The explanation is a bit pedestrian and some design aspects are a bit questionably done. I do not know who Allen Sides is but he obviously got inspiration from old RCA LC-9 loudspeaker. There is nothing wrong with it and in fact I like now he used dedicated bass, mid bass and upperbass channels. The size and the shape of the lower MF throat is something that I very much do not like. If I remember correctly RCA has a long throat where Mr. Sides went for rectangular throat. What RCA did it there were not techniques of diffractive so-called constant derisively, something that need to be used in this application.

I have no idea how this speaker sounds. I do not particularly care about Allen Sides background as his described experience is hardly relevant to good sound, in fact it most likely  confrontational to good sound. If the OceanWayAudio would name the drivers they use then the things would be much clear but they do not. Anyhow, here is a new, looks like a commercially available acoustic system. I presume that hypothetically the lower bass section might be doubled by placing one more bass section above the tweeter… With proper driver sand smart crossovering the configuration might be fun to experiment with. I do not know if the HR2 was designed with triangle or rectangle back and it meant to be sitting in corner. Let see if any more information would come out….

Saturntube, thanks for the explanation. I thought that HR2 was just inspired by RCA but it look like it direct copy of it.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=117046

I never heard the RCA LC-9A but from the fact that it is RCA version of Altec A5-A7 it is not difficult to recognize how it might sound. The shallow MF horn and large A7’s style port do have own recognizable signature.  The keys in A7/LC-9A are the drivers but it is not known what drivers are used in HR2. Since it is not made for own use but made to be sold I presume that it would not come with anything exotic.

Generally I felt that HR2 would be juts an inspiration from RCA LC-9A and I thought that they got rid the RCA/Altec port and put in their 3 active drivers for dedicated upperbass channel. The circles behinds the grill’s cloth gave this idea and it is what I would do. This would be very flexible design for a commercial speaker. Take a look: this way you have 4 independent channels that are not connected and available as separate block. The MF channel would sound much better than it is now and it would not push exertion more than the MF horn can handle (not it does it to serve the port needs). This flexibility would be the key and nothing would prevent people to put the dedicated upperbass channel above the tweeter and make the bass section larger, perhaps double the upperbass or bass depends what the given room would need.

They sell it with own active crossover – that is cool. You say that it Allen Sides own design but considering that HR2 was also “Allens own design” probably the crossover will turn out to be re-painted Pioneer D-23 :-)  Actually there is nothing wrong to mimic the old staff from others. Audio is not Olympics and it is not about winners but about results. I understand that Allen Sides’s HR2 is just replica of RCA LC-9A with a dedicated bass module. I wish the Ocean Way Audio blabbing about their speakers, their designer and amount of magnetic flux in the gap of drivers would mention the fact of RCA replication.   I personally would be more interested if Mr. Sides not just rip the LC-9A but to use RCA design as an inspiration and would come up with own better speaker. Still, whatever it is I think it worth to mention that a new horn-loading attempt is made out there. I never heard anyone ever talk about it, I hope it will change.

Saturntube wrote:

Well this is the RCA LC-9A  It is identical,  with an extra cabinet for an 18" driver...  We saw some old time reviewers going out of the room laughing and shaking their heads!  We thought they were saying, yes a 50 year old speaker system just killed all other new stuff!

Regarding the “killing all other new stuff”. The only installation that I would be interested to hear in Vegas would be room with Wilson new Maxx (I do not even know at which number they are) and Lamm’s ML3/LL1. Lamm rooms customary have no feedback and covered by silence in media and by public. So, if you do not mind then can you share your feeling about overall sound demonstrated by Lamm/ Wilson room and by HR2/ViolaAudio rooms?

Interesting that you post illustrates perfectly the notion of multi-amping advantage.  A few years bask when I still was going to all those hi-fi show I proposed a notion that a room that has 50-500Hz properly dialed to a given room has with all other equal conditions good advantage over the rooms. The HR2 with multi-amping configuration had a LOT of advantages to fine-tune the speaker to the room and make them to work together. When it happens Sound becomes very fluent and very palatable. Wilsons driven from a single amp have no such option. Wilson people have a lot of efforts invested in proper installation of speakers and properly done it is very effective. But proper DPoLS optimization and proper Imbedded Macro-Positioning of bass channel are different things and it would conflict in accidental rooms. I do not think that Viola Audio electronics has advantage over Lamm electronics used in the room, even I did not hear neither of them. I do not think that HR2 has advantage over Wilson’s, even I am not a big fan of Maxx speaker (I consider Maxx still as small Wilson that I do not find serious). Still you report that overall presentation of HR2/ Viola room was according to you more interesting.  Would it be a justification of the HR2/Viola multi-amping?

Sure it is very difficult make any assumption based upon accidentals result of audio shows but in audio shows I pay attention only at good result. The reported advantage of the HR2/Viola might be from zillion reasons, including that they might used better power. So, who knows what is going on there…

Still, there is an interesting phenomenon that I never was able to understand. I observe Lamm’s show rooms from I think 1998-1999 to 2006 when I did my last audio show. Surprisingly all Lamm rooms at audio shows sound the same, even regardless of what kind acoustic systems they use. It was somewhere along the lines you described - everything is very accurate and good but tedious and disjointed. Ironically tediousness and disconnectivity were never was problem with Lamm electronics in my home or in other homes where I heard Lamms. I do not know where it comes from… Perhaps it comes from the fact that wherever Lamm does his shows to please no other demands then the barbaric and primitive demands of idiots like Fremers and Valins? Hard to say but if it talks like a duck and walk like a duck then it most likely not a porcupine….

Anyhow, it good that HR2 made a good appearance.  I am not sure who sell, make, destitute them, and what drivers they use but I think it will be known. I think the configuration of HR2 is very promising. Let see how it will be used.

I was trying to find out what drivers the Allen Sides’ speaker uses and found a lot of noise about this among the people of Guitar Center – it is not surprising considering Allen Sides background.

http://www.clynemedia.com/gcpro/Ocean_Way_Monitors_Availability/GCPro_OceanWayPostEvent.html

http://mixonline.com/news/oceanway_monitorsystems_gcpro_1107/

The electricians with headphones call it “Hi-Res Studio Main Monitor System”. I am sure at the level of “Guitar Center” not one would care about the divers… It was interesting how the HR2 was declared at CES:

“The HR2 monitor system is designed as a high definition reference point to sonically judge and decide intricate musical balances for final mixes. What separates the HR2s from other high end audiophile loudspeakers, apart from its use by professionals, is its capacity to provide virtually unlimited dynamic range while maintaining absolutely matched uniform frequency response between channels. The two sides from 1k to 20k typically fall within 1dB of each other creating absolute symmetry in regards to stereo imaging. The HR2s unique 120 degree dispersion coupled with having identical flare rates on both HF and LF horns also allows for a very wide listening window eliminating the narrow "sweet spot" effect. The HR2 also produces extended and detailed low end to 18Hz. "

Here is more sensible information from AES two years back:

http://aes.harmony-central.com/123AES/article/GCPro/Ocean-Way.html

I just would like them do not use word “custom” everywhere as it was not custom but RCA’s.  The rest is good.  Hey have optimal sections with installation, multi-amplification, and tuning, EQUALIZING (!!!) on location included. The whole max package is $34K which is a lot of money but take a look what the damn high-end industry sell today for $34K? A pair of some kind stupid Magico mini-monitors that have Sound good only for growing cancer metastases?

Well, I think the Ocean Way can hold such a low price (speaker, amps, crossover, installation etc including) because they do it so far direct with no need to feed the army of ugly industry parasites. I would see what would be the prices for Ocean Way services after they receive those infamous calls from Stereophile Magazine informing them that if they do buy $30K worth advertising then their company never will be mentioned in this publication. Looking that Ocean Way went to CES it looks like they would like to be engaged in that dirty business. It will be very obvious what had happen at CES with Ocean Way. The Vegas show is filled with bedbugs of all calibers who in the beginning of the year go there to investigate from whom they will be blood-sucking next year. Let see what parasite will lent on Ocean Way Company.

Still, saying all of it I am a bit skeptical about Ocean Way speaker as a feel it might be for the red-neck audio level. Most of the pro-audio professionals are right in that category.  Here is the Mr. Sides interview where he state that “he never saw anything like his design”:

http://www.gearwire.com/oceanway-monitors.html

For the idiots who made this clip (pay attention at the dynamic level of the music in the beginning of the clip) Mr. Sides interview was awesome…. I am a bit afraid that behind all of it sit $200 Rane equalizer, $200 DJ amplification with “Guitar Center” understanding of music. I might be wrong but knowing where those are coming from I would be wondering…

Saturntube wrote:

A the CES show the selling price was $ 100 thousand dollars for the speakers only and $ 200 k for the whole system with Viola Xovers and amplifiers.

The $100K for speakers only and $200K for the whole system? Well, let compare it with what they want for it  before they went to CES and begun to play the hi-end audio games, it come from the link I posted above: it was in official “PRESS RELEASE” 

"MSRP pricing on the new Ocean Way HR-2 line of professional monitors is as follows:

HR-2A Tri-Amp System $34,000—Includes: A pair of 2 way cabinets, pair of Sub woofer cabinets, HF drivers, MF drivers, LF drivers, Equalizers, Crossover, HF Amp, MF Amp, LF Amp. All wiring and installation including tuning.

HR-2B Bi-Amp System $28,500—Includes: A pair of 2 way cabinets, pair of Sub woofer cabinets, HF drivers, MF drivers, LF drivers, Equalizers, Crossover, High/Mid Amp, LF Amp. All wiring and installation including tuning.

HR-2C Single Amp System $20,000* (Installation additional)—Includes: A pair of 2 way cabinets, HF drivers, LF drivers, Equalizers, Full Range Amp. *Installation is additional fee on HR-2C and may require optional riser to meet correct height. Optional Riser $1,800 pair "

I think it kind of self-explanatory where the price in hi-fi comes from…. Anyhow, a price is not something that bothers me, it kind of irrelevant form a perspective on my site.

Saturntube wrote:

Time to dig out those old A7s and start playing with electronic Xovers...

Well, it depends. Depends what the objectives are. If the objectives are to fight the stupid pricing of contemporary high-end products then getting into some (not all) vintage modals is a good direction. Some older speakers from 50s, as they are, much over-perform the 95% of the crap that is being sold today. Ironically they cost virtually nothing, even though lately the audio fetishists jacked up prices a lot. The digging those old speakers would not give however an advancement in sound. I wrote about it a lot – old speakers are not good speakers. The advantages that some vintage acoustic systems had are not because peoples make better speakers better in past but because in past they did not learn yet how to make shity acoustic systems.

The same A7 is not particularly good speaker. It had good drivers, not truly good but still is much better then the most of the crap that they do nowadays. Stull, properly voices the $2K-worth A7 might play OK – something that you would hardly say about 95% of today speakers with price range of $50K-$90K.

Still, audio is not a competition who buy cheaper of build better speakers. Audio is in way is an artistic expressionism where the Sound that it being shaped is a reflection of an individual’s interest in Sound. Mostly people out there have no defined or wasted interest in Sound. For them an acoustic system is not an expressive tool but an instrument to pay mortgages or to entertain themselves while golf not in season…

Anyhow, I would not pull the A7 out but would rather take from there drivers and burn the A7 in order do not have a temptation to use faulty design. Will something NEW with A7’s drivers cost $2K? Probably it will but it will be better than what the A7 was…

I do not know who Greg Weaver but he did post a nice run over his experience in last CES.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue47/cesgw.htm

A good idea to print it on your corporate printer and to read it during your corporate lunch.