The Closer Acoustics BLOCKS Speaker System Review.
By Steve Huff
March 2025 “Speaker Review Month” continues!
So far this month I have reviewed the budget Triangle Borea BR4, the Diptyque 115 flat panel speakers, the O Audio Icon 12’s and today I will be writing about the all new Blocks System from Closer Acoustics. Last year I reviewed the OGY and BOB system from Closer and declared them “The Speaker System of the Gods”!
The thumbnail for the original review of the OGY and BOB. I am holding the external inductance coil box that was required with this setup. Now this is built right into the BOB MKII’s.
Honestly, that was maybe a bit of a clickbait title that I knew would work, and work it did. That video has so far received well over 200k views. Sadly, in todays world it seems those of us on YouTube must use interesting imagery and titles for our video thumbnails otherwise no on seems to click. I hate clickbait but in reality, if I really think about it, the title did fit the speakers and I still feel the same way today as the first time I heard them. I didn’t lie as this is an extraordinary system and it just got even more interesting and yes, even better in execution and sound. The new OKHO is flipping amazing.
The Blocks with two BOB MKII and one OKHO per side. This config sounded best in my space and the sound is super rich, textured with some warmth and glow. These sound so good and the OKHO is right up my alley.
That original OGY and BOB setup stayed with me until the last few months when I had to send the BOBs back to Closer Acoustics in Poland. I bought and owned the OGY (that I had to sell with everything else to fund my new ref gear) but the BOB’s I had were very early models and changes have been made since then.
When the older BOB’s were sent back I was then sent a whole slew of boxes in return to check out and possibly review (If I liked it all). Remember, I only review gear that I love or would buy myself. Sometimes I send gear back and say “I cannot review this for this reason and this reason”. So you will never see a review on these pages that is negative because I never waste my time with negativity in any aspect of life. Keeps me happy and grounded.
The new Blocks system. Here we see it before it is stacked together. Two BOB MKII’s, Two OKHO, Two BLANKS, the feet and stands and the cables.
I have said this maybe…oh, 761 times in videos and on these pages (that I only review what I love) yet there is still always someone that says “you love everything” – well yea, I love all I choose to talk about. I wouldn’t sit and write, listen, shoot, edit and post (2-3 weeks of my time) if I didn’t love the product. Finally, I was not paid a cent for this review nor do I get kickbacks or commissions if any of you buy due to this review. I have found out in life my skill… my talent… is helping others make money rather than myself, lol. It’s very true.
So with that out of the way... yes, I have been really enjoying the BLOCKS system but there are a few things that make them unique and anyone who has read my pages before knows that I love unique. With the BLOCKS, due to the modular design, there is without question a setup that will work in your room, for anyone. That is just part of what is so cool about this setup, it can work for any amp. Amy room, any space.
The entire Closer Acoustics BLOCKS family. You can go small with one BOB, a blank and an OGY or scale up top your hearts desire with two BOBs, and OKHO and blank. Of the combos below the fourth set fits best in my space.
Going back to that old title I gave the OGY and BOB review about it being “The system of the Gods”…I said that because of how unique it all was, how it was customizable and how it sounded. The fact that it could be powered by any amp wether it was tubes, low power, high power, class A, A/B or D and it always sounded phenomenal. There was no setup issues, never bass boom and never ever anything lean or strident. They just made musical music that had life, soul and energy. It was as if a higher power figured out how to make a speaker that could work for anyone and sound phenomenal. That higher power lives in the audio design world and his name is Jacek Grodecki and he is the man behind Closer Acoustics in Poland. He is also one of the nicest and easiest to work with guys I have met in the audio world.
The stone piano black OGY sits atop the OG BOB system
The little OGY came to life with the BOB’s and since those bass units were open baffle, they sounded so right in the room without any bass issues (yet there was still bass impact I could feel). Up until that point, even after 39 years into audio, they became a favorite of mine. As quirky as they were with the external inductance coil box for each side and the fact that those early models did not connect to each other when stacked (or have feet) I still LOVED them for the sound and looks. So open, so unique, so detailed and oh so holographic. I kept these in for many months and enjoyed them with all kinds of music. They never let me down nor did they leave me wanting for more but after more time with them I found teh little OGY, at times, could sound a bit hot up top with some music. Sometimes this added more excitement.
With that said, I recently talked about compromise and how nearly every product in HiFi has a compromise. The compromise for me with the original OGY and BOB was the fact that they couldn’t really be repositioned once set up unless I took it all apart. Something I had to do anytime a new speaker showed up for review. Other than that it was just the small things like they didn’t really connect together, didn’t have a top plate for the OGY nor did they have feet. This has all been rectified now but they are still a speaker that is tricky to move once set up, especially the full four stack setup of BLANK, BOB, OKHO and BOB. For a reviewer that could be tough taking it all apart every time there is something new to test. So yea, that was the compromise for me with the OGY and BOB. For others, this shouldn’t be a compromise at all. Most will never move their speakers once set up.
Be sure to watch my video review below!
So back to the new stuff. All of these new boxes that arrived contained the all new system from Closer Acoustics with all new BOB MKII’s (4 of them), the all new OKHO (two of them) and the all new BLANKS (two). Also in the boxes were ISO acoustics feet, metal brass colored pegs to secure the blocks together and snazzy black piano stands. No more external inductance coil boxes either as these were now built into the BOB MKII’s. All in all I was shipped nine boxes and I can only image how much that cost coming from Poland. The good news is that there is now a USA Dealer for Closer and you can check them out HERE.
Before I continue on with my review here, you can check out more details in a blog post over at the Closer Acoustics website HERE.
The new OKHO is magical and truly sounds sublime with the human voice and just about everything else. Also, the treble from this is beautiful and different. A more relaxed presentation vs OGY with more warmth and soul yet there are still details and a 3D soundstage. This speaker system is the definition of ORGANIC when it comes to music reproduction.
BLOCKS – A new modular speaker system that you can customize for your space.
When I listen to this new setup they sound sublime as if I am on a cloud listening to the sounds from above. Yea, these are still the speaker system of the Gods in my book. Keep in mind though that these are different from any speaker on the market so be sure you know what you are getting into as these things could get addicting!
Start with two BOB’s and an OKHO and later you may want to try two more BOB’s or a blank to raise them off the ground level. So many options but I have tested them all over the last several weeks. I also like the platform and ISO Acoustics feet as I feel it makes the sound lock in and keeps the speakers secure.
My fave config is the 4th one at the end. This would cost me $9350 which is a great value. These are speakers that sound like a million bucks and while the look may not be for all, at under $10k you are getting a high end speaker system that is modular and one you can customize or add to later on.
THIS IS A NEW CONCEPT – NOTHING ELDE LIKE IT EXISTS
The new piece I am absolutely THRILLED about is the new OKHO which is the main driver here and would replace the little OGY if someone wanted more warmth, richness, naturalness and an even larger soundstage. The OKHO is a real treat and I have adored my time with them listening all day and sometimes all night. The voice of this system, where the human voice lives, is outright and downright gorgeous. I’ve talked about “organic” sounding speakers before but these may just be the most organic speakers I have ever heard. It must be that open baffle thing going on here. There is more warmth but again, the detail is not lacking. These bring a direct connection to the music right to you.
The OKHO is more natural sounding than the OGY and it has an ability to really sound large, open, detailed, textured and with body and glow. The OGY will be brighter, more lit up, more energetic and have less body.
A view from the back of the complete stack with a blank at the bottom.
This system may seem different because well, it is.
In the words that follow I will talk about my experience with the new blocks setup. This is all super cool in concept and execution and the sound is as you would imagine, spectacular. What about the downsides? Are there any? Well sit back, relax and let me tell you all about the BLOCKS.
Remembering the OGY and BOB
I already hinted above about the OGY and BOB but when I reviewed the OGY by itself I really liked it but I wasn’t I love with it as a standalone speaker. It was astonishing with details and imaging (and that is indeed this little speakers strengths) but they lacked bass for my tastes in my space. It was sort of lean with any music that requires a backbone but I suspect in a smaller room they could be pretty sublime. Sure there was magic with voices and jazz but they needed some more “oomph” for other music here. The OGY in my space had a more “lit up” sound with detail extraction being very high. When the BOB units arrived I was shocked at how those OGY’s were transformed and now the whole system with four BOB’s and two OGY sounded as good as anything I had heard until that point.
Each day brought a new musical experience as the OGY and BOB sounded rather special with any music. My wife and I danced, we cried, we sat in silence and just listened. We really enjoyed this OGY/BOB system but I was not quite ready for what the new OKHO would bring.
There were cons to the first OGY and BOB setup like the fact that the OGY was not attached to the top of the BOB. It could easily be knocked off if in a busy household with kids or cats. They also used the external coil box which was another piece of the puzzle. Since that review Closer has solved all of these issues which is pretty cool to see. I know they have been working on the new OKHO for some time and Jacek at Closer was very excited about it.
This is the video from Jacek of Closer Acoustics explaining the new system
When the new BOB and OKHO arrived I was happy to see that these were still a super efficient speaker and easy to drive. I also loved the style of the new OKHO with its wooden spinner. Finally I loved that I could set these up in a variety of ways from small to large. I instantly set them up as the full system. The OKHO is 97.5 db efficient and an 8 ohm speaker. The BOB MKII has a driver made by EMS in France and it has a sensitivity of 94db and are also 8 ohms. The OKHO has a power handling of 40 watts and the BOB 100 wpc. I ran them with a 60 WPC amp, a 100 WPC amp and a 500 WPC amp. No matter the amp, this setup kept its signature sound. All amps sounded very good.
The OGY and OKHO
Here is what Jacek has said about this design of mixing the OKHO with BOB MKII:
“The difference between OGY and OKHO is quite dramatic. The 12” driver 97,5 dB efficient with 34Hz resonant frequency with a whizzer cone installed in a U shaped open baffle vs 4” driver 91 dB efficient with 50Hz resonant frequency in 1 m long tapered transmission line. The big wide band driver is naturally matched to the bass below 200Hz whereas OGY blends so good in the same area because of its enclosure.
The sound differences: OGY, super fast, detailed and analytical, holographic 3D soundstage; OKHO much more relaxed, with a lot more body and flesh in the midrange and lower midrange, great soundstage too.
How it is possible to use them both with the same BOBs in a system with one amplifier given the difference in efficiency? Yes, I had to attenuate the 12” driver. To achieve this, I chose the best speaker resistors available—luckily made in Poland—Pathaudio +/-1% tolerance. (Constant impedance circuit).”
So there ya go. Jacek is spot on with his description of the OKHO here.
You can pair BOB MKII’s with either the OGY or OKHO. Also do know I will always recommend two BOB’s if possible and this will not bring more bass boom or energy, rather it helps with the mid areas, adding a bit more flesh to the bone in the voice area. I did listen for a week with one BOB and it was nice, but leaner in the mids than with two BOB blocks.
The new setup also includes covers for the rear to hide away the innards. I leave them off but they are there, sort of like socks for the blocks, if you want them.
What the BLANK?
I was also sent two of the new BLANK BLOCKs which are blank boxes that you can use to stack the BOB units and raise them from the floor. I started with the feet and platform stands, placed in a blank, then a BOB, then an OKHO and finally another BOB. Once in place these are almost impossible to move so be sure you set them up in the right spot first. I know, this can be a pain as if you do not get them set top right the first time you will have to take it all apart and do it again. I had to do this once and I suggest to not attach them with the pins until you are sure of the spot they will live in. It’s worth it as when you get them setup in the right spot you will be greatly rewarded with such a beautiful soul stirring sound.
I keep them about 3 feet from the back wall but you can go closer without issue. I also have them about 1 1/2 feet from the side walls. I love how these sound about 7-8 feet apart with a slight toe in towards the listening seat. Remember that your space is the #1 most important “component” of your audio system. If you take speakers like this and push them against a wall or squeeze them against a cabinet you will not get all you can get from these. They want to breathe, like most high end speakers. I love pulling out into the room as when I do the soundstage expands, the sound becomes three dimensional with great recordings and the bass sounds just right.
Speaking of rooms, I naturally treat my room as when I tried some so called “professional treatments” I thought it hurt the sound, made it dull and I took them all out. I prefer to dampen a room naturally with rugs, pillows, couch, blinds, etc. We can all do the naturally without spending thousands on room correction products. You want to rid the room of reflections (can make music sound thin and splashy) yet you also do not want to over dampen (can get dull). When you get it right you will know.
Anyway…
I will talk about amps used below but once all set up I attached my speaker cable and started to listen. These were all new drivers so I was told they would loosen up and come into there own after some hours. I let them play for a few days before I sat down to evaluate. Even so I noticed immediately that these were a much richer, more calmer ethereal sounding system vs the OGY. The new OKHO was providing a natural and quite beautiful midrange and top end that was a touch relaxed but again, natural and real sounding. The human voice was warmer than with the OGY and I was really loving this.
I just reviewed the O audio Icon 12’s that I loved for their natural and real sound. I was hearing some similarities here to the O Audio but it was different due to the open baffle nature of these. They sounded absolutely huge, larger than life but when stacked these are as tall as my wife so they sit at about 5 feet tall when all is in place.
THE SOUND EXPERIENCE
OK let’s get this party started! I did evaluate this with a few amps. First, a budget Wiim Pro Amp and it sounded great. Then a Nagra setup with classic amp, HD pre and HD DAC X. Then I swapped the Nagra Classic amp for the Orchard Audio mega power class D GaN mono amps and these are what stayed in for most of my evaluation. Yep, Class D GaN was sounding phenomenal with these and I remember Jacek saying something similar in the past about the OGY and BOB.
I have been listening to these for weeks in all of the possible configurations. I love what I do here but this review has taken me more time than any other before it just due to the fact that I had all of it here to play with so of course I was going to try every possible way to hear these. Today as I write this I am sitting in my listening seat and listening to this setup and while my 55 year old self is tired out from moving them around for the last week, the music is relaxing my body and bones as I sit deeper in to my chair. I am listening now to Andrew Bird’s “Crystal” which is a duet with Madison Cunningham. It sounds so beautiful, floaty, ethereal and sweet with the OKHO and BOB MKII’s.
I love the full stack of four bobs, two okho and two blanks with the platform and feet. With that said, they look huge in my space as I do not have tall ceilings. I ended up removing the blank, then placing two BOB blocks and then an OKHO on top and this worked best for me. In a larger room than mine (13X18) I would easily recommend the full stack as the blank helps lift the sound up and out it seems. I mean, these sound larger than life in this stack.
When the blank was removed they looked better in my space and the sound was just about the same really. Maybe not as tall sounding in the soundstage but I grew to favor this sound the most out of all of the configurations.
I started to listen to my playlist on Tidal which is public so you can listen as well. You can find me there @hifihuff and I have one playlist so it is easy to find. It’s called HiFi Demo Songs.
I first cued up Beck’s Golden Age.
This is a track that has sounds coming in and out and on some systems this will sound a bit hot. With others it can sound beautifully detailed and with some 3d effects. With the OKHO system, it was rock solid and showcased some of the finest bass I have heard from this track. The bass was there in the background driving the beat and I never noticed it like this before. The vocals were projecting dead center about 1/2 way into the room with warmth and a big big size. Almost as if Beck was 10 feet tall in front of me singing. The vocals were rich and with depth. There was texture to the sound as well and it all came forward in again, a very natural and organic way. The sound near the end felt as if it were sucking me into the track.
I then cued up some more Andrew Bird. The track was “I fall in love too easily” and wow, just wow. I love this track due to the way the voice is so real, present and 3D when played back on a great system. This whole album sounds fantastic.
When the violin comes in just WOW! Its sound is so big and sweet and again, 3D. We hear the reverb trails easily here with the blocks. The background bass line is clear as can be and very present rather than tucked away in the background at low volume. The Piano is on the left side of the stage, set back behind the speaker a bit. Strings from the right that sound as if they are in front of the speaker. Such an awesome sound.
I then cued up “fever” from Malia and Boris Blank as its has an infectious bass line. This track has synth sounds that emerge from space. With the blocks setup of four BOB blocks and two OKHO blocks the system showed why these open baffle bass units are so freaking good. No boom, no over bloat, no bloat at all but instead there was a perfect bass performance and instruments were just everywhere in the space in front of the speakers. When deep background voices hummed along they were also coming out in a 3D space which again, I haven’t heard like this before.
I listened to more such as bluegrass, metal, rock, EDM and more. These speakers do it all and can handle any music.
OKHO vs OGY
This one is easy. The OGY brings more airiness, is a bit brighter with more treble energy and brings a clean, clear holographic sound to the BOB system. The OKHO is somewhat warmer, a little bit richer, quite a bit bigger sounding and also a bit more organic sounding with a more subdued treble than OGY but somehow, they seem to bring out amazing detail as well.
The OKHO for me is the star of this show but man, these BOB MKII’s are also incredible at the bass they put out because it is natural vs big bam boom. It’s love what they do as a set of four in my space. Again, four of these will not overpower as these are not subwoofers and they are open baffles, not in an enclosed box. So easy to implement into any space. Do not worry about four BOB blocks in a small to medium room. They will not overpower the room as the bass stays natural and controlled.
CONCLUSION and WHERE TO BUY in the USA?
The Closer Acoustic BLOCKS system is one heck of a speaker setup for almost anyone looking for a configurable, modular high end open baffle experience. It’s a matter of ordering, unpacking and stacking. Each piece is sold separately but you can also order a complete set up in one fell swoop. You can order from Poland direct HERE or if you are in the USA you can order from THIS DEALER here who helped me out with this shipment. Great people over at Sunmountainav and yes, they are taking orders now for the BLOCKS system.
Yea, I recently stated the Icon 12 speakers were the finest I have had here and that stands but I mean that as a whole such as the cabinet design, cabinet quality, the high end drivers and super refined horn with impactful solid bass that is more impactful and punchy than the BOB. The Icon’s are 2X the cost so I would expect a more refined sound and they do deliver that. Even so, I would guess that some would prefer an open baffle type of sound and in this area of audio there is so much to choose from but none are as unique as these.
What about the OKHO/BOBMKII compared to my open baffle Pure Audio Project Duet 15? I love the Duet 15’s for their style and sound as well as ease of moving around. With that said, the OKHO and BOBMKII sound larger, and due to the OKHO have a larger voice that is richer and sweeter, and more organic. I have to be honest, I prefer the sound a bit of the OKHO and BOB over the Duet 15’s but I would never sell my Duet 15’s as I have bonded to those speakers and that is not easy to do for me! I could also see myself bonding with the Icon 12’s and yes, the OKHO and BOB’s as well.
The Pure Audio Project Duet 15’s are speakers I own and they are open baffle as well. I will say the OKHO and BOB bring a larger, warmer, more organic type of sound due to the OKHO which is such a performer. I still love my Duet 15’s and if I had to choose between them it would be tough. Sound would slightly go to the BLOCKS with OKHO and ease of moving around would go to Duet!
I will say this…these blocks sound gorgeous. Warmth, glow, excitement and sweetness all at the same time. It’s as if the system with OKHO is based on tubes (that’s what it sounds like), that is the vibe I get from them. As if tubes were hidden in the OKHO somewhere.
At the cost of four BOB MKII’s and two OKHO this is a way to get world class open baffle sound while paying less. The OKHO is a home run and sounds magical with the BOB’s. I prefer it to the OGY by quite a bit but for those who want a more open tipped up alive sound, the OGY is the one you would want. My vibe is the OKHO as I love sweet organic inviting sound. I could see some buying both for different moods. Heck, that’s not a bad idea as the OGY’s are not that pricey.
Right now a song came on streaming from Tidal called “The Bomber” from the James Gang, a classic. The sound is full bodied. detailed and the guitar solo is floating all over the front of the speakers. The bass line is clearly heard and there is body, sweetness and plenty of detail. JUST RIGHT! I am turning it up now from low volume to high using the Orchard Audio GaN amps….WHOA, it’s as loud as I can take but the bass is staying composed and the drums are beating along with snap and pop. Guitars come in with power chord and just wow, I am inside the music.
For the platform, feet, two bob MKII’s and OKHO the cost is under $10k for the pair and this is a fantastic price. Go with just a pair of BOB MKII’s and you can get a pair for $7210. In todays high end world this is what we call a superb value for the money as you would have to spend much more to get this sound from a standard set of speakers and even so, the sound would be a bit different. I love the open baffle sound but I also enjoy box speakers for the sound they bring.
The only con I can find is that once you set them all up it’s not easy to move them effectively unless you take them all apart again. It doesn’t take long at all, it just means unstacking them after you stacked them and pinned them together. I wonder if anyone can design feet like the ISO Acoustics but with ball bearings so they can roll. Hmmm. Oh, these are also in Piano Black so if you get your hands on them you will see fingerprints and smudges though they seem to wipe off easily.
Other than that I found no cons at all. These are easy to drive (love that), unique as can be (love that too) and sound otherworldly at times. They play well with almost all music and deliver body, details and emotion. Compared to my Pure Audio Project DUET 15’s, the OKHO and BOB sound a bit larger and push the sound out more into the room but offer up a similar kind of open baffle vibe.
If you like a big sounding speaker with some warmth, energy and a nice 3d soundstage with fluid non boomy bass, these may be the ones. HiFi these days is so damn good. We have so much too choose from and in reality it comes down to our personal tastes in sound and looks. I think Closer Acoustics have another smash hit on their hands with the BLOCKS. It’s a first of its kind, they work well at low volume, are easy to drive, not too picky with amps and source and once set up will blow your mind with how they sound.
SEE MORE AT THEIR WEBSITE HERE.
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