The HiFi System of the Gods? OGY and B.O.B. Speakers Deliver the Chills.
By Steve Huff
My Video Review of the OGY and Bass Open Baffle Units!
It’s near the end of December 2023 and Christmas is right around the corner ALREADY! Wow. Heck, I may release this review during Christmas week as these speakers are indeed like a gift from the Heavens above and they deserve to be talked about. As I sit here and write these words I find myself in a familiar place, which is sitting in my chair listening to beautiful and soulful music from the Closer Acoustics OGY Speakers with the brand new Bass Open Baffle Bass Units.
In fact, I am streaming music right now from my HiFi Rose RS130 Streamer (which I love more than ever) and I am enjoying an album from MYRKUR called “Mausoleum”. It’s an obscure album that I bet most have never heard of but when you are alone in a dark room and hear these voices, it’s as if you were right there inside of the Mausoleum with them…and it can be quite the experience.
This album was recorded in a real Mausoleum. The Emanual Vigilant Mausoleum in Oslo, Norway to be exact. The acoustics here are stunning and as I sit and listen I feel as if I am right there with the singers inside of the Mausoleum. It’s chilling but this album doesn’t always sound as good as I am hearing it today (on the OGY and B.O.B.) and after a few weeks with this setup I have never been more “addicted” to the sound of music.
These are songs that were originally recorded by the band as hardcore heavy metal tracks. Here they are stripped down to the basics and are quite the opposite of heavy metal. Haunting vocals, sounds and instruments present themselves spread across a vast stage. It’s beautiful.
I do not get these chills from all systems, speakers, amps, music. In fact, I only get chills and goosebumps from music when the recording and the system are working perfectly together. Today I am listening to what I nicknamed “The HiFi System of the Gods” because this is what I would imagine such a sound could or would be like. It is ethereal, magical, goosebump inducing and one of the most, if not the most, three dimensional presentations I have experienced.
This system consists of the following components but the star of today’s show, what I want to talk about, are the OGY Speakers and B.O.B. Bass Units from Closer Acoustics.
Hear and See them in Action – This sound demo will let you hear the amazing clarity, spatial reproduction and ambience from the studio where it was recorded. They do Jazz with magic but can do ANY genre with ease.
Power
I am powering the OGY speakers and bass units with a Daniel Hertz Maria 350 Integrated amp with built in Digital to Analog conversion using their patented Mighty Cat Chip. Daniel Hertz recently upgraded the Maria 50 to the 350 and this amp is just pure “AHHHHHH” when it comes to sound quality. No, not all amps sound the same though there are some fantastic designs out there today. In the HiFi world, the Key is finding the right amp for the right speakers.
The Maria 350 works well with anything I have thrown at it and provides a truly analog sound from digital sources (due to the MC chip), any digital source, which is its claim to fame. Such a gorgeous looking yet very powerful amp. I tell others that the DAC inside of this unit sounds better to me than some $10k DACs I have heard, making this amp, in reality, somewhat of a deal. I wish it had a volume display, a boot up during power on and a few other changes made but I have never heard such a fine sound from an amp, for my tastes.
For streaming I am using my beloved HiFi Rose RS130 which is worth its weight in Gold as far as I am concerned. I’ve never fallen for a digital source like I have with the RS130 but that is because it works so well for what I use it for. Streaming Tidal, Spotify and Qobuz. Sometimes I use Roon as well, and the 130 works with that as well. It is the sound from the RS130 though is what I fell for. Big, spacious, smooth and 100% digital grain free. When you compare it to others it really points out the deficiencies in other streamers (you will hear the digi-itis that plagues almost all other streamers under $5k) It also has a way of reproducing the natural decay in notes. An end game streamer for me and unless it breaks down after warranty, I can not imaging swapping it for anything else.
I feel that any digital streamer that has the potential to best the RS130 will cost 2-3X as much and what comes of this will just be a slight difference rather than an improvement. I have heard $10-$20k streamers and they did not sound better than the RS130, nor were they built anywhere near as good. The RS130 is a $5200 retail streamer.
The OGY and B.O.B. are Hauntingly Good…REALLY.
I have heard a ton of speakers and have fallen completely in love with maybe 4-5 sets over the last 35 years. All of these speakers that bring back such fond memories all had something in common. They all had a beautiful midrange, sweet top end and a full sound that was no where lean or threadbare. I love detail but not overcooked detail as I have heard from some big brands. I prefer soul, emotion and sweetness over dry, hard and crisp any day of the week.
I have enjoyed many speakers in life but only truly fallen for a few sets that took me to “that place”. What I mean is, when an audio system is just right it can transport you to other times, places, and even dig out memories from within your brain that you may have forgotten about. It can induce chills and a feeling of humanity, warmth and love. Sounds like a bunch of psycho babble you say? Well maybe for some but I have experienced all of this with very few systems in my lifetime of audio but I am telling you know that I have it again right here in the OGY/B.O.B. setup.
My Review of the OGY speakers on their own without the BOB. Beautiful but limited on their own. Adding the bass units take these to all new levels.
I really enjoyed the OGY on their own but they could never be my only speaker as by themselves they just lack in the low bass dept. By themselves, the OGY is a limited speaker when it comes to things like rock, metal, EDM. These little smiling boxes have been with me for a few months now and love these things due to the way they sound so pure, so real and so magical in the mids and top end.
Vocals are magic on the OGY as well, and it can bring the realism to your room with certain tracks.
Speaking of extended bass for the OGY, Closer Acoustics released a very cool stand for the OGY that implements a 12″ bass driver to deliver a bit more down below. When I saw these I was pretty excited as I knew that with more bottom end that these speakers could be pure magic.
I was asked if I wanted to review these stands and of course I said yes. Right before they were to ship though I was asked if I would prefer to review something even better and this something better is the B.O.B. units (Bass Open Baffle), and I was sent four of them.
From the Closer Acoustics website showing two B.O.B. Units with the Black (Stone) OGY.
Jacek from Closer told me that with the stands I would only be getting “half of the picture” since only one bass unit would be there, per speaker. He stated during his experiments with the open baffle bass units that when he used four of them the sound transformed into something better. He also tested using three per side but this solution is for those with even larger rooms. In my 13X18 room it seemed that four of the units would be best.
No, this is not quite like adding four powered subs (or any powered sub) as this is not really classified as a sub at all. It’s more of an extension of the OGY, like adding two 12″ passive woofers in an open container. I will say it now. Four of these guys in my 13X18 space provide the finest bass reproduction I have ever heard within my own listening room. THIS is a VERY special system unlike any other I have heard, and I have heard some amazing speakers. There is something quite unique and special about these and while they may look different than most speakers systems, the sound is just so immersive and heart touching.
I love the REL subs I have been able to use, review and even own for a while but these open baffle bass units are truly next level for my ears. The bass is so much more natural as they are not powered by an internal amp so they never sound forced or like they are trying too hard.
They are also more natural in sound due to being an open baffle design. The sound is much different, so organic and rich but holy wow it is oh so right. I knew immediately that these bass units were taking the OGY from a great speaker to an otherworldly one. Yes, otherworldly. After over 100 hours of listening logged on to the OGY and B.O.B. units I can easily say these are truly something I would call “Speakers of the Gods” yet you do not have to pay God like prices to obtain this. No, No, No they are nothing like those mega speaker either, you know, the ones that cost $50k and up (which some would say are more “god” like) as these have more soul, warmth and beauty.
So two be clear I am powering these with a $13,000 integrated amp and streaming with a $5200 streamer. Yes, this helps the sound quality but to be sure I also hooked up a $1700 Choco Sound Integrated along with an iFi $699 DAC and they still sounded beautiful and haunting (though didn’t reach the heights of when I had the Daniel Hertz and Rose hooked up). These are easy to drive and yes, even tubes can be used.
The CHoco Sound EMEI Amp ($1700) and iFi NEO DSD 2 DAC sounded a little brighter and leaner than the Daniel Hertz and Rose setup. I feel these speakers LOVE a very powerful Class D amplifier design. Not to turn it up or for volume, but for control of the four big woofers. ; )
Do I need FOUR?
I was told using two would be much like the OGY stands but I was also told this would only show me half of the picture. I was told that four units would be perfect for my space and I said “what the heck” and told them to send all four along. Within a few days I had four of the new B.O.B. units direct from Poland. Lucky me, I am the first reviewer in the world to hear these boxes as well!
The B.O.B. units were much lighter than I expected because again, these have no electronics inside. There is a terminal with speaker connections that you will need with the units and this is where an inductance coil sits to send all bass below 125 HZ to the Bass Units. While the OGY can deliver down to 40hz according to Closer, their best crossover point is around 125 Hz it seems.
To be clear, this is from the Closer Acoustics website on how to connect these to the OGY:
“Connection: There is a binding post unit with a 10 mH inductance coil inside, 1,6mm wire, with a ferrite core to minimize its resistance. This unit is not fixed to the speaker so should BOB be a part of a different system, then another type of crossover point can be chosen. to connect to the amplifier either a double set of cables can be used or a jumper between OGY and first pair of BOB. Another pair of BOB is again connected with a jumper.”
There is no adjustable crossover as there is no crossover at all here. The Speakers are a single driver full range speaker without a crossover inside as there is one sole small tiny driver. This in effect brings such a wide open, clear and natural sound from the speakers. It’s a beautiful thing to experience, especially with the bass units.
No Boom Boom Boom in the Room.
The Goal of the bass units was not to deliver boom, window shaking capability or sloppy bass. They were designed and tuned to create a natural, full and huge enveloping welcoming musical sound free from distortion or boom issues. With four of these in the system along with the little OGY my system was transformed to something I could not believe as I thought it was already as good as it could get for my tastes. I mean, I know there will always be different or something I like better, there always is. With that said, I did not expect this setup to forge a memory in my brain that would have these being in my top 3 of all time, maybe even #1. Not sure yet as I need more time. I do not want these to leave.
My reference speakers for the last few months have been the Daniel Hertz Ambers. They are source point speakers much like the little OGY but they are much larger and have bass that goes down to 20hz on their own (though again, not much volume down that low) but the midrange is not quite as full as the OGY and B.O.B. setup, nor do they sound as fluid and natural as the OGY system. The OGY’s create a wider more complex soundstage. They produce a more natural and organic sound and the music just emits from the space where the system sits in an organic free flowing way. It’s a soft welcoming ethereal otherworldly sound that can get addicting. Let me say that these speakers will indeed cause you to want to listen more than you do now, period.
Let’s get real. I LOVE my Ambers as they have more pop, punch and impact than the OGY/BOB system but at the same time, the little OGY and B.O.B. system has more magic within it when it comes to sound. The sound is so free from any fault or offense and always sucks me in.
“It’s as if I am floating on a cloud, laying back in supreme comfort letting the music massage my soul!”
There is zero harshness or sharpness here with the Rose and the Hertz in the system. With the CHoco Sound EMEI the sound does get leaner but I feel it’s due to the $699 DAC I have on hand which sounds a bit thin with any amp I have tested it with. The DAC is the iFi NEO DSD 2 which is a “budget” DAC and Headphone Amp. With the Yamaha R-N 2000 in the system, using its own DAC with the HiFi Rose RS130 the sound is much closer to the Hertz setup with more warmth, more of a 3D soundstage and just sounds great.
No matter what I use to power these there is no dullness at all, none. Sometimes when speakers are made to sound smooth they can also sound a touch dull up top. Not so in this case. I am hearing some of the best clarity I have heard while at the same time, there is a beauty and glow going on here with a realism that is rare to find.
The treble is so revealing yet smooth. I have heard this before but not to this extent. The midrange is not bloated in any way and remains clear and scary real but there is body here to the music because the bass units bring the 100hz region into play with a fullness that is hard to find in normal speakers as well. It seems that most speaker manufacturers these days (besides Buchardt) are afraid of Mid Bass : )
Speaking of the mids, the way these speakers present the mids is much different from the Daniel Hertz Ambers. The Amber speakers produce voices and instruments a bit more forward into the room some. The OGY and B.O.B. system have a more even handed way of dealing with the midrange. It’s set back some to where the vocals sound as if they are emitting from the center but slightly behind the speakers. As if you are really at a concert or performance.
It’s like being in the 1st row (ambers) vs 10th row (OGY).
The bass goes low here, as in very low but they are cleaner sounding and more controlled than any powered sub I have tested. Playing my fave bass test tracks I found these units to deliver bass that is more impressive (cleaner, better integrated) than my sole REL T9/X RED but hey, four bass units should be better than one powered sub any day. There’s no blending or adjusting needed with the OGY system though as it is already set up. Just plug in and play. This is great as there is no getting up after each track to try and dial in a powered sub. It’s all set. All you have to do is position them and there are many options here for that as well.
They can be stacked with the OGY on top (Closer’s preferred method) our you can place the OGY on stands next to the stacked pair. You can even spread the units across the front of the room.
The connection is super easy and the BOB units will need the cables for hook up from Closer as well. Just take your speaker cables that you already have from the amp and hook them to the input box (which looks like it was carved by an artist) for the left and right BOB unit. The output uses a special SpeakON connecter that is included and this attaches to each bass unit just like you would connect any other speaker. You can then take the supplied jumper wire and go from the box to the OGY speaker or you can use a seperate set of speaker cables from the amp to the OGY.
All of this took just a few minutes to hook up and maybe an hour to set up in my room and find the right placement.
Remember, these are not powered subs so they do not vibrate or shake. They just do their thing and do it in a way that is simply addicting. After a few days I moved the OGY to stands and set them next to the bass units. In my room this sounded slightly different still but did add more clarity between the treble/mids/bass.
I was told I could stack the bass units or set them side by side. I was encouraged to experiment and so I did just that! I tried all ways I could and at the end of the day they sounded best with the OGY on top of two stacked BOB units or right next to them on stands. In this way the sound was slightly softer but more immersive and addictive…and wide.
Easy to Drive but they Love POWER
Remember, the OGY speakers are TINY! I mean TINY! On their own they can fit in to any small space with ease and the smaller the space the better they will sound on their own. They are also easy to drive at 8 ohm and 91 DB efficient. The back of the speakers say “15 watts” so they do not need tons of power to perform. The bass units are also an easy drive at 8ohm and 94 DB efficiency.
I was shocked to see how well the massively powerful Daniel Hertz Maria 350 drove them. In fact it did much better than any other amp I tried and I tried a few both solid state and tube. None sounded a good as the Hertz and I felt like I was going crazy until I read this BLOG POST at Closer Acoustics written by Jacek of Closer.
He is using a high power Class D amp like I am and he loves the results. These new breed of Class D amps are among the finest I have ever heard in life. Just be careful as all of that power could easily blow the little 4″ driver in the OGY. Be responsible with the volume and know that while this setup can easily fill a large space, the sound is so refined and blended that it’s hard to tell just how loud you have it turned up because it never gets ragged or edgy.
I like to listen to these at a moderate volume. Not too low and not too loud. When I want to really rock out I play the ambers as they can handle the power and volume. The OGY only uses a 4″ driver and while it is a beautiful driver made in France it is rated to handle 15 watts though does well with more power, applied responsibly.
OGY ALONE?
I will say right now that I could not have the OGY speakers as my only and main speakers in my space as the bass just is not there for some kinds of music to sound right. They get everything else JUST RIGHT and for me they are that rare speaker that has just about perfected the treble and midrange. With four of these open baffle bass units I am honestly hearing music in a way that I have never heard it before.
I have heard open baffle speakers as a whole but none sounded quite like this. There is also nothing like this out there in the audio world and I feel Jacek created his “Masterpiece” here. He even feels it is the best thing he has done and if you look at his website you will see some pretty impressive looking speakers in his lineup.
What makes the OGY speaker so special, at least in my opinion, is the fact that they have no crossover. They are single driver, full range (meaning they play the entire signal top to bottom from just one driver) and source point like my beautiful Ambers. I have always loved small speakers for their ability to disappear and these do so with absolute ease. The bass units do not call attention to themselves either as it all sounds like one big painting of sound with sublime imaging and a natural way of making music that just sucks you into it. For hours on end. No, there is no fatigue at all here when listening to music on the OGY and B.O.B. Units.
QUICK SPEAKER COMPARE:
OGY/BOB vs $24K Focal Diablo: The Diablo is a reference bookshelf from Focal and I enjoyed some time with them in 2023. These were a speaker I have been curious about for many years and they did not disappoint. They were solid, muscular and had a treble that was uber revealing. On the edge of too much detail but not quite. The bass was lacking for sure and they excelled with a pair of REL subs. Yes, they will need subs as well if you really want to hear them to their fullest. With that said, I much prefer the OGY and BOB here though as they are just more fluid, full, image better and have much better bass. The OGY/BOB is more ethereal and softer but in no way are they soft sounding. While the OGY and BOB look different to me the sound is pure magic and here I feel they best a 3X the cost solution but again, they sound very different.
OGY/BOB vs $23k Fleetwood Deville SQ: I love the SQ’s. Some of the most memorable speakers I have ever owned. They have a big loud and proud midrange with throaty vocals and they image like a champ. They do lack in low bass and while the mids make up for that in some ways they will never be a speaker that is remembered for their bass. The Deville SQ also use a horn for the tweeter and this can make the top end sound more lively and well, ALIVE. The OGY/BOB is a more chill sound, but more expansive and enveloping. It’s never sharp as the Devilles can be at times and just allows me to meld with the music in a beautiful way. The Devilel SQ has more “wow” factor in looks and sound but the OGY setup has much more body, more foundation. They sound superb with ALL music as all frequencies are covered beautifully. It’s as if there are no limits. So the SQ will be more forward, in your face and have some punch and wow. The OGY/BOB is more seductive and sweet yet offers the same amount of detail up.
OGY/BOB vs $13k Daniel Hertz Amber: The Ambers bring a wide open picture to the music. They have clarity, depth and punch. They are also source point speakers and have a similar vibe to the OGY but the OGY and BOB do much better in the bass and are less forward in the mids than the Ambers. The Ambers are crisp, clean and sound powerful and bring music forward into the room with power and gusto. I love these speakers and they are some of the first that I have not tired of after well over 1,000 hours of listening. With that said, at this time I am enjoying the OGY/BOB a little more with most music. It’s that ethereal all over room vibe that is happening where voices are so hauntingly real I can not get enough. Both of these are remarkable instruments with a different yet similar vibe. For fun I tried the B.O.B. Units with the Ambers and HOLY WOW they sound amazing with them and do improve them.
OGY/BOB vs $5k Buchardt A10’s: I love the A10’s and if I did not do reviews it is possible I would just own a set of the A10’s with Platin Hub and my HiFi Rose RS130. They are superb for what they are and what they cost. The bass is incredible and more powerful than what I get from the four BOB units but volume is not always the key to getting the best bass reproduction. The A10’s are more powerful in that lower region but the BOB’s sound more natural and real. The OGY has a more extended and open treble as well. While the OGY and BOB are better IMO remember that I am using a $13k amp and $5200 Streamer with $8k worth of speakers. That is $26k+ where the Buchardt’s will set you back well under $5k. So I would expect a more immersive experience with the OGY and B.O.B. units but the A10’s are wonderful. A bit darker vs the OGY.
OGY/BOB vs The Rest: The OGY/BOB sound like speakers of the Gods for their natural, organic, wide open and ethereal vibe. Vocals are drop dead gorgeous and set back a bit in the stage which sounds more like a real performance. They look different, and the system is modular with six boxes having to be hooked up but for me this makes them even more precious because they are so different from what is out there today. I know of nothing quite like this as you can tailor this setup to your own room. Use two bass units, use four or use six. I will state again that four of these do not in any way overpower my 13X18 room. Just sounds like real music with real life and soul.
WHAT KINDS OF MUSIC DOES THIS SETUP DO BEST WITH?
ANY! Yes my friends, when you add the bass units you can listen to anything your heart desires and get the best from it. I have listened to tracks on the OGY and B.O.B. system that have sounded flat and sterile on some systems yet here they blossom out with the bass that was missing from the others and this makes all of the difference in the sound. I have to state again that I have heard many “two way bookshelf speakers with a sub” and more recently a very nice set of speakers with a very nice powered sub. Not the same kind of thing, at all. The sound with the B.O.B.’s is more organic, whole and blended and this makes all of the difference.
It’s clean. It’s clear. It’s smooth, has some warmth yet with those crystalline highs. I have listened to it all as my tastes are all over the map. I have listened with metal, death metal, jazz, vocals, instrumental, classical, standards, bluegrass, EDM and well, everything. All sounded amazing with this system and allowed me to listen to anything my heart desires and truly enjoy it. Not all speakers, most speakers, can not do what these are doing out of the box. Most speakers do lack in bass and very few deliver this level of performance in the lower registers. I prefer the sound of these to any powered sub I have heard.
These speakers, this system, has a way of growing on you more and more. The 1st listen, in those first minutes, I thought the sound was a touch recessed but after weeks of listening I now realize they sound more real vs others. If I go a week with just hearing the OGY/B.O.B. setup other speakers sound off when I place them in, until my ears get used to that sound.
Will I buy these or ditch my Ambers?
I adore them both and after living with the OGY and bass units for a while I will have a very hard time when they leave. I would love to own them as I do enjoy them immensely. What I mean is that I have heard hundreds of systems over the years, and have heard systems that cost one million dollars plus. Those always left me saying “wow, that sounded good” but left me a bit cold as well because I heard better for so much less. I am not one who gets excited by the tagline “million dollar system” as I know the truth about high end audio and that is money will not buy you happiness in this hobby.
A cool one million smackers is not needed for world class audio reproduction as I am getting it here in the under $8k OGY with four B.O.B. units. In audio many of us strive for that perfect elusive sound, and it is usually one we never find. We look for the sound we can meld with and listen to for hours on end. The sound that takes us to THAT place within our hearts, mind, body and soul.
It’s not easy to find this in an audio system. For me it’s been rare to get it all in one set of speakers, very rare. Even my most loved speakers still sounded better when a subwoofer was added and that was never easy as blending powered subs can be tricky. The OGY with these beautiful bass units were designed to be as one and that is exactly what they sound like.
The OGY Speakers are also somewhat of a deal in the realm of high end audio. You can nab a pair for $1550 in the same finish I have here or you can step up to the white or black that uses stone to cover the real wood enclosure. I imagine the four bass units with a set of glossy black OGY’s would be right at home in my system with the also glossy black Maria amp. Mmmm Mmm Good.
BLACK STONE VERSION
In fact I have decided to buy a set of OGY in black (stone) and will buy the four bass demo units. I will have to sell a couple of things to fund it all.
As for build quality they look great. They look like works of art in fact and use super nice 12″ drivers from EMS. The drivers are made in France. The speakers are made in Poland. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am highly impressed with this setup and never heard anything quite like it.
Conclusion
Not much else I can say. I am in love and these are up there with the finest audio instruments I have heard or experienced. Yes, I call them instruments and I only do that when a speaker is extra special, as these are. This is why I have to add them as a reference for my room. I can’t get enough of them.
These are brand new and at the time of this writing Closer Acoutsics has them on their website as a pre-order with first batch to be shipping in January 2024. A quad of the open baffle bass units should come in with cables and terminal at under $6000 so one can get a full OGY speaker system, with the bass units, for under $8,000. What other speakers are out there that can deliver what this combo does for a similar price?
None at this price. There are many speakers in this price bracket but all sound different from this setup. All I can say is that if you crave a large and open sound, transparency and richness, these are fantastic.
The only negative I can come up with is that they do not look like a traditional speaker setup and for that reason some may have an issue with the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) if not in a dedicated room. In a larger room than mine Closer recommends going to SIX bass units for the best sound. I think they look cool as heck but that’s me, an audio nerd. Other than that I see no negs here at all as they are well worth what they cost, seem to have a fine build, support and sound like a dream when all set up in the room.
One more thing. PLAYING CRAZY LOUD IS NOT WHAT THESE ARE FOR. When I turn up the volume with say heavy metal the bass CAN get to be too much and I see the little 4″ drivers on the OGY really moving. When I go to the ear busting volumes I hear the mids start to blend more with the lower bass and this warms up the sound a bit. It’s much better than some systems that sound ragged when turned up but just wanted to mention this. I believe it’s the small teeny driver in the OGY as it can not handle crazy loud without somewhat smearing the sound. Again, at all normal and even loud levels they do very well though they excel at normal volume and even very low volume levels.
At low volume, mid volume and loud volume this setup brings pure magic. Just avoid ear damage levels as they may get a little muddled sounding.
If the looks are OK with you I can not imagine anyone being disappointed here though I would advise against using a very low powered tube amp with these as they excel, IMO, with a nice powerful amp. Something to get those bass units pumping along. A great Class D design seems like a perfect fit for these though most any amp will do. For fun I also tried these out with a Pass Labs X250.8 and XP-22 Preamp (that I still have here) and they sounded a bit more crystalline and lean with the Pass gear (vs Hertz) yet still gorgeous. With AGD DUETs and an AGD Alto II preamp they sounded the best I have heard them. Period.
UPDATE APRIL 10th 2024: These are still my main speakers for my reference system.These are amazing speakers but be careful! The wrong power or source can have these sounding bright. With the Axxess Forté 1 I found them to be tipped up in the treble. With the Yamaha R-N 2000 the sound is smooth, wide and with bass a plenty (when it is in the recording).
UPDATE JUNE 14th 2024: Found that the AGD Duet amps sound supremely beautiful with the OGY/BOB and these are now the best I have heard the speakers. I suspect the AGD Tempo would be similar but haven’t heard that one. These continue to be part of my main reference system, now shared with Borresen X2’s. The OGY/BOB sound completely different from the X2’s and it’s why I love having both of them here. Different speakers for different days and moods. ; )
WHERE TO BUY?
Check out the website for Closer Acoustics here. They sell other speakers as well as other items such as amps, stands, etc. Shipping is fast via Fed Ex (took 3-5 days) and they even offer a return policy if their products do not work for you. Direct from Poland to your doorstep.
Hello Steve, always enjoy your reviews, it seems to me that you would enjoy the speakers that Louis Chochos @ Omega Speakers systems is producing, made right here in USA – Connecticut. Did you ever try them? Highly recommended. Take care! Paolo
Thanks for the comment. I have heard a couple sets of Omega bookshelf speakers and are familiar with them. I had a set here that I bought out of curiosity, used. Sound was nice but ultimately they weren’t for me just as the sole OGY wouldn’t work for me. The BOB’s took these to another level. I did try a REL sub with the OGY and it couldn’t keep up with them, they are too fast.
Good day Steve! I enjoy your reviews and your approach to HiFi. About the OGYs and BOBs, I’m sure the bass units are heavy but shouldn’t they be on some sort of spiked stand structure? The OGY’s too; the felt pad (?) that the back of the OGY’s rest on will not provide the maximum coupling to the BOBs. In my (limited) experience, the best physical reference you can have for a speaker structure will result in the best detail and impact.
Thank you. Nick in Columbus, OH.
The bass units are light as again, no bottom, no top, no back. It’s a 12″ driver in an open box. That’s it. No amp, etc. They do not vibrate in the slightest nor do they move. No vibrations can be felt when you place your hand on the OGY or Bass Unit, even with loud music playing. if I move the OGY to a stand off to the side the sound changes up and the treble becomes more defined. The pad for the speaker to sit on works great but no, it does not connect the speaker to the unit. It’s similar to placing a speaker on a stand, though one that is quite different. I would like to see a way to attach the BOB’s to each other and I would like to see feet but do not feel them necessary. I’d also like to see a way to screw the OGY to the BOB (the OGY has a screw mount solution already). I may even do it myself (DIY Project) as it would be simple to do. One can also use blue tac (which many use to attach speakers to stands) for the BOB’s and the speaker if you wanted to. If I had kids or cats in my music room (I do not) I would worry about them knocking the OGY over but same as any other speaker and stand combo. The bass units could be spread out on the floor, four across as well. They do not have to be stacked. Can place OGY on stands as well. This just happens to be how they sound best to me (and closer acoustics). Thank you.
Forgot to ask, what about the OGY and B.O.B.’s vs the Amber and B.O.B.s?
Same thing. The Ambers are more energetic, more forward. The OGY with BOB is more ethereal and realistic. Both bring realism. The Ambers have a larger sounding mid-range so voices are larger. The OGY are more balanced with everything. Neither is better or worse, just different. With that said the BOB’s work amazing with the Ambers as well and provide a much cleaner and fast bass than any powered sub I have tried. So yes the 4 B.O.B. units with the Ambers improve them and honestly do better than the powered subs do (though they will not plummet to the depths of a powered sub such as a REL s/510). I listened to the Ambers with bass units the other day and was very impressed. So much so I will always have the BOB’s hooked up when listening to the Amber or OGY. The Ambers are $5k more expensive than the OGY and four BOB’s and do provide more energy, scale and punch. The OGY/BOB is more of a “soak it all in” kind of experience.
Hello Steve, can you elaborate on using the B.O.B.’s with the Amber speakers? Have you tried them with the REL sub and any comparisons? I have speakers that seem to have similar characteristics to the Ambers and considering getting B.O.B. units instead of the REL sub I had considered.
Just answered, sorry for the delay! The B.O.B.’s with the terminal box at each side do amazing with the Amber speakers. Improves them from how they are alone, without question. Bests powered sub solutions with speed and tight tuneful bass but will not go as low as a REL. With that said the BOB’s are not subs but more like an extension of your speaker using bass drivers, very nice ones at that! Also, room size will play a part. If you have a very large and open room I am not sure how these will do. In my space, which is dedicated, they are fantastic and couldn’t ask for more from them.