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BFM Omni 10 vs anything else?

I'm late to this...but just read through the posts to date, and wanted to share some of my experience.

First, I have an Omni 10. I used drivers that are at the bottom end of what Bill suggests. This cab is just plain clearer than any normal reflex cab I have played through.

Second, there is at least one review (a Brit) of an Omni 10 against an Epiphany 2x10. It's RE-produced under the "reviews" section on Bill's website, but you can find it in original form if you so desire by doing search of the web.

Third, I had never used an electric saw of any kind when I began my Omni 10. I got tons of help from people on Bill's website. It's like having a community of carpenters all devoted to helping you with the build. Any question you have will get answered either under the "Omni" forum or under the "tips and techniques" forum. I truly believe that if you don't rush, and if you follow the majority advice opinions on that board, that pretty much anyone can build an Omni. Everything you need is there in the way of knowledge.

Forth, unlike most speaker mfgs, Bill actually publishes lots of data on his site. He fields questions from Luddites to engineers. But that's not all. Members actually test their speakers (members such as BGavin), and then it gets posted, unfiltered, to the website. Show me a commercial cab maker who does that?

Fifth, you want to hear them? People who have them would be happy to show them off, let you listen, and do A/Bs. I live in Miami. Come hear mine anytime.

Sixth, not many people have them? Dude, people all over the world have built these. Not many DIY cabs are as popular, I bet.

Now, you could say that I have a vested interest because I built one. Like many people, however, I was not convinced when I started. I had most of the materials, a little time, and not much money, so it seemed worth a try. I hoped to get a decent 2x10 cab...the surprise came when I began to A/B it. It was not just cheaper...it was actually as good as people claim. If that were not the case, I GUARANTEE I would not have spent the last year building a DR and a Titan. These are just hands down great cabs.
 
Very, very interested in Tom's review. I had bought the plans for an Omni 15 but never got around to doing it... as I'm not really convinced it will be of equal quality to my Glockenklang 212 for example. However, Tom's cab experience carries a different weight, this could make me change my mind and give it a try.
 
Very, very interested in Tom's review. I had bought the plans for an Omni 15 but never got around to doing it... as I'm not really convinced it will be of equal quality to my Glockenklang 212 for example. However, Tom's cab experience carries a different weight, this could make me change my mind and give it a try.

Ahhhh!!!! The pressure!!!! :eek:


:smug: :p :D
 
I started a quest a few months ago to come up with a more flexible & lighter rig (I'm presently playing a G-K 700RB through a GB 410XB cab). I just acquired an Avatar 1x12 AND a set of Omni 10 plans. I'm really on the fence now as to whether to get another Avatar or build a pair of Omni 10.5's.

All reviews will be greatly appreciated.
 
I got my hands on an Avatar 410 Neo over the weekend. Very nice cab, quite surprising. +/- 3 from 60 to 1200 Hz. Gentle rolloff below 60 Hz, F3 around 60 Hz.

Link Removed

I removed the SPL figures from this chart because this measurement loudness level is possibly compromised. The frequency response is not compromised. I find this cab to be a very HiFi cab in its response. There is a nasty dip where the 10s run out of gas, and before the tweeter kicks in. Other than this, the Neo 410 pattern works for me. More bottom can be added with a sub, if necessary.
 
Link Removed

I removed the SPL figures from this chart because this measurement loudness level is possibly compromised. The frequency response is not compromised. I find this cab to be a very HiFi cab in its response. There is a nasty dip where the 10s run out of gas, and before the tweeter kicks in.
Yuk. That will have some very weird response off axis from about 1k and poor power response.
 
Okay, I finally had a chance to spend just a little bit of time playing through my Omni 10.5. I will qualify my comments by saying that I did not spend much time with it, I only used it in one room (band rehearsal space), with one amp (LMII), and I only compared it to one other 1x10 (Berg HT110), so far (though I did compare both the Omni 10.5 and HT110 together versus the Berg HS210). For basses, I used a Lakland Skyline DJ4 and a Reverend Rumblefish 4 XL.

My initial impressions are that this is a very articulate cab, with a strong upper midrange, lean low end to low mids (though I could hear it extending very deep, it wasn't as full as the Berg), and crisp, but somewhat 'scratchy' highs. Keep in mind, this is all relative to the HT110 (and to a lesser extent, the HS210), and the HT110 is a very full-sounding 1x10 (though to my ear, it seems fairly well balanced, tonally). I can see where some of the guys who have built Omni 10.5's talk about putting some kind of 'sub' underneath it. Just for kicks, I tried the Omni 10.5 and HT110 together, and it sounded really great! That super clear midrange and upper mid presence of the Omni, combined with the full, rich HT110 was really great, though I would have liked to have been able to dial down or turn off the Omni's tweeters, and just use the Berg tweet. Oh, and compared to the HS210, the Omni 10.5/HT110 stack was actually somewhat similar, with the HS210 being a bit more full and smooth.

These are my very limited, very much 'initial impression' results, and I look forward to doing an updated 1x10 shootout soon! :)

Oh, and as always, everything is IME/IMHO, and YMMV.

Tom.
 
Thanks Tom. BTW, do you have one or two Omni 10.5's? I was wondering if (2) 10.5's would yield a fuller lower range.

Lastly, based upon you experience with this cab, do you think (1) Omni 10.5 would complement a 1x15 vented box sub? Specifically a tweeterless Ashdown 1x15.

John
 
I can see where some of the guys who have built Omni 10.5's talk about putting some kind of 'sub' underneath it. Just for kicks, I tried the Omni 10.5 and HT110 together, and it sounded really great! That super clear midrange and upper mid presence of the Omni, combined with the full, rich HT110 was really great, though I would have liked to have been able to dial down or turn off the Omni's tweeters, and just use the Berg tweet. .
The O10 can be built vented or sealed. The vented version reaches lower, with less pronounced midbass, while the sealed version has a stronger midbass with less extension. The tweeters can be wired parallel for maximum sensitivity, series/parallel for moderate sensitivity or series for minimum sensitivity. I don't know how the reviewed cab is configured.
 
Thanks Tom. BTW, do you have one or two Omni 10.5's? I was wondering if (2) 10.5's would yield a fuller lower range.

Lastly, based upon you experience with this cab, do you think (1) Omni 10.5 would complement a 1x15 vented box sub? Specifically a tweeterless Ashdown 1x15.

John

I only have one Omni 10.5, but I do think that it would work well with a vented 1x15.
 
I've been talking and talking, and talking some more. What ever money I get for christmas, is going to the omni 10 fund.

Bill, is there plans to make the omni a little wider? Cosmetically, I would like it to be 24" in the width department so it has enough space where my head doesn't hang off and it sits comfortably on my existing 2-12" cab.
 
You can make it wider to fit the rest of your rig, and still not use cross firing tweeters for ease of construction. Just make the tweeter baffle wider till the cab is wide enough to your taste. The extra width will give you a tad more low end response. Don't go crazy wide, but up to or slightly over the width of the cross fired version would be ok.

My take would be: if I make it wide enough to accept cross fired tweeters, I'd build it with cross fired tweeters (if not for bass use then just out of curiosity - how does it sound off axis with recorded music?). But that's just me, ignore that if you wish.
 
Tom,

Have you had a chance to play through the Omni 10.5 again? I'm still considering building one.

Thanks in advance.

I haven't done the shootout yet, though I have played the Omni 10.5 several times, using a variety of heads. So far, my initial observations (noted above) seem to be holding true.

Tom.