[Boon[_2_]]

On May 12, 7:07�pm, Bret L wrote:
�I've heard a couple different Orion installations, with very
different amps, in different rooms. They are not exactly my thing, but
they certainly are a remarkable design. They do certain things
extremely well.

�The "mainstream" (sic) high end audio industry (sic) likes to pretend
they do not exist.

�They are far superior in terms of what they do presentationwise to
many of the popular high end saloon speaker brands. Since they are not
a saloon vendable product and Linkwitz does not buy full page ads in
Stereopile this presents an issue for the high end press.

�I don't own an Orion installation, and I have no plans to do so in
the near future. I personally prefer the articulation and delineation
of a god horn setup, and although I readily acknowledge the
superiority of electronic crossovers and multi-amping, I am content so
far with the passive crossover network driven by a halfway decent tube
amplifier. �But the Orions and Linkwitz lab certainly have proven to
be a good revelator of high end bull****.

Maybe, maybe not. Linkwitz is a good designer and has a great track
record, but the prices he charges for a finished pair of Orions is
hardly a good value. If Scott was able to build them for next to
nothing, then he could have done a lot worse.

Now Nelson Pass' First Watt "kitchen table" amps are truly interesting
designs that sound great...and he charges fair prices for them. I
reviewed the F3, and it offered all of the sonic benefits of a great
SET amp without the hassles and idiosyncracies. I wouldn't mind owning
one in the near future.