OMA on the Ironic loudspeaker
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- čas přidán 15. 11. 2022
- This is a test of how much you can stand listening to Jonathan talk about just one speaker...
The OMA Ironic speaker is an open baffle type, cast from a special kind of iron, with no enclosure. The hypo eutectic gray iron (high graphite content) used in this speaker is employed in high technology applications such as photolithography machines for silicon chip production, where resonance or vibration must be reduced to an absolute minimum. The complex form of the speaker derives from quadratic diffusers universally used in studio and broadcast applications.
The unique form of the Ironic is impossible to cast using traditional pattern making methods. The molds are 3D printed in sand, and every mold is consumed/destroyed in the casting process. Every single Ironic thus requires a new, 3D printed mold to be made.This is an extremely expensive process.
The special combination of transducers used in the Ironic- a 15" electrodynamic or field coil woofer used in Juke Boxes from the 1930's, of which we have 20 restored examples, and the bleeding edge custom ribbon tweeter, which is 110db at 10khz, 1m, combine to make an open baffle speaker of unprecedented efficiency, at least 104db across the majority of its passband.
The Ironic is presented as a limited edition of ten pairs only.
This is a speaker without precedent. - Hudba
cast as one piece. Got a lot a respect from me that must have been one hell of a job.
I absolutely love these videos that Jonathan presents. The craftsmanship and thought of the whole OMA beast is just wonderful and a blessing. The best hobby in the world in my opinion.
Just one guys opinion, this is more art than a speaker. I for one would love to hear them.
That depends on how it sounds. That electromagnet driver will have an alien sound to us
@@7PtsSlime That was common place before powerful magnets came into existence ..i have an old 40s Philco radio that used that type of speaker, its not that much different then a "regular" speaker..just that the magnet is energized and causes a bit of hum if the circuitry is not perfect.
Open Baffle speakers are great. I doubt OMA would turn out something inferior in sound quality just for artistic purposes
@@edjackson4389 It seems the new ting in american highend audio is nostalgia, where you want the old crafts back. And if a sales person seems like a genius, he can sell it for a crazy high price.
@@andrejensen7837 Nothing wrong with nostalgia. Esecially with Hi-fi and cars. No school like the old school!
I enjoy very much seeing the pinnacle of audio and esthetics coming together like this.
Although mere mortals like myself will never be able to afford this level of excellence,
it is wonderful to see human technology, artistry and innovation displayed to such levels.
I hear the passion in Jonathan's voice when describing all of these works of art.
This only happens in societies that allow individuals to flourish and thrive by free markets,
hard work and vision.
Thank you for sharing these marvels with us.
You are a great storyteller Jonathan. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to you.
That's great to hear, thank you!
Inspiring and courageous design, of timeless rather than merely point in time value.
Half hour, one-take on form/function. Blending older and newer technologies. Bravo, sir!
And not one sample of how they sound!
@@youropionmattersnotI feel you but it's not like you're going to hear what the speaker sounds like through whatever you're listening on.
@@Luk4zguy97 It would clearly show these perform horribly.
Absolutely masterful! I have no words. Stratospheric...
In a world where (as I have heard it called) fin de cycle consumer capitalism has lead to decisions being made on reducing costs and, for all I know, Ikea in its marriage to Sonos might be the world's biggest speaker manufacturer... retailer... I have no idea, it is so great to find a company that bases its decisions on what works best.
The pursuit of (as I think Jonathon called it in another video) the religious experience of hearing music on these systems and then hearing it so vivid even through the meat grinder of youtube is so... admirable.
Of course they are only truly available to the 1% of the 1% (in world terms) but their very existence in the face of the dull mediocrity of most products makes them and the company really rather revolutionary.
My Grandfather knew the guy that had those jute boxes. He begged him not to burn them. He even offered to buy them all. The day that guy burned the jute boxes, he invited my grandmother and grandfather over and after they arrived, he escorted them back to the pile and set a flame to the pile of jute boxes, and watched them burn.
My Grandfather couldn’t speak for a few years after, and just had the thousand yard stare. My grandmother said that every once in a while, she would look at him and, a tear would be sitting in the corner of his eye, along with his eye being a touch bloodshot. As if he were crying.
I miss them so much.
Who the hell would do that and why? Insane
@@energ8t my Grandfather cried because he helped to install those jute boxes in many holes in the wall, across several states, and on a night where he was a little intoxicated and in a dreary, deep thought. A woman walked up to him. That woman sat down beside him, and asked him what he was thinking about. He looked up at her, and looked into her eyes. There was something that both of them felt. It was like nothing else that either of them had ever experienced, before that moment. Just a few seconds after that contact was made, there was a click. Then their song was playing. As their song began playing, as if both of them had been simultaneously possessed, they stood up and walked over to the small makeshift dance floor, and danced like they was one. As the song came to the end, she looked up, while he looked down into her eyes. They was looking into each other’s soles.
My grandmother told me that the music was so warm, and so beautiful. She told me that later that she asked him about what he was thinking about that first night. He told her about how he was working and sending basically everything he made back home to make sure that his mother wouldn’t be evicted from her home, his childhood home, but he was tired, he was lonely and on the road constantly. He could not stop, because his mother was widowed, because of the Great War, and she didn’t have any way of making it through. As they had put a down payment, their life savings, on their little house, their little house that they would end up raising their children in. Before anyone knew about what was about to happen.
She said that night that they went back to her home, and they sat on the swing on the front porch, and held each other as he ended up dozing off. She said that her father, slowly opened the front door, and peered out and gave her the look, then shut the door, being quiet. Several hours later, he woke up and they instantly was looking into each other eyes. He looked as if he was crying inside, and he told her that he had to leave and get back on the road again. That he had to pick up a load of supplies, on the way back to the shop, and help to complete the build of five jute boxes, and install them. He explained that he had several hundred miles to go, just to get to the shop, and quite a bit more after, to install them in the various places that had purchased them. He held her tight, as if it was there last time. He asked my Grandmother if he could see her again, and she said that it would not be only again, but it was be for the rest of their lives. They held each other for what felt like forever, and they slowly let go. As he went to walk back, he stopped, and looked back at her, and stepped back next to her and gave her the kiss, the kiss that sealed their lives together.
That is a story about true love, instant love, sole mates. Not too many people find love like that, almost like a fairy tale. Miss you Grandma and Grandpa, I know you both are happy and beside earth other.
Very intersting design and a good explanation to some of the choices in the design. Field coil drivers can sound so good.
It's like watching a documentary every time Jonathan makes one of these videos seeing technologies that have not been seen in decades.
May be if i win the lottery one day I'll be able to do more than just watch from afar.
Loved the long video! If I will never be able to afford this I at least would have the lore of this beautiful piece!
My audio buddy died last year he introduced me to OMA and I have been hooked since awesome attitude.
I find your presentations very interesting and enjoyable. Most people never had a jukebox in their homes , too big and expensive. Today a novelty for those who can afford.
I'll give you points for introducing this speaker , you certainly have guts ....................i reckon that's the beauty of it
Do audiophiles really look at these and not instantly know what they are? Maybe I'm just a nerd. I was surprised by the field coil though.
About 20 years ago i was at someones house and he had these two speakers that were alot like these speakers. Not exact but REALLY close. I tried to buy them the whole time i was there because they were so unusual and sounded spectacular! And i had a collection of interesting speakers at the time. But this guy would not sell them for any price. I’ve never seen any like them since. Except these two are alot like them.
what a fascinating creative person
Love it!!! ❤
Hilarious as usual-thanks Johnathan.
This is the single greatest film about music, sound, passion, art, creativity, risk, struggle, business, avant garde design, engineering, style, culture, and history I think I have ever seen. It is literally, almost every single passion I have ever had in life, in one video/speaker. I would have LOVED to see the PA Slate speaker....but this is a great solution.
Hellova job. I'll take two!
thank you
Totally awesome
I am simply lost for words.....amazing amazing amazing!
The attack of the octopus speaker. Would you really have the balls to put something like this in your living room.
Definitely, balls but not space, probably not got the money either
Yes, yes I would. No balls required.
You're not crazy for making these speakers, it would of been crazy if you had the opportunity to make these wonderful speakers and you didn't, thanks for the video.
Fantastic video! I especially like that Jonathan so freely talks about the people who are real experts in the various fields. Johnathan is an impresario and nerd and entrepreneur and master of ceremonies and music lover all rolled into one. Fantastic.
Today everyone listening to music is consuming on earphones and it's changed music so much that if you try and listen to modern music on modern speakers it sounds absolutely awful.. The fix is actually less power and vintage speakers bc their speakers had to be loud with less reliable electricity. The story of this design is incredible to hear at a time when mass manufacturing drives every industry, it is difficult to find anyone willing to sacrifice time and energy on products that create value. How wonderful
Great story and explanation! You’ve created some very special loudspeakers. Bravo!
Thank you!
I was just thinking "what if you put a diffuser as the front of a baffle to avoid diffraction?" and "drivers with coils instead od magnets do exist?" and CZcams suggested this video. I loved it.
It is a 15 inch fieldcoil wide range. Probably alnico.
And a custom made ribbon. Magnetostatic. Aluminium and magnets.
On an open baffle, but that he says up front.
Nice design, good job with the baffle. And a lucky find with the 15’s.
Alinco and Magnavox used that style of coil enclosure - but when I noted the teardrop shape of the stampings in the basket, looks more like the 1930's Magnavox 15" field coils, used a lot in Northern Electric Radio JukeBoxes - Spec 1D-688 or similar? These go for a few grand apiece when you can find them - and rarely in great shape. Very cool find and worthy of a neat speaker project like these! Would love to hear them in real life someday.
They sound even better spritzed will cold pressed virgin olive oil, and suspended with a catgut harness.
Brilliant as always Jonathan. A true inspiration in the audio world.
They don’t make speakers drivers like they use too. But wow. Thanks Jonathan for sharing the story behind these somewhat unconventional speaker design.
Great stuff! Best ingredients and best loudspeaker type, it's audio-visual art!
Very interesting design. Not seen anything quite like it before. As Jonathan admits, the sound produced will be highly dependent on the room in which it is situated. My main concern would be the lack on low bass output for a speaker of this size and expected cost.
I just have to say wow and thank you for another killer video. Just fucking awesome....
Thank you! :)
Incredible speaker and amazing story! I had no idea you made so very few of them.
what a dushbag
I love these speakers, their look & their concept, i.e. O.B.'s, woofers with powered field-coil electro- magnets (i've heard wonderful things about their sound quality that later designed permanent magnet drivers lack) & near-massless ribbon mid/tweeters. They look like perfectly mirror-imaged pairs of cast iron (!) baffles that won't resonate like wood- based baffles could & because of their amazing aesthetic look (i love it) almost forgot about the baffle surface's ability to break-up reflected sound waves, not something i'd thought about nor could have done about on standard large'ish speakers, tho it's a large audio- reflective area & must have an effect (i was once surprised to hear a temporarily placed 10'ish inch-sized box singing at me from 4 or 5'ft away before while listening) ...but only 20 pairs!! & I'm no millionaire
I love everything OMA. There’s a steam punk vibe to their style. Organic, retro, futuristic, utilitarian, and artistic. One day… someday…
My atwatter kent tube radio had similar speaker sounded real rich. Also have 2 flat office speakers that were made in fort Smith ark.
Follow-up: I found type of speaker element you could use as a perfect replacement with your amazing open baffle design. I suggest a collaborative approach with the speaker manufacturer called (Zu Loudspeakers). Their 10 inch driver has a frequency range of 40-12K hz with no crossover! Just a thought to extend your love affair with this unique design.
isn't MDF preferable for speaker enclosures because of its isentropic properties, unlike natural wood which is very anisentropic.
lmao MDF is for the peasants with their skinny boxes and automotive paint. Here we use lightly toasted hardwoods in girthy planks because they are expensive and fancy.
I would use MDF only for sub or bass
You should get the Lodge skillet factory to make your speakers.
This makes me want to build an open baffle subwoofer -- not for power/rumble but for timbre/detail and acoustic reproduction. Something modern subs just aren't good at.
God I would love a pair of these sooooo much! What kind of a payment plan can we work out???
Very interesting. Anyone got a link to that that Apple commercial ?
I made it 23minutes...maybe I can find time to get to the end, cause this is fascinating!
Very inspiring, a piece of art like this needs a lot of talking, but the sound they Make it's still a mistery for the most of the people of this planet
Could you cast them in various jig saw sizes and then weld them together, to save cost? It would be interesting to just go ahead and install modern drivers and see how it treats your open speaker design.
Oh, now I understand why they are limited and so very expensive. The Iron they were cast from was harvested from unicorn blood. 🦄 Honestly it looks like a kitchen pot and pan set that has been welded together. I swear, that was my first impression.
You don’t understand how the materials are used nor how expensive and time consuming the manufacturing process can be. Go ahead and enjoy your Sony shelf radio.
@@johnsimun6533 pretentious snob.
@@juliennacer8871 what makes me a pretentious snob?
@@juliennacer8871 I like the Boseie sound. Doesn’t most pretentious snobs hate Bose? I was just being sarcastic, but for real. A lot of manufacturing costs are pretty high, especially in circumstances where certain parts or materials are needed to be in a certain range. Also names cost. Two items almost identical, but one is manufactured for a certain company, or person, even though the other one is better all around. Might cost double, if not more.
Amazing thing is that anyone can order anything from a number of companies in China. Not only mass produced items and have them labeled as what you desire, but anyone can order custom parts, and they can order as low as three or five pieces. Look at the videos where people have designed boards, for projects that are doing videos on. Funny thing is, they are cheap.
As for Sony, they make a list of great products. Back in the day when choosing a cd player. Sony had the best player for playing scratched up disc. They would play disc with so many scratches and so deep that other players would not play them at all. Pioneer on the other hand, would not play them, yet the Sony would skip a whole lot easier than the Pioneer players would. It was a handoff between the two. I always enjoyed my Premier products.
@@johnsimun6533 I love the response the kind of person you dont want to have in your listening space. No appreciation for creativity and effort ☺
Did t even get to hear it play
I surprised myself that I watched this beginning to end as my initial skepticism was off the charts. Now I need to know where I can go hear a pair. Here's hoping you bring them to the upcoming Florida Audio Show in Tampa.
So the drivers come from old jukeboxes. Will you be able to restore and what’s the warranty you offer? Thanks
If you suffer from
Trypophobia a fear of circles and circlered patterns and holes yikes lol
I like it though , your inspiring speaker manufacturing
I’d love a pair in vail for January … what’s the warranty?
I might have a go making some be nice to hear a pair... in the UK! You could make them out of resin and sand or resin and slate dust. Not particularly a difficult process I think resin and sand would be a better than metal. I did a turntable plinth and it sounds great.
Take a good driver would be the 15 inch volt 98db efficient you know the one with the basket on the front. What's the issue of making a field coil version I'm sure they could do it?? Or couple of leak sandwich 15-inch 15 ohms I don't know the sensitivity of these drivers i can't get any information they must be in the high 90s db
What about using a plasma tweeter? They go down to 5000, Hz, alternative a compression driver going down to 300 Hz
What order of crossover do you use second order on the woofer first order on the tweeters? And why not analogue active crossover?
He actually manage to tell us that a speaker element made in the 30s are better then what’s made today…thats just not close to the truth. However, the speaker is still art
He wants to say that the field coil transducers (modern or not) are better than those with magnets, even alnico or neodim etc Which is quite obvious, since the distortion of the dynamic transducer are the less the higher its sensitivity and in the case of field coil sensitivity is not limited by the flux of the magnetic system
Are they sculptures / works of art with audio built-in, or are they primarily audio pieces with sculptural art around them?
Dillon's harmonica... should just be Dillon's voice 😂😂.
How does your best system compare to ken fritz's dream system?
um, so where is the sound demo?
😁 What a absolutely amazing sound come out of the Ironic loudspeakers
How can we hear it?
I'd love to hear that speaker! I bet it sounds as good as it looks. I'm sure it way out of my price range though. But if I had the money and the room to put them in, I'd buy them right now.
I afraid the outlook is more important in that product, than sound quality. I would be curious how sounds.
Obviously you have no clue about the components and Open Baffle
All 5his explanation....but how does it sound?
Like all his stuff...it sounds really expensive...not great, but really expensive...
I visited that foundry and saw your cast lol, google getting a bit too intimate me thinks!!!
Hey Jonathan, i love how you talk and the company and philsosfpy is super interesting.
Your very unique you don't try to sell the product , you are really passionate about creating the best thing something can be, you enrich technology and design not art perfect design, but like I said you don't try to sell it you love to talk about everything music and tech. You should really start a podcast, i will suit you it's kind of your talking medium, i think. You have a big voice, greetings Simon nightingale
Why do they use heavy permanent magnets,instead of lightweight field ones?And how about tackling the damping issue in open baffles by using dual opposing bass drivers?Instead of 250 kg front diffuser baffles?But then you'd only make 5 pairs of these outside of time domain speakers!
I swear this video had to be slowed down on purpose, set playback speed to 1.25 to see and hear it at a normal speed.
Please post tthem playing given almost no one will ever hear them in a room in person
It's an interesting and complex shape but I don't see how the model couldn't be made out of wood. Surely much easier and probably cheaper to print it than fabricating it by hand.
I want. ❤️
how much are these $$$$ ???
Doesn't look like it would be limited and only looks cool but is basicaly just a fancy horn.
It's "just" the biggest RAAL and "just" a fieldcoil midbass in "just" an artwork of best sounding type of loudspeaker - Open Baffle
😊
Could you possibly clone/reproduce an active electromagnet style driver, the way they did it in the 1930s? Seems like a shame to let this design be dependent on such a limited supply of antique drivers, if there were any way to recreate or even improve upon the driver design.
Pretty cool design I bet these are expensive tho probably a few grand a piece.
Try a few hundred thousand a piece
Ok just make all the sound reflected from the baffle confusing.
I'm curious what you're charging for these speakers not including shipping of course they probably weigh about 400lbs ea. They seem to be repetitive diameters. When you stated that you spent thousands and thousands of dollars on the molds this gives me an idea what you will be charging LOL
NO THERE IS NO SOUND DEMO OF THE SPEAKER ... EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD NOT GIVE THE TRUE BEAUTY OF THE SPEAKER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HEAR IT.
Those would look great with some rust on them
We Appreciate all dumbo Irony.
a sound bite would have held my interest.
I bet Alanis Morissette would sound great on these
Well isn't it ironic...
I sort of feel like it sounding great has little to do with the mold itself.
Facts don't care about your feelings. What, besides feelings, do you base this on? In order to make an a verifiable assertion would be to listen to the same drivers/xover on a flat baffle and compare the sound.
Does ironic mean a deliberate effort at producing the worst sound possible ?
WOW ...what else can i say ?
They kinda look like snow flakes shaped like the moon.......
out of this world!
Too bad, I wanted to call them ICONIC... How IRONIC... 😂
the irony is how soft-spoken this man is.
would you like to hear me FART
doubt it goes lower then 80 hz ..treble nightmare
Really? A video about speakers but no demo showing how they actually sound? 🤦
As a lifetime engineer and artist and musician And metalworker, I covet these speakers and commend this creative use of speakers and material.
selling bullshit is an art
@@GregoryELearySr And i'm sure this is said by someone that probably never had an original creative thought in your skull your entire second hand existence that was not scripted by someone else.
I think you should go buy from Walmart,,, that sounds more your speed.
@@GregoryELearySr Only BS is your lack of knowledge and experience of loudspeaker units and loudspeaker types
@@DYNABLASTERTUNERS Glad to have HIT a Nerve Mission acomplished
@@GregoryELearySr Continue to lie yourself and others, it's all you do
You made a video and not one demonstrated the sound?? 🙈🤣😝😆 Emperor’s new clothing🙈🙈🙈
I'm confused... where does the steam come out? ;)
beautiful speaker and a BOLD design. Industrial, artisanal and mathematical... precision entropy of diffraction.
Are they blind?
The negative comments over this is disheartening and reflect the pedestrian ignorance of these people here who never had an original creative thought in their skulls there entire second hand hack existence.
I have 40 plus years in professional studios and film score experience as well as machinist welder fabricator and instrument maker..my work has been in popular film and even now a photo in getty images of one of my pices.
In my field creativity outside the "box" is celebrated and encouraged, finding unique ways to get there is what is needed to create new and unique soundscapes.
What was done here is beautiful creative and innovative and it's astounding to me how narrow minded people are to want to deficate on it out of misplaced jealousy or resentment as they do nothing of the sort themselves but complain like a bunch of karrens.
It just shows they just don't get it. And never will,, because they are intellectual cowards. I bet even if they read the Fountenhead they still would not get it. All they see is money as trained by the system administrators and our very profoundly sick corporate society.
Artists and musicians have always been persecuted by the type of brain dead people who can't do anything creative and just get off on belly ach.
No one ever wrote any books about people playing it safe, and you never see a statue of a critic.
Have you heard them? audiophiles who heard his stuff say it's overpriced-but he's great at selling to the rich who are not audiophiles....I'm sure you have heard them...
@@justingriffin2546 If you have basic knowledge about the components and type of loudspeaker, you would know what to expect of this loudspeaker, I don't need to listen to them to know that they are up there with the best.
@@DYNABLASTERTUNERS exactly... My experience can predict it..and I would be my they sound as I expect..not like being in a cinematic building, but sufficiently enjoyable for what they are...and artistically pleasing in a setting that would weren't them.. In other words a room without Ikea furniture or wall Mart chochkies.
It's not about being a snob it's having just the rudimentary ideas of athstetics and quality in life.. No these pedestrian minded nμmpties have to piss on it out of ignorance and the cheap minded mentality of a Kmart shopper.
@@chuckthebull Yes, you are right, it's lack of knowledge speaking out of them. If they knew about RAAL, fieldcoil and Open Baffle sound, they would react the opposite hahahaha :D
Cheers from Serbia, the land of RAAL :)
@@DYNABLASTERTUNERS ah so
stupid people with stupid amounts of money will spend it on stupid shit.... That will never change.. So you can make a speaker out of anything and slap a big tag on it and someone will buy it 😜 I was selling benchs for 125 and they weren't selling so had joked with my buddy saying "I bet if i charged double they'd sell" and I decided to give it a try and wrote 300 on the ad . I think you know what happened 👌 I told them all what i had done and most of the people decided to still over pay me