Full-range open-baffle loudspeaker
Outside dimensions: Height 46" x Width 13" x Depth 16" max
Weight 60 lb each
3-way active Crossover/Equalizer
LR4 crossover filters (24 dB/oct acoustic)
Tweeter - Seas T25CF002 - 1.4 kHz to 20 kHz
Midrange - Seas W22EX001 - 120 Hz to 1.4 kHz
Woofer - 2 x Peerless 10" XLS, 830452 - 20 Hz to 120 Hz
8 x 60 W power amplifiers - AT6012, weight 73 lbs, 2 kVA transformer
Room size: >180 ft² area, >8 ft ceiling
Speaker placement measured from tweeter:
>4 ft from wall behind it, >2 ft from side walls,
speaker separation >8 ft
Listening distance 8 ft to 18 ft
Room acoustics: Fairly live with RT₆₀ of 400 ms to 700 ms

ORION System components

They are shown as they will be connected - from the speaker cabinet at one end of the electrical signal chain to the cable that plugs into your pre-amplifier at the other end.

	(1) Two open-baffle loudspeaker cabinets of 46"H x 13"W x 16"D, each with two 10" woofers, one 8" midrange and one 1" tweeter, and with a Speakon connector. Revision 0.1 is included. Each speaker weighs 60 lb
	(2) Two 8-conductor speaker cables of 20' length, with Speakon connector on one end and four dual banana plugs on the other
	(3) One 12 x 60 W power amplifier AT6012, 17"W x 7"H x 16"D, 73 lb ¹⁾
	(4) Six 6' long shielded cables and two Y-cables with RCA plugs to connect the power amplifier to the Crossover/Equalizer
	(5) One line-level 3-way active Crossover/Equalizer in 17"W x 1.75"H x 8"D case and with external 110VAC power supply, 2 lb
	(6) Two 6' long shielded cables with RCA plugs to connect the Crossover/Equalizer to your pre-amplifier output

1) It is possible that you already have the requisite 6 or 8 channels of amplification on hand and cannot justify the cost of even more amplifiers. In that case you should first study the descriptions of Opt 06 and Opt 07 on the ORION Construction Plans+ page, the AT6012 specifications and FAQ3, in order to see my amplifier selection criteria and to be sure that your amplifiers are compatible with the ORION. Tube amplifiers are not recommended. They are not suited to drive the highly varying woofer impedance. They might be useable for midrange and tweeter, but ALL the different amplifiers must have the same VOLTAGE gain, within a +/-0.5 dB tolerance, for proper balance of acoustic outputs from woofer, midrange and tweeter drivers.

Options

If a speaker system like this were available through retail channels, you would have to pay over $18,000 for it. The ORION uses the best drivers, electrical components and materials in order to obtain its outstanding sonic performance. Yet, the speaker's price is kept low because you purchase it directly from the people who build it. If you wish to save even more money, you can also build the speakers yourself. But, depending on your skill level and available time, it could be a challenge. I provide detailed construction information and material lists from which to start. You can even purchase the fully assembled and tested electronic crossover/equalizer, or a flat-pack of precut, unfinished wood parts, or partly assembled cabinets in matte black, or cable harnesses and speaker cables, but you are in charge of coordinating and executing the construction. I cannot provide individual attention, only documentation and some parts. This is not a complete construction kit ready to be assembled, though you can even add Revision 0.1, and obtain the identical acoustic performance as the purchased ORION System above.

The ORION is only available over the Internet. Each system is built to order. To base your purchase decision upon a listening experience, you can visit one of the ORION owners who have volunteered to demonstrate their systems. You can read opinions about the speaker from people who have built or have listened to it. And you can build up your trust in the performance of this product by studying the PHOENIX speaker project from which the ORION evolved. Every detail of the ORION System was done for a reason and I have attempted to explain them all on the many pages of this website, though it may require some study and revision of preconceived ideas. The information gets highly technical in some places, but it embodies over thirty years of loving work in the audio field. Ultimately, it has led to the ORION, now that certain drivers had became available for the first time, and my new understanding of some crossover slope issues had given me design options.

Wood Artistry is capable of different custom finishes, though this will significantly increase cost and delivery time. Such changes are limited to the Dress panel, Side panel and Grill covers. The cabinet shape cannot be changed because it affects the acoustic performance of the speaker. A variety of different cabinet cosmetics can be seen in the ORION photo gallery.

Dress panel

Side panel

Grill cover

Optional Dress panel cover