Omni 12 review

[khromo231]

Several months ago I finished building a pair of Omni 12 cabinets, using plans I purchased from Bill Fitzmaurice Loudspeakers. (I wrote a long-winded post of construction notes which no one read or responded to, so I will assume nobody cares about the sawdust, and skip all of that!) I've been using the cabs for several months now, in various settings, and I have lent them out regularly, so I feel like I have a handle on one man's (and a lot of friend's and fellow musician's) opinions of the Omni 12.

This is a three-way cabinet sporting an Eminence 12" woofer, a closed back 8" mid-range driver, and a compression tweeter. The woofer and mid driver are horn loaded to provide extra bass extension and sensitivity. The cabinet is 28" high, 23" wide, and 15" deep. I have no reliable scale to weigh it on, but I can say it is a lot lighter than it looks. I would estimate it is under 70 pounds (including a little extra bracing I included without consulting the designer). It looks like a PA cabinet, so those who agonize over appearance will be put off. While it is fairly bulky (like a 4 x 10), it is lighter than most cabs of the same size, and therefore not a tough load. The drivers use regular magnets. I don't carry heavy things any more, and this cab makes the cut for me on portability. In short, you get deep and loud, so don't expect small as well!

I built the cabs with no tweeter attenuators, and the high end was initially overbearing for my ears and playing. I installed fixed 6 dB L-pads, and after a week of testing, determined that I was done.

I powered the cab with a Demeter VTBP-201/Crest Audio Vs900, an Alembic F-1X/Crown Power Tech 2.1, an Ashdown Engineering 500 EVO, a Markbass TA-501, a Genz Benz GBE600, an SWR Mo'Bass, a GK 400RB-III, a Sunn 2000S, and a Fender Bassman 100. I used fretted basses including an F Bass BN6, an MTD 535, and Roscoe LG-3005; Fodera, Ken Smith, Lakland and Fender 4 strings; and Renaissance, Pedulla, and Rob Allen fretlesses. Other players used a lot of others.

Testing involved AB comparisons with a Bergantino HT/EX-112 mini stack, an Epifani T-212, a Euphonic Audio NL-210, an Eden D-410XLT, an Eden D-210T/D-115XLT stack, and a DIY 2.6 cu. ft. vented box loaded with the same woofer and mid-range(!). I used Ed Friedland's Walking Bass CD (a suggestion from my buddy in England) in the AB process to level the playing field, as well as a variety of players of varying levels of proficiency. I used the cab with an eight piece jazz ensemble (piano, me, drums, three woods, and two brass), smaller permutations of the above, an organ trio, a blues-rock band with two loud guitars and organ, and whatever other combinations I stumbled into. They were pressed into service as PA cabs for a couple of outdoor block parties as well.

I probably did not push the cab to the same volume levels many of you would, as I just don't play all that loud, but my hearing is damaged, so I suppose I should say it got up to slightly loud, maybe moderately loud (I can't remember too well, either).

It should be noted that I never felt the need to use both cabs, beyond initial testing at home in the garage! One cab did the job for me, so one of my friends (including a couple of keyboard players) usually has custody of the other one.

Enough of that, let's get to the important issues: tone, tone, how it sounds, tone, power handling, off-axis response, compatibility with other gear, and cost.

The sound of this cabinet took some getting used to, even after I got the tweeter tamed to my personal taste. I don't have any measuring equipment, and I am not sure if I can tell flat response from fat babies from flat heads, but the cab sounded jarringly different from anything I had used before. It reminds me of my first experience comparing my Bergantino's to my beloved (at the time) Edens. I remember saying "The Bergantino's make the Edens sound like (a not very well thought of brand)." The Omni sounded so different from what I was used to that I had to put off writing this review for months until I could get used to the tone and "feel" of the cab.

The most noteworthy element of the Omni's tone, for me, is the remarkable clarity. My MTD sounded like one of the buzz machines hanging on the wall at Guitar Center! I swapped out heads, cables, basses, and even moved the cab to another room, before I decided that the Omni was reproducing signal content I had never heard before. I had to raise the action on my MTD to eliminate the fret buzz I couldn't hear through other speakers. With fretless basses, I was immediately reminded of why I love this instrument so much. Wood, every bit of technique, nuance, poor intonation, Holy Schmoley! I kind of felt like Rip Van Winkle. I had to abandon my practice of randomly selecting heads and basses for rehearsals and jam sessions, because I needed to get to know my other gear all over again, under the Omni Rules.

The bass response was extremely controlled, especially with the high-powered rack rigs. I found that goosing the bass EQ artificially high did not introduce the booming and farting I usually would hear. Maybe the designer will chime in and explain why I heard it this way. (Or maybe I am insane, and this is all a figment of a diseased mind.) The bass response was very focused and seemed accurate to me, even at higher volumes. It filled the room like a big PA! The breaking point is there, but the overall volume was uncomfortably high (for me) by that point. Totally fine for me, and a wide, deep bottom end is like oxygen to me. Without it, you will die a painful, lingering death. One twelve?

I think it was Rick Turner or Ken Smith who said the most important element of good bass tone is clean, clear mids. The Omni's mids are extremely strong and present. (One eight?) This is probably why I had so much trouble getting used to the cab, never having heard a pro level three-way system up close and personal. I suspect this is where the clarity epiphany came from. Totally solid and very authoritative. I found myself using lower volume settings and a much lighter touch, and getting intelligible, cutting tone with a cooler amp and a more relaxed right hand. The fretless tone actually got me a few job offers, one from a guy who would not even acknowledge my presence previously.

The high end was clear and natural sounding, even with the piezo-equipped fretlesses. When you slap it, it will hurt you if you're not careful. The keyboard players were reluctant to return the borrowed cabs, even with the L-pads installed. I suspect the cabs would have sounded fine for EB without the tweeters, but they don't cost much. If I were smart, I would have put adjustable L-pads in there, but the interior was already insulated, and I am not smart either, am I? Next time, for sure.

The AB'ing began with the Epifani T-212, a 4 ohm horizontal model stood on end. I don't want to upset any Epifani fans, but while the Epifani punch was probably slightly superior to one (8 ohm) Omni, there was no way I would ever use that T-212 after this test. The Epifani sounded like it had a sheet, a blanket, and a thin mattress draped over it next to the Omni. Clarity, mid-range intelligibility, and deep, clean, loud bass were not even close. One Omni would not stand up to the Epifani in the highest volume settings, but both Omni's would leave the Epifani abandoned in the alley behind the club. The Omni is much deeper and more clear, and much easier to hump around (due to the more manageable weight). When it gets really loud, I felt I would need two Omni's to overpower the Epifani, but after comparing the tone it was a moot point anyway. The Edens left me with the same impression. Handling capacity and a mushy mid-range bump might make the Epifani or Edens slightly superior to one Omni in a loud, rock band setting, but two Omni's bury them on every count, in my estimation.

The Bergantino stack fared better side by side, but those small cabinets got swallowed shortly after the volume crept past bedroom level, probably because of the low end extension of the Omni. The Omni doesn't replace the Bergantino's due to its size and to a lesser extent weight, but beyond low volumes, the difference in bottom end and a little extra mid-range intelligibility gets to be too much to pass up. The EA NL-210 fit in here as well, although the advantage of the Omni in low end was even more noticeable to me than with the Bergantino's. I was really getting into apples and oranges here, though, because of the disparity in size and weight! I love the NL-210, but we are obviously talking about different design objectives.

It was interesting comparing the Omni to the vented direct radiator loaded with the same low and mid drivers. The designer's claims of enhanced low end and sensitivity were on trial here, and the results were what he predicted. Noticeably deeper, wider bass, and noticeably more perceived volume from the same signal. The advantages of the Omni were not overwhelming but they were obvious in blind AB's with other players. There was a real difference in the "feel" of the two cabs, as the Omni gave a sense of enhanced headroom and control, leading to that lighter touch. Nice ride!

I got to check the off-axis response at the block parties, and it seemed pretty good, but I really had no basis for comparison because I've only recently become aware of this issue. The testing was further complicated by what I suspect was someone secretly putting vodka into my beer, because I can't remember the whole night. I sure hate it when that happens, don't you?

The cabs responded well to different basses, and hybrid and solid state heads. The vintage Sunn and Fender heads sounded a little too dirty to me with this cab, and it might be because they aren't well suited to the fidelity of the Omni. Again, this is one man's ears, and I was never nuts about the sound of those heads anyways. Or maybe I need to get them into the shop for a little tune up. It's been too long. The cabs seemed to respond well to EQ adjustments, but not getting that "speaker about to explode" effect when you goose the bass knob still seems alien to me.

Overall, I found the Omni to be very stout and able to handle very decent volumes with great fidelity, but most importantly with my version of great bass tone. I got a real feeling of confidence when I plugged into it. Everything else is officially up for sale, except for the Bergantino's. (The Euphonic Audio NL-210 is not mine, or I would keep that too!) No more big cabinet GAS.

I am aware that the conventional wisdom dictates that DIY cabs are not going to save the builder money. That needs a little elaboration, in my case. I figure you could build one of these for no more than $300, as long as you don't go nuts and decide you need to make this a hobby, with expenditures for tools and more plans, like I did. But what the heck, it's only paper until you spend it. This was a very worthwhile venture for me, and I hope one of you gets as much of a kick out of the process as I did!