• AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Orb Audio Mod4 Custom Home Theater Speaker System Reviewed


  • December 31, 2008

| Print Page | Adjust Font Size:

Free Home Theater Review Weekly Newsletter.

Enter your e-mail below to get Home Theater Review's weekly newsletter with the latest equipment reviews and home theater news sent directly to your inbox.


*Required
Orb_Mod4.gif

Orb Audio has been a leader and innovator in the small, compact and round speaker market for years. While not the only manufacturer to make a "round" speaker Orb Audio has long been my favorite for two reasons, first being their overall sound and second because of their sheer value. The Mod4 Custom System reviewed here is no different with a five-speaker price (no subwoofer) of $1,699 with their best package coming in at $2,239. You can order your system through Orb Audio to include a variety of subwoofers as well as electronics and even Blu-ray players for a nearly complete home theater package. I say nearly complete because the display, be it flat panel or projection, is left up to you. Orb is also unique among the competition in that all Orb speakers are sold direct via Orb's own website which is not only efficient but passes along considerable savings to you, the consumer.

The Mod4 system is comprised (depending on which system you build) mostly of Orb's chassis round speaker in a four speaker array. The left and right mains effectively stack four Orb speakers one on top of the next with the center channel positioning them side by side on a custom stand. Each speaker that makes up a Mod4 speaker system is a single driver, point source design utilizing a custom wound voice coil mated to a uber powerful neodymium magnet. The housing is made of solid steel and is hand assembled right here in the good old US of A. The individual Orb Mod 1 speakers are then attached to a bracket (included) and wired together via their binding posts. Out of the box the Mod4 system comes equipped to be mounted to your wall or stand on a table, but floor mounts are available at an extra cost. The Mod4 comes in a variety of finishes including custom one of kind offerings at an added cost. Regardless of the finish, Orb's choices are among the best and décor friendly I've encountered in the speaker world.

High Points
• The Mod4 system possesses an amazing coherence along nearly all of the frequency range due largely to their point source design and cross over free nature for a two-channel or home theater experience that must be heard to be believed.
• The compact nature and superb finish of the Mod 4 system and all of the Orb line of products makes them a natural fit for nearly every décor and room size.
• The tiny Mod4 speakers are surprisingly robust and full range when driven with the appropriate electronics and in a small bedroom or den system may not require the need for a subwoofer. However, if you're a bass head or watch a fair amount to action genre films a subwoofer or two will be a nice addition to the Mod 4 system.
• The buying experience and the convenience of Orb Audio's one-stop-shop approach is a revelation among the competition and only helps boost their already stellar value.

Low Points
• While incredibly stylish and easy to use, the binding posts on the Mod 4 system leave a little to be desired and necessitate the need for smaller gauge wire. Orb Audio will sell you the necessary wire at a very reasonable cost, but if you're looking to use your current ultra-thick speaker cable you may be disappointed.
• The floor stands that can be ordered to accompany the Mod 4 system are very solid and sturdy however they are no where near as slick looking as the speakers themselves.

Conclusion
When you consider their modest asking price coupled with Orb Audio's stellar reputation the Mod 4 system is difficult to beat when shopping for micro speakers; a sector of the industry that has to include heavy weights such as Gallo and Bose. However, unlike the competition, especially Bose, the Mod 4 system actually sounds good. In fact they sound much better than good. With custom finishes out the yin yang and their ability to be mounted virtually anywhere the Mod 4 is among the best buys in the business when shopping for a home theater system to compliment your new flat panel display without over powering your living room. Highly recommended.

Keywords

Orb Audio, Orb Audio Reviews, Orb Audio Mod 4 Speaker System, Small Home Theater Speakers, Bose, Anthony Gallo, Affordable Home Theater Speakers, Home Theater Speaker Reviews

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Subscribe to HomeTheaterReview.com's Weekly Newsletter to get the latest news, reviews and insight on the world of home theater, HDTV and audiophile equipment. Subscription is 100% FREE!
*Required
Email Marketing by VerticalResponse
subscribe to rss Subscribe with RSS
Follow home theater equipment reviews and daily news via our RSS feed.
Related Bookshelf Speaker Reviews (Classic):
  • Comment on this article

    0
Post a Comment

Please answer the following question (required) before posting to help us prevent Spam.


Featured Audio-Video News

Experiencing Your Dream Home Theater While On Vacation

Experiencing Your Dream Home Theater While On Vacation -

It isn't any news that the economy is in the dumps. Morphing your living room, garage or basement into the...

Latest Bookshelf Speaker Reviews (Classic)

Rogers db101 Speakers Reviewed -

Wealth by association is a funny concept. But that's never stopped merchandisers from exploiting weird non-sequiturs like Ferrari-badged wristwatches, Marlboro clothing or any of the perfumes which inevitably follow the success of a designer in the rag-trade. And while writing... Click for more...

Sonus faber Concerto GP Loudspeakers Reviewed -

Keeping one step ahead of the competition has been Sonus Faber's trick ever since the birth of an Italian 'school' of speaker design. Whatever the origins of the genre - and there are stories to make Boccaccio blanch - the... Click for more...

B&W Solid Sub/Sat Speaker System Reviewed -

Sub-woofer/satellite systems can be a pain in the butt for reviewers because all the myriad permutations must be addressed. And, hey, does the B&W Solid Solutions system permutate. That's not B&W's fault. They're dealing with a format established years ago... Click for more...

ATC A7 Loudspeakers Reviewed -

"Hot minis continue to proliferate." It's the kind of phrase you'd expect to find in any show report, in any magazine, covering any British hi-fi show. It's the clichÈ that has marked the British loudspeaker industry ever since the 1970s,... Click for more...

Sonus fabber Musical Loudspeaker Reviewed -

It's easy to forget that, once upon a time, the doyen of Italian speaker manufacture made amplifiers. They were mainly valved, oozed the sort of woodcraft found in the company's speakers and sported daft names like 'Quid'.* They were not... Click for more...

Ruark Epilogue Loudspeakers Reviewed -

'Y'gaddaseeit!' 'Y'gaddaseeit!' 'Y'gaddaseeit!' Three times is usually enough to convince me that something's afoot. Ordinarily, there's so much new and worthwhile kit at a hi-fi show that the surfeit of brilliant new products tends to overwhelm. But when a consensus... Click for more...

Opera Platea Loudspeakers Reviewed -

It's not just sound which comes in waves: hardware trends seem to as well. With domestic congestion, urban dwelling and bitch-wives* from hell deeming with increasing vehemence that any speaker larger than a loaf of bread is an intrusion, it... Click for more...

B&W Nautilus 805 Loudspeakers Reviewed -

Presuppose for just a second that the cheapest model in a range will always outsell the model above it in logarithmic proportion. Presuppose it all the way up the range, to its flagship edition, and you can only imagine the... Click for more...

Diapason Karis Bookshelf Loudspeakers Reviewed -

While there's been no announcement to the effect, nor a banner across the upper corner to indicate it, this is part of a series of reviews. The theme? To find a replacement for the late, lamented LS3/5A. The requirements are... Click for more...

ALR Entry 2M Loudspeakers Reviewed -

Irony, said to be something which Americans fail completely to comprehend, was written all over this assignment because of one teensy detail. Before I was allowed to review ALR's Entry 2M budget two-way loudspeaker, I was commanded from on high... Click for more...

Latest Bookshelf Speaker Reviews (Classic)

Rogers db101 Speakers Reviewed -

Wealth by association is a funny concept. But that's never stopped merchandisers from exploiting weird non-sequiturs like Ferrari-badged wristwatches, Marlboro clothing or any of the perfumes which inevitably follow the success of a designer in the rag-trade. And while writing... Click for more...

Sonus faber Concerto GP Loudspeakers Reviewed -

Keeping one step ahead of the competition has been Sonus Faber's trick ever since the birth of an Italian 'school' of speaker design. Whatever the origins of the genre - and there are stories to make Boccaccio blanch - the... Click for more...

B&W Solid Sub/Sat Speaker System Reviewed -

Sub-woofer/satellite systems can be a pain in the butt for reviewers because all the myriad permutations must be addressed. And, hey, does the B&W Solid Solutions system permutate. That's not B&W's fault. They're dealing with a format established years ago... Click for more...

ATC A7 Loudspeakers Reviewed -

"Hot minis continue to proliferate." It's the kind of phrase you'd expect to find in any show report, in any magazine, covering any British hi-fi show. It's the clichÈ that has marked the British loudspeaker industry ever since the 1970s,... Click for more...

Sonus fabber Musical Loudspeaker Reviewed -

It's easy to forget that, once upon a time, the doyen of Italian speaker manufacture made amplifiers. They were mainly valved, oozed the sort of woodcraft found in the company's speakers and sported daft names like 'Quid'.* They were not... Click for more...

Ruark Epilogue Loudspeakers Reviewed -

'Y'gaddaseeit!' 'Y'gaddaseeit!' 'Y'gaddaseeit!' Three times is usually enough to convince me that something's afoot. Ordinarily, there's so much new and worthwhile kit at a hi-fi show that the surfeit of brilliant new products tends to overwhelm. But when a consensus... Click for more...

Opera Platea Loudspeakers Reviewed -

It's not just sound which comes in waves: hardware trends seem to as well. With domestic congestion, urban dwelling and bitch-wives* from hell deeming with increasing vehemence that any speaker larger than a loaf of bread is an intrusion, it... Click for more...

B&W Nautilus 805 Loudspeakers Reviewed -

Presuppose for just a second that the cheapest model in a range will always outsell the model above it in logarithmic proportion. Presuppose it all the way up the range, to its flagship edition, and you can only imagine the... Click for more...

Diapason Karis Bookshelf Loudspeakers Reviewed -

While there's been no announcement to the effect, nor a banner across the upper corner to indicate it, this is part of a series of reviews. The theme? To find a replacement for the late, lamented LS3/5A. The requirements are... Click for more...

ALR Entry 2M Loudspeakers Reviewed -

Irony, said to be something which Americans fail completely to comprehend, was written all over this assignment because of one teensy detail. Before I was allowed to review ALR's Entry 2M budget two-way loudspeaker, I was commanded from on high... Click for more...

All Bookshelf Speaker Reviews (Classic)

Latest Equipment Reviews

Mapleshade Time-Correcting Maple Bedrock Speaker Stands Reviewed -

For ages the adage with bookshelf and/or monitor speakers has always been getting the tweeter or tweeter/midrange as close to ear height will yield the best results. Of course proper placement in a room as well as in relation to... Click for more...

Mapleshade Samson V.1 Equipment Rack Reviewed -

Seemingly everyone makes an equipment rack of some form or another these days with varying degrees of success, however for best results you're better off going with a third party or specialty equipment rack. The problem with going with an... Click for more...

Oppo BDP-83 Special Edition Universal Player Reviewed -

Oppo Digital's first Blu-ray player the BDP-83 entered the market in mid 2009 to numerous accolades. A mere half year later, Oppo Digital, not satisfied with the untapped performance potential of the player, released the BDP-83 Special Edition reviewed here.... Click for more...

Parker Audio 95MK II Loudspeakers Reviewed -

Chances are you've never heard of or seen a pair of Parker Audio 95MK II loudspeakers. Because of that fact, you're probably thinking they're some sort of uber-esoteric, high-end, ultra-expensive loudspeakers from some designer's garage in Munich. Well, you'd be... Click for more...

Bel Canto e. One S300iu Integrated Amplifier Reviewed -

Integrated amplifiers have always been an effective and affordable way to get into two-channel audio. However, in recent years, integrated amplifiers have come into their own, offering performance and simplicity that even high-end separate systems have trouble matching. Case in... Click for more...

Bel Canto e.One S300 Power Amplifier Reviewed -

Stereo amplifiers have been a staple since music went from single speakers to two-way back in the day. Over the years, we've seen stereo amplifiers go from simple, manageable black boxes to over-the-top, larger-than-thou space heaters for the home and... Click for more...

OmniMount Link Series A/V Stands Reviewed -

As its name suggests, OmniMount's Link Series is a modular line of A/V stands that you can mix and match to craft the exact entertainment solution you need. You can also add on as your system grows. The Link Series,... Click for more...

Paradigm Reference Studio 20 v.5 Bookshelf Speaker Reviewed -

I've been a fan of Paradigm for years, owning and enjoying seemingly every speaker in their product line from the awesome and affordable Atoms to their flagship Signature S8s. Over the years there have been two Paradigm speaker designs that... Click for more...

Bel Canto REF 1000M Mono Amplifier Reviewed -

When one thinks of a 500-Watt mono amplifier you probably picture a large, heat sink clad hunk of steel that weighs more than the car you drove it home in and probably costs more too. What if I told you... Click for more...

OmniMount VideoBasics TV Mounts Reviewed -

You've spent the extra money to buy an ultra-thin HDTV. The last thing you want to do is hinder the minimalist look by mating the TV with a bulky wall-mount. OmniMount designed the VideoBasics line of flat-panel TV mounts with... Click for more...

Read All Reviews