OCELLIA .21 Silver Grandis impressions/history

Hornucopia

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:)".... the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour.

"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." "

While I'm sure Srajan Ebaen at 6 Moons doesn't want 'worship', the reviews on 6 Moons sometimes have the effect of tempting us excessively?

In Summer 2007. Srajan visited PHY and Ocellia in France and published his VERY tempting "Ocellia tour" review.(Sept)

The words alone!

Such as - "Between what I heard at Ocellia and PHY, I'm supremely comfortable to pronounce already that absent of ultimate bass extension and heft below about 35Hz, the Sound From Panjas was the most refined, non-mechanical, liquid, organic and resolved sound I've experienced yet."

or

"Having romanced various wideband drivers, these PHYs to me seem to operate in a different league than any Lowther, Fostex, Supravox, Eminence or Jordan I've heard thus far. Naturally, folks familiar with Western Electrics or Altecs will have a more suitable context.

and....

"The sound at Samuel's was stupendous. Based on my current listening room which is rather smaller than his, the big dual-concentric would seem overkill however. Using four of my own compilation CDs, Samuel's silver 8-incher with optional tweeter (mandatory to my ears) will be the one to be reviewed. It has more speed, detail and resolution though a bit less of that mysterious ease and humanity on voices the pater familias of the line espouses."

The rest of the Ocellia article was lovely of course; the countryside; the barn; the whole zeitgeist of it! Oh, especially of interest to me as a Caterer, the FOOD!

Srajan's review of the Ocellias hit the spot for all sorts of reasons. The hand-made artisan produced cabinets, the old, but better technology -"I didn't invent anything. I just didn't forget. I went back to the roots. I resurrected an art which was in danger of being lost forever to present-day hifi generations who are reared on modern loudspeaker drivers." (Bernard at PHY). The 'degustations', etc. etc.

The feeling that somehow, simple, but exquisite could be better.

I wasn't exactly suffering anyway. After 25 years of Klipschorns, my ownership of Avantgarde Duos had me fixed firmly in the hi-eff/low wattage camp, with dynamics and that BIG sound a priority.

It had taken me a four day round trip to fetch the Duos in 07- (yes, that kind of distance IS possible in the U.K., if you visit Scottish islands!.)

And the sound was impressive. (It must be; Srajan once owned them. Marja and Henk still do.)

But....there was the feeling that I was missing something?

The Ocellia-visit review began, like a worm, to niggle at me! So I waited impatiently for the full review.

The Ocellia concept somehow rang a bell, aided by the Solovox review.....(http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/auditorium232/solovox.html.)

Horn dynamics and impact seemed somehow not to grip my attention for too long. Gone were the days of yore when I spent whole evenings lost in music.

But; was it the Duos? Harvey Rosenberg's comment about hearing separate speakers, not a 'whole'? Or was my attention span getting atrophied with age? Tricky!

But, reading the limited information available on the web seemed to indicate that the full range, single unit concept had a fanbase. And comments like this only reinforced my feeling.

"Ultimately and obviously. the choice is simply a personal one. For me, [the SoloVox-also PHY] sat at the crossroads of every audio thread I was following. And these threads go back years. You can trace my interest in PHY-HP back to my first review for 6moons in March '05. I'd owned single-driver speakers and single-ended amps for years prior to joining 6moons and have made it a point to hear as many as I can...... So in some ways, it was nearly inevitable that I listen to the SoloVox. And the most telling conclusion to this aspect of the story is, I bought 'em." (Michael Lavorgna's Solovox review in 6 Moons).

I was having identical emotions.

I took to looking for used Ocellias on-line.

Daily. Weekly. Monthly.

Nothing.

After reading in the 'Letters' page on 6 Moons, early in 09, that Srajan hadn't immediate plans to review Ocellias for various reasons, it looked like I'd have to trace Srajans steps to France and have a 'degustation' of my own.

To someone whose activities over the past 25 years have been regular loooong trips across Spain, and occasionally France, that was no hardship!

Missed my chance last Autumn (08), so began to plan for May this year. I contacted Panjas to ensure that Samuel Furon would be in residemce.

Then, serendipitously, I found the magic word Ocellia on a 'Used equipment' page!

Eureka! Contacted the dealer and arranged a price and time. Spent all week hoping not to be gazumped. Got the hired van and off in the sunshine to outer London with bundles of cash!

Nice friendly exchange and I drove home with a van that the boxes JUST fitted into! (Would have preferred the 'incolore' shade, but, hey! at least I found them!)

Memories of buying Klipschorns in 1980 when we drove home grinning in a V.W Combi van FULL of speaker!

Had to turn the room around to face the Calliopes DOWN the room which meant a (long-overdue) time to clear the whole room of detritus and set it all up properly.

After the dynamics of the Duos, I was wary of a let-down with these elegantly made boxes.

But things were fine. Wonderful depth of field. Voices in their own space. Fado guitars sounding even more plangent. Flamenco even crisper and somehow more 'real'. The lack of crossover aspect? The numerous positive comments in the reviews I can only encourage people to read, rather than effuse again here!

Yes.

You noticed? I bought them unheard!. So great weight (I'm sure!) off Srajan and Michael's shoulders? Their reviews were helpful, reassuring and not overblown (though rearranging ones bookshelves 3 times WAS a bit excessive , Michael, to prove a point!)

I'm still at early days with the Calliopes. I read that they gradually get better once 'broken in'. Can hardly wait! I can sit here with wonderful depth of music tingling my aural follicles.

Thank you 6 Moons guys for the tasters/tempters. NO thanks for the months of time spent re-reading, searching, and WAITING for that promised review!!......but things worked out fine!

Thanks to James at Sound Practice. Hello To Bruce Toerien in Sweden whose enthusiastic ownership comments and 'mails to me recently, kept me on the track.

Great thanks to Samuel and Bernard for their great composite efforts in producing a work of audio art. The pleasure is not just in the sound, which is ......human?

The wonderful woodwork pleases the eye, gives aesthetic appreciation daily, plus of course, the lovely PHY unit.

I used to own a Citroen DS23 and, every day I thought "What a beautiful car".

The same feelings are inspired by the Calliope's craftsmanship.

Some times in hi-fi, you have to know when to stop?

Time to listen.

"I seek not to know the answers, but to understand the questions"? I think I eventually did AND found a great answer!

Chris Skelton

Bristol, England.

 

Faig

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Nice words Chris.

As you say..time to take that Jug of Whiskey away from Panda & Dolly and settle down into some long awaited music :D

 

Hornucopia

Wammer
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Glad you noticed the expectant audience (feature in DVDs to partners Grandson in N-Z)!! Think the jar was probably Sarsparilla though!

Enjoy Heathrow this weekend, you obsessives!

 

listenup

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Great review!

To me it illustrates the way well written information about hifi that you fancy, can niggle away in the background of the mind. Ultimatel, even if it takes years, you know that the piece of equipment will one day end up in your hands - and its even better when its a great success.

Enjoy!

 

Hornucopia

Wammer
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Chris
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Port via an adjustable flap at the back, plus there are two wood inserts that fit inside along the sides/bottom (as they open to the floor!)Will experiment one day!

Sorry for the confusion, but Solovoxes use PHY units too and the effect is the same, I guess. (But they cost more!) Oh, and mine have the added Tweeter)

Music? Well, never know how to answer that. Spanish/Flamenco/Fado lately, plus Brazilian, but John Hiatt, Pat Metheny, feature, plus LOTS more. Not much 'classical'. Emmylou.....Mariza....Anita Baker...David Lindley....Jackson Browne...Ojos de Brujo.....(have seen Hendrix, Bob Marley, Capt Beefheart, Sanborn, Nascimento, Santana, and was at same school as Paul and George macBeatle.......)

The speakers are great on voice.

Look on the 6 Moons ref for pics of how they're made.

Going to run via valve/etc soon.

 

Hornucopia

Wammer
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....but, these aren't horns! Nearly open baffle really with their very thin walls- no padding - releasing the energy not retaining it to blur the sound.

I didn't find that the Duos were limited by musical type. Could do solo guitar well, or big rock or orchestra - equally.

As to the Calliopes. I wondered about this too, but they can go loud as I've discovered already when something a bit louder than I expected makes me jump! Don't have the excessive bass that some folk want, but it IS excessive! Pianos are sounding pretty real as I type and Flamenco has great bite! And I can tell which way around Andreas Vollenweider is sitting at his harp! :D

 

jonjin

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I think the reputation of horns/single drivers for acoustic music is overstated. As a transducer they do all music well. With high-sensitivity they go loud easily and more importantly they are very dynamic and convey excitement and energy spectacularly. I was pleasantly surprised when hearing Murray's horns. AmDismal's Lowthers had a bass thump that hits you in the chest. Coco's Tannoys have plenty of bass energy...

But because they play nuances well, it suits acoustic music more. Also, it is very revealing of sources and recordings. If the recording has lots of compression, you can easily tell.

JJ

 

tuga

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Hello Chris,

I'm glad it worked out for you and it looks like they fit your bill after all (I know what you are feeling as I have been buying blind for a few years now).

These are interesting speakers and I bet the resonant boxes can really thicken those tonal colours.

Despite the tweeter they will be dynamically challenged as all single drivers are but stick to small groups and acoustic instruments and you'll do nicely.

Cheers,

Ricardo

Hornucopia wrote:

Horn dynamics and impact seemed somehow not to grip my attention for too long. Gone were the days of yore when I spent whole evenings lost in music.

But; was it the Duos? Harvey Rosenberg's comment about hearing separate speakers, not a 'whole'? Or was my attention span getting atrophied with age? Tricky!

P.S.: This Harvey guy is a commercial and as such one mustn't expect him to know about proper speaker positioning. It's obvious he was sitting too close to the DUOs.

Just don't look up too much on reviewers, they're just doing what they've been paid to do: selling gear. All they do is create myths around nothing and embellish marketing talk with their own writing skills... I was once under the 6moon spell but luckily I snapped out of it.

Unfortunately consumer product magazines exist not to help the buyer choose but to stimulate consumerism.

 

Hornucopia

Wammer
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After a day of iTunes on Shuffle, I can say that they deal with nearly everything pretty well! Yes they are superb on acoustic/voices etc. But on came J Geils Bands heavy studio rock and it was fine!! And can go plenty loud enough as well. Even the Bass is clear and defined, though (as with MOST speakers,) doesn't drop WAAAY down.

I've only heard 20 cycles from the Duos and old TDLs, and in my room, the Duos vibrated the bath two floors up, but just annoyed the room resonances!

Altogether satisfactory!

I agree re Reviews (up to a point. I think 6 Moons and Positive Feedback are a bit more enthusiast oriented.) I read around the subject (of Full range) as much as possible especially blogs on stuff and talked to owners where I could find them to get a full picture. Took 18 months doing this! Got down to Open baffle or these (and A-23 Solovox/Musical Affairs.) Also, building Zigmahornets gave me a nice taste of single unit sound (RIP Dave Merrill last week)

'Resonant boxes? Well that might describe my Snell E-111s; but these seem nearer porous! Music seems to be in space.And the PHY unit is as described by Srajan. A distinct upgrade from any other full range unit.(I have J-Watts in my Glastonburys for example) They are VERY musical and relaxed. Old style technology but eternally good?

Horns gone! I guess I'll have to change my 'monicker' to......(all suggestions welcome -nice ones!!)

 

tuga

. . .
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Why not change to Gusteau? ;-)

2386127469_305b1b105c_b.jpg


I have had some experience with single drivers and using one driver for a wide range of frequencies means intermodulation distortion, limited SPL dynamic compression and if no tweeter is added rounded highs and lows. In the end this is what musical means. Nice for background but doesn't rock my boat.

The Ocellias appear to be a bit different so I guess these deficiencies could be somewhat attenuated.

Well, last night I was trying to play some background music while having dinner and my wife asked me to turn it off. Can't win them all... :roll:

Cheers,

Ricardo

P.S.: My thoughts about 6moons: same "#$%&, much nicer looking package... Heck, they fooled me. :cool:

 

Hornucopia

Wammer
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Chris
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Re modulated, etc. Don't forget I came to these straight from 25+ years of horns, so I was sensitive to the possible loss of dynamics, frequency range, etc. They seem to manage to be clear, dynamic and pretty extended.

Hard to say have a listen as there aren't many about here (as I know, having looked for ages!!) But, full sound is what I like, and have got! And I feel the clarity/focus/imagery is better than the Duos!

I've experienced a few wide rangers too, (I'm 60 now!) but these move the goalposts.

Thanks for the name idea.......I've been Mr Royce for years (Royce Rolls Wholefood Cafe in Bristol) but will mull on that one!

 

Ergot

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Hey Chris,

recognise anyone? ;)

you’ll be delighted to know that Nick (the previous owner) had kept them immaculately and they still sound absolutely spectacular, funnily enough they’re now only a couple of motorway junctions away from you now (j16/m4) and I’m completely in love with them, even the wife has now recovered from their unannounced arrival!

You’d be welcome to pop down sometime if you fancied a listen for old times sake.

Thanks for sourcing them way back then, I’m now in the final stages of setting up my audio consultancy and intend to be the UK’s importer/retailer of the Ocellia range for sale alongside a range of painstakingly restored turntables, cartridges and accoutrements!

all the best

Alex


404AF735-EF5D-467E-926F-E1B44755167E.jpeg
 
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Lawrence001

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Did you buy them off eBay recently Alex? I was discussing them with the seller too as he was letting them go at a great price (quite a loss for him I understand poor chap) and all the reviews were great. If I hadn't already got a large pair of speakers they would possibly be at mine now.

But love the news about becoming a distributor, I'm glad you got them over me now, every cloud...
 
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Hornucopia

Wammer
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Chris
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Wow! Talk about serendipity. Just getting out of the way whilst 'tea' being prepared so popped on here and saw this. All those words I wrote!
i lost the use of my hifi room so swapped the Ocellias ( still have the swaps...) so now have to use our living space for hifi. So all change results in selling the Pass F3 amp and the Stereo Coffee pre.
Current set-up is CODA CS1b integrated (need more power than the F3 ) into Diptyque DP77 Isodynamic speakers ( see pic).Had them in white to fit in to living space better.
just acquired a Firebottle upgraded Metrum Musette dac after a dozen years of an equally upgraded MHDT Havana dac.
Those Calliopes ARE special-and rare in UK. Good luck with becoming their agent.
Enjoy the music. DSC01972.JPG
 
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BettisDad

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Always like the look of Ocellia speakers. I'd like to hear a pair running off my Oto.
 
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