I am really interested in the Oephi Lounge 2 so thanks for the reports. But I currently have very good standmount speakers, the Serhan Swift Mu2 MkII.
Previously had the Neat Petite Classic. I thought the bass was very good, tight and controlled, but I did have them out in free space, 1m from the rear and side walls.
Also had the precursor to the Momentum JS, the Neat Momentum SX3i. Like the JS they are dual isobaric, with huge bass. They sounded excellent with most music, but the bass was too much, and they seemed a bit slow and languid compared to other speakers. Perhaps the isobaric driver load needs more current, but I have a 180w power amplifier so if that is not enough then what is.
I really like Neat speakers and they do go very well with Naim. If I had not discovered the OePhi (by pure chance) I would almost certainly have bought them, perhaps the Ministras, which are excellent.
I did audition the JSs and came to the same conclusion as you, too much bass for my relatively small room. I also liked the Neat Petite, but something was not quite right.
For me, in my room and with my system, the OePhi are definitely right and I am very lucky that I stumbled across them as I’d never heard of them and so they were not on my ‘long list’ of speakers that I was working through at local dealers.
In fact, it was as an afterthought that I tried Rayleigh HiFi - I did not know them, but I knew they were close to Rega and I was curious about the Aya, and as they also did Neat I thought it’s worth a trip.
When I spoke to them on the phone they said they’ve also been impressed with a new Danish speaker that I should try, so I said ‘sure, why not’.
I don’t want to sound like a cheerleader for OePhi, but I’ve had so much help on this forum, I would like to give something back, and if anyone is looking for a new speaker in this bracket, I would definitely recommend they give them a listen
There was some great reviews of the Transcendence 2, but it was noted it could be ruthlessly revealing, while the Lounge 2 is said to be more musical and genre friendly, which you confirm.
I listened to the Transcendence 2.5 last night after I made final placement the evening before at a friend’s. I like the “revealing” nature into the music. It’s pretty shocking at times just how real everything and every instrument sounded. Jon Batiste “Beethoven’s Blues” with the piano. Man it was something… We listened to all genres. My friend commented just how much he loves how the music just “washes” into the room and over him like a live performance. That’s a good way to put it, I thought. I think reviewer comments of Tr speakers being ‘ruthless’ is not directed at the music they produce, so much as how they can reveal weaknesses (maybe not the best word) upstream in the system that might not be the best match. There’s no question that the Lounge is more forgiving of upstream components, while still (as others have communicated) producing a space-filling musical picture. I set up a friend’s office (I am not a dealer, just a friend trying to help others not listen to music on their phones!!! and watch less TV in these instances) with Lounge 2 and it is a tiny room, maybe 12’x12’, if that… and they sound great in there. Their sound across the board of the different levels of speakers seems to be just “more” as you go up the chain. Like anything in hifi. It’s not a subtle jump from Lounge to Transcendence, IMHO. But I’ve heard them with comparable price/quality gear in separate systems, respectively, and so that is not apples to apples statement. My speakers are an older pair of Gemme Tanto V2, currently, which I still think are great speakers for what they can do. But they don’t go as low, don’t produce OePhi resolution… they simply can’t do what OePhi’s (and other more modern speakers) are capable of. Those limitations really show through after hearing the Tr 2.5. Hope this is adding value to the conversation.
Yes, I think it has. Some very thoughtful comments.
I am really happy with my Lounge 2’s in my small room and I will certainly be auditioning the larger/higher up speakers in the range when I move to the bigger room, though not for a year or two.
Not exactly sure, perhaps 11’ x 13’, a small spare bedroom.
Brick built house, with plaster walls/painted.
Soft furnishings, carpet.
Was worried that it might be too small or the nearly square shape might mean bad acoustics, but I think I’ve been lucky.
I tend to like acoustic music, female voice, smaller scale classical music, chamber music, etc.
It all works well.
I am not sure loud, rock music would work well in my room, but when I was listening at the dealer, he played some seriously heavy and extreme dynamic music from a wide range of musical styles - it worked so well, not what I would listen to at home, but wow they rocked.
Interestingly at home they sound great at low levels, which also suits me.
If I had to sum them up, I’d say you just forget them.
I also think they are versatile, but we’re all different so anyone interested really needs to put the hours in with the listening, including in the space they’ll end up in.
You say the Lounge 2 sounds good at low volume levels?
This is good because in Jason Kennedy’s review of the Transcendence 2 he said the Purifi driver required some current to come alive and it did not work for low listening levels.
Works for me. I never have things loud/very loud but the transparency, clarity, musicality and emotional conveyance of these speakers, in this system wows me every time.
Obviously a potential buyer needs to check at home before buying.
The Oephi distributor in Australia only has the cables. They have brought in a few of Transcendence 2.5’s for dealers to try out, but there is no real stock and no standmounts available.
So if I want to try the Lounge I will just have to buy one and get it imported on their next order.
My dealer wants me to try some. Quite expensive and whilst I believe they’ll be good, I am not sure I want to get sucked down the rabbit hole; power cables, interconnects etc
My system is really good at the moment and I just want to carry on enjoying the music for now, but I do wonder.
Their interconnect and speaker cables are their best IMO. I preferred Naim Powerline power cables. You would get a box upgrade in sound adding say Ascendance speaker cable and interconnect to your system.
I want to give my system a good run in, for at least a year, before I start playing with cables etc.
I do not doubt that things could be improved, but where I am now I am blown away whenever I sit down to listen, so I feel no pressure to spend a whole new bunch of money.
I will at some point move to a bigger room and that might mean a change, I might even listen to larger speakers, perhaps OePhi Immanence 2.5 or AE Coriniums.
Also there are power supplies and 350’s to think about, but that’s perhaps a couple of years away, if at all.
I am very lucky I ended up with something that works for my ears without too much trouble and within budget.
I am also very grateful for all the help I got here
