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They hadn't overcome their midrange and treble problems. Louis blamed my Shindo Haut Brion amp. That got my back up I must confess. You've probably read the Shindo reviews on this site and now Stereophile. After owning Cary, BAT, Blue Circle and Audio Note amplification, Shindo to me presents music in its purest sense. There is less whizbang factor than with other amps but Shindo delivers the essence of the musical note. Anyway, a call to Shindo importer Jonathan Halpern of Tone Imports confirmed it: Omega speakers don't work well with Shindo amps*. As with all aspects of system building, if you don't have synergy, you've got nada. At least in this case, the reps/designers agreed. So, Louis lent me his own Eastern Electric M520, which, though it fell short in a toe-to-toe comparison with my Shindo and standard speakers, did work better overall (synergy!) with the SuperHemps (not surprising, as Louis uses the M520 along with other amps to evaluate the SHs).

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*Returning to the Shindo at the end of the reviewing process, the sound with the SHs had improved. I imagine that break-in issues with the SHs were a factor. The Shindo is my amp of choice with the DeVores and the ProAcs but I'm betting that perhaps the Omegas present a more reactive load than the Shindo is designed to handle. Impedance swings, damping factor etc. always play a role. Suffice to say, system synergy is a major dynamic in any audio decision.
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Pressing the flesh
With everything dialed in, I was ready to settle down and give the SuperHemps the once over. The SHs do everything I have come to expect from single driver speakers: incredible speed, coherency, detailed midrange information, seamless integration of the frequencies and good soundstaging. The SHs presented music with a great sense of life, liveliness and quickness. While I wouldn't say they lack bass or low end, that's not the speaker's forté. Bass reproduced through the SHs is warm, well conceived and delivered but it lacks serious articulation and extension. As with other single driver designs, the SH wasn't engineered to go super low nor super high though its treble certainly sounded lit up with some recordings. I am not sure why but that penchant for super illustrating piano, cymbals and snare drum couldn't be pinned down to a particular style of music or even music from a particular genre or era. From Pat Metheny's Still Life Talking to some Blue Note recordings to new releases from Glen Campbell [Meet Glen Campbell] and Brian Wilson [That Lucky Old Sun], treble frequencies were seriously lit up though in a fleshy lush way. I never felt the speakers were breaking up or attacking my ears, only that I was hearing tremendous upper range information. This trait came to the fore when I installed the Thorens TD550 turntable. The SHs presented all the smoothness, information, power and incredible soundstaging prowess of this mighty turntable with ease and equal power. Soundstaging via the Thorens was particularly impressive and dynamics were at a level never before heard in my rig. The SHs presented each change of dynamic direction with extraordinary speed and illumination.
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I looked around for different recordings to find a way into the SuperHemp's sweet spot. Everything on vinyl sounded superb, with the SuperHemps revealing their faithfulness to the source. Milt Jackson and Wes Montgomery's Bags Meets Wes [Riverside RISA-9407] is a classic of the jazz repertoire, a serious but relaxed blowing session between these two '60s masters. Remastered with SACD on one side and CD on the other, it's a beaut of a performance, with other greats backing up Bags and Wes including Philly Joe Jones, Wynton Kelly and Sam Jones. Here, the SuperHemps put me in the center of the studio, the instruments tickling my ears. Everything was fast, fast, fast, so fast it felt live. The key word was energy. The SHs excelling at portraying the energy of the recorded performance. The speaker's illuminating treble and fullbore midrange made guitars, cymbals, snares and vibraphones simply sing. Bass was good here too, perhaps a bit too carved out in space for my tastes but quick-footed and totally in attendance.


For a taste of modern dance production, I put the SHs through their paces with Brazilian Lounge [Putamayo PUT 247], a collection of contemporary Brazilian artists including Paula Morelenbaum, BossaCucaNova, Bia, Marcos Valle and the ubiquitous Bebel Gilberto. Bass was boomy, no doubt a combination of my tightish room boundaries and the CD's overarching electronic production. Again, the SHs got the energy ingredient down cold, with vocals sounding exceptionally warm and again, extremely live.

ProAc D Twos to Omega SuperHemps
Comparing the SuperHemps to my ProAc D Twos is not entirely fair. The SHs sell for $1850 (ferrite) and $2,750 (Alnico), the D Twos go for $3,300. And they sound like it. I preferred the D Twos in terms of bass weight and extension, tonal accuracy, midrange and treble smoothness and an overriding sense of flow. Music from the ProAc D Twos flows in that special way that any lover of ProAc speakers will quickly understand. The D Twos were not as super resolving nor as ultra detailed as the SuperHemps and their overall balance is on the dark/warm side (another ProAc trademark) yet their sense of flow, of organically relaying the entire musical performance, is pretty special in my book.

Light up the night
The SuperHemps are special as well. Their ability to focus recordings with a high degree of illumination, speed, accuracy to the event and rhythmic acuity is their strong suit. The SHs placed me deep within the recording, every guitar string pluck, bass drum whack, brush on drum head and voice on mic sounding alive, real and in the room. The SuperHemps are marvels of energy and activity, that old PRaT is in abundance. Like hanging a curve at the Indy 500 or jetting across the planet in the Concorde, the SuperHemps swiftly let go of the notes as they transport you on a fast-paced ride. For lovers of speed, articulation, detail and huge soundstaging, the Omega SuperHemps provide thrills and chills. For $2,750 tops, the Omega SuperHemps present high value and great musicality.


PS: Louis informed me that "Omega Loudspeakers in partnership with Layh Consulting is now in a position to demonstrate the new Omega R-Series in NYC (Brooklyn/Dumbo). Our demo room is designed to mirror a typical NYC listening environment. Omega loudspeakers are paired with a small selection of high performance amplification, source, and cabling components."
Quality of packing: Heavy duty double boxing, 3 separate boxes for speakers and stands.
Reusability of packing: Yes.
Ease of unpacking/repacking: Painless.
Condition of component received: Flawless.
Completeness of delivery: Included manual and big foam balls for port stuffing.
Quality of owner's manual: Acceptable.
Website comments: Lots of info, spic and span, contact info and plenty of reviews.
Pricing: High value!
Usage conditions: Unpack, connect, find the sweet spot, let 'em play.
Human interactions: Prompt e-mail responses, fast phone responses, solid interaction from a dedicated manufacturer.
Manufacturer's website