Onix Reference-1 upgrade to the 2.1 system

Before - Onix x-ls :


NOW: Onix Reference-1 monitors: (Thanks, Obie !!!)

Nice....well can you give us a comparo?...

Thanks!

took 2 more pics:





Nothing much that I didn't know about Ref-1s, really - Idk if you remember him, but Stew, a member at av123, he let me borrow his pair of Ref-1s sometime ago (he lives in Coats), and I had tested them extensively with the Music hall.. and liked them a lot; i wrote a lenghthy review comparing x-ls to Ref-1 on av123 forum, but that is now lost with my banning... : x-ls is nice, but this is just a different league, they reveal a lot while widening the sound stage..I hear things that I didn't hear with the x-ls, and it's no surprise, and of course the bass is phenomenal...
One thing that i noticed a lot was some scenes from the movie sin city, where one can hear the sound of rain drops in the background in between dialogs...with the x-ls, i could only hear the voices pretty much, had to strain to hear the rain drops - the Ref-1s play both voices AND raindrops in sheer clarity.
Same goes for music, (which is my main love) - Female voices never sounded so good - and of course the additional "oomph" (The Ref-1s are 4 ohms, so my Music Hall now puts out 100+ wpc instead of 50+) along with clarity of the highs the vifa tweeter brings...

so I always knew I wanted them, it was just a matter of waiting for a used pair for a good price; it does feel great finally to own such a well reviewed speaker (stereophile also reviewed them, and gave them high marks)

Man those look stunning! They are perfect on those stands and look very nice in your room.

The REF1's I really regret selling. I didn't need the money and I really shouldn't have gotten rid of them Congrats on the new purchase, I know you'll THOROUGHLY enjoy them

Scott

Thanks i am enjoying them a lot, and listened to some music last night and watched a movie too - so much more clarity and power now, it was great! and it was nice to see the Music Hall putting out slamming sounds at lesser numbers on the digital volume level display

I do have a few questions for you guys:

• do you think I should try to paint the shafts of the speaker stands black? I can also get self-adhesive matt black vinyl sheets to do it (easier)...
  
  
• also: now that the WSM x-sub doesn't match in color, what would be the best way to find a roseweood/brownish/darkish color x-sub? or a similar sized sub?
  
  
• what should I do with the wsm x-ls? I like them, and might have a use for in the future, but not sure....keep them? sell them? if i get a different color sub to replace the x-sub, i think i might find someone to buy the x-ls+x-sub combo without much trouble...
  

washburn wrote:Thanks i am enjoying them a lot, and listened to some music last night and watched a movie too - so much more clarity and power now, it was great! and it was nice to see the Music Hall putting out slamming sounds at lesser numbers on the digital volume level display

I do have a few questions for you guys:

• do you think I should try to paint the shafts of the speaker stands black? I can also get self-adhesive matt black vinyl sheets to do it (easier)...
  
  
• also: now that the WSM x-sub doesn't match in color, what would be the best way to find a roseweood/brownish/darkish color x-sub? or a similar sized sub?
  
  
• what should I do with the wsm x-ls? I like them, and might have a use for in the future, but not sure....keep them? sell them? if i get a different color sub to replace the x-sub, i think i might find someone to buy the x-ls+x-sub combo without much trouble...
  

I think the silver actually looks good with them so I wouldn't paint them black. It kinda ties in the look of the Music Hall and your ET center.

With the sub not matching, I would probably sell or trade the one you have and try to find a black one. For the price, those guys are hard to beat. There are quite a few good small sealed subs, if you sold both the X-Sub and X-LS maybe you could get a better small sub that would match your gear aesthetically?

Personally, I would just hold on to the X-LS and sell/trade the x-sub for another one that matches. I regretted selling my first set of Palisander Rosa X-LS' and ended up getting a pair of Piano Rosewood LS' with the encore upgrade to finally replace them years later. Great sound and hard to beat for the money.

Thanks - that sounds logical, and a good idea. wife also commented on the silver accents on the rack...

I also have a 2-ch Onkyo M282 power amp I have no use for, now that I have more output from the Music Hall...perhaps If I sell both the x-sub and the Onkyo amp, I might be able to afford an Outlaw LFM Compact? is that a comparable sub to x-sub?

what other colors did the x-sub come in? I am a bit weary of some of the batches that came form Cali, as they had all sort of problems...now that I am banned from av123, my chances are kinda slim to find someone who has a x-sub of the old gen. to trade for a wsm...
selling it and the amp seem more realistic, dontcha think?

so, in short, keep x-ls, sell x-sub and Onki power amp, buy different compact sub.

washburn wrote:so, in short, keep x-ls, sell x-sub and Onki power amp, buy different compact sub.

That's what I'd do. If you get a rosewood X-Sub they ONLY came in that finish from China so you are good on the quality front. Just post a couple WTB ads on TCA, here, Audio Circle, ETC and you should be able to find one. It may take a while though.

I have never heard the Outlaw sub but they are supposed to be pretty nice. Also, Craig is coming out with a new sealed 10" sub that should be pretty nice as well. I think the model number is the CS10.1 (10" single driver sealed sub).

washburn wrote:what other colors did the x-sub come in? I am a bit weary of some of the batches that came form Cali, as they had all sort of problems...now that I am banned from av123, my chances are kinda slim to find someone who has a x-sub of the old gen. to trade for a wsm...

Well if you can't find a rosewood one, I do have a palisander rosa satin x-sub. I fixed it by removing the excess felt that was covering the driver, and I sealed the phase switch on the amp (it was leaking air). Now no problems.

ah- pali rosa would be totally ok with me

you wanna exchange it for a wsm x-sub, by any chance?

I'd keep all the WSM gear together, you'll be able to sell it as a package fairly easy.

I could never warm up to the Ref 1, even as I spent 2 years debating the Ref 3, and finally buying a pair. I have X-LS with the Budo upgrade, I like them very much now, this in my office set-up.

I listened to Ref 1 vs. Neo2X, preferred the upper end of the Neo2X, I found the Ref 1 slightly fatiguing after an hour or so.

Now if you dropped a Ninja MAster kit into a Ref 1, that would be something.

As for a sub - I'm waiting to see what Craig does with the 10.2 to go with my Ref 3, you may want to check out the 10.1 when he has it ready for the public.

Or, I have a ULW10 in Rosewood with the working 650watt amp.

And I have my X-LS on the same stands, leave 'em 'as is'.

Thanks - I think Ref-1 sound depends a lot of what amp one has - I once tested Ref-1 with a small but pretty decent quality Onkyo amp and I also found it too bright, and fatiguing - however with my Music Hall amp, which is VERY neutral, the Ref-1s are great: no fatigue, but just revealing things, but i do hear once in a while that Ref-1 does reveal bad sides of sub par recordings, but that's not Ref's fault. I am very happy with the SQ, but I do agree, with the wrong amp/source, they may show a not-so-pleasant side.
Ninja master kit is something I have already thought about; but might have to wait a bit before I can splurge on that.

I will think a bit about the sub situation; it's not an immediate matter anyway. the color of it is a very minor thing, i do like the sound of the x-sub... the HSU stf-1 might be a good alternative, but it's also just black, but has a good rep.

Are you considering selling the ULW?

I am not sure if I want to consider any TCA stuff - I'd rather lean towards something that's a bit more established and reputed. TCA and I don't go very well together

I guess you're right - I'll leave the stands as they are.

Thanks for the suggestions.

washburn wrote:you wanna exchange it for a wsm x-sub, by any chance?

Not really. Sorry.....

There is a GORGEOUS X-Sub in Palisander Rosa Satin on the AV123 forum for sale. Just fyi. Here's the link: http://forums.av123.com/showthread.php?t=43753

Thanks - I feel like a change
so I am tentatively thinking of selling the x-sub and the Onkyo power amp, and see what i can do with the $$ i get for those...
(interest check ad posted here and Audioholics classifieds)