OA66PRO11 2-Way Component Speakers
Product Type: 2-Way Component Speakers
Price: $299
Reviewed By: Marty Price
Magazine: INCAR Entertainment #2 2011
Distributor: Option Audio Pty Ltd
Who Sells What/Website: Option Audio
So far as speaker manufacturers are concerned, 2011-vintage Option Audio would have to be considered somewhat of an infant in a field of venerables. However this doesn’t mean the Brisbane based company doesn’t know a thing or two about making high quality yet affordable products.
See, over the years, along with learning exponentially from the other behemoth manufacturers, Option Audio has also had plenty of opportunity to carefully scrutinize the mistakes made by them too. Therefore most products emanating from Option Audio feature plenty of advanced technology and quality components and are usually free from some of the small hiccups that often mar other brands’ offerings.
The new OA66PRO11 component set is the latest example of this phenomenon.
FOR THE PROS
Option Audio currently runs with two main lines of speakers; the entry level ‘Street’ series for those just wanting a cheaper factory upgrade while for the more serious audiophile, the ‘PRO’ series is provided. Both ranges contain numerous coaxials and component sets and the ones on test here are the flagship OA66PRO11 – the best components Option Audio produce, albeit it with their ridiculously long part number.
Nowadays funky packaging seems to be all the rage when looking to sell component sets and the OA66PRO11 are no different, with the cardboard box having a carbon fibre pattern printed onto it. Within the box are two woofers, two tweeters, two crossovers, and grilles that are nicely finished with two-pack metallic black paint, despite being completely useless against sharp objects because of their open design. There is also plenty of mounting hardware and cable included too – basically everything you need to get them in and running from the front end forward (i.e. if you have an amplifier you’ll need extra equipment for that).
Starting with the woofer, in the main its construction is mostly metal. The basket is black powder-coated aluminum and is machined on various surfaces for both look and purpose. Speaking from a physical design perspective it’s actually a very nice driver considering the asking price. There are no cheap parts utilized in its construction at all. Even the terminals are mounted to a 1mm fiberglass plate on the side and are plated with nickel to avoid corrosion. Moving from the frame to the actual cone, it’s apparently constructed from layered Kevlar although it looks a lot like pulp fabric. Either way it’s very stiff despite its light weight and its topside is coated with a black resin blend to protect against moisture and dust.
Rather than having the full Option Audio logo printed somewhere on the cone, there is simply a large ‘P’ on the lower portion of the cone. In the centre is a large machined phase plug that aids in dispersing the sound out evenly throughout the piston range while around the edge of the cone is a large butyl rubber surround. This surround, in conjunction with the raised Nomex spider, holds all the moving parts concentric and in place. Hanging from the back-end of the basket is a rather slim looking 35oz magnet and in conjunction with the extended machined steel back plate, they complete the motor design.
Within the magnet is a 38mm voice coil wrapped on a Kapton former, a most peculiar blend when one considers the smaller magnet and unusually large voice coil. The cooling system initially looks somewhat over-engineered but upon closer inspection I noticed there is no pole vent meaning all air for coiling the motor during those nasty peak-power sessions has to enter and exit via these perimeter vents – bellows style. Still; that said, the speaker can handle a continuous power of 90 watts and if you really want to test the suspension out you can try giving it 250 watts although I wouldn’t recommend it for extended periods of time.
Moving to the tweeter and sadly unlike the midrange, the tweeters construction doesn’t look anywhere near as flash. Its outer case is black plastic (which for a tweeter is acceptable I guess) and the mounting cups are also plain black plastic.
The dome itself is of a hard material although finding actual information on the material itself if somewhat difficult. The grille is glued on too which makes it more than a little difficult to examine the tweeter in greater detail. Over the top of the dome is a triangular diffuser which reeks of Morel design and its physical size measures a smidgen under 25mm. The locking system that holds the tweeters in is not too strong either – a slight shake seeing the unit falling out of the mounting cup. I’ll hazard a guess that the voice coil and former are similar in size to most tweeters and internals are fluid cooled.
Quality wise, the crossovers are somewhere between the superior midrange and mediocre tweeter. It’s more than adequate so far as component quality is concerned but it still feels a tad flimsy. I’m happy to report the design is a little more in-depth than your simple cap’ed/coiled 6dB crossover we usually see component sets of this nature equipped with. The units are crossed with a 12dB slopes and there is also attenuation (via jumpers) for both the midrange and the tweeter which is very thoughtful.
The surrounding case is the letdown of the crossover thought and is constructed from thin plastic. The top cap is clear black and has a large Option Audio logo moulded into the top. The terminals are all lined up along the edge and are clearly marked.
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Who Sells What: Option Audio