My journey with the OGYs / Full OGYs

[naka]

From the beginning, I have been describing my experiences with the OGYs on the Steve Hoffman’s Forum, so now with the thought that it might be interesting to everyone in this Forum I have decided to transcribe all that information on this post.

It all started on August 2025:

This Saturday, after visiting a friend and hi-fi dealer, everything changed regarding the question my perception about small speakers, after listening to the absolutely phenomenal Closer Acoustics Full Ogy.

For those who don’t know nothing about the brand or this model, the Ogy is a single driver crossover-less transmission line type of speaker. It can work on is own, sitting on stands.
The bass unit (that leads to the designation “full Ogy”) is an open baffle bass unit with just a coupling coil.
The integration between the two is spot on perfect.

I wasn’t prepared for that: this speaker feels not like a (outstanding) piece of hi-fi but more like a music instrument… so natural and transparent. No limits soundstage and uncanny realism are some of the immediate aspect of the performance.
The room was small (about 20 m2) and the sound pressure was jaw dropping, with the bass going remarkably low, in a completely satisfying way. Even with complex and busy music, this little system delivered one of the best sounds I ever experienced, regardless of price!

Like so I am starting to save for the Ogys… and see what in my system is going to the ads list.
By the way, the Ogy are well priced but the bass unit (that serves as a stand) is a bit pricey… but worth every penny.

(The amp was the wonderful Aurorasound HF-SA 01 and the source was the Shanling ET-3 / Matrix dac, playing CDs)

…

My experience with the Full Ogy was indeed very special because:
- The dealer’s room is almost identical in size with mine. It is a boutique dealer set in a house and not the typical store auditorium. The conditions was like a normal living room.
- The music was nothing with audiophile quality… just great music that I am very familiar with
- The system quality was equivalent with my own, and no weird stuff was used (like special speaker cables, conditioners, magical racks etc)
I was almost listening at home, since I was the only one (besides the dealer) in the room for near two hours.

…

After 60 hours of burn-in, the experiences began:

Paired with the Copland CSA70 these little speakers didn’t shine at all, showing a flat presentation, borderline terrible - more about the speakers setup later.
I know the CSA70 very well and it is just one of those cases of bad synergy. I could try the Kinki pre-power amplifier combo but (besides my laziness) I suspect that it would not be a step further, since both amplifiers have similar characteristics regarding the transparency, dynamic ability and balance in the sound.

So, I needed a tube amplifier, close to the Aurora Sound that I have listened in that memorable demo at the dealer.
I can’t afford the Aurora Sound, so I have satrted to look on the used market for some integrated based on EL84 tubes, I to my surprise there were some available:
- Synthesis Soprano
- Luxman SQ-N150
- Triode Luminous 84
All with remote control (a must) and in ex-demo mint condition at a great price.

The Synthesis Soprano was the most affordable (and half the others price) so I started there.
It is a 12w per channel (6 Ohm) ultra linear, push-pull design, with a solid state preamp section, equipped with an integrated dac and phono stage. Unfortunately there is only one single ended input since I don’t care about the dac or the phono stage section.

Pick it up at the dealership for a demo at home (a big thanks to a great customer service) and after a couple of hours I have stopped the search! What a surprise!!! It completely transformed the Ogys and I could finally listen a great portion of that magic experienced at the session at the dealer’s… remember I don’t have the Closer Acoustics bass / stand.

But this journey with the Synthesis really started with one “accidental” surprise.
When I brought the Synthesis home I had the Copland CSA70 connected to the Magnepan LRS+, so once again being the lazy bastard that I am, I though “can this little thing drive the power hungry LRS+?”… So I did connected both and started my Tidal’s usual play list meanwhile I sat down to read some emails… and my jaw completely dropped!! WTF?!! This could’t be, specifically when amplifiers like the Belles Soloist 1 (a great pair on paper) failed to drive the little maggies!
I turn down the volume to my regular levels and everything seems in comfort mode, showing one of the biggest soundstages that I have experienced in my listening room: it was goose-bumping time… deep, wide, palpable, juicy, meaty, dreamy… amazing! (… but wait for the Ogys).
The first conclusion: this could also drive the LRS+ and that was an unexpected bonus

For a week I have enjoyed the Synthesis tremendously and have the chance of reading more about it.
The Soprano is not in production anymore but it was very very well regarded back in 2021-2022. The Diapason D’Or magazine review is one of the most enthusiastic ever.
Also I must mention that have contacted Synthesis Audio for a few bits of information and tips and I couldn’t be more happy about their kindness and attention.

The work required to position the Ogys in the correct spot in the room was tremendous… one of the most difficult ever for me. Getting the exact spot to have those tinny drivers to energize the room was tough. Also, at the designer’s recommendation, I had to try some toe-in, and that increased the confusion.

Due to my rack configuration I couldn’t start with the speakers close to the back wall (like the dealer had) so I have struggled trying all the usual placement for the Thiel, Totem, Duevels, LRS+ and Quad (all the speakers I had in my room for the past 5 years) and that got me nowhere: the sound was thin a unidimensional. Humm…

It was after four frustrating days, completely revising all aspects of previous experiences, that I finally nailed it. I am now closer to the speakers, in a less distance than the distance between the speakers. The speakers are more close to the walls, especially laterally.
In the end everything works superbly and the sound is a miracle: the complete opposite of regular Hi-Fi, just instruments and voices hanging in space. I can’t describe it more accurately in the risk of sounding crazy.
The sense of scale and dynamic pressure is unbelievable, with the Ogys tiny little drivers are the only thing doing all the work, and in that sense it feels like magic. The sound of the piano is one of the most exciting aspects of this system performance: the weight and decay are life-like, with a hallucinating sense of presence.
Must refer also that adding the REL Stampede 5 subwoofer brought some gravitas to the sound, but I am doing my listening without it.

[naka]

On the 4th of February:

This Saturday I will pick up the much desired OGY Bass Units to test them in my system.
Since it is a demo pair it will perform straight from the box, so my expectations are sky high

From all the amplifiers that I have available in my system, the Line Magnetic LM-211ia will be my first choice. It still have the stock (Line Magnetic branded) tubes but it sounds so beautiful with the Totem Model 1 that still haven’t tried my new Psvane Horizon EL34’s matched quartet…

…

Some days later:

Part I:

I have struggled a bit with the OGYs, and I couldn’t not get a convincing placement in my room.
Despite trying several positions (speakers and chair) and using several amplifiers, I couldn’t make the speakers to energize the room in a consistent way.
Closer Acoustics founder and designer Jacek kindly help me with some tips and send me his great article on room positioning, and I tried even the most orthodox positions, but sound was too detached and tilted in the high frequencies. There was a lack of body and scale… at that point my conclusions pointed to the stands (not high enough) and the room treatment.
But I had two more things into consideration: the needed burn-in time and because they are so “different” in design I had to reassess all my methodology when it comes to speaker placement.

As refered before, the Line Magnetic LM-211ia tube integrated was the chosen amp to do all the tests (working in triode mode) and the speaker cable is the same Klotz that Closer Acoustics uses.

The first approach for installing the Full OGYs was straightforward: setting them in the same place of the Totem Model 1 and without any toe-in - I felt a clear change in the sound:
the upper registers where not dominant and there was a foundation, a real bass impact! Wow! The big smile in my face was the evidence that something was happening.
What happened before? Was it the lower stands? My inability to understand the sound signature of the OGY?… I don’t exactly but I am happy that I have sticked with them and also very fortunate for Jacek’s valuable help.
In fact these are very distinct sounding speakers, not only without any coloration whatsoever but hugely transparent also, and I had to reset some preconceived aspects on the set-up and tuning process.

I have explored many positions in the room and toe-in, but I felt completely amazed by the Full OGYs and that at that point was tuning the final 10% of the system.
It is funny to see that the place that they work best are very different from where my other speakers work!
The natural tone, bass response, detailed in the high frequencies, soundstage, depth, scale, timbre and decay are the best that I ever experienced in my system, so effortless and (again) natural…
First conclusions: this sounds like music and less Hi-Fi. Feels end-game to me [​IMG]


[​IMG]


Part II:

Still with the bitter memory of the frustrated attempts to make the OGYs sing, for a couple of days I have disconnected the Bass Units and worked a bit more on the OGYs position in the room.
Still using the Line Magnetic tube amplifier, I eventually found a position where the bass was surprisingly strong but loosing some of the wide soundstage width and depth… Also some experienced some sibilance in some positions… but ended up finding the zone were the midband and highs work the best.

Then, I exchanged the Line Magnetic for an amazing pre-power combo, the Placette Audio RVC and Electrocompaniet AW-100DMB… but the results were disappointing to say the least. The lack of synergy was evident, the sound was hard and fatiguing.

Up came the NAD C275BEE to the Electrocompaniet’s place and immediately the sound become, rounder, lusher, engaging with an extra grip on the bass. At that point I explored the toe-in a bit more and found a good compromise between imagining and treble energy with the speakers angled 12 degrees inwards.
This results gave me confidence to add the Bass Unit again, and with that much appreciated extra body to the sound came also a bit of boominess… that a couple of cm from the front wall almost cured.

A change from the Synthesis Roma 69DC tube dac to the Norma HS-DA1 dac brought a more tight and defined bass control and an extra crispiness to the sound… a great balance! No sibilance or hardness whatsoever so ever.
The NAD is a great amplifier but like the Full OGYs is not a component that universally mates well, and it is tremendous pleasure to listen to this very successful combination, that I can describe has super atmospheric, precise, transparent, effortless, engaging, with a full range delivery. Talk about synergy!…

The Full OGYs crossover-less design is indeed very special and very different from my other speakers (past and present) and takes some learning to fully understand what they can bring to the table. At least to my ears

My current conclusion is that they can be very picky in small rooms like mine, reacting to very small adjustments on the horizontal plane. For the record, in that regard, I find it more demanding than the pin-point-hot-spot Magnepan LRS+… but much superior when everything is aligned perfectly.
The toe-in angle is more sensitive than I was used to and definitely the height of the stands matter.
I can fully understand why but in my room the best sound quality is when my ears are aligned with the mid-distance between the driver and the bass port… so, in my case, the 70cm high stands are ideal.

Next steps?
First, I will buy a pair of Klotz interconnects, to see if my Belden 8402 are in any way contributing to some electrical unbalance in those less successful pairings.
Second, I will try three more amplifiers:
- the Kinki Studio EX-P7 power amplifier (with the Placette and the natural partner the Kinki Studio EX-P7)
- the Naim NAC 122x / Flatcap 2x / NAP 150x
- and will return to the Copland CSA 70 integrated.
Third, will set the Magnepan LRS+ and compare this two very different approaches to audio… and learn more from it.

[naka]

Apart from the Forums, I have been reporting my findings and discussing them with Jacek.

Today’s update, 28th of February:

Still using the NAD C275BEE but swap the Placette Audio RVC for the Rogue Audio RP-1 (a tubed preamplifier) that introduced a bit of coloration / warmth to the sound especially in the voices.
That led to some new tests with the position of the speakers and toe-in angle - I am talking about a area of 5 to 8 square centimeters but very relevant for the overall balance. My chair is also moving back and forth accordingly.

Five major observations came from this last test sessions:
- the Full OGYs are equally suited to tube and solid state amps, like you mentioned many times.
- they admit a wider distance between them than all my previous speakers, without collapsing in the center.
- they need more distance to the listener. I don’t know why but, in my room, a near field positioning introduces some hardness and sibilance to the sound. The voices, although still very clear and defined, loose some “chestiness” and the stage is less cluttered.
- the directionality of the OGYs is a very important aspect of the setting, regarding the tonality and imaging.
- the Bi-amp interface would be indeed a positive introduction to the system.

On the last:
The place where I get the best sound of the OGY (on is own) is introducing a bit of booming when I connect the bass unit.
Any changes to that position (to eliminate the bass excess) diminish a bit the tridimensionality. Perhaps this is where the Bi-amp interface would be also useful, to reduce a bit the energy on the bass…

[jacek]

Hello,
Thank you very much for sharing your experience so extensively.

I always repeat that the last final tuning is always at the final destination room. and this is always different.
Also the room treatment is very important, in a sense, that what is good for calming loudspeakers with aggressive dome tweeters can be totally lethal for the wide bander. I always prefer diffusion over absorption.

One interesting observation/tip - depending of the sitting height. In my listening room I have a chair that has low seat, so when I was using Fyll OGY, I placed the OGYs upside down. The driver is positioned lower, and the smile ( the exit of the transmission line is on top).
This can be a major change in this case too. You can try too. and for me toe - in is always a way to go. this changes a lot, in a perfect set -up you do not have speaker in the room anymore. just the sound.

all the best
Jacek

[naka]

Thanks Jacek, for your valuable input and recommendations.

I have changed the chair and now my ears are almost leveled with the OGY driver.
Definitely toe-in is crucial and so far a 15 degree angle inwards presents the best compromise between imaging, focus and bass weight.

The Full OGYs are a very special / particular speaker and my initial mistakes was because I was treating them like my other speakers, specially regarding the room positioning. Also the absolute lack of coloration can be disarming at first!…

In the past days I have concluded that the Bass Units really needs some extra breathing space, and that move the OGYs to uncharted territory.
Stepping towards the center of the room, allowed the bass to gain more substance and tightness, with a clear mib-bass, but in some positions a bit of glare and sibilance appeared the high frequencies… so more tweaking was needed.

Some notes about my dedicated listening room:
- 3,61 x 4,90 x 2,43m (width x length x height)
- rectangular shape, with the speakers firing along the longer wall
- acoustic treatment by Vicoustic and GIK acoustics, on corners, walls and ceiling
- hard concrete floor with thick rug between the speakers and listening chair
- single Ikea chair (ears at 98-100cm from the floor)

At this point I was using the Placette Audio RVC passive preamp and the NAD C275BEE power amp (alternating the RVC with the Rogue Audio RP-1 tube preamp) and although I felt that that combination was good enough to proceed with the tests, I have decided to try the Copland CSA70 integrated amp (solid state), for two reasons:
- it sounds great with all my other speakers, without exception
- it not only a very clean and balanced amp but also very stable (with high current)

I have use it in my very early attempts with the OGYs alone and got unsatisfactory results but now I know that was just derived by the wrong placement of the speakers in the room.
After a new approach in that regard, fortunately it works wonderfully and they are a good match, but I am getting ahead…

As I continued to make more distance between the Full OGYs and the front wall things were improving, especially the depth and imaging, and in the end, where the magic appeared, the speakers front baffles were placed 1,72cm away from the from wall, meaning that the speakers are more or less in 1/3 of the room!
At the same time, my chair moved back and forth, in around a 50cm range from my previous spot, to be finally settled 80cm from the back wall. This means 203cm between the speakers (center of the drivers) and 235cm between speakers and my ears, all in an absolute symmetrical relationship. The distance from the center of the drivers and the lateral walls resulted in a 75cm distance (center of the drivers).
To my absolute surprise the Copland - Full OGYs combination is a successful one! The sound not only has attack, speed, transparency, detail but also substance, the proverbial meat-on-the bones, topped with a much engaging imaging / tridimensional ability. The decay is also wonderful, with an effortless sense of detail and airiness on the high frequencies!
What a surprise!

Although in a very different setup than the one I have listened on the dealer’s listening room (in all regards) I am getting near to a similar outcome, and that can be a revelation and a testament of the Full OGYs superior quality.

In the past few weeks, I has been fun to work only with solid state amps (knowing that tube amps are probably the “better” pairing for these speakers) and I will get back to the Placette Audio / NAD combination to take further conclusions.

Next will try the Naim NAC 122X / Flatcap 2X / NAP150X, another very special pre-power combo (with a dedicated power supply for the pre) that works amazingly with some of my other speakers.

[naka]

Just to report back about the synergy with the Naim pre-power combination - Nac122x / Flatcap 2x / Nap150x

The result is almost perfect. Almost, because there is no such thing as perfection

Besides all the extra care on the power supply aspect of the design, the Naim power amps are one of the few that don’t use a Zobel network in the circuit (also Exposure don’t use it) and from my understanding that can lead to a more direct and pure sound.
Perhaps that combined with speaker with a wide band crossover-less design leads to what I am listening: a very palpable, engaging and smooth sound, with super fast transients.
The feeling is there more to it, some spice to the sound presentation.

From my experiences with the Full OGYs and different amplifiers, one aspect comes about all others: the ability to fill up the sound is variable between amps. It is perceived as density and body, scale and realism. The differences can be dramatic and it is something that, to me, cannot be guessed by looking at the specs of both speakers and amps.

The Naim combo, is one of the best that I have tried. It combines the organic nature of a good tube amp with the endless sense of control and power of a good solid state design. Those abilities means that the natural tone of instruments and voices is presented with an almost absence of coloration of compared with a tube design.
Only the speakers high sensitivity makes the volume control range a bit short, but fortunately the remote allows to make extra tiny steps in adjustment.

[naka]

[jacek]

From my many interactions with OGYs and e-mail exchanges with OGY owners, it is really revealing how much they like the diversity.

But still the big picture that emerges is that OGY appreciates good amplifiers that have a lot of body. Then this translates into fuller sound for the OGY. It matches well with their detailing 3D sound.

Happy journey!