Omni Omuni FROM NZ

New Zealand manufacturer Omuni Audio has released a pair of omnidirectional loudspeakers that feature a 203mm diameter bass driver loaded by an aperiodic labyrinth. According to Omuni’s designer, Eric Cross, who previously founded and established the Southern Acoustics speaker brand in New Zealand in the early 70s, the new Omuni is a two-way ‘artisan audio’ design with a downward-firing 203mm bass driver loaded at the rear by an aperiodic labyrinth. The tweeter is a 75mm-diameter mid/high frequency driver that radiates a full 360 degrees horizontally and vertically by means of four rounded quadrants placed under each corner of the top plate, using a technique Cross calls an ‘Omuni Lens’. Cross told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine that he’d arrived at the concept of omni-directionality by ‘ looking at the mechanics of music re-creation’. He told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine that he’d been fascinated for years by the possibilities for avoiding the limitations of a ‘stereo image’; had been building speakers since he was 14 years old; and had completed many design experiments over the years since serving an electrical apprenticeship in the 1960s. ‘ The Omuni Omnis are the result of a three-year design project that carefully considered placement in the listening situation, so they can be placed 30cm or more from the back wall. Placing them well into the room produces a spectacular soundstage, yet because they’re mounted on castors, they can be wheeled back at the end of a listening session.’ Hand-built in New Zealand from multiplex Spruce, the waxed enclosures contain no acoustic damping, and a simple two-component crossover. ‘ We do not use acoustic dampening materials or plastics of any kind’, said Cross. ‘ Natural hessian is applied to one internal panel only, the crossover has only two high-quality components without matching resistors and the internal wiring uses Kimber product. The paper cone and the pressed steel frame of the bass driver are treated with Meranti Damar natural resin to enhance tone.’ Omuni claims the frequency response of the Omni extends from 28Hz to 20kHz (–3dB), sensitivity is 89dBSPL and nominal impedance is 8Ω. The speakers measure 750×390×335mm (HWD) and sell for NZ$6,800 per pair (RRP).

For further information, please contact Omuni Audio at www.omuniaudio.com