Origin Acoustics Speakers

[AVSCraig]

I have some Origin Acoustics Speakers inwall speaker to demo. Full report coming. They had an impressive line of speakers at Cedia !

[AVSCraig]

I've got the D65 and D85 in wall speakers to demo ! 

[TRainH2O]

I haven't heard of Origin Acoustics but in general, in-wall and in-ceiling speakers have come a long way.

I use GoldenEar HTR-7000 in-ceiling speakers for my surrounds. I could use them exclusively in my home theater or a two-channel system. They are truly that good.

Looking forward to your review.

[AVSMike]

I thought it would be better to place this here, rather than start a new thread. Origin sent both of us a pair of the D85 and D65 in ceiling speakers to demo. Origin also sent a pair of the ceiling enclosures.

Director D85: https://originacoustics.com/product/director-d85/
Director D65: https://originacoustics.com/product/director-d65/

The D85 is a 3-way speaker with an 8" woofer with adjustable mid and silk dome tweeter. The woofer and the mid uses an inverted butyl rubber surround.

Installers will love Origin's installation. Rather than having to cut a bunch of different size holes, Origin has made it so that cutout size is shared with many different models, including different size speakers. Also the installation bracket does not require any tools to install. The installation bracket uses a four anchor zip strip anchor system. Then to install the actual speaker in the bracket, you just line up the studs, press in place and turn, locking the speaker in place. Then pop the magnetic cover in place.

This is one of the simplest in ceiling speakers to install that I have come across. Build quality is excellent and the speakers are IPX6 rated for wet areas.

D85 specifications
Frequency Response 36hz -20khz
Impedance 6 ohm
Tweeter 1" Silk DPSD
Mounting depth 5.59"
Cutout diameter 8.75"
Sensitivity 91db +/- 3db
Woofer 8" IMG

Listening to the D85, the mids and the top end was nice and smooth with good detail, like you would expect from a silk dome tweeter. The imaging is good at creating the sound stage and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of bass these produced. MSRP is $500 each.



OriginD65

To install the D65, all I had to do was twist and pop out the D85 from the install bracket, remove the speaker wire from the spring loaded clips, attach speaker wire to the D65 spring loaded clips and then press D65 in place and turn. It actually took me longer for me to type this paragraph, than it did to remove the D85 and install the D65.


The D65 is a 2-way design using a 6.5" woofer and the same silk dome tweeter as the larger 8" speaker. Same inverted butyl rubber surround. Same installation bracket and the same tool-less install.

D65 specifications
Frequency Response 45hz -20khz

Impedance 6 ohm
Tweeter 1" Silk DPSD
Mounting depth 5.5"
Cutout diameter 8.75"
Sensitivity 91db +/- 3db
Woofer 6.5" IMG

The top end on the D65 sounded just like the D85, which it should, since uses the same tweeter. The mid range was good, but not quite as good as the separate mid in the D85. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised with the bass output of this 6.5 in woofer. Once again sound stage envelopment was good. MSRP $300 each.


For anybody looking for a high quality in ceiling speaker take a look at Origin.

[AVSCraig]

I set up my Origin Acoustics speakers in their back boxes and checked them out with some jazz CD's I had. First I tested the D65's. These speakers are packaged very nicely. 

[AVSCraig]

I like that the speaker is aim-able too - 

" The woofer and tweeter can be pivoted to direct the sound towards the listening area. Or for a more diffused surround sound experience, the rear speakers can be aimed towards the wall. To aim the tweeter, gently apply pressure to the rim with your thumbs to pivot the tweeter. To aim the woofer, gently apply pressure to the rim and pivot it in the desired direction. Subject to which speaker is being used, there are two switches: one to adjust the treble, and one to adjust the bass. Depending on the area the speaker will be installed, bass and treble are affected by its surroundings. When the room has a lot of hard surfaces bass & treble are bounced and reflected through the room, and if the room has softer surfaces the bass & treble are absorbed. Adjust for the desired acoustic balance for each room. " 

[AVSCraig]

I set these up like as a stereo pair in back boxes on my dining room chairs, and put some jazz CD's on. The detail is excellent. I actually heard details in the song " Kaya " ( Monty Alexander's CD " Stir It Up " - Telarc Jazz stereo cd ) I don't hear with my Mirage speakers ! 

[AVSCraig]

Next up were the D85's. They are 3 way speakers and have a mid range speaker. Overall these sounded a little fuller in the mid range than the D65's, and played a little deeper due to the 8" woofer. Specs -

https://originacoustics.com/wp-content/uploads/D80_Manual_2017.pdf

[AVSCraig]

I sat some friends down to get their opinion on how they thought these speakers sounded. Everyone really liked them. One friend liked them so much he bought them on the spot !

Nice looking magnetic grill too. I recommend these speakers !

[AVSCraig]

Check out their full line here - https://originacoustics.com/