Description
The Linkwitz Orion open baffle loudspeaker was the culmination of years of research by Siegfried Linkwitz of Linkwitz Labs. Free of commercial pressures, he aimed to bring to bear all of the knowledge had gained with previous dipole speakers to the Orions. They are one of his greatest achievements. In audiophile forums, they are often described as the best loudspeaker the listener has ever heard. Quite high praise. The Linkwitz name is synonymous with loudspeaker design the world over, having actually been part of the team Linkwitz-Riley of the filter fame – yes that Linkwitz!!
Designed as an open baffle dipole speaker, they produce a flat on-axis and off-axis response, giving a wide, tall and deep soundstage, yet with pinpoint instrument placement. They need room to breathe, with a recommended room size of at least 25 square metres. They should be placed at least one metre from the nearest wall
There are four basic options to choose from below, The basic DIY kit comes with all of the parts to complete your pair of speakers, made from raw MDF and with none of the parts pre fitted it’s the most basic option that will get you on the road to owning your own pair of Orion open baffle speakers. There is the pre finished version that just requires final assembly of the panels and fitting of the pre made speaker looms. Finally the fully built version that is completely finished and ready to plug in. This version will be transported via pallet to your home. Both of the last 2 options allow you to personalise the speaker with configuration selections. Finally the turnkey bundle that also incudes all of the ancilliary equipment you need.
The options we offer are as follows
Basic DIY Kit
- Unfinished 25mm MDF side and baffle panels
- Unfinished 30mm Valchromat tweeter and woofer panels
- Cabineo fittings and threaded inserts pre installed
- Ball ended hex screwdriver for the Cabineo connectors
- The grille frames
- Grille cloth
- Magnets for the grilles
- Internal speaker cable loom parts to include, cable, push fit crimps, insulators and heat shrink
- Felt pads for the base
- Glue for the magnets.
- Instructions
- Orion Construction plans and license paid back to Linkwitz Labs
- Neutrik SpeakOn connectors for speaker cable connection
This kit does not include drivers
Please see the product page to the right for a full description
Pre-Finished For Final Self Assembly
- Pre veneered MDF side and baffle with Cabineo fittings and threaded inserts pre installed
- Valchromat tweeter and woofer panels
- Choice of several different veneers and high gloss paint finish
- Option to select pre-lacquered panels
- Ball ended hex screwdriver for the Cabineo connectors
- Pre assembled grilles with pre-stretched cloth and magnets in place
- Pre assembled Internal speaker cable loom
- Felt pads for the base
- Instructions
- Orion Construction plans and license paid back to Linkwitz Labs
- Neutrik SpeakOn connectors for speaker cable connection
This kit does not include drivers
Please see the product page to the right for a full description
Fully Built Speakers
Professionally built finished speakers the option of several lacquered or unlacquered wood veneers and high gloss paint finishes to include the following.
- The fully built speakers
- Full set of drivers already installed
- The grilles with cloth and magnets installed ready
- Internal speaker cable loom pre installed
- Felt pads for the base already in place
- Orion Construction plans and license paid back to Linkwitz Labs
- Fully tested, giving peace of mind that everything works as it should
Please see the product page to the right for a full description
Turnkey Solution
Professionally built finished speakers as above, plus:
- A Linkwitz Orion specific 8-channel version of the KJF Audio MA-01 multi-channel power amplifier
- Pre-programmed miniDSP 4×10 HD or miniDSP 10×10 HD digital signal processor
- XLR to Phoenix cables to connect the DSP unit to the amplifier
- Colour coded speaker cables to connect the amp to the speakers
An installation service is also available for the turnkey solution for most UK and EU customers, please ask us for a quotation. We will personally deliver, install and optimise the speakers in your listening space
Due to their size, fully built speakers will be delivered on a pallet rather than in parcels.
Customers outside of the UK should ask us for a shipping quotation before ordering.
Please see the product page to the right for a full description
What will you need to complete your speakers?
If you go for either the basic kit or the Pre-finished self assembly option you will need to complete your speakers with speaker drivers, amplifiers and crossover. We have added easy links to products that will complete your journey.
Linkwitz initially developed the Orions with an Analogue Signal Processor (ASP) to achieve the filter transfer functions required. If your preference is for an all analogue signal, and don’t mind a bit of DIY electronics, the ASP PCBs are available below for you to do so. As a purely DIY option we cannot support your electronics problems should you run into trouble and you should be warned this is a fairly advanced project to take on. The plans supplied with the Orions contain a layout and BOM for the PCB and some outline build instructions and test sequence for you to follow. We do not keep the components in stock for the ASP PCB, but can provide a quotation on request.
The Digital Signal Processor (DSP) route takes those exact same filters that are generated on the ASP PCB and turns them into biquads. If you order a MiniDSP device as part of the Turnkey solution, or with a DIY kit, or with fully built speakers, we will pre-program your unit with these filters. The DSP offer some flexibility as you can do some rudimentary room correction. If you are buying a Mini DSP to use with a previously purchased set of Orions or have he turnkey bundles we will pre-program your unit for you. If you have a different DSP solution already we can provide those Biquads to you assuming you have bought the speakers already but cannot offer support for DSP hardware of software we don’t supply.
Component parts
There will be build videos here when I have edited them.
Some close up images of build related stuff.
Assembly PDF for the Orion kit. The Linkwitz authored section is only available to those who can prove they have bought Orions or Orion plans in the past, please contact us.