Rountree Acoustics OmniMon Model 1

Filed under: Home Audio > Speakers



Rountree Acoustics out of Cambridge, England has released their new OmniMon Model 1 full-range floor standing two-way loudspeaker. The Model 1 is omni-directional as you probably guessed from the name and features a modified Scanspeak Revelator for the bass/midrange, and a true transformer-coupled aluminum ribbon for the highs.

The Model 1's woofer is inverted on the top of the cabinet "to provide 360º radiation without the need for the reflectors or lenses," something you don't see very often. Rountree also attributes numerous acoustical benefits to the driver being inverted and used in a transmission line configuration.


The wood-free enclosure is the most interesting part of this speaker though. Rountree used a low mass composite material with a hard foam core and treated paper skins to get the enclosure weight under 4 lbs., and that's including the 16 internal braces. The cabinet was designed so that the bracing acts as a suspension system to make the cabinet vibrations "so transitory and well-behaved as to be unperceived." Rountree also mentioned that a similar wood enclosure they tested weighed nearly 50 lbs.

Another interesting part of the cabinet does add a bit more weight though, the solid steel supporting pillar that goes through the center of the cabinet and connects the woofer directly to the stainless steel plinth mounted to the bottom of the cabinet. The collar you can see on the ribbon serves to de-couple it from the rest of the system by counterbalancing it.

Rountree also mentions that the Model 1's will perform excellent with most tube amplifiers, as they do not need much power to get loud.

The Rountree OmniMon 1 is priced at approximately $9,900 (£5,000 +VAT).