Product: Orb Audio Speakers

REVIEW BY: GuerillaOne
PURCHASE: Orb Audio code= ORBG1

I first met the guys from Orb two years ago, only I didn't know it and we were never properly introduced. One of the G1 artists Steve Schwartz told Gary Pelled of Orb about this great party in Beverly Hills, "some art show". That same night, Gary met another G1 artist, Temisan Okpaku.

They became very close friends and it was only a few months ago that Temi had the bright idea to combine G1 artists with Orb speakers. Technically then, it was at a Nacional G1 party that I finally had my introduction to Orb, in person anyway.

While I was hard at work being invisible to Orb, they developed a unique technology. Combining outrageously good components with cutting edge design and a web direct business model, Orb designed the first truly affordable, high end, designer audio system. It only took a few moments of listening to the system in a Hollywood townhouse to know beyond any doubt that this was something special and worth the full attention of GuerillaOne.

What Orb is doing as a company is as interesting as what they have already done to the sound. This is the only company I know of that is manufacturing mass market priced home theater speaker systems right Here in the USA, Los Angeles to be specific. Each speaker is hand made of parts that, with the exception of the driver unit, are sourced locally.All components are US steel from US mills and spot welded, powder coated, cut, riveted, polished and cleaned right here. They call it "Employment Intensive" manufacturing because it keeps Americans working.

You can see pictures of some of them right on the website. Orb asks and then answers the question 'Who makes your speakers?' The other thing they do differently is customer service. Their business model allows for them to have the time to answer every call and deal with customers on an individual basis. This is normally salon quality interaction but they do it out of love for their product and their company.

This attention to detail and being generally nice guys has landed them in some cool places. Since January of 04 Orb has provided high end sound systems for the backstage lounges at the Grammy's, Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar festival, Guitar Center's artist lounge (a super secret stopover for rockstars recording in LA), various Emmy parties, Studio Number One's lounge, participated in the launch of new CD's byInterpole and Prodigy, been involved with Filter Magazine and more.

So what does all this have to do with G1 and art in general? As it turns out, these guys have a real love for the arts. It is their goal to have artists of all walks use Orb as part of their work and then tohave gallery shows of those works. Orb wishes to walk the same path as Absolut, using the unique works of uncensored artists to give their product the street cred they are after. This has never been done in Consumer Electronics and we are routing for Orb to succeed at being the first.