Omnidirectional speakers. The future?

Thanks very much for your thoughts, guys.
My space is indeed houselike in scale- it is my live/work
space. I live in an open loft in what was at one time a
commercial building. Possibly something similar
to the factory-like space that Holzhauer describes in
Mr. Shahinian's set up. Unfortunately, Diapasons are
not in my budget. I wonder how one of their less pricey offerings might fair in an oversized space. Its a pity that Shahinians and other omni-like offerings are impossible to demo before purchase- I like to avoid expensive leaps of blind faith when I can.

I do not expect any speaker I might buy, omni or not, to energize my whole space. I just want to hear great music in a 'designated' listening area. Because of my flat out ignorance when it comes to the science of acoustics, I wasn't sure if that's a reasonable goal or not. Omnis intrigue me because I wonder if they could create this hypothetical 'sweet area' in my space as well, worse, or better than conventional designs.

My ignorant gut says there may be advantages to omnis in my situation since they are designed in part to depend on room interaction. While I will end up doing a few things in here to try take the edge off all the high reflectivity, I dont intend to invest time and money in a complete high end sound treatment, or carve up my space into rooms. So, since my envrionment will inevitably have some significant interaction with whatever sound system, why not go with speakers designed to interact with their environment in the first place? Hence my interest in omnis.

Audiokinesis provides a well reasoned and knowledgeble articulation of that idea, which was really only a hunch for me before I read his helpful post- thanks.

In trying to understand how omnis and omni-like speakers work, I find Holzhauer's report that the diapasons sound great outdoors counter intuitive. Since the system is designed to interact with its environment, I would have imagined that removing walls and ceilings, (i.e. setting them up outside), would actually make the speakers sound bad, or at least significantly different than the designer intended. Maybe I understand this stuff even less well than I think I do.

Many have pointed out that omni's cannot reproduce the actual sound of the recording due to simple physical law.
Again, while I have no training in acoustics, the reasoning sounds correct to me, and its great to have a peek into the actual science of it. As they point out, this does not necessarilly indicate that they sound "bad", unless one's goal is a strictly truthful representation of the recorded event. I know that's supposed to be a goal of hi-fi, but I don't fall into that camp, if for no other reasons than practicality and cost. Even in set ups where price is no object, I bet there is still acomodation made by the listener for the sonic 'white lies' that inevitably slip in through the door along with the strictly accurate sonic 'truths'. I'm more interested in a balance between euphoney, accuracey, and price.

In the end what sounds good is such a personal question, that I lament again the problem of not being able to demo most of these omnis up front. While a store demo wont tell how a speaker will sound at home, it will at least give a clue. That's one reason I'm arbitrarilly deciding not to consider horns. They might do the trick great, but they seem to be as difficult to find as omnis, and it would be nice to actually start listening to something soon!

Billhound, I see you have taken the time to consider both sides of the omni vs. conventional loudspeakers. If I had never heard a properly executed set of omnis I think I would have been convinced by the arguments of Opalchip and Summitav. Their logic makes a lot of sense.
Duke makes a lot of sense also. If delayed reflections help us perceive the music to be more realistic, then omnis have a leg up in the way they intentionally send music in various routes that will no doubt delay arrival time at the ear.
I found Shahinians in a strange way. About 15 years ago I set out to buy the best stereo money could buy. It was a goal that I had kept my sites on through college and I was bound and determined to do it. At the time, the Wilson Watt Puppies were all the rave. I found a shop in Niles (Chicago suburb) called Rosine Audio and arranged an audition. The speakers sounded great. (All Spectral electronics didn't hurt the sound either.
The next day I was talking to one of Larry Rosines sales people and I asked him what speakers he likes to listen to when the customers are gone. He immediately said Shahinian. He had the Shahinioan Arcs avaiable but no Diapasons. I eventually got to hear the Diapasons. I can tell you with no amount uf uncertainty that they walked all over the Wilsons.
In my Quest, I listened to a lot of expensive speakers. The huge B&W 800's, large Thiel 7's, Martin Logan Statements, Avantegarde Uno, Duo and Trio, Magnepan MG20's, Pipe Dreams, ProAcs, Dynaudio, Meadowlark, Joseph Audio, Soundlab Electrostats and Quads. The Soundlabs, Quads and the Shahinians were the best of the bunch. As you can see, I ended up with the Shahinians.
With the Omnis I am free to move about the room. The music sounds great anywhere you sit or stand. The idea of sitting with my head in a vice to obtain perfect alignment all the while surrounded by an acoustically dead anechoic chamber so as to obtain the theoretical ideal of zero reflections doesn't appeal to me at all. I recall in listening to the Wilsons a very analytical experience. The speakers were revealing all the flaws in the recording yet not capturing the essence of the music. I'm not trying to offend those who enjoy the analytical experience. It's just not for me. The sound of the omnis is so real that it is just stunning at times. Never do these reflections conjer up thoughts of distortion. Only real live music.
It doesn't surprise me that Shahinians sound good outside. In a lot of ways, they are like four conventional box speakers placed back to back. In a non reflective environment, a majority of what is heard wil be the direct sound from the portion of the speaker pointing at you.
It's too bad Shahinian doesn't have any active dealers in the US. Like billhound, most people aren't going to purchase a speaker without hearing it first. Shahinians' European distributor goes to a lot of shows and has made the Shahinians immensely popular in Europe. For those willing to take a little risk, I suggest buying the Shahinian Obelisks used for $2000 or less. In that price range, you could unload them without getting hurt if you decided they weren't your cup of tea.

Sean...with regard to percentage of reflected sound...I used to work as an usher (unpaid) at the Tanglewood summer music festival, and so I learned something of the acoustics of the huge shed in which the BSO performs.
Seats up front can hear well. Seats slightly further back, but still in the higher price range don't hear well at all. The very last few rows, way at the back, hear well again: almost as well as those expensive up-front seats. The reason is reflective panels that are suspended about 40 feet above and 30 feet behind the last row, and angled down. Reflected sound can be loud.

El: As sound travels further, it loses intensity. This is true whether it is a directly radiated signal or that of a reflected signal. The only time that one encounters increased intensity at a greater distance from the originating source would be in the following situation. The first is when one is stationed in an area where a node occurs in the listening environment. The other example is at the far end of some type of acoustic coupler i.e. the increased output at the far end of a horn throat. Otherwise, the shortest, most direct path will have the greatest acoustic intensity possible, especially at mid to high frequencies. Sean
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Sean...Come to Tanglewood and listen for yourself. The "last row" effect is well known.