Well to get my biases out there for everyone. I've been a tweak for over 30 years. I generally like my speakers flat and tall and my amps glowing. I currently have Maggie 20.7 with top of the line CJ.
I would describe the Ocean Way sound as the "anti audiophile" speaker. OW is not about pinpoint imaging or hearing some previously unheard detail on a record that you've heard 1001 times. OW is about the emotional involvement with the music. Big macro dynamic swings, real gut churning, air moving low bass, but without the humps and bumps in the frequency response that most full range speakers have. I would suspect the reaction you have to them would depend a lot on musical preferences. If you like sitting next to the drum kit in the local jazz club, this is your speaker. If you listen to Vivaldi at 80db, you won't be playing to their strengths.
In direct answer to your question, they do sound huge, they remind me of Avantgarde Trio's with real low bass and without the midrange/crossover colorations. Actually now that I think about it, they're close in sound to bigger NOLA too. But IMHO more neutral than NOLA, you will get wider variations from recording to recording on OW than the NOLA's. OW is similar to NOLA in that there is something "Right" about the sound. You won't hear individual drivers. You won't hear dynamic compression. There is something very non electronic about the sound, something that allows you to relax and enjoy the music, not the "equipment".
One other note, If you're going to CES to listen to them, be aware that OW is famous for being the LOUDEST demo in the show. These guys are recording engineers that like it REALLY LOUD.
http://oceanwayaudio.com/display/downloads/MontecitoSpec.pdf I will also be hearing these at CES as they will be in the Viola Labs Audio's room. They r introducing a new monitor that could fit in my space. It is 16 inches wide by 22deep by 52 high. Seems rather large to b called a monitor but I think their back ground is for professional recordings. Any way my listening triangle is a 7.5 equilateral triangle so it might b nice fit. They go down to 30HZ. No idea on price yet. If they are demoing with Viola I would b shocked if it is not a quality product. Wood waveguide for wide dispersion surrounds tweeter. Anyone ever heard any of their larger models in the past?
