Bauer Audio OM 25 – Anniversary Loudspeaker with Upward-Firing Mid/Bass Driver

Viewed from the listening position, the Bauer Audio OM 25 appears to have only a single driver. Its 25.4 mm aluminium dome tweeter sits on the front baffle, while the far larger 165 mm mid/bass driver remains hidden on the upper surface of the cabinet. This unusual arrangement defines a compact anniversary loudspeaker with which Bauer Audio both revisits an established design principle and continues the distinctly unconventional approach that has characterised the Munich-based manufacturer for 25 years.

Key Facts Bauer Audio OM 25

• Two-way bass reflex floorstanding loudspeaker
• 25.4 mm aluminium dome tweeter on the front baffle
• Upward-firing 165 mm mid/bass driver with an uncoloured papyrus cone
• Drivers supplied by SB Acoustics and its Satori range
• Power handling of 60 W RMS
• 4 Ohm impedance
• Sensitivity of 84,5 dB at 2.8 V/1 m
• Frequency response from 50 Hz to 22 kHz ±2 dB, reaching 38 Hz at -3 dB
• Dimensions including plinth and feet of 850 × 260 × 260 mm
• Weight of 14 kg
• Available in Walnut, Wild Oak and White

A Loudspeaker for 25 Years of Bauer Audio

Bauer Audio is most closely associated with the Bauer Audio dps turntable. Introduced more than 25 years ago, it has since secured its place among the modern classics of analogue High-end audio. It also marked the beginning of the small Munich-based HiFi manufacturer established by Willi Bauer.

Turntables, however, have never represented the full extent of his work. Bauer has also developed a succession of standmount and floorstanding loudspeakers, typically based on construction principles that place them some distance from mainstream solutions.

The Bauer Audio OM 25 belongs squarely to that tradition. Conceived as the company’s anniversary model, it follows the Bauer Audio OM 2 and retains its fundamental radiation principle, while introducing newly selected drivers for both frequency ranges.

The Main Driver Is Not Where One Expects It

The front of the Bauer Audio OM 25 accommodates only the tweeter. Its 165 mm mid/bass driver is fitted horizontally into the top of the enclosure, sending sound vertically upwards while distributing its energy evenly across the horizontal plane.

This approach has historical precedents. Related loudspeaker concepts appeared during the 1960s and 1970s, including designs developed by Roy Allison for Acoustic Research and Allison Acoustics. It has nevertheless become a rare sight among contemporary loudspeakers.

For Bauer Audio, the principal attraction lies in the way midrange energy is distributed throughout the room. The design does not seek to remove room acoustics from the reproduction process as far as possible. Instead, it deliberately incorporates them, with the manufacturer expecting the result to be a more realistic soundstage and a stronger sense of spatial scale.

Two Drivers, Closely Aligned Voice Coils

The different firing directions of the two drivers might initially suggest a considerable physical separation. Inside the cabinet, however, their voice coils are positioned very close to one another.

According to Bauer Audio, this brings the OM 25 closer to the theoretical behaviour of a point source. The intention is to retain the broad frequency range of a two-way loudspeaker while approaching the temporal coherence and spatial presentation associated with a full-range driver.

It is therefore not simply the upward-facing mid/bass unit that defines the concept. Its position relative to the tweeter is equally important to the intended acoustic behaviour of the loudspeaker.

New SB Acoustics Drivers for the Anniversary Model

Bauer Audio has revised both drivers compared with the earlier Bauer Audio OM 2. The new 165 mm mid/bass unit once again comes from the Satori range of SB Acoustics, but now employs an uncoloured papyrus cone.

Dispensing with colouration is said to make the diaphragm both lighter and more rigid than the cone used for the preceding model. Bauer Audio attributes the resulting change to the physical properties of the diaphragm rather than to a merely cosmetic decision.

The 25.4 mm aluminium dome tweeter is also supplied by SB Acoustics. Equipped with a cast-aluminium faceplate, it is manufactured specifically for Bauer Audio. The Munich company states that this design combines the speed associated with a metal dome with finely resolved reproduction free from audible hardness.

Room Interaction as Part of the Design

Many loudspeaker concepts treat room reflections primarily as something to be controlled or reduced. The Bauer Audio OM 25 follows another route. Its upward-firing driver is intended to create a broad and even distribution of midrange energy, allowing the room to contribute deliberately to the resulting presentation.

That decision also determines the intended environment. Bauer Audio designed the OM 25 for normally damped listening rooms of up to approximately 30 m². Within this context, the company promises a spacious presentation, bass extension down to 38 Hz and composed reproduction even at higher listening levels.

The concept remains comparatively compact. At 85 cm tall and with a footprint of 26 × 26 cm, the OM 25 occupies less floor space than many conventional floorstanding designs.

Reinforced Cabinet and Concealed Bass Reflex Port

Selected areas of the enclosure are internally reinforced and damped. This is intended to reduce cabinet vibration and limit the transfer of unwanted mechanical energy to the drivers.

The bass reflex port is integrated invisibly into the loudspeaker’s plinth. Height-adjustable feet provide the clearance from the floor required for the port to operate correctly. They also allow the cabinet to be aligned precisely when the loudspeaker is installed.

This solution keeps the reflex system out of sight without changing the loudspeaker’s compact proportions or interrupting the understated appearance of the cabinet.

The Most Important Advantages at a Glance

• Broad sound distribution: The upward-firing mid/bass driver spreads midrange energy evenly throughout the room.
• Distinct spatial presentation: Deliberate interaction with room acoustics is intended to create a more realistic soundstage.
• Point-source approximation: Closely positioned voice coils are designed to support temporal coherence.
• Revised papyrus cone: The uncoloured diaphragm is said to be lighter and more rigid than that of the preceding model.
• Dedicated tweeter: SB Acoustics manufactures the aluminium dome specifically for Bauer Audio.
• Compact footprint: A height of 85 cm and a footprint of 26 × 26 cm make the OM 25 relatively easy to accommodate.
• Discreet bass reflex design: The port is concealed within the plinth and operates through the clearance above the floor.
• Choice of finishes: Three standard finishes are joined by further surface options available on request.

Price & Availability

The Bauer Audio OM 25 is available now at a recommended retail price of € 5.400,- per pair. Standard finishes comprise Walnut, Wild Oak and White, while additional surfaces can be produced on request. Bauer Audio provides a three-year warranty.

Getting to the Point

The Bauer Audio OM 25 is not an anniversary edition distinguished merely by a commemorative plate or an exclusive finish. Willi Bauer has returned to a rarely used but technically coherent loudspeaker principle and developed the earlier Bauer Audio OM 2 further through two new drivers.

Its most interesting aspect is the decision to treat the listening room not simply as an acoustic obstacle, but as an intentional part of the reproduction concept. Combined with the close physical relationship between the two voice coils, that gives the OM 25 a clear technical identity. It is a deliberately individual proposition for music listeners who require compact dimensions but have little interest in conventional loudspeaker construction – entirely in keeping with Bauer Audio.

Technical Specifications