Kenwood OMNI-7 (1993)

The Kenwood OMNI-7 is a small, 2-way omnidirectional speaker system released in 1993 at ¥39,800 per pair. It came out of Kenwood's early-'90s domestic lineup, and it looks less like a conventional box and more like a plastic candy or a Hershey's kiss, as one period reviewer put it. The design intent was straightforward: diffuse sound 360 degrees horizontally so the stereo image opens up across a wide area of the room, rather than collapsing into a single narrow sweet spot.

The driver arrangement is the interesting part. A 10 cm cone woofer and a 2.5 cm dome tweeter are mounted facing each other in a sandwich configuration, with reflector cones directing the sound outward. The whole thing is port-vented bass reflex, rated at 70 Hz to 20 kHz, 8 Ω impedance, 30W rated input (60W max), and 83 dB/W/m sensitivity. Each speaker weighs just 2 kg and measures 220 × 192 × 220 mm. They're magnetically shielded for use near tube televisions, which says where Kenwood expected them to sit: the living room.

The record on this speaker is thin. There's no official datasheet with frequency response curves or THD figures, no production-run details, and no solid market context beyond the 1993 release date. What survives is mostly the product listing on audio-database.com, a descriptive review from *365electric.com*, and the occasional forum post from someone rediscovering a pair in the loft. One AVForums user asked whether these are any use in a modern 5.1/7.1 setup. The period source suggested they'd work well as computer or rear surround speakers, particularly with a subwoofer and conventional center channel.

The dedicated SR-WB7 stands were sold separately (¥16,000 per pair) and are usually absent from secondhand listings. They're shaped like acute-angle boomerangs with a knurled knob, and let you mount the speakers on a flat surface, a wall, or a ceiling. The OMNI-7's bottom is flat, with binding posts and the stand screw adapter recessed underneath.

Known specs:

- 2-way, 2-speaker, bass reflex, floor type (EIAJ)

- 10 cm cone woofer, 2.5 cm dome tweeter

- 70 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 Ω, 30W rated / 60W max input

- 83 dB/W/m, crossover at 2.5 kHz

- 220 × 192 × 220 mm, 2 kg each

- Magnetically shielded; 6m cord with pin plug included

- Sold separately: SR-WB7 speaker stands (¥16,000/pair)