Omega is no stranger to the pages of SonicFlare. We have covered the Grande 6, Mini-Me and most recently the B200 single driver speakers. Through all of this, rumors of hemp-based drivers have floated around the internet chat rooms, stirring up excitement for a new flagship from Omega. Well, behold, the HempTone speakers have arrived with the HempTone Compact 8 kicking it all off.

What makes the HempTones unique is, naturally, the new custom hemp fiber driver. Louis of Omega has spent a lot of time testing and tweaking the drivers and proclaims it perfect and ready to go. Other unique features include composite walls built from a number of different densities of MDF, birch ply and "R Compound," an asphalt-vinyl layer.

Specifics for the Compact 8 run 50Hz to 18kHz with sensitivity of 96dB and impedance of 96dB. Prices run $1299 for the awesome laminate finishes or $1450 for Macassar Ebony or Teak (shown). Expect to see some floorstanding models of these guys sometime in the future. For now, the Compact 8 is the best hemp-based, asphalt-lined single driver speaker in the world (well, it's probably the only one, but it still rocks).

HempTone Compact 8