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quasi-omni, cheap speakers for a friend's new barn

my friend has recently built a large barn, say maybe 30 by 45 feet and wants some speakers, not to fill the whole barn but a listening area along one wall. the issue is that, not being into high end audio, the isn't impressed by imaging and wants a more omnidirectional sound, which he has come to associate with his bose 201 speakers that have been in his very small basement for years and years. the sound of these speakers is, well, not good but they fill the space with classic rock fairly well, expect for little things like detail, bass, treble, and midrange. and i tried to explain to him that they really aren't omni's either (this is confused with their inherent lack of imaging). in any case, he likes the dispersion pattern and thinks they are dynamic (i know), which is what he wants to try to reproduce or improve on in his new space.

a cheaper used pair of ohms would probably be right up his alley but guess what!, he wants to hang them from his rafters above his listening space, which would seem to eliminate ohms from his list.

sorry for such a long winded build up, but i guess the question is really whether there is anything rather than bose, even the larger models, that might represent a step up, but that still provides the wide dispersion and dynamics he associates with the 201s in his current tiny listening space.

he would be open to using a subwoofer and spend $700-$800 dollars.

i realize how limited the options are here, but if there are any suggestions, any at all, please feel free to offer them, as i will probably have to listen to these speakers for a long, long time....
thomp9015
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,295 posts
 
If you can figure a way to do it, I'd pick up a pair of small older Ohm Walsh 1s or 2s on ebay and suspend them upside down and add a sub if needed.

They will sound fantastic in a big open barn. I had mine in a similar large open environment once for a party and had an unequaled out of body audio listening experience that day.

Or, even better, for that amount, he could do an in-home, or I mean in-barn audition of a new pair of Ohm Micro Walsh Shorts in that price range direct from OHM that might be easier to suspend and then add an inexpensive second hand sub if needed.

Can't think of anything else in that price range that would come close for this.
thomp9015 OP
79 posts
 
thanks mapman, if they could be suspended the ohm speakers would definitely seem the way to go, there is a pair of walsh 4's for $400 on audiogon that i wish i could tempt him into buying. if not the ohms, i fear he will just get another pair of bose speakers, but hopefully i can at least convince him to get a larger version, since he likes his music pretty loud. thanks again.
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,784 posts
 
I don't mean to sound too ignorant on this one ... but is this barn for commercial use with a listening area set aside or is this one of those barn style houses that you might see featured as a season long project on a TV home renovation program, like 'This Old House.' I ask only to see if there are going to be environmental concerns where indoor/outdoor speakers would be better suited.

Regards,

Rich
thomp9015 OP
79 posts
 
rar1, good question, sorry i wasn't more clear. it is an actual barn but not a "working" barn, mainly designed as a barn to fit into the rural landscape, but used primarily for storage (cars, tools, lawnmowers, etc.), it will be sealed very tight from the elements and have forced air heaters but it won't be heated 24 hours a day, so i don't know if regular speakers could stand the temperature extremes...that is a good question, even where i live (in a log cabin heated by a fire place) the temperature varies from 50-80 degrees and i've often wondered how my speakers fare in such a situation.

i am sure his barn will get frigidly cold on winter nights when not in use.

any thoughts would be appreciated.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,295 posts
 
"i am sure his barn will get frigidly cold on winter nights when not in use."

Buy used but in good working order on ebay then and don't pay too much. If/when the weather takes its toll, move on.

FWIW I use a pair of standard issue wood cabinet Realistic Minimus 7's on my deck from spring into winter. These sit under a ledge to protect from direct exposure to rain + snow but are otherwise exposed to the elements and extreme temperature swings. Though the wood cabinets are quite weathered and the brown grills now a lovely shade of olive green, sinically they have kept going now for ten years in that environment and still sound wonderful. They sold for $100/pair new. Add a sub (I have no need) and you have a very nice full range sound that is highly weather resistent for not much.
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