Ohm Walsh Micro Talls: who's actually heard 'em?

Polarin,
Agree with you about looks! OTOH, when you first get the speakers, the casters are convenient. Long-term though, they have to go. I like your solution. Spikes on heavy equipment can make it difficult to move around. I always imagine one of those spikes going right through my foot.
Mapman,
Thanks! Maybe Polarin's rubber feet on top of the SubDudes would work? Will the SubDudes support that kind of weight, though, even if they do fit?Here's another thing I wonder: Mapman, you have a couple of different Walsh drivers at home. How do they differ in terms of sound? Do the smaller ones do better at the high-mids? From what I've heard you guys say, they seem to do no worse at the low-end.
What about sound at lower power levels? Do the smaller drivers do better in this regard? I find I have to play mine fairly loud to open them up, although this also seems to be a diminishing problem.
Bondmanp,
I think the cabinets have to play a significant role. After all, it is a type of bass reflex design, with its port on the bottom. I'm really not clear at all about how the CLS driver differs from a conventional driver, e.g., how they get it to vibrate the cone, and behave less like a piston. But looking at the "bottom" of the driver, it looks very much like a conventional driver, with a diaphragm, magnet cover, and flexible surrounds. This is firing into the cabinet, so it has to produce resonance.
If I'm not mistaken, stuffing is used to control midrange within the cabinet. It would be interesting to know how much, and what kind of, stuffing is in there. A person who knew what he was doing might be able to make some adjustments there.
I feel fairly certain I'm hearing the cabs, or the room, (or both). But as I say, much of this odd sound seems to have worked itself out, and the bass cut switch has helped in this regard. I'll need to go back to critical listening to see where I'm really at. I'm not distracted by their sound anymore, and that's a good sign.
Martykl,
Thanks for your comments! I can't help wondering sometimes if I bit off more driver than my room can chew. It would be nice to compare a smaller version of the Talls, just to see, particularly for quieter listening levels. But again, the sound is improving, and perhaps all these problems will work themselves out as I exercise the speakers?

Mapman,
Let me just add: When I first talked to JS, I brought up low listening levels, and he said the bigger speakers are easier to drive, i.e., more efficient. Does that make sense? I’ve always thought you wanted small speakers for lower level SPLs, and because they have less mass, they should be easier to drive. Anyway, what’s your experience with the different Walsh’s?

One of the most unique things about the Walsh line is that each driver from smallest to largest in a particular generation of product inherently sound the same.     The resulting sound will depend mainly on fitting the right size speaker to the room.    So a micro Walsh in a smaller room sounds like a larger driver in a larger room all other things essentially held constant.   So your room size alone dictates what speaker is needed for great sound.  

My my two Wash models. Are both series 3 one with 12 inch driver and larger cabs and one with 8 inch driver and smaller cabs.   I've put both in a suitable size room for both to fit well and sound is in fact essentially the same.  

Id only add my larger F5s have the larger 12 inch drivers and the four 3 way level switches that allows one to fit the larger speakers well into even smaller rooms if desired.  

Personally I have no issues with the casters and actually like them in that they make moving the large F5s around super easy as needed.    I've tweaked location and other things enough that the castors are a non issue for me though I see no problem with them sound wise on paper.   Lots of ways to tweak sound as needed and the castors and controls on the F5s are both a boon for that.  

My opinion on Walsh speakers and low levels is that they are very good there when driven optimally by amp in particular but some different things to consider. 

The difference is the sound dispersal pattern compared to more directional speakers.   A more directional speaker will fire more of the sound directly at you which may make it seem like things sound better at lower levels.  They well may depending on what you expect to hear.   No doubt the Ohms achieve their most realistic presentation at higher volumes as do most good quality speakers up to the task.  

Low volume listening is always a compromise when frequency response is flat because our ears are not flat in response. We do not hear extreme frequencies as well at lower volumes.  That is the issue that loudness controls on amps used to tackle more often than not.