Ohm Speakers, thoughts?

7p62mm, i wish i still had the digital pictures of what the insides of those "cans" looked like. I'll just say that i'm NOT "guessing" at what is inside of them.

I have also discussed this with a local dealer. Not only is he a former authorized Ohm dealer, he is known nation-wide for speaker repairs. As such, he has seen the "guts" of many speakers, including the later "Walsh" drivers. In his own words, he stated that the Walsh series used a "conventional" woofer and was not anywhere near the speaker that the A's and F's were. Knowing what was inside of them and also hearing the lack of performance ( compared to earlier models ), he had a hard time selling them. As such, he dropped the line. I think that this may be a large portion of why Ohm can no longer be found in dealerships.

I do have one question for you. Given the overall height of the original F driver, which is 16" tall, what kind of "Walsh" could you fit inside that little mesh "can" ? Now figure out how you're going to mount both a tweeter and crossover components inside that can. Believe me, it's NOT pretty or even well executed.

If you are feeling brave ( don't do it while "relaxing with a drink or two" ), take your "sealed can" apart. While this will affect your attitude of how you look at those speakers after doing that, it should not alter the level of respect that you have for how they sound or their presentation. If you are happy with them and what they do for your musical enjoyment, my suggestion is to STOP looking at threads like this and start listening to more music. I need to take my own advice and do the same thing. I think that we would all be a lot happier. Not only that, i could actually spend time getting things done and quit blowing so much money on stuff that i don't really need : )

Unsound, thanks for the kind words. I do what i can with what i've got. Obviously, that means that i've got too much "unproductive" time : )

I've often wondered about doing something similar to what you discuss. It is something that i will probably check into in the future. Right now, i just have too many other projects going on to consider it.

As to what model i would strive for, i think that this is obvious. I would look for a GOOD set of Ohm F's. Only problem is that many ( if not most of them ) will need an overhaul or have been physically damaged to the point of no return. The foam will have rotted, voice coils may be damaged, the spiders ( part of the driver suspension ) will be sagging, etc... As such, you would be looking at quite an undertaking should you want to take on such a project.

Most people that have these speakers or do purchase a pair have probably never really heard what they are capable of. Those that have will not part with them. Even with the less than optimum performance that they will deliver in the average installation, it has been stated about them ( and i quote from a review ) "The Ohm F is an extraordinary loudspeaker. It has only one driver, which acts as a pulsating cylinder, translating the electrical impulses of the operating amplifier into sound without disturbing the phase relationships of the impulses. What this means in terms of sound quality is remarkable. The "coherent" sound produced by this speaker is clear, full and undistorted. It may well be the finest speaker on the market, and is certainly without a doubt among the top few. It requires a tremendous amount of power to operate: amplifiers of less than 60 watts per channel are just not suitable. But given the proper associated electronics, the Ohm F is capable of providing almost absolute realism in the listening room."

Keep in mind that even most "expert" and "professional" speaker repair facilities HATE working on Walsh drivers and some won't touch them with a ten foot pole. The second pair that i bought was just about ruined by an extremely well respected and well known "speaker rebuilder" and tube gear manufacturer. Even with as poorly as the speaker was performning when he was done with it, it impressed him enough to try and design his own version of it. He is currently marketing them on a direct purchase basis and claims that they work like no other speaker.

I have since had the second set repaired but not without consequence. Needless to say, i don't have many kind words to say about the first "expert" that worked on them. I have thought about starting to repair these drivers myself, but i would first need to find a pair or two of "basket cases" to experiment with. I'm not about to "gut" the two pair that i have for the sake of advancing my knowledge of them. Sean
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Funny, refurbishing my trusty old Ohm C-2's for my HT system about six months ago is what pushed me toward "rejoining" the higher end audio world after a long absence and assembling a separate system. While the C-2's do not have a place in a high-end system, they are very, very nice in their proper place.

Sean,

Maybe what looks like a 'conventional' woofer is actually some new type of driver. A conventional woofer and tweeter would not produce the sound that I get from my speakers. As I've stated previously I don't see how the imaging could be improved. Perhaps the older models are better as you state.
Regards,
7p62mm

Dear Unsound, 7p62mm, and Sean,

I worked in hifi in the 70's and owned 2 very successful stores in the late 70's & 80's. We were big ohm dealers and sold, and repaired lots of their products. I also know John Strobeen personally and own some of his current speakers.

Sean is exactly right, as usual!

The current line uses conventional cone and dome type speakers. The woofer is inverted down towards the floor. The speakers can sound great providing the room and rest of the system are all working well together.

What matters is that you are happy with your music! The good part is tha John will let you try the speakers in your home, and return them if not happy. He is a true gentleman, and a man of absolute integrity!

I use other speakers that I prefer right now, but the ohms are worth worth an audition. (My dad is using the ohms and he loves them!)

Best Regards, and Happy Listening,
Hififile

Hififile, thanks for confirming my previous statements. I'm glad that you took the same stance that i did as far as saying it all boils down to enjoying the music.

My main problem with the whole "Ohm ordeal" is that they are marketing their current products as having Walsh drivers and they are not Walsh's as we know them. Other than that, these speakers may do everything that someone is looking for. However, I did feel it necessary to state that those that were familiar with the original Walsh based products might feel let down by Ohm's current offerings. Given the amount of time that has passed and the technology that has accumulated, they have done little to nothing to improve upon what was already an excellent design.

As i've tried to make clear before, i try to limit my input here to personal experience or information based on reliable sources. While i've seen the insides of the speakers being discussed, the digital photos that i had came from another source. If i was to pass on information from someone else, i would only do so if i felt they were reliable and the information was verifiable. Obviously, sharing someone else's opinion or subjective findings is done strictly as a contribution to a conversation. It should never be taken as "gospel" that everyone should hold or share that point of view.

Please don't take this to mean that i'm saying that i am always right ( far from it ). Like most others here, I do try my best to be as accurate as possible. If i am wrong or overlook specific aspects of a situation, i always ask that people more familiar with the situation correct me. Not only do i not want to screw something up for someone else, i want to know so that i don't continue to pass on "misinformation".

Hopefully, none of us are above being corrected or have stopped learning from each other. Sean
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