Trelja: While i briefly discussed some of the basic mod's that Bill suggested over the phone quite a while back, i'm hoping that he has somewhat "documented" this latest adventure in rebuilding / re-designing Ohm's version of the Walsh drivers. While i can understand his not wanting to perform this type of task for customers due to the amount of time / labour involved, i'm hoping that he will be willing to share his knowledge and experience so that others might benefit from it.
Other than that, i'm glad to see that you enjoyed this listening experience as much as you did. If one goes back and reads some of my comments about these speakers, i think that you'll find that i hinted at how great they could be. Even in stock and mildly modified form, they do some things that no other driver / speaker system that i've ever heard offers. Since Bill has found a way to correct the mass majority of drawbacks that have been noted about this driver / speaker system, primarily by re-designing the motor / suspension system, i've no doubt that it would be a force to be reckoned with. Even with the simple modifications that i've done to mine, i was already "in love" with them for many different reasons.
Line: What sounds "best" to someone is strictly a matter of personal opinion. As such, what you, I or anyone else prefers is up to the individual.
In terms of comparing the Ohm A's and F's to the newer "Walsh series", let's do some math.
The A's and F's use a point source omni-directional Walsh driver to cover the full range. There is no crossover involved due to using only one driver, so the amplifier is directly connected to the driver. Since there is no crossover to divide the signal and / or multiple points of radiation from different sources, this means that the sound that one hears is both time and phase coherent. At least, as far as the speaker is concerned.
The cabinets were sealed, which increases damping, reduces the rate of roll-off below the point of resonance and keeps all of the bass radiated in phase with higher frequencies. Using a sealed and stuffed design, this system will have one moderate bass peak at resonance.
As far as the drawbacks go, due to their original design and less than adequate driver assembly / construction, these speakers are quite in-efficient and suffer from dynamic compression. This is besides the fact that they are low impedance, making amplifier selection quite difficult at best.
As to the newer Ohm "Walsh series", they do not use a Walsh driver at all, but in fact, use two conventional drivers per cabinet aimed in different directions, causing phase / time delays. The radiation pattern of this design is not omni-directional, nor is it consistent. Due to the manner that the two drivers are implimented, there is a vast difference in radiation characteristics as frequency varies.
Due to using multiple drivers, a crossover is required. The crossover introduces time and phase anomalies into the signal. Due to the multitude of parts placed between the amplifier and the drivers, signal losses are incurred and further time and phase shifts take place. The newer "Walsh series" are vented cabinets, which introduce faster roll-off rates below resonance, reduce damping characteristics, introduce phase shifts and doubles the resonant peaks within the bass region.
The "Walsh series" are a far more benign load in terms of impedance, making them easier to drive. They are also more efficient, making it much easier to select an amplifier. They will also play louder than the A's and F's in stock form, making them more suitable for a wider range of music.
Technically speaking, there really isn't much of a comparison to speak of. These are completely different designs using completely different technologies with completely different presentations from completely different approaches. Which one you, i or anyone else prefers is, once again, a matter of personal preference. As i've said many times before, one should buy and use what they enjoy, regardless of what anybody else thinks. Nobody has to listen to or even like their system except for themselves. Regardless of how "accurate" or "high fidelity" the system is, when all is said and done, it's about enjoying the music. Sean
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Other than that, i'm glad to see that you enjoyed this listening experience as much as you did. If one goes back and reads some of my comments about these speakers, i think that you'll find that i hinted at how great they could be. Even in stock and mildly modified form, they do some things that no other driver / speaker system that i've ever heard offers. Since Bill has found a way to correct the mass majority of drawbacks that have been noted about this driver / speaker system, primarily by re-designing the motor / suspension system, i've no doubt that it would be a force to be reckoned with. Even with the simple modifications that i've done to mine, i was already "in love" with them for many different reasons.
Line: What sounds "best" to someone is strictly a matter of personal opinion. As such, what you, I or anyone else prefers is up to the individual.
In terms of comparing the Ohm A's and F's to the newer "Walsh series", let's do some math.
The A's and F's use a point source omni-directional Walsh driver to cover the full range. There is no crossover involved due to using only one driver, so the amplifier is directly connected to the driver. Since there is no crossover to divide the signal and / or multiple points of radiation from different sources, this means that the sound that one hears is both time and phase coherent. At least, as far as the speaker is concerned.
The cabinets were sealed, which increases damping, reduces the rate of roll-off below the point of resonance and keeps all of the bass radiated in phase with higher frequencies. Using a sealed and stuffed design, this system will have one moderate bass peak at resonance.
As far as the drawbacks go, due to their original design and less than adequate driver assembly / construction, these speakers are quite in-efficient and suffer from dynamic compression. This is besides the fact that they are low impedance, making amplifier selection quite difficult at best.
As to the newer Ohm "Walsh series", they do not use a Walsh driver at all, but in fact, use two conventional drivers per cabinet aimed in different directions, causing phase / time delays. The radiation pattern of this design is not omni-directional, nor is it consistent. Due to the manner that the two drivers are implimented, there is a vast difference in radiation characteristics as frequency varies.
Due to using multiple drivers, a crossover is required. The crossover introduces time and phase anomalies into the signal. Due to the multitude of parts placed between the amplifier and the drivers, signal losses are incurred and further time and phase shifts take place. The newer "Walsh series" are vented cabinets, which introduce faster roll-off rates below resonance, reduce damping characteristics, introduce phase shifts and doubles the resonant peaks within the bass region.
The "Walsh series" are a far more benign load in terms of impedance, making them easier to drive. They are also more efficient, making it much easier to select an amplifier. They will also play louder than the A's and F's in stock form, making them more suitable for a wider range of music.
Technically speaking, there really isn't much of a comparison to speak of. These are completely different designs using completely different technologies with completely different presentations from completely different approaches. Which one you, i or anyone else prefers is, once again, a matter of personal preference. As i've said many times before, one should buy and use what they enjoy, regardless of what anybody else thinks. Nobody has to listen to or even like their system except for themselves. Regardless of how "accurate" or "high fidelity" the system is, when all is said and done, it's about enjoying the music. Sean
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