Ohm Speakers, thoughts?

The Ohm versions of the Walsh drivers suffered from very poor assembly techniques. That is, the voice coil was not properly placed in relationship to the magnet / pole piece and the suspension ( spider, surrounds, etc...) were not properly slected. The end result is less than optimum performance in most every respect and drastically reduced efficiency / drastically increased compression.

This is why Bill Legall of Millersound referred to the Ohm A's & F's as being "broken from the factory". Addressing these problems basically means rebuilding the driver, but the results can be staggering to say the least.

I'm quite certain that the increased efficiency of the DDD stems from FAR greater attention to detail in the design & assembly of the driver. By limiting bandwidth of the driver, efficiency is also increased. If one were to read Walsh's original patent info, Walsh specifically stated that this design could be built to cover a VERY wide frequency spectrum. Only problem is that the wider the spectrum, the lower the efficiency.

Line: I'm lost as to what you're trying to say. Then again, i've not gotten much sleep in the last few days, so...

Unsound: The German Physiks speaker uses a passive crossover, not an electronic crossover. While the passive could be considered "electronic", that terminology is typically reserved for an "active" crossover. Don't know if that's what you meant, but thought this should be clarified for those that aren't familiar with the design. Sean
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Sean, I stand corrected. Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks for clearing it up.

Amen, Sean!!!

Once you hear the Ohms rebuilt as they were intended to be implemented, the results are quite staggering. It sounds more than obvious, but the voice coil being outside the gap of the magnet just doesn't really fly. Like having the propeller of a boat outside of the water, but relying on the turbulence it creates in the air (but, NOT a fanboat) to somehow at least also exert enough influence on the water to get you moving.

Didn't know the A uses an 18" driver, and the F uses a 12" driver, but the discourse in this thread is teaching me a lot.

I'm incredibly lucky to be able to listen to Bill Legall's own pair of Walsh A's, and though I haven't heard them yet in a good system (I have to push him harder on this), or with the drivers tightened down (maybe I'll just do this myself while he's working on something...), I'm not sure they don't disqualify every other speaker in the "Best speaker you've ever heard" thread. Personally, I put them easily over Bill's pride and joy, the Infinity IRS in his living room.

Trelja: Now you know why i said what i did in a ( WAY ) earlier thread on Agon. That is, even though they most certainly have their flaws, i don't plan on giving up my F's anytime soon. I'm quite certain that mine don't perform to the level of Bill's "completely re-designed" Model A's, but none the less, many of the sonic attributes are still there to a lesser extent. Even with just that hint of performance to them, i knew that they were "special" from the very begining. Sean
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Regarding Bill's Ohm A, it is indeed a very interesting and unique type of sound. Along with the very special "you are there" characteristics, it is a frustrating design with the most complex theory behind it I have ever seen. At first listen you are aware that something special is indeed happening to the sound...a more 360 boundary-less type of envelope, yet as wonderful as this quality is, on say a female vocal and guitar, it tends to not handle the complex music quite as well, or with as much reality. Bill's IRS is the much more univeral product. While it may lack the Walsh's seduction (I know its very alluring), I can bet the house that its dead accurate. If a new recording is purchased and one wants to really know how it sounds, the IRS is the one. Now I am sure countless mods have been performed since I last heard them a year ago,and judging from the above praise, a breakthrough must have occured. Interestingly, the speaker was spectacular when auditioned outdoors with no room interaction at all. Bill can attest to this. Bill is, of course, a very gifted and visionary engineer with the most unerringly correct (almost scary) intuition regarding audio on the planet. There is no question the Walsh driver in his hands may someday surpass his IRS, but, I am sure he will tell you he sleeps better at night knowing his IRS is there as an absolute reference...........Frank