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Ownership and Review of a pair of Ohm Super Sound Cylinder

Greetings all - I recently ordered a pair of Ohm Super Sound Cylinder speakers, or SSC-4900's. They are in the middle of the Ohm Walsh lineup, and are about 38 inches tall and the cylinder cabinets about 12.5 inches in diameter.

Specs are listed at 88 dB for a 2.8 V input, and a response curve of +/- 3 dB from 25 to 20,000 Hz. 

This whole process is part of a "high end, high value, USA made two channel system" thread I started a couple of months ago on another forum. The electronics are the PS Audio Stellar Gain Pre-amp/DAC and a pair of PS Audio M700 mono amps.

The PS Audio equipment has already elevated the Axiom M100's and Martin Logan Electro Motion ESL speakers in terms of performance. The Axioms have a "twin" available in Brick and Mortar outlets from Bryston called the A1's. 

For reference, other speakers which we have or still have in house include: Klipsch LaScala II's, Legacy Signature SE's, Infinity IRS Sigmas, Ascend Sierras, PSB Strata Goldi, VMPS Super Towers and a host of other speakers. 

The Ohm Walsh speakers have been something about which I have read since 1977 (the year I got the audio bug), but have never had the chance to experience. The SSC-4900's sell for $4900 per pair, though the name and pricing are coincidental. The "4900" is due to the idea that the speakers are "almost a 5000", but with less controls - one switch vs. 4 for the 5000, but also a lower price.

John Strohbeen, who is he president at Ohm and who has been with them for almost 40 years, was gracious enough to spend an hour talking on the phone about our room, the associated gear, and also that there would be a review thread. It was after this discussion that we decided on the SSC-4900's. 

I am purchasing the speakers, not getting a review pair. They are under the 120 day return policy. John is well aware that my daughter sings opera, my son is adept at classical guitar, and that live music is the reference. He was actually quite pleased about this. 

This will be fun (at least for me), and hopefully informative. Comments are welcome. 

I honestly have no idea what to expect from the Walsh sound. They are so different from other speaker designs that the only thing to do is set them up properly and hear what happens! 
craigsub
snapsc
682 posts
 
@bondmanp  Thanks for your comments.  Here is the reason I think it would be interesting to hear more directly from John...Most of us can probably say that we know people that own modestly priced Tektons, Zu, Spatials, Kefs, Maggies, Logans, etc. that are very happy with them and recount a similar experience to yours last night.

And, all of these and many other loudspeakers are well covered by many reviews, lots of discussion of their components and technology and lots of posts by owners. 

By comparison, Ohms are "relatively" unknown, not many professional reviews, not many forum reviews (here on Audiogon, only a few of you regularly talk about them), not much understanding of the current state of their technology, and rarely if ever do they end up on someone's top 10 recommended list.

The professional reviews and the Ohm literature seem to go in the direction of "sounds good everywhere in the room" vs "sounds amazingly like real music at the listening position".

The last time I actually heard the Ohms were the Fs 35+ years ago...they sounded fantastic driven by a Crown amplifier.  I'm guessing the latest versions sound a lot better.

Many/most audio enthusiasts are always looking for the next "change" to their systems hoping to improve musical realism.  Based on all the shows and reviews, they are constantly being urged/pulled/pushed (most recently) in the direction of Tekton or Elac or ??????...and at some point, they are going to pull the trigger and buy their NEXT loudspeaker.

I'd like to hear John talk about why not Ohm.

Often times, the final statement is just ...buy a pair of XXX, try them and if they don't wow you, send them back....and I agree that a home demo is the only way to know for sure.  Realistically, though, many people balk at the idea of a $250 and up return shipping unless they are pretty sure up front that they probably won't be making a return.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,408 posts
 
snap maybe he will answer but if not there is certainly plenty of information out there both on the OHM site and other independent sources including various pro reviews over the years. I suspect Audiogon regulars represent a very small % of all OHM users. OHM has been in business since 1971 I believe and been selling essentially the same Walsh series design since 1981 or so with various refinements since.

My personal opinion is they are unique and different from any others in the ways described and you have to hear them yourself to determine if for you or not. If you do not need the high quality coherent sound and large sweet spot for a relatively affordable price, there are many other good options. Where do you live? I’d be happy to offer an audition if possible.

bondmanp
1,821 posts
 

snap - Understood. You say you haven’t heard Ohms in 35 years. I would be happy to invite you in for a demonstration if you’re ever in northern/central New Jersey. I am confident that my current setup shows my 2000s to their full advantage. Although the sound in the Ohm room at the Chester Group show in NYC last November was really good, in many ways, I still prefer my own. And the sound with the 1000s at the same show the year before was not as good as in 2017, IMHO.


But I think you’re asking John to be more of salesman than he really is. IMHO, John lets his designs do the talking, which is why you don’t see too many adverts or professional reviews of Ohm out there. I think most of the pro reviews are from reviewers who opted to publish a review of Ohm speakers, rather than the result of intensive lobbying and ad placement by Ohm. You know, the very first time I heard Ohms, it was at a campus party nearly 40 years ago. A pair of John's dynamic speakers were filling the party with great sound, even though they were just plunked on matress in no particular arrangement. I remember asking about them and being told they were Ohms. That’s how the word gets around for speakers like these, that sort of fly beneath the radar. I am sure this also helps keep prices down, too.

snapsc
682 posts
 
Hey guys, thanks for the comments and offers. In retrospect, I screwed up... I was in Allentown a couple weeks ago for a few days and could have easily dropped by the ohm factory.  
craigsub OP
63 posts
 
Guys - I loaded another pic of the SSC-4900 that shows its finish. They are not "glossy", but the finish looks good enough that my wife wants to put them upstairs in the family room. She loves the look, even without the grills. 
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