2. speakers
  3. 136128-2029

How do Walsh Ohm Speakers compare to Thiels?

Hi, 

I am listening to Thiel CS5's right now with a Prima Luna Dialogue Premium preamp, Coda CS amp, and Hegel HD25 DAC.

My problem is that the Thiel CS 5's may be a bit large for my room, which is 25 by 15 by 9. Due to room constraints (support pole in the middle of the basement), I am forced to set the speakers three feet from the front wall. They are about 8.5 feet apart and my listening spot is ten feet away. 

I cannot get the speakers to "disappear" which I suspect is due to not being far enough from the the front wall. I have bass traps in the front wall corners and across the front wall ceiling.

So, the upgrade bug is sneaking around in my mind and I am thinking about Walsh Ohms given their very wide sweet spot and so many positive comments. There also seem to be good comments about their sound stage.

Can anyone share their experience with Thiels and Walsh Ohms or any other suggestions? I also have a pair of Thiel CS3.6's, which are good speakers, but are blown away by the CS5's in terms of the mid range and treble.

Thanks for listening to this!

Dsper
dsper
beetlemania
834 posts
 
try Jim Smiths excellent book first !!!!!!

Great advice! The Thiel CS5 is said to be one of Jim Thiel's best designs. Might as well put in the effort to get the room and placement right before trying a different speaker.
Post removed 
seanheis1
624 posts
 
The bigger the speaker, generally the harder it is to make it disappear. Something like the Silverline Prelude Plus might work better in your room. 
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,211 posts
 
Good point by seanheis. You usually have to be able to sit further away from larger speakers with distance between drivers like those Thiels for them to image best and "disappear".

Many speakers might fit that bill. OHM Walsh do very well in that regard even the larger models in that they all have similar driver configurations. Their big sweet spot will be different. The OHM coherent sound design is right down Thiel’s alley.

Having said that I have not heard Thiels in quite a while so I cannot compare OHM sound to those based on listeningl but I would say read up on them and if they sound like your cup of tea maybe give them a shot. Amps that drive Thiels well should also do splendid with OHM. OHM is not full omni and 3 feet to rear wall maybe less should be fine.
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
I have a vintage pair of Ohm Walsh Sound Cylinders that I found at a local GoodWill for $55! And I wouldn't trade mine for any Thiels! They are that good!
More to discover