Ohm Walsh Micro Talls: who's actually heard 'em?

Ohm has a reputation of taking care of their customers and getting a lot of repeat and referral business.

John Strohbeen is a unique guy. He doesn't fool around or beat around the bush from my few exchanges with him. A true MIT-trained engineer!

About 10 years ago when I was auditioning speakers for the first time in a while, the two that caught my ear were Dynaudio and Totem (can't remember the models). I ended up buying B&Ws instead mostly for the bigger, full sound than the other models in the same price range.

Now the Dynaudio Contours replaced the B&Ws. Then I tried the Ohm 100s. Then I decided to buy the big f-5s to replace my Maggies as well.

I parted with the B&Ws but find would find it hard to part with the Dyns. Luckily, I have enough rooms with in-wall speaker wiring to support multiple pairs of speaks.

Rebbe,

Do the tweets on the Ohms face your listening position when you compare with the Totems?

I'm wondering if the tweak is to reposition the super tweet to point towards you better in your listening position?

Ohm often repositions the tweet from the normal 45 degree forward/inward orientation for special purposes. For example, in their surround speakers, they orient the tweeter upwards.

Assuming the Dynaudio/Totem similarity in timbre, this might have the effect you are looking for if the tweets are not facing your usual listening position currently. When the tweets face me, the timbre of both my Ohm Walsh speaks very much resembles the Dyns, which are inherently more forward sounding while the Ohms tend to be more laid back, in particular, when the tweet levels at the listening position with the Ohms is lower.

The down side of tipping up the super tweet is that it does tend to collapse the soundstage a bit. Some will like this and some will not.

With the much larger 5's, there are 4 three way adjustments for the timbre for low bass, mid bass, midrange and highs that can be tweaked also. I've played with quite a few combos to hear the effect. Not the case with all other models though.

If the tweets are not facing your listening position directly as they would in a near equilateral triangle listening configuration, try toeing the speaks differently so the tweets face you directly and see what you hear.

Just some thoughts.

Mapman,

If they're aimed at their normal 45 degree angle into the center of the room, are the tweeter "paths" supposed to intersect in FRONT of your listening position, or right AT your listening position? I tried separating the speakers further from each other so that the tweet paths would intersect closer to my listening position, and it definitely affected the tonal balance... considerably brighter, and the imaging seemed more in focus... vocals centered solidly between the speakers, etc. I'm wondering if I've had them too close together?

"I tried separating the speakers further from each other so that the tweet paths would intersect closer to my listening position, and it definitely affected the tonal balance... considerably brighter, and the imaging seemed more in focus... vocals centered solidly between the speakers, etc. I'm wondering if I've had them too close together?"

Sounds like it.

You can try a slight toe out as well and see what that does if needed.

thanks again for this thread....

I had a pair of 100's and didn't like the lack of image focus. I also felt like the center stage was pushed back when it should have been....well....more front-center to my taste. I talked to John at Ohm about this and he made a VERY convincing argument to let him send me another set of more 'forward' drivers with an extension of the normal 120 day audition. He gave me a lesson about speaker voicing and 'west coast' vs "east coast' sound. I was simply stunned by his professionalism and dedication. I decided, however, that I would refuse John's efforts as I knew I had mentally moved away from the omni directional sound and didn't want to waste any more of this guys time. I do recommend his speaks VERY highly and recognize that he is fighting for and earning every customer. Once I construct a second system, I'll be back to the Ohms if for no other reason than to keep a guy like him in business. For me, the truth is...I didn't really find the sound I was looking for until I got a tube amp. now I wonder what that Ohm would sound like with some KT88s pushing them!.