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

One thing I notice about Shahinian versus OHM is Shahinian has a forward firing woofer I believe. The OHM Walsh driver fires downward. A forward firing driver might impart more low end impact that can be felt to a listener sitting in front than a downward firing in that more sound reaches the listener directly, all other factors aside.

This difference in the presenation of OHm Walsh speakers is something that people should be aware of and I believes help drive the need for higher power amps. Those who are used to speaker or subwoofer drivers firing directly at them might be put off by a seeming lack of impact by the Walsh drivers in comparison. A smaller percentage of the sound produced reaches your ears directly with the OHMS or even other mostly omni designs, like mbl. Once you feed these enough power to really energize the entire room (not just your listening position), things start to really shape up.

"Rebbi- do you miss them?"

I don't think Reb will know for sure until he has evaluated the MErlin monitors.

From what I know, I think those are a good choice for assessing what is possible with monitors and the Merlins are probably a good choice for what appears to be a pretty lively room in Rebbi's case.

I tried to end my hunt with the Dynaudio monitors, and they came close, but no cigar in the end. I still like them enough to keep them though. They work as good as anything as a matter of fact in our small sunroom, which also happens to be the most lively room in our house.

I'd be curious to check out Shahinians, particularly the Compass. I'm in the area and I've been in touch with Vasken, so maybe sometime I'l get an audition. If I do, I'll report back...

I have a feeling I'd like the Compass, the only problem is they're larger than the MicroWalsh, and a lot more expensive (I think 4 or 5 times the price).

Just so you'll know, the Shahinian Hawks and Obelisks and Arcs all have a forward firing 8" woofer transmisiion line loaded terminated with a 10" rear firing weighted passive radiator.
I believe their bass power is a function of the loading with the passive.

Plinius SA100MkIII clips at 130W/channel, both channels driven.

Mapman has some interesting observations about the nature of bass from Ohms vs. conventional dynamic speakers. It bears repeating that, if you can achieve linear response and a seemless blend, a good subwoofer or two with the Ohm Walsh speakers makes for an appealing presentation, as far as I am concerned.

I have been aware of the excellent reputation of Shahinian speakers for years. The description Rpfef provided has great appeal to me. However, making what is for me a large financial commitment, sight unseen (and unheard), with no recourse other than selling them used if I don't like them, in my room, with my gear, was out of the question.

I fail to understand why Shahinian, which is more similar as a business to Ohm than dissimilar, can't offer an in-home trial period. Assuming Shahinian offered a model comparable in price to the Walsh 2000s, I would have loved to have both in my home for comparison, may the best speaker win. Well, in any event, I continue to enjoy my Ohms!