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

I haven't posted to this thread for a while as I've been changing components over (and over again) the past year. I have Ohm Walsh 5000 prototypes in 5-S3 cabinets. It has been months of changing out electronics, cables etc. and listening to get to this point. More than once, I thought I knew what the Ohms were capable of; The Ohms proved me wrong. In my experience, they have more to offer as you match your gear and move up the electronics food chain. They are very neutral speakers. My Ohms have been much like the proverbial "chameleon." The quality of their sound has changed and improved as the system of electronics in front of them has been optimized. Others, (Mapman) have noted that Ohms have the ability to be better with better gear. As I have matched and upgraded electronics, cables, and even my ac outlet, the sound of the Ohms improved in quality too. I spoke to a very high end dealer once who bluntly stated "you need different speakers." That's been a recurring theme I've read and heard. I don't know about older Ohm models, but the modern Ohms are quality.

There is a lesson I have learned. System building takes more patience than I like. Seems that sometimes it takes more time, trial and error than I wanted to deal with. I didn't know these speakers could be this good but I continued to experiment with different electronics, power cords etc. As I went through component changes, I thought the sound of the Ohms was improving but realized it was still unsatisfying. I practically gave up. But, I learned that you have to stick with speakers sometimes and continue to experiment upstream. One find along the way was Auricle Audio interconnects. They are great and a bargain! The other find was the Maestro ac outlet some of you have read about. Each of these has contributed to the enhanced performance of the Ohm speakers in my system. The sound quality of the Ohms can go where you take them.

Foster - I couldn't agree more! I was gradually upgrading my electronics and cables, and eventually realized that I had taken my old speakers as far as they could go. In the year that I've had the Walsh 2000s, I have made some upgrades - a new DAC, moddified my turntable, a new cartridge, and a new preamp. In each case, the 2000s revealed the differences. Although I am really enjoying my system right now, I agree with you that I can only benefit from further system improvements.

Don't worry about that dealer; I bet he'd say that about any speaker he didn't carry. People who discredit Ohm products either haven't heard them or haven't heard them in a good system that is well set up. Even people who have had Ohms in the past and moved on generally speak highly of Ohm's speakers.

Interestingly, John Strohbeen told me that he does not do trade shows for that very reason - too little time to do it right and show his products properly.

John S. really has a talent for voicing loudspeakers. All we consumers have to do is add the right electronics, cables and a proper set up to benefit more fully from this talent!

YEs, I find with the OHMs, it is much like making really good soup. All the ingredients matter and attention to detail 9and some patience) is the key to getting really good results.

Foster, I know all teh gyrations you have gone through so I am very happy that your patience and attention to detail appears to be paying off.

BTW, after bringing in the 100S3s and later the 5S3s, the only part of my system at the time that did not change as well towards the goal of optimizing performance was my Linn Axis turntable, speaker wires and Denon103R cart. Everything else changed including amp (twice), pre-amp + phono pre-amp, DAC and ICs. So pretty much nothing remained the same. But it was all worth it.....

I just found this thread and had to voice my experiences with Ohm speakers.
My first experience with anything Ohm happened around 1974 when I purchased a pair of Infinity Monitor speakers. These speakers used an inverted Ohm tweeter, a mini Ohm speaker (maybe 3 inches tall?) mounted upside down. The only problem is I kept blowing them. The guy at the stereo place was getting tired of replacing the drivers and offered to let me try out some Ohm F's. I take them home and set them up (I had no idea what I was doing). I had a Phase Linear 400 amp that I drove them with. They sounded very good but seemed like they were missing something so I took them back and got the other speakers. As soon as I got back and hooked those up and turned them on, I knew immediately I had made a big mistake. The Ohms were far superior. Not only that, there isn't a more fun speaker to watch work!!! :-)

The mid 80's rolled around and I started moving to CD's. I needed a new stereo setup since my old one was long gone. So I purchased a pair of Walsh 4's and a Carver M1.5t amp and 4000t preamp. It was like a match made in heaven. The Walsh 4's could take just about anything the M1.5t could throw at them (I would routinely push 500 - 600 watts per channel at them) without strain. I was reading here about the lack of low bass punch with Ohms. Ohms need power and lots of it. To get an Ohm to open up and sound like they should requires good clean power. My 4's are currently sitting in storage with blown drivers (thanks to my kids when they were younger) awaiting the new Walsh 5 upgrade. In the mean time I've had 2 pairs of Walsh 2's in my living room. While they don't have the same punch or tonal quality as the 4's, they sound excellent. At first they sounded a little muffeled until I got brave enough to crank in the power. Once I did, the memories of the 4's started coming back. While they can't handle the power and start to sound strained when really pushed, I've listened to high quality recordings at natural levels with them and they are very easy to listen to. The sound stage is vintage Ohm with everything placed precisely.

I blew one of the 2's by accident. My receiver was out for repair and I use the Carver M1.5t for the front channels. I had a direct connection from my laptop to the amp when the mini stereo plug fell out. The amp graciously allocated all of it's power to that speaker and... well, just say Walsh 2's don't like 750 watts at once.

But all is not lost, just ordered another pair of Walsh 2's off of eBay for $240 until I can save up for my Walsh 5000 upgrade.
But based on what I've heard, I won't be changing speaker brands, I love my Ohm's!