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

Carja - I posted some comments on your system page. When you say you moved them in a bit and were surrounded by sound, does that mean you are getting more depth of soundstage?

I posted this to Carja's system thread but am including here also in case of value to others:

I think the key to soundstage depth with the OHMS is distance from rear wall (several feet if possible) + some degree of sound reflectivity off the rear wall. The sliding glass door can work to your advantage with this but not if the speakers are too close to the wall.

Distance from rear and side walls is needed to get adequate delay for reflected sound to produce needed spatial queues for widest and deepest soundstage.

Since OHM omni sound output is attenuated by default to the rear to accomodate placement closer to walls desired by many for practical reasons, having a surface behind that refelcts the sound more can actually help to retain the needed reflected sound levels desired since the speakers are further out from the rear wall than intended and reflected sound levels lower in magnitude as a result compared to say a pure omni which will produce higher sound levels reflected from rear (and side) walls and when set up properly with distance from walls produce very deep soundstage.

This is what you would hear with a true omni like mbl set up with 5 feet or more distance from rear and side walls.

There are some good references on the internet that explains the geometry of stereo soundstage imaging and how distance from walls of 5 feet or greater in a typical set up is generally needed for best results. The listeners position in terms of distance to speakers relative to distance traveled by side and rear reflected sound is also a key factor.

Also note that the addjustments on the 5000s are useful for boosting bass levels somewhat as may often be needed when speakers are far away from walls with less bass level reinforcement. Without these adjustments, bass that sounds right closer to walls may be somewhat less if away from walls. However distance from walls is needed for the biggest and deepest soundstage. It is a dilemma. OHM does not suggest 5 feet or more distance from the rear wall. That kind of common setup as recommended is a good compromise for most in that speaks are out of the way, bass levels good, but soundstage maybe not as deep as might be, if that is something that matters to you. ITs probably a lesser consideration for most, so a reasonable solution.

FWIW, in my main rig with the 5s, I keep speaks over 5 feet out from rear wall and 4 feet or so from sides, the most possible in a fairly long and narrow room.

In my 2 channel a/v rig where the 100s reside, they are closer to the rear wall for WAF and other practical reasons in our heavily used family room. SOundstage is not as deep, but still pretty good.

Finsup the 4000's are set at the factory, but John Strohbeen (the president) is very reachable by phone and would be happy to talk with you about your particular room. The 4000's are cheaper by $1000 so one has to decide if the flexibility is worth it. I personally find that the adjustments are subtle and the instructions that come with the units are helpful. For example, there are recommended settings for corner placement, wall placement, and room placement that come with the 5000's. I personally wouldn't want a different set of speakers- I LOVE these units, and everyone who has heard them votes the same.

Bondman yes that is correct; I already had a lot, especially when I was well back and slightly above my normal listening chair by sitting in my adjacent dining room. At that point, some 30 feet or more away, it was like sitting in the balcony of a live performance.

Thanks mapman- I posted a comment in my system page.

BTW I think that Pacific Valve sells top notch tube equipment and accessories, but I know that off brand Chinese imports are not everybody's cup of tea- the resell value is not so good, and there is not a prestige factor.

Thanks Mapman and Carja. I'd love to get my 2000s farther away from the back and side walls, but I have very little space to work with. The speakers are in an alcove of my 22' X 18' basement (with only 6' ceilings). The alcove is only about 9 or 10 ft. wide, and my seating position is about 12 ft from the front wall. So, with the 2000s about 3' away from the front wall, and about 2 to 2.5' away from the side walls, the speakers are barely 5' apart. Any closer together, and they would obscure the Plasma TV. I do have some acoustic foam at driver height behind and to the sides of the speakers, and I am thinking of removing at least the foam that is along the front wall.

So, if I am understanding this correctly, Mapman thinks my Plasma TV centered on the front wall between the Ohms might be a good thing as is, while Carja would suggest covering up the TV with curtains for critical listening. Hmmm. What to do?

I love the sound I have now, but there is not much depth, so I will continue to experiment.

By the way, a local speaker builder has a wonderful web site with many interesting essays on hi-fi, including some on omnidirectional speakers. Check it out:

http://www.parallelhomeaudio.net/PAMain.html

I don't expect a wall mount TV alone to make much difference. Maybe somewhat more so if low enough to be at the primary reflection points on the rear wall based on where you listen from.