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


Hi,

I'd love to hear the impressions of people who've actually spent some time with these speakers to share their sense of their plusses and minuses. Mapman here on Audiogon is a big fan, and has shared lots on them, but I'm wondering who else might be familiar with them.
rebbi
Thanks for the responses. I've already called John w/ questions & he's been very helpful. I've got them in a spare room hooked up to a radio, so I can run them 10 hours or so per day. Unfortunately, even though its a spare room, I can't really crank them up too much.

Batch
"Cranking" was a big part of the break-in process for me with my 5S3s. Any break in possible is a good thing though I would say.
How would I know when I've turned these things up too loud? This is just theoretical, but I want to know I'm not gonna damage anything. Running them with a Peachtree Nova, but I don't know what the dial levels mean as far as wattage output.
Rbf,

In general, listen for any audible signs of distortion or breakup usually due to amp clipping. When an amp clips, distortion will start to become audible during louder musical peaks and upping the volume further results in more distortion than increased volume as expected. I have never been able to overdrive any OHMs I have owned and get them to breakup otherwise. I suppose it is possible with a larger amp on a smaller OHM like a MWT. I doubt a Peachtree Nove would overdrive any OHM Walsh, so clipping as I described above is the thing most likely to watch out for.
Rbf,

For rock/prog/metal music at louder, real life type volumes, clipping is quite common with many amp/speaker combos. It comes into play gradually as volume goes up. If it is noticeable with the Nova/OHM combo, there are two possible solutions. A more powerful/beefier amp for use with the OHMS or more efficient speakers for use with the Nova. My recommendation for the best end results for that kind of music assuming one likes what the OHMs can do in general at lower to moderate volume before clipping might become a factor would be to get the biggest, beefiest amp possible for the OHMs. Class D amps can do this effectively in a smaller lighter package than other types if needed. That is how I ended up where I am today to max out performance of my big OHM 5s. Smaller OHMS in smaller rooms will be less demanding of the amplification.