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

Finally the Omni Harmonizer super tweeter arrived yesterday. First order of business was to make sure they were in good working order. Hooking them up to the amp output and slowly turning up the volume, they began to sing but I heard nothing special or magical. Next, I added the Ohm 3000 with the O.H. super tweeter running in parallel. First impression was different than what I had expected. Having lived with the ribbon on my Dali Helicon 300 for many years, those Dali ribbons infuse dazzle and sparkle. The O.H. on the other hand are every bit as extended at the top end but are more polite and reserved than your traditional ribbon tweeters. I assume this has to do with the O.H. AMT tweeter's lower distortion figues. In any case, subjectively I chose to set the O.H. attenuation at 0 db. The O.H. are a definite improvement over the Ohm 3000 own built in dome super tweeters, which in comparison, I would describe as slow and dull.

I saved the best for last, because the biggest improvement was down in the midrange as others who have experimented with super tweeters have mentioned. The Ohm 3000 on their own do have a vagueness or slight diffuse center image. The O.H. adds midrange bloom and body which stabilizes vocals and helps to create that believable phantom center image. It's startling at times when the vocalist seemingly materializes in your listening room. The improved midrange also make it impossible to hear where the O.H. AMT's 7 KHz crossover kicks in. Both Ohm and AMT drivers are fast and worked together as one.

All listening was done using only CDs as a source. I'll try to get my daughter to help me put up a You Tube of the Ohm 3000 and Omni Harmonizer playing together soon.

Finsup,

I use my Ohm 100s with Rythmik subs. I use an Audyssey enabled Onkyo pre-pro to integrate the subs and provide room correction. The system sounds awfully good and I think it's going on 2 years without a component change - probably a personal best!

Marty

Finsup: My 2-channel chain does not include any DSP. However, when I listen in surround, my AVR applies Pioneer's MCACC, and I do notice a smoother quality to the sound. Note that I run my 2000s with a pair of Vandersteen 2Wq subs with Vandy HP-5 crossovers. I have never felt the need for any EQ in the bass, but maybe it would help things.

Tobeornottobe: Fascinating post! I have often wondered what my Ohms would sound like with a pricier tweeter. Did you disconnect the Ohm Walsh super tweeter, or does it continue to run alongside the Omni Harmonizers? FWIW, I have no issues with a solid center image. If anything, it is too centered and narrow. That may be due to room treatments (mostly Auralex foam panels). I have removed some of them, and may remove more.

Tobeornottobe: I just read the Audiophile Voice review linked at the M&D web site. Interesting. I do wonder, though: Where did you place the Omni-Harmonizers? The Walsh caps are not totally flat, and I would bet John Strohbeen would not approve of placing anything atop them, much less the Omni-Harmonizers that must be fairly heavy. I would think it would interfere with the upward radiation of the Walsh drivers, no? One of the things I love about the Ohms is the floor-to-ceiling imaging. I'd hate to compromise that.

Bondmanp, the Ohm walsh dome tweeters were never disconnected. And I had no issue walking around the room and still getting that huge stable soundstage Ohm walsh driver are famous for with the O.H. connected. The issue of the center image being slightly diffuse may be room dependent but I'm referring to the O.H. ability to give that image more weight and body.