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Ownership and Review of a pair of Ohm Super Sound Cylinder

Greetings all - I recently ordered a pair of Ohm Super Sound Cylinder speakers, or SSC-4900's. They are in the middle of the Ohm Walsh lineup, and are about 38 inches tall and the cylinder cabinets about 12.5 inches in diameter.

Specs are listed at 88 dB for a 2.8 V input, and a response curve of +/- 3 dB from 25 to 20,000 Hz. 

This whole process is part of a "high end, high value, USA made two channel system" thread I started a couple of months ago on another forum. The electronics are the PS Audio Stellar Gain Pre-amp/DAC and a pair of PS Audio M700 mono amps.

The PS Audio equipment has already elevated the Axiom M100's and Martin Logan Electro Motion ESL speakers in terms of performance. The Axioms have a "twin" available in Brick and Mortar outlets from Bryston called the A1's. 

For reference, other speakers which we have or still have in house include: Klipsch LaScala II's, Legacy Signature SE's, Infinity IRS Sigmas, Ascend Sierras, PSB Strata Goldi, VMPS Super Towers and a host of other speakers. 

The Ohm Walsh speakers have been something about which I have read since 1977 (the year I got the audio bug), but have never had the chance to experience. The SSC-4900's sell for $4900 per pair, though the name and pricing are coincidental. The "4900" is due to the idea that the speakers are "almost a 5000", but with less controls - one switch vs. 4 for the 5000, but also a lower price.

John Strohbeen, who is he president at Ohm and who has been with them for almost 40 years, was gracious enough to spend an hour talking on the phone about our room, the associated gear, and also that there would be a review thread. It was after this discussion that we decided on the SSC-4900's. 

I am purchasing the speakers, not getting a review pair. They are under the 120 day return policy. John is well aware that my daughter sings opera, my son is adept at classical guitar, and that live music is the reference. He was actually quite pleased about this. 

This will be fun (at least for me), and hopefully informative. Comments are welcome. 

I honestly have no idea what to expect from the Walsh sound. They are so different from other speaker designs that the only thing to do is set them up properly and hear what happens! 
craigsub
craigsub OP
63 posts
 
Michiganbuckeye (yesterday was confusing for you??) … The subwoofer conversation started as a conversation about the F-1015's and the SSC-4900. I believe the F-5015's are about $11,000 to the SSC-4900's $4900. The $6100 difference is pretty large.

I was leaning towards the F-5015's, but John was looking for exposure in something that more people could afford. We discussed the subs I have here - including one from Rythmik, one from Power Sound Audio and the Axiom. The fact that all crossover and slopes are done in the digital domain, plus the response to 13 Hz anechoically, led John to give the nod to the Axioms with his speakers.

If you upgrade your speakers, adding a sub for the 10 to 30 Hz range will make a lot of sense. That being said, the F-5015's look awesome. Either choice will probably be worth the time and money. Has John given you any suggestions yet? They are running a Black Friday deal now (got a couple of emails about this) - maybe he can get you a deal on the 5015's. 
dep14
336 posts
 
Thanks Craig,

Nice comments and review.

Are you planning on setting up a center and surrounds from OHM?

Will the sub be as a .1 for theater use only, or are you thinking of setting it up line-level and crossing it at the sub?

Always interested as to how people integrate their 2 channel and surround systems.
jamming2tunes
1 posts
 
Bought a pair of what I believe are Ohm sound cylinder Pro-150’s locally for $200 last weekend.  They are in good shape and I did so really without knowing anything about Ohm other than 30 minutes research afforded.  Grabbed cash and bought on-site without listening.  Since then, I have included a freshly refoamed surround Optimus SW-12 12” passive woofer I’ve had around 20 years with a small Dayton Audio 2.1 amplifier that is careful not to over drive the cylinders.  So far, I am delighted with the performance and discovey of Ohm and what simplicity does for a small system.  Its been an inexpensive way to explore and get something truly pleasant outside traditional design.
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djones51
4,947 posts
 
I’ve had a pair of the Ohm 2000’s for about a month and they just seem to get better as time goes by. The bass on this model goes down to 32hz and that’s just about right for my tastes so I haven’t felt the need to supplement with a sub. The highs and mid range are very smooth and I can listen for hours without fatigue, from Mozart, Brubeck, Pink Floyd , Beatles no matter what I play they just fill the room with wonderful music. I still have a couple of months evaluation left but so far I don’t see me sending them back. I was in a shop about a week ago looking at amps and listened to some speakers that cost three times the Ohm 2000 and they did sound nice just not nice enough to change my mind.
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