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
austingonzo...

As a native New Yawkah I can tell you that John S. is an absolutely trustworthy and honest business man. I have the good fortune of residing within driving distance of the Ohm factory, in my county of birth, Brooklyn. 

A few years back I drove to Massachusetts to pick up a pair of used Walsh 2’s. I had no idea then that the company was still operating.  I bought them because I remember how good they sounded when I first heard them at a friend’s house waaaaaay back in high school. They were in as expected condition, operating well, but with both cans dented and some veneer issues.  No big deal really. 

I googled “Ohm” and discovered they were still in business - and in Brooklyn!  I sent John an email explaining my situation and he offered a few options I could consider. I went for the update option, new this, new that.  All for under $1k. I drove with the speakers to the factory and dropped them. 

The upgrades took about a week or two. I picked them up, wired ‘em in, and...wow.  I had the same speakers I drove 250 miles to pick up, only now the sound was measurable superior. After about a week the highs on the left speaker disappeared.  Poof!  No drama, no smoke, just no sound.  I called John and he said to bring them back.  A loosely soldered wire was fixed. Bingo. 

To shorten this story, I loved those speakers. The three trips back and forth totaled 300 miles for me. Ohm is special - different. Unique. So is the company. Talking with the guy who owns the company, someone who actually gives a hoot about quality and customer satisfaction is increasingly rare. Best of luck with yours, and enjoy!
Great guy, great company and best of all, located in my place of birth, Brooklyn. 
oblgny
As a native New Yawkah I can tell you ... I have the good fortune of residing within driving distance of the Ohm factory, in my county of birth, Brooklyn.
I'm not a New Yorker, but Brooklyn is not a county. It's one of the five boroughs of New York City and is located in Kings County.

Goodness!  I'm not sure how anyone got the impression I have a trust issue with John.  The trust issue is with UPS.

John and I had a discussion about how to return the drivers for maintenance.  I assumed he had a reverse logistics solution in place to send out call tags and packing materials.  No sirree!  He trusts UPS about as much as he can throw them, as witnessed by the excess of packaging noted by previous posters when shipping new product.

Our conversation consisted of his recommending that I take the drivers to the UPS office and let THEM choose the packaging (double boxed at a minimum) and insure the hell out of them.

John said or did nothing to shake my confidence in him.

-austingonzo
Very interesting thread. It’s taken me some time to get through all of it. I’ve come to a couple of conclusions regarding these:
-they are nearly universally beloved by their owners 
-they are image champs 
-although not particularly sensitive to placement, they require some experimentation for optimal results
-they require fairly signification amperage to get the most out of them
-they are sufficiently resolving to display the differences in associated gear
-fit, finish and construction quality is sub par (though if this makes a difference, it is apparently not reflected in the sound quality and is offset by the outstanding customer service).
-the owner is accessible and very helpful
  I’ll be downsizing soon to a condo, and sold my home theater speakers. I’m
interested in acquiring a new set of speakers that will work well in the new environs. I was all set to go with a set of Tekton Electrons when I heard YouTube reviews from Steve Guttenberg and Z regarding these and have read and heard all I could about them. I believe the 2000’s would be comparable to the Electrons and they’re less expensive. I’d welcome any owner feedback, particularly those who are familiar with the Tekton house sound.