Any Ohm Walsh owners using tube amp?

Thx for all the feedback. My room is approximately 13 x 18 with a ceiling rising from 8 to 18 due to an arched ceiling and stairs bisecting the room up to the 2nd floor. 60 tube watts would be more than I have now and is tempting as I have never had a tube amp. But the tube pre  to Class D or A option could be a better way to go given others experience. I guess I need to do more research. My wife would love me to get down to 1 system in this room (2 now), the fewer pieces the better. So that may mean a good hybrid integrated....

Ohm Walsh's do seem to like good control over the bass, and most tube amps, due to the output transformers, tend to have a lower dampening factor.  That helps explain the tendency for many Ohm owners to go for higher powered Class D amps. 

That said, I have a set of Ohm 1000s and recently went from a 150 watt/ch Hypex amp to a Class A Schiit Aegir amp that is only about 30 watts a channel into 6 ohms. So far, I have been really pleased; the improvement in the clarity of the midrange has been very noticeable for me. The power does limit my max average volume to around 85 dB, but that happens to correspond with my personal max listening volume these days.  But, that gets to one of my biggest rules -- it is important to have an accurate read of your listening preferences. "Loud" or "medium" by themselves won't do it. Get a sound level meter.

However, we moved recently and the Ohm 1000s are at least one model size too small for the new listening room. I'm actually debating whether I should move to a pair of Ohm 2000s or get myself a subwoofer and only run the 1000s above the crossover point.  It'll be interesting to find out where I end up.

I have slightly upgraded Walsh 3's and I'm running them with a CJ Classic 60SE (60 wpc). I've had these speakers longer than ANY piece of equipment (7+ years) and this combo is my favorite sounding setup yet. However, I've moved to a bigger house and in my current room (20x15x8), my CJ runs out of gas around 95-100 dB. At 90 dB and below, it sounds amazing, and the bass is impressive. (Full disclaimer... I "cheat" by using a Schiit Loki and I DO crank the bass/treble). When I had this system in a smaller room, volume was never an issue.

I agree with Mapman, I have walsh2 upgraded to super 2-2000.I use 
a Modright tube preamp with a Threshold 200 class A amp. I use a Hsu sub too.The sound is amazing. I have heard a similar setup as mine with Mac tubes,it sounded great but had no where near the punch my combo had or the resolution.

You could try adding a powered sub using something like a mini DSP to take things to the next level. That would open up many options for the main amps if still needed.

Hello Mapman, Thank you for your feedback. I have read your comments on Ohms for years and they in part were why I upgraded from C2s to the Walshs, which were a great move. So much appreciated.  Mine are original cabs which John upgraded to the S3 version before shipping to me almost 10 years ago. I have always enjoyed them even though I had the nagging feeling that they could be more. I spoke to John a few years ago about the 2000 upgrade but the cost of shipping was a killer and I didnt feel adept enough to do it myself. Had to retire soon after and so different economics. I have run the units with variously a Mac MA5100, MC250, ATI 1502, SAE 2200. They definitely responded better to more power but I liked the Mac sound especially the MC250 the best, a little warm and I guess tube like. Worked best for my room and the music I listen to.  I had looked at Class D before and listened to a few versions from Rogue and some others about 5 years ago but was not taken. However, I assume the technology has come a long way since then. I keep reading that anyway. We are store-less out here so anything is a risk new or used. Just happened to luck out, finally, on a long ago investment that suddenly took off in this crazy economy. Wife initially said just buy a new system (your "final" so to speak) but with other needs (16 yr old Honda, new flooring) I figure I am more in the realm of $5k max and preferably around $3k. I think I should be able to do ok with that. Been leaning to an integrated just because space is at a premium. I will do some more research on the tube pre with D amp option. Thanks. ALoha. 

You certainly can use a tube amp. Those I am aware of that have seem to then lean towards adding a sub. They are not explicitly designed for tube amps but not to say it might not work well in some cases.

I have the the exact same model. Personally I and others have found Class D amps to be the best match to get the most out of the Walsh speakers. A tube preamp is a very good option if you have a Class D amp that matches well to higher output impedance of most tube preamps.

i have used zero feedback SS amps with mine and did not care for it. Sound was warmer but muddy and not well defined especially in the bass. Muddy bass tends to also obscure midrange detail. Dynamics were also compressed. Have never tried a tube amp personally. Couldn’t be happier with Class D for those Ohms.

try 4 or 6 ohm output taps on that amp rather than 8 if available. Does that make a difference?