OHM 3XO Factory Rebuild

I am new to Audiogon and enjoy all the various posts and have learned a lot in the short time here, so I figured it was my turn to chime in

I’m a lover of music, don’t consider myself an audiophile, but I do want the best out my system for the amount I’ve invested. ( and will keep investing) 

I was introduced to the OHM line of speakers from the gentleman I purchased my Jolida tube amp from this past winter. Long story short I ended up purchasing a pair  of OHM 3XO’s, vintage early 1990’s and thought they were wonderful.

Over several months I started switching between them and my 1978 vintage Cornwalls and noticed that the midrange on the OHMs seemed shadowed and not fully defined, though the treble and base were just fine

I contacted OHM and they stated they would rebuild each driver to new specs at what I considered an affordable price. So I removed them, packaged them up and sent them to NY.  Within 2 weeks I was notified that they drivers needed new surrounds and that they would also replace the capacitors and recommended a tweeter upgrade to their latest version found in their 3000 and 5000 series today

I agreed and in 2 weeks I received my drivers back, and impeccably packaged. For those that may know the OHM drivers, they sit on top of the speaker cabinet via a metal ring. Well the factory uses these rings as a support within the box so the driver is actually suspended in air. They actually cut a piece of plywood to match the diameter of the driver, which the ring is then attached to, and then that piece of plywood sits on another support with the box ( each driver has it’s own box) so there is no force put upon the outside of the driver housing during shipment, 

Each separate box was then placed inside a master box with corner protectors on all 4 corners, top and bottom, so the individual boxes could not move. I was thoroughly impressed.

The sound ?  Magnificent !

The midrange is spot on, even rivals the Cornwalls or better. The highs…well I’m hearing instruments ( finger cymbals, snare drum brushes and the like) in recordings I never knew were there. The bass is strong but  not as deep as the originals, which is OK…I use a sub to slightly augment ( which I have to also use with my Cornwalls)

Are they perfect ? No. Are my Cornwalls ? No. Are there better ? Of course. But for my listening and personal enjoyment, I am more than satisfied.

I will say, the staff at OHMs was fantastic. They are old school, treat every customer like they were their first, listen to their needs and offer choices across the board. Very refreshing to see in these times we live in.