Ohm Speakers Status Update

One day before too much time passes...we are in an apartment temporarily with little insulation. We had em cranked pretty good for tonights movie. :) My temp cure is thru adding high freq eq and that makes them tolerable but these are seriously lacking up high. We will see what the replacement tweeters do for me that hopefully are not more than a week or two away.

Happy to read that Ohm will continue to offer their lines of omnis to those that appreciate what they do so well. *S*

Alas, a lack of disposable (or distributable, if you prefer) sums preclude that investment in a pair or 2.....But, my quest in diy'ing Walsh drivers allows me to enjoy a similar result for a fraction of the outlay.

Oh, tonal balance is easy to tweak with a decent eq, and they respond well to room eq programs....

Not everyones' cup of stimulant, but such is audio prefs...;)

Play Loud, J

I truly regret I never got to meet John or talk to him before he passed, I have no doubt I would have liked him.

Yup...Evan clearly has learned from the best.  RIP, John, your baby is in good hands.

That’s fantastic!   Glad to hear the good customer service continues in the post John Strohbeen era. 

Hi all!  My Ohm 2000s are NOT equipped with an adjustment for tweeter level. I confirmed that today by removing the speaker connecting panel and there was nothing behind it but wire going to the speaker in the top of the cabinet. THat said I sent an email to Evan about 3pm and before 5:30 he had responded to my comments about a lack of high end with the following words:

I hesitate to open them up lest I break something so I dont know for sure. All I have to go on at this point is Evan's statement that there was no way to adjust the tonal balance on my particular pair. I think I am going to contact him and ask what it would take to do the upgrade. Since i am a retired electronics tech hi might allow me under warranty to do the upgrade. We will see

To be honest, I really don't want to name the brand because they have a strong following and lots of people that love their speakers...and just because they weren't my cup of tea...so what....they don't deserve me saying anything negative.

@livinon2wheels   does that mean that the newer ohm speakers do have the adjustment...but you have to open them up to get to it?

I contacted Evan about the muted high end response and asked him about the adjustment hidden behind the connection terminals and he said it didnt exist. Since the pair I bought came from their refurb store, I may have an older model that does not offer the tweeter adjustment. That said I have a pre-processor that has parametric eq built in that can be adjusted manually and I have been playing with that to get the voicing right. I'm not there yet but its much better than they were as delivered. Due to these speakers having such a wide soundstage and sweet spot I will be keeping them. No way they go back after my trial period is over. I have to say they need very little help on the low end. Not quite extended enough for home theater or the extreme low end offered by pipe organs, but for most other music, its hard to find fault. I have been running the 2000s as the front pair in my temporary system until we can get moved back in the house and I find them wonderful in home theater duty, maybe the best I have ever had. Paired with a normal 2 way center channel speaker from JBL, dialogue is nice and clear and the rest of the soundtrack has this wonderful broad sweet spot that allows sitting way off axis and you miss nothing. Surely couldnt say that about the speakers I had before.

@snapsc This has never been an issue with my Ohm Walsh 2000s, and I have owned them since 2009.  They do convey whatever soundstage width is in the recording.  That can range from a near surround sound effect on recordings that use phase trickery to move sound about the room, to mono source material, in which there is some width to the sound, but it is all between the two speakers.  Mono sound isn't artificially stereo sounding, but neither is it so narrow as to fit between one's ears.  But put on a hi res track from Porcupine Tree, and you will just sink into the sound as it envelopes your entire room and beyond!

"That is good news. Would be nice if another certain CT speaker builder would follow suite."

Guessing you mean Omega, or an outside contender Source Loudspeaker Technologies?

@tksteingraber 

absolutely...and the very wide dispersion speakers are the only speakers that have resulted in this "phenomenon".

Currently I have the LRS+ paired with a 15" sealed sub.  Great combination but as you know, the listening position is on two people wide and seated...but in the listening position they sound really, really good.  

You can tell people love their Ohms as they almost never come up for resale.

I have not experienced what you describe with my Ohm Walsh Tall 2000’s.  Live recordings with these Ohm’s are so real and  lifelike.  Have you tried those tracks on another speaker to confirm it is your speakers and not something else?

I have not. Ohm Walsh have controlled dispersion and are not full Omni. That alone is a big difference

I have a question about the Ohm sound as relates to the wide dispersion.

A year ago, I purchased a pair of almost 180 wide dispersion bookshelf speakers made by a well respected small manufacturer.  For about half of the music I listen to they were incredible...almost lifelike.  But for the other half, the imaging was so diffuse that it almost seemed like I was listening in a large cathedral with a lot of echo and reverb.  At first I wondered if they were out of phase....Nope....so I tried many different toe in toe out and tilt up tilt down and repositioning closer and further from each other and from the walls...and I could never get rid of the hall effect.

My question for the people who own the current Ohms...has anyone noticed something similar with them and if so, might it be the wide/omni dispersion?

@livinon2wheels Understood.  If you think the Walsh's work a trick on film sound, try a mono recording.  You barely miss stereo!

@koestner - I should have said 'an order of magnitude' - thanks for pointing out the true meaning of quantum in that context. I should have known better.

@bondmanp - I appreciate your insight on placement. While I would love to have all the equipment racks off to one side, the layout of the room doesnt permit me that possibility. The good news is that the proposed rack/cabinet is a low boy design in keeping with the desired screen size of 85" which should not impact sound as much as a tall rack would. And given the Ohms like to be out a bit from the wall that should reduce the impact of the low boy cabinet on sound. I love the wide sweet spot with the Walshes it really makes movie and television content come to life even if not sitting in the middle - which I never am if the wife is there with me

@unsound I was under the impression that, although current Ohm Walsh models use fairly standard drivers, that they are still configured to use the bending wave principle off the back of the drivers. 

@livinon2wheels As a happy owner of 2000s for over 14 years, I am excited for you.  Using the end of the room with the lowest ceiling makes sense, as it forms sort of a theater-like room shape.  However, many feel that equipment racks should not be on the the same plane or wall as the speakers.  Something to play around with, perhaps.  As for avoiding subs, the Walsh Talls are full range.  That said, I love what my 2000s do in combo with a pair of subs, in my case, a pair of Vandersteen 2Wq subs with MHP5 crossovers.  Another thing to consider.

Not everyone agrees that the newer models are better or even as good as the original Ohm’s with true bending wave Walsh drivers.

I understand what you mean when you say "a quantum level better", but a quantum level is about the smallest change possible, not a huge difference. I'm not trying to be a PIA, and it just struck me kind of funny.

I hope to join this merry band of Omni Ohm lovers fairly soon. Having ooohed and aahed over a set of Ohm As I heard back in college circa1972, it remains one of my pinnacle listening experiences in my life. And I am told the current generation of these unusual speakers are now a quantum level better than the originals in sound quality. That is almost impossible to comprehend.

I think I am going to start with a pair of Tall 2000s for my office/music room and if I like them as well as I think I will, go about rebuilding the 3 systems scattered through the main level of my house with the appropriate size Walsh speakers. I am considering for the main listening/theater room a set of 4 F5s with appropriate 500 wpc amplification and Yamaha A8a receiver used in preamp mode only. I am hoping that will provide enough low frequency support that I will not want separate subwoofers. My main listening room is a 15x18 room with a sloped ceiling going from 10' to 20'. The sloped part angles up from right to left when facing the interior short wall. Rather than set everything up on the short wall where everything is asymmetric, I think I am going to nest the equipment rack, tv and LCR speakers on the long wall with the short ceiling. Anyone have any input on what orientation would be best for overall sound quality?

Agree, my Ohm Walsh Tall 2000’s are set up working off a corner in my living space and I am continually amazed how they integrate so well in this tough location. Every upgrade and tweak I add they just keep sounding better. I keep thinking what is the point where these will no longer improve but they keep exceeding my expectations. Very happy owner here!

Reflecting on this thread, I most appreciate that my Ohm Walsh Tall 3000s integrate into my living space so well. No problem being about 16"-18" from my front wall (145 year old brick, 11" high).  They are unobtrusive standing as these beautiful sapele wood 12" sq. columns of sound. I think they are about 42" tall.  And love that the "sweet spot" doesn't tie you to a small area. Very open. 

I've owned my Walsh 4's since 1986; rebuilt twice by JS in 1998 & 2021.

Still my benchmark speaker bar none.

Delighted that OHM is still around and able to sell and service these wonderful speakers.

I wish you well Evan.

@cdc 

I think you mean suit. Which builder are you referring to?

Ohm informed me that they are close to finishing a showroom and listening room.

That is good news. Would be nice if another certain CT speaker builder would follow suite.

@oldaudiophile, a parallel universe story.

My sister had a pair of Ohm bookshelf speakers (Cs or Ds) from her first marriage.  Her new husband had Bose 901s.  I helped install them in the rec room and living room respectively.  My brother-in-law didn't care about differences but my sister preferred listening to the Ohms.  I did too. but admittedly I'm not a Bose fan, having very briefly owned a pair myself.

Some years later she complained they no longer sounded good.  A quick investigation showed the woofer surrounds failed, so I helped get those re-foamed.  Now after she has owned them >40 years they still sound good.

Somehow I'm on the mailing list for Ohm and the announcement I received indicated the move from Brooklyn to Bridgeport.  It read like full operations there now.

The attenuation switch seems like it would be a good selling point for ohm and should be described on their website and included in their manuals. 

@bondmanp I bought mine used a several months ago and verified they are 2017-18 production.  The switch is on the internal crossover board.  You have to remove the speaker connector plate and pull it carefully out to access the switch.  Evan from Ohm verified it was available and how to set the switch since it’s only marked with a red dot at one of the settings.  Made a nice improvement not just the tweeter but overall too.

@tksteingraber Your 2000s have a tweeter attenuation switch? That used to be available only in the 5000s, IIRC. My 2000s are an early production pair, and lack any controls. When did you buy yours?

I also have my Ohm Walsh Tall 2000’s set up in a very similar configuration.  1 foot from wall, 6 feet apart with my audio/video cabinet between them and 10 feet from main listening seat.  Set up diagonally off a corner with a single sub in corner. My room is open design 24’x16’ with 9’ average vaulted ceiling and hardwood floors with rugs.  Being semi omni speakers the only treatments needed was a corner bass trap in the corner behind them.  Agree you can move around the room with minimal SQ drop. I agree the sound is just so realistic and sounds more like live music than other speakers I have owned.  Just love these speakers in my living space.

Fyi- are you aware that the new Ohm versions have a 3 position attenuator switch on the crossover board. Off/Med(factory setting)/High located behind the speaker terminals.  When I received my speakers they seemed a bit veiled and dull.  When I switched the attenuator off  my room came alive. This may not apply to everyone but a nice hidden feature that allows you to adjust to your liking. 

@veemike -- "Keep in mind that these speakers have a wide sweet spot. You are not cemented to a tightly defined listening position."

I have a set of Ohm 1000s that I really, really enjoy. Besides their very natural voicing, I agree that one of their other best traits is the enormous sweet spot.  I can't tell you how much I enjoy being able to move around and have the sound image remain realistic, unlike most speakers where the presentation goes south as soon as you're out of the one magic spot. 

The best description for me is it is like listening to live music.  It is still realistic no matter where you are in the room. 

@veemike my big Ohm F5s I’ve owned since 2008 are set up in a very similar configuration in my decent size L shape room. Listening to them as I type. They are tuned in perfectly these days and oh my. 

The new Ohm facility is around the corner, literally, from where I grew up and went to grammar school 55-60 years ago - 540 Barnum Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06608. They are occupying space in the old Singer Sewing Machine that was HQ and manufactured back-in-the-day in Bridgeport. 

Ohm informed me that they are close to finishing a showroom and listening room. 

With help from Evan at Ohm I ended up placing my Walsh Tall 3000 only about 12" from the front wall and only about 6.5' apart with me in a listening position 9' away. That would not have been (and wasn't) my idea of a proper setup for these omni directional speakers. I was more inclined to set up per PS Audio's Paul McGowan's The Loudspeaker suggestions.  But Evan knew instantly that their speakers break the mold of the typical box speaker.  So they are sounding best 12" from front wall, 6.5' apart and almost 9' from my listening position. 

Keep in mind that these speakers have a wide sweet spot. You are not cemented to a tightly defined listening position. 

@veemike Veemike, when you say "(the) new shop is in Bridgeport, Conn.", does that mean there is a shop there where one could hear the new Ohm stuff?  If so, name of the shop & address, please?  Also, do you know if the Ohm factory or headquarters has a sound or showroom?

Also, with respect to room placement, I haven't read much about this relative to the new Ohm speakers.  How do you think they would do in a 30' X 18' living room with wall-to-wall carpeting, the usual comfy furniture, 9' solid wood ceiling and 7.5" solid wood walls (log cabin)?  The wall behind the speakers, however, would be typical sheet rock.  Also, my particular room placement constraints would not allow me to put more than 2' behind speakers and the sheetrock wall and wouldn't allow more than 6.5 feet separation between left & right channels.  Listening position or sweet spot would be approximately 9' from the speakers.  Room placement makes all the difference with most speakers.

@bondmanp You mentioned the names of two speaker bands I adored.  Heard a pair of NHT floor-standers probably around 30 years ago that were absolutely stunning (in a good way, of course)!  Can't remember the model number.

As for the Paradigm, I owned a pair of Monitor 9 that I loved for about 20 years or so.  I upgraded them around 3 or 4 years ago to a pair of Revel F206.  Like my old Ohm C, all my audiophile friends with much more expensive systems than mine were amazed by the Paradigm and just couldn't believe they sounded significantly better than their much more expensive speakers.  Only reason I upgraded them (speakers; not my audiophile friends) was because I upgraded my amp.  This speaker upgrade, like most, was not an easy one!  I, and an audiophile friend, spent the better part of 6 or 7 months on an intensive quest to find something that would wow me significantly above & beyond the old Paradigm, eventually seriously auditioning somewhere around 16 or 17 different brands & models.  I was trying to keep the upgrade budget under 3K (new or gently used).  While I found a few things that were at least as good as my old Paradigm, when most people "upgrade", so to speak, I think they/we want demonstrably better.  Personally, I want that "wow" feeling, especially when spending serious cash.  Ultimately, I discovered I wasn't going to get that for less than 3.5k.  The best I and my audiophile friend heard on this quest within that price point was a pair of used Aerial Acoustics 6T that could have been had for around 3.5K (7K new).  Unfortunately, these babies really require more juice than my amp can provide in order to really make them sing.  This is the major daunting issue about this "hobby", isn't it?  Ultimately, one "upgrade" leads to another until you are faced with upgrading the biggest and most important component of them all ... your house ... or building a dedicated sound room.

@oldaudiophile Interesting. When I worked briefly at Sixth Avenue Electronics in NJ, we sold Bose and a few decent brands, like NHT and Paradigm.  The Bose were on display only in a separate alcove.  They were not allowed to be displayed where they could be compared to other speakers.  That was the Bose rule!

Two years with my Walsh Talls 3000. 11' ceilings in a factory loft setting, brick walls front and 28' behind me. Expansive sound stage and no big deal with moving out of a sweet spot position.  

The new shop is in Bridgeport, Conn. - a block form where I grew up and went to school through 6th grade. 

Years ago I had an Ohm F and had a love hate relationship with them and finally sold the less that a year after I bought them. They sounded great, but I had a few issues with them. Some was the design and some was the room and some was me.☺️

I am glad to hear that the company is still with us and look forward to hearing a newer version in a proper room.

A tidbit of history for all you Ohm lovers:

In 1972, as a fledgling audiophile, a friend & I happened to find ourselves at the old Tech Hifi in Cambridge, MA where I bought my first serious hifi system.  Just for fun, because I couldn't afford toys like this on a poor college student's budget, one of the salespeople treated us to a pair of Ohm F, powered first, by a big Phase Linear amp and immediately thereafter, a big McIntosh rig.  We did the same with a pair of Bose 901.  Can't remember if the 901 came first or second but, in my and my friend's opinions, the clear and indisputable winner of that shoot-out were the Ohm F speakers!  No question!  It was a sound my mind's ear will remember forever.

The following year, I returned to Tech Hifi to upgrade a pair of Studiocraft bookshelf speakers and spent a few hours doing shoot-outs with the likes of AR, EPI, Bose 301, Advent and probably a few other speakers in a similar price point.  I have to say I liked all of the speakers I heard that day but, eventually, came home with a pair of Ohm C that served me very well into the mid 90s.  I had them re-foamed once.  In fact, a few audiophile friends with much more expensive and higher end systems than mine, at the time, often remarked, when visiting, they couldn't believe how good the Ohm C sounded.  One friend in particular, at the time, who owned a pair of Bose 901 and a big Yamaha integrated, after a few visits, uttered something to the effect of:  "Damn!  Those things sound better than my 901!

I don't know what kind of magic Ohm used in those days to accomplish that level of sound fidelity but, as far as my ears were concerned, it was nothing short of audiophile alchemy!  I would love to hear their new stuff.  

@audionoobie  Interesting.  I also bought a pair of Vandy 1Cs from a local Jersey dealer.  This was in 2000.  I since added a pair of 2Wq subs.  I upgraded my electronics until I felt that I had taken the 1Cs as far as they could go.  The natural upgrade would have been the 2Ci, but they were too large for my small man cave.  My search for an upgrade led me to the Walsh 2000s, new at the time.  I bought them without an audition, and never looked back.  With the Vandy subs, these things just kill it in every genre.  My review is posted in the review section.  It was a great move.  If you can swing it, keep looking for a pair of Walsh Talls.  They won't disappoint.

Since the ‘80’s I was interested in and wondered how these Ohm Walsh Omni speakers sound but could not afford them.  After many years away from this hobby due to other priorities and interests I decided to get back into this hobby 3 years ago.  A couple months ago I finally picked up a used pair of Ohm  Walsh Tall 2000’s.  They have not disappointed and sound great in my living space. Sooo glad to hear that Ohm with Evan and all are keeping the deserving unique brand on the market.  Ohm’er for Life!

Glad to see that update!

For anyone interested, Ohm has a place in Facebook that gets a lot of activity from devoted  owners.  Check it out!

Continuing legacy is always appreciated.

It's great to hear that the name and the speakers will still be with us!

When I first got into audio in 2016 the first two places I went were Audio Connection in Verona, NJ and the Ohm factory in Brooklyn, NY. Ultimately, I chose the Vandersteen 1ci as my first speaker, but the sound of the Ohm 1000's have haunted me ever since. 

I look at the used market every day and these speakers seldom come up for sale and if they do they're sold quickly. I spoke to Evan last week and inquired about the 1000 Tall. Unfortunately, due to supply issues the 1000 is back ordered by a few months. 

I put myself on the notification list to alert me when they're back in stock. But I am committed to finally owning a pair. 

Long live Ohm!