In a nutshell, I love my F-5's (Walsh 5 Series 3 drivers in modified and refurbished Ohm F cabinets).
For the price I payed with trade-in, there is nothing else to compare.
They replaced a pair of Magnepan MG1.3's that I loved for 20 years. The Maggies shortcomings were limited dynamics, difficulty in optimal placement in my room and limited low end extension.
In general, I think the Ohms acclimate themselves well to lovers of the electrostat sound. I can compare them favorably to the top of the line Quads I've heard, but I've never heard Final Sound. Nor MBLs.
Tmallin summarizes some of the key characteristics of the Walsh 5's well, in particular how interaction with the room is a key factor in the resulting sound.
I debated adding a sub to my Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mkIIs to achieve the complete sound I was looking for, but opted to add the Ohms separately instead.
I doubt there is anyone who would even think about having to add a sub with the Walsh 5s.
The near-full range ported omni-driver does an exceptional job with the low end in terms of finesse and extension, combining that with electrostat-like rendering in the midrange and above, and without the limited "sweet spot". A very hard act to follow indeed, if not impossible at the price I payed with trade-in!
I have never been a huge fan of the Martin Logan sound, at least from what I've heard. The separate dynamic bass drivers never seem to mesh in cleanly with the electrostat panels, at least to my ears.
With the Ohm CLS driver, the single driver handles much of what you hear in a very coherent manner, augmented cleanly by the port on the low end and the separate "super tweeter" at the other
For the price I payed with trade-in, there is nothing else to compare.
They replaced a pair of Magnepan MG1.3's that I loved for 20 years. The Maggies shortcomings were limited dynamics, difficulty in optimal placement in my room and limited low end extension.
In general, I think the Ohms acclimate themselves well to lovers of the electrostat sound. I can compare them favorably to the top of the line Quads I've heard, but I've never heard Final Sound. Nor MBLs.
Tmallin summarizes some of the key characteristics of the Walsh 5's well, in particular how interaction with the room is a key factor in the resulting sound.
I debated adding a sub to my Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mkIIs to achieve the complete sound I was looking for, but opted to add the Ohms separately instead.
I doubt there is anyone who would even think about having to add a sub with the Walsh 5s.
The near-full range ported omni-driver does an exceptional job with the low end in terms of finesse and extension, combining that with electrostat-like rendering in the midrange and above, and without the limited "sweet spot". A very hard act to follow indeed, if not impossible at the price I payed with trade-in!
I have never been a huge fan of the Martin Logan sound, at least from what I've heard. The separate dynamic bass drivers never seem to mesh in cleanly with the electrostat panels, at least to my ears.
With the Ohm CLS driver, the single driver handles much of what you hear in a very coherent manner, augmented cleanly by the port on the low end and the separate "super tweeter" at the other