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

Showing 5 responses by blin116

It's an amazing thread! It took me a week just to skim through it ;-) 

It's my first post on this forum, I hope somebody can advise me on a choice between Ohm Walsh Tall 1000 and 2000. Based on the info on Ohm's web site the room volume (somewhere 2000-2300cf) calls for the 2000s. However in my e-mail exchange with Evan at Ohm he said that they would recommend 1000s instead. My room is 8' high, 15' front-to-back and from 15' to 22' left-to-right . There's an irregular opening on the right, the right wall is really not there, it's a side of the stairs opening to the upstairs and the right front and back corners are parts of an open walkway. Most of the left side is glass. A large TV hanging on the front wall between the speakers. My listening/watching couch is against the back wall so I am sitting 10'-12' from the speakers. 
For the amplification there's a Musical Fidelity A308 integrated (150W-8ohm/300W-4ohm) and an OPPO BDP-103d for source. I am looking for a 2.0 (preferably) or 2.1 setup for the music (mostly jazz and classical at low to moderate spl-s) that would also serve for watching movies (although movies sound effects are a lesser concern for me).
I like the smaller size and price of the 1000-s but are they the better fit for the space? As for the 2000-s, I like the idea that with the 8"drivers and larger cabinets it's less likely I'd need to add a sub and they are matching the recommended room volume.  
Would there be a significant difference between 1000s and 2000s in such a space? Could the 2K be too boomy or 1K too thin? If I start a trial with the 1000s, how would I know that there's room to grow and I maybe missing an edge of the 2000s without trying both of them? 
Thanks fo your consideration!
Thank you all for the responses!
@mapman : I will follow up with Ohm to see what aspects of my room warranted their recommendation. Also, do I understand correctly that you use SubDude platforms under the 100s? My floors are now carpeted but that is going to change soon to hardwood, and the sonic aspects are not the primary considerations there ;-} I guess I may need some padding under the speakers when it happens.

@bondmanp : I like the idea that going with the 1000s now leaves me an option of adding one or two subs in the future to cover the low end extension (instead of sending the speaker back for a size-up). Ideally, though, I would love to not have to add more boxes to this room. And if Ohms handle the lows in mid-30-s nicely, it may be enough for me for now.  
 
Another thought I got from reading multiple reviews and discussions. It's mentioned that the Ohm speakers sound best when they are fed lots of power. Will that "sweet spot" of power intake will be lower for the smaller model and therefore easier achievable at reasonable (not too loud) music volume? If that's the case it may mean +1 for 1000.
Both 1000s and 2000s have their sensitivity listed at 88db, so the same power level from the amp should result in the same SPL at the couch. Or am I having this wrong?
@bondmanp : Your description of Ohms as being tolerant to less than perfect setups but at the same time rewarding the improvements is exactly what I am looking for now. The former quality will come in handy now, the latter - more down the road ;-)

I sent a diagram and a photo of my room to Ohm and the response I got was: 
"...Yes, we definitely still recommend the 1000 for you based on your overall room size and your listening distance. The irregular shape of the one side of your room will serve to improve the acoustics of the space substantially -- particularly in the area of mid-bass clarity...."

So based on that and not having heard a really strong opinion one way or another in this tread I am going to order 1000s. 
Thank you guys for your help! 
@fyusmal: If you want to listen to a pair of Super Sound Cylinders "beta" you are welcome to stop by, I am in Walnut Creek, CA (3 hr. drive from Lake Tahoe). The amp is a ClassDAudio SDS-470c. I only have digital sources.
If interested, send me an email to "misc AT blin POINT com" and we can arrange the details.
@bondmanp : I am happy with how the things work overall. I did not have much exposure to different audio components so I would not be describing what I have beyond "I like it" ;-) I do not hear any obvious flaws and if there are any, I am happy not to know about them...
Last year got a good deal locally on a pair of old Ohms 2XO and got a SDS-250c to drive them. But then we moved to a place that called for larger speakers and I traded-in those for the Cylinders. Then bought a used SDS-470c to see if I was missing something with its little brother. Frankly, I am not sure I can hear the difference between the two but I’ll probably keep the 470c just because... The only thing I don’t like in 470 is that it idles much warmer than the 250c (that barely warms up above the ambient temperature if left on).