I took a chance and ordered a pair of the micro talls back in September. I wish I'd discovered Ohm in the 70's. The micro talls are the most revealing, room filling, addictive speakers I've ever owned. These speakers make me want to re-listen to all the music I have, and I've never had the urge to do that with any other speakers I've heard or owned. I've had a Carver audio component in the past with the Sonic Holography feature, and the Ohms give the same 3-D presentation without being stuck in a "sweet spot". Sometimes when I'm listening with my eyes closed, I feel like I'm listening with my headphones. I can't recomend ohm speakers enough. For anyone looking for a new set of speakers, you'd be foolish not to try the 120 day home trial with a money back guarantee. The only way Ohm will ever get these speakers back is if I choose to upgrade, or they come and pry them from my cold, dead fingers |
Rebbi,
Thanks for your imput. I tend to agree that the carver sonic holography could be either wonderful or horrible depending on the character of the recordings. I had wanted to do the sonic holography again, but the $5000.00 price tag on their ultimate reciever killed that idea right away.
I followed all your threads, and have taken your suggestions on some of the best demo recordings to check out. Brothers in Arms and Steely Dan Gaucho left me pretty amazed. One of the newer recordings that you might want to check out is the new black eye peas "the end" which has some jaw dropping effects, and is a great demo when you want to show people what your speakers can do. Also, anything by Sade, I know that you mentioned Promise, but her later stuff has a lot more bass and bottom end in general, and are a real treat to listen to.
I'm blissfully happy with my micro talls, as I had Acoustic Research speakers in the past (I worked for them in the 70's) and also had experience with many other brands. The micro talls blow them all away. I'll never go back to conventional box speakers again. After reading your comments about your 100's, it makes me want to upgrade, but I'll have to wait for more $$$ to come in before I take the plunge. Take care and Merry Christmas!!! |
Mapman, I have the Micro walsh talls. my reciever is a yamaha RX-V465 that puts out 100 watts per ch. I know it's not the best reciever I could use, but to my old ears, it makes the ohms sound unbelievable. Like I said, I love these speakers so far, and don't want to blow them up. I plan to get a better amp and pre-amp in the future, but lack the funds to do so right now. I was forced to decide where I would put the most money on a limited budget, and I'm so glad I put more into the Ohms. If they sound this good with the Yamaha,I can only imagine what they would sound like with a good high current amp. I need more money...............sigh..... |
You can go to the factory and audition them, which is an advantage very few of us have had. That is cool!! I think once you hear them, you will have no doubt in your mind that they're special. Then once you get them home, you can experience them in your own listening space, and you'll hear why we've been singing the praises of ohm speakers. Call John and set up an audition. Please post your reactions. Good luck!! Joe |
I'm still enthralled with my micro talls. What Parasound63 says about Ohm speakers being too revealing is quite accurate. I got the Beatles 2009 remasters recently, and for better or worse, they show you what's there, warts and all. I'm still getting to know these speakers, and the more I listen, the more appealing, addicting, and utterly enjoyable they become. I have never been this happy with a pair of speakers before, and this is comming from a jaded 57 yr. old man who is not easily impressed and has listened to many speakers over the years.
I do have one question. How much power will these babies take? My Yamaha reciever goes from -80db to +16db I usually run the reciever anywhere from -10db to +7db depending on the loudness of the recording, and I don't want to blow my speakers up, but I'm not sure how much power they'll take, or how much power the reciever is putting out at these settings. I have never pushed the speakers into strain or distorsion as far as I can tell. My reciever is rated at 100wpc. Can anyone out there re-educate me on the basics so I can enjoy my speakers without melting them down? I've been out of the audiophile loop for quite a few years, and much has been forgotten. Any help will be greatly appreciated, Thanks |
Ron325, Sorry if we scared you with the 1/2 inch toe out and things like that. From what I've read, the Ohms are pretty forgiving as far as placement, but if you take the time to fine tune them to your room, you will be rewarded beyond expectations. I'm still amazed by my micro talls, and am contemplating upgrading to the 100's/1000's when I get my tax refund. I hope you decide to give them a test run. I took a chance and I'll never look back Joe |
My micro Talls stunned me last night. I've been reading all the ohm threads, and mapman said if the imaging seems unbalanced, to try toeing the speakers out to get more exposure to the super tweeter on the weaker speaker. When I toed out the left speaker about 1/2 inch, BOOM! The sound was now balanced, and you could tell that the room was energized with the sound from whatever the local FM station was playing at the moment. I thought "I've finally got them dialed in, this is what they're supposed to sound like" But that's not the best part. I was standing in my room directly in front of the right speaker about 7 feet back, when the music suddenly stopped. Then a lone bass note along with some noise came out of the area by the the left speaker, then the sound proceeded to go along the left wall, and then come straight at me and immerse me with sound, I mean that I could "see" the sound moving and track it comming at me, and even though I was at the far right wall of my room the sound was all encompassing. I have never experienced this with ANY other speaker I've owned, not even with my former system that had the Carver "Sonic Holography" Like I said, the experience left me stunned, and extremely happy. I'm now tempted to upgrade to a set of the 100's, which would be the largest size that my 11x11' room could accomodate, but I'll have to call John at Ohm to discuss all the details. I would like to know if there are any other Ohm owners with similar experiences |
Frazeur1, thanks for your response. I really can't praise these speakers enough. Recently, I put on an album by Bill Nelson called Atom Shop. I've listened to this album on my bose tri-port headphones, on friends systems, and in my car. I thought that I knew this album really well until I put it through the Ohms. On the Ohms, the soundstage is huge, floor to ceiling and just disolved the back and side walls. There is also a lot of low end energy that I never heard which contributes to the feeling that everything is larger than life. It's funny when you listen and with your eyes closed the speaklers sound 10 feet tall, and you open your eyes and look at the "toothpicks" providing the sound.
I think that John Strohbeen should say something on their website like "re-discover your music collection with Ohm speakers" because that's exactly what I've been doing with these speakers. I put on the Stones Sticky Fingers, and Let It Bleed, and I'm hearing things I've never heard before. Now, every time I put on an album, I'm excited because I wonder how it's going to sound. I couldn't be happier. As far as I'm concerned, John has secured a customer for life, and I'll continue to sing the praises of Ohm speakers to friends and anyone else who will listen. I will also audition them for anyone looking for speakers. My son-in law thought I spent too much money until I sat him down and made hin listen to the new Black Eye Peas album The E.N.D. It has enough jaw dropping effects to show people what these speakers can do. My son-in-law no longer thinks I spent too much. I'll have to have a listen to Neil Young's Harvest Moon, and could use more suggestions on music that shows off the Ohms best qualities. Suggestions anyone??? Thanks, Joe
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Frazeur1, thanks for the suggestions. I don't have any yellowjackets yet, but I do have alison Krauss and Lyle Lovett, and will check them out. If you're into Beck, check out the Midnight Vultures and Odelay discs. Both of these are a fun listen that surprised me with effects that aren't apparent through headphones or conventional speakers. As for Jazz, anything by Sade or Steely Dan makes the Ohms sound spectacular. Like I said, I'm re-discovering my music collection and having the time of my life doing it. Joe |
Bondmanp I've got all the Aimee Mann albums, so I'll be checking them out soon. The copy of Lost in Space that I have is a double disc that has a mostly live second disc. Is this the one you're talking about??? I also have all the Til Tuesday albums. The only one I've listened to is the Welcome Home Disc, which sounds great. |
Bondmanp I've got all the Aimee Mann albums, so I'll be checking them out soon. The copy of Lost in Space that I have is a double disc that has a mostly live second disc. Is this the one you're talking about??? I also have all the Til Tuesday albums. The only one I've listened to is the Welcome Home Disc, which sounds great. |
Just recently, I noticed a buzz comming from one of my micro talls at low listening levels, which seemed to disapear when I turned the volume up. I contacted John and he recomended checking to make sure the speaker wire in the cannister wasn't touching the cone. I told him that I didn't think that I was over driving the speakers, but he did tell me that I was driving them pretty hard, and that the 1000's might be a better fit since they will play twice as loud, and move four times the amount of air. He offered to send me another set of matched drivers for the micro talls, and I could send back the other ones. What customer service!! It was at that point that I decided to upgrade to the 1000's, since I was getting a nice fat tax return. I then asked about returning the micro talls. He told me to insure them for the full amount, but not to do so until I recieved my 1000's. He said "No need for you to go without your music" Needless to say, I was impressed. He is also sending me veneer samples to help me decide on what finish I want. In an age of incompetence and nobody gives a danm, it's a breath of fresh air to deal with someone who is willing to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to make his customers happy. I will miss my micro talls, but look forward to breaking in my 1000's, and continue to enjoy the unique sound of Ohm speakers. I will post my impressions of the 1000's, and hope I can convince other people to take a chance and take advantage of the 120 day trial. Chances are, they will have a hard time settling for conventional box speakers once they hear the Ohms. Can't wait to get my 1000's......... |
Rebbi, I forgot to mention that when I talked to John, I told him that he seems to have achieved sonic holography with his speakers. He then proceeded to tell me that when Bob Carver presented his Sonic Holography to the audio world, he did it with Ohm speakers. I just busted out laughing, and told him "that's a compliment of highest order to you" I wonder what THAT sounded like?? I read on one of the threads that someone had used the Holography in conjunction with a set of Ohms, and that it was redundant, or didn't work that well. Just the fact that Bob Carver wanted to use Ohms for something he was presenting speaks volumes. I guess he heard that unique quality that sets Ohms apart from the competition. I still can't believe that you sold your 100's. Do you miss them?? Happy listening! Joe |
Ron,
I owned a pair of micro talls for 5 months and never thought they lacked bass. Part of the problem is that most of your music is on vinyl. They just couldn't put that much bass on lp's, or the needle would be jumping right out of the groove, so if you wanted more bass, you had to supplement it with subs and room placement ect. CD's today are capable of almost unlimited low end extension. You might want to buy a few cd's that you know have a lot of low end and give them a listen. This will show you what the micros can do, and you might be a bit surprised at how much bass they can produce by themselves. You will probably want to re-add a sub to listen to your lp's as they will sound rather "anemic" without a sub, but this was the norm for the times and we hade no choice. Don't give up on your micro talls. I just sent mine back and upgraded to the new 1000. I'm breaking them in, but the Ohm magic is still there, great bass(on cd's), soundstage and overall presentation that will improve with time. I really loved the micros, but needed something that could handle more power. I'll be posting my impressions od the 1000's as time and break-in permit, but I'm convinced that I've got something really special with the Ohms, and if I choose to upgrade again, it will be with Ohms Good luck Joe |
I find the phrase "Ohm Gushing" to be quite hilarious. Anyone who has not heard these speakers, or any omni speaker, just don't know what they're missing. We're gushing because we're hearing something unique that most other speakers don't do. I'm breaking my 2nd set of Ohms, a pair of the new 1000's, and will be posting my impressions as time goes by. I origimally had a pair of the micro talls, which I LOVED, but needed something that could handle more power. My speaker search is over, as the Ohms have surpassed my expectations in almost every way, but others will continue to search for their "Holy Grail" until they find something that sets them on their ear, and they can die happy knowing that they finally found the speakers of their dreams. We shouldn't be faulted for searching for that or changing our minds, as we don't always get it right the first time. This thread allowed me to make an informed decision, and gave me all the facts, positive and negative. My thanks to everyone who contributed to this informative, enlightning thread. Long live Audiophilia Nervosa!!!!!! |
I recenyly upgraded to the new Walsh 1000's,and it cost me $96.00 to ship the micro walshes back to Ohm. Just thought I'd give you an idea of cost if you choose to ship speakers back to them. I'm still in the process of breaking in my 1000's, and will be posting a user review sometime in July, when my 120 day trial is up. As of right now, the 1000's have the signature Ohm sound, and ther major difference is that they go a lot lower (low 30's) and this is quite noticeable on some recordings. I hesitate to comment any further because the speakers have just started to open up a bit more (I got them on April 6th) and I know they have a ways to go before they're fully broken in, but so far, so good Joe |
Just read the German review of the Walsh 1000. The translation sounds akin to a drunken pub crawler. Of what I could understand, the review was very favorable, but needs a better translation Joe |
Rbf,
If you go back to your original post of the mwt's vs the vandersteens, you'll find my post about fine tuning your set up. I discovered this accidentally when I was moving the speakers around. I moved them out from the wall for the best bass, and then when I started moving them away from the side walls, when I hit 33 inches off the side walls, I had walked out of the room to do something, and when I came back and turned the music back on, it sounded like the whole room had become a speaker. I was stunned, and said "This is what they're supposed to sound like". This technique worked with both the mwt's and my current 1000's. The sound just permeates the room. I find it very appealing and addictive. The Ohms also , to me, sound more like a performance than a recording, and that's what seperates them from all the other speakers that I've heard.
As far as upgrading your current equipment, I have my 1000's paired with a modest 100 wpc Yamaha reciever and a Sony DVD/CD player and the sound is impressive. I decided to put more money into the speakers and upgrade my electronics later. Believe me, even with modest associated equipment, the Ohms sound amazing. Keep us informed of your progress, and we will try to help you with any questions or problems you may have. Good Luck Joe |
Rbf1138,
In my own experience, correct placement of the Ohms is like "getting them in focus". They will sound pretty good where ever you put them, but to hear what makes them special, getting them in the right position is essential. I'd move both speakers one inch at a time and then sit and listen for a while before I made another adjustment. It took about three weeks until I accidently hit the right spot, and Bingo! All of a sudden, it sounded like the room and speakers were working as one, giving me a sonic landscape that still brings a smile to my face. You'll have to experiment. If the bass sounds too loose, move them closer together, too much bass, move them further away from the back wall, ect. I actually hade fun doing this, as I was eager to hear the Ohm magic that I had read about in this thread and in independent reviews. A little patience and perseverance will pay off handsomely. And don't forget, they take some break in, so they may sound a bit reserved and stuffy at first, but will open up more with time. Joe |
Rbf1138,
I've got my Ohms in black finish, and thet look great. Another thing I wanted to say that the Ohms, properly set up, seem to use the room to their advantage, and when the room and speakers are interacting properly, wonderful things happen. I've never heard a speaker that turns the whole room into an immersive soundscape the way the Ohms can, and can fill the room at low as well as high volume. This is one of the qualities that I love about the Ohms. Much of my listening is done while the rest of the house sleeps, so I have to listen at lower volumes, but because of the way the Ohms fill the room, I never feel like I'm missing out. The soundstage remains intact, and the performance still sounds full bodied, but just a bit more distant. Hope you love the Ohms. I will give you a list of possible cd's to use for set up, and ones that make the Ohms really shine in another post. Joe |
If you liked them right out of the box, you're gonna be having eargasms 6 months from now. Keep us posted Joe |
For the past couple of weeks, I have been re-visiting every post on Ohm speakers (including my own) on this particular thread. I started my journey with Ohm speakers in September of 2009 with the micro talls, and I was so smitten with them that I soon upgraded to the new 1000's.
I have to say that that even after 6 years of ownership that they still continue to amaze and delight me!! The 1000's seem to excel at acoustic guitar and piano reproduction. Both sound so real, and actually being able to hear clear differences in piano's is amazing. Every other speaker I've ever owned or heard made all piano sound pretty generic. The Ohm's bring out textures and tones that show the differences..The same applies to acoustic guitar. I can clearly hear string oscillations on familiar recordings that weren't apparent with other speakers or even on headphones
Other surprises include when I'm listening to FM broadcasts or a streaming site such as Pandora. Even with unfamiliar recordings, I can hear the Ohm's work their magic, throwing a a massive soundstage, giving a dimensional presentation of voices and instruments that makes them so appealing There are times when I'll hear something on the Ohms, and have to stop what I'm doing and just listen (with a big smile on my face)
I love my Ohms, and the fact that they still continue to amaze me speaks volumes As a matter of fact, I think I'll go throw on K.D. Lang's " Ingenue" and get the party started.......Ohm on, everyone!!!
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Bondmanp,
Yes, the Ohm's still continue to amaze me. I first noticed the string oscillations on the Yes song Roundabout. The acoustic guitar intro clearly showed the string oscillations and textures that seem to be hidden with other speakers
The same goes for piano. I thought the micro talls did an excellent presentation of piano. Only when the 1000's were fully broken in did I realize that they were superior to the micro talls in fleshing out the tones and textures of piano strings.
I could go on and on. If I ever get enough money, I may get a set of the 5's and better amplification and consider it my ultimate system. John has won a customer for life, and at age 63, these speakers will probably outlast me, and the thought of that makes me very happy! |
I just moved into a 1 bedroom apartment and my speaker set up is far from perfect, with one speaker being virtually against a wall on the right and the left being in an open area on the left. You know what?, to my utter amazement , my 1000's sound great. I love my Ohms |
