Marty, is there a brand or model in the sub-$500 range you would have chosen instead? |
I'm also curious about the Ohm sub. Anyone know anything about it? A picture, even? It'd be half the price I paid for the Velodyne, so maybe I'd consider swapping. |
Lacking the time today to go back through the thread, can you guys tell me what sub-$500 subwoofer pairs well with the Ohms? |
So after reading through most of this thread (and having auditioned several other speakers in the last week) I went ahead and ordered the MWT SE's! I'm incredibly excited to get them next week.
I should say that the others I've heard were PSB T6s, Vandy 1C, KEF Q900, Rega RS3 and RS5 and finally Wharfedale 10.7s.
Of those, my favorites are the Wharfedales. If for some reason I'm not loving the MWTs I'll probably buy those. They just had such a great midrange, a not-too-tight but not-too-bloated bass, and highs that didn't fatigue or feel too bright (as the Regas seemed to have).
As I've noted in another thread around here, they'll be driven by a Peachtree Nova integrated(which John noted many of his customers use), with main sources being the optical out of my Macbook Pro, xbox360/ps3, and a turntable.
This is really the start of my system, so in the future I imagine I'll add a better amp, a better turntable and better cables/wires. I'm sure I'll be back in this thread for all of that.
And, of course I'll be sure to report here as soon as I receive them! |
Now that I've read through this whole thread and ordered my MWTs, I turn to all you OHMers for some advice and guidance. I'm extremely new to all of this, and admittedly know very little about the technical aspects of amps, speakers, preamps, sources, etc. and all of the accompanying lingo. At this point, I have a very basic and inexpensive setup. My sources are a Macbook Pro optical out, Xbox 360/PS3, and a $100 Audio Technica turntable. While I own hundreds of CDs, at this point I primarily play flac files using the MBP. I have the Peachtree Nova integrated amp w/ DAC as the centerpiece.
The first components I'd imagine upgrading would be better cables and interconnects, and then to get a phono stage and a better turntable.
Seeing as how the Nova's pre and dac are fairly well-regarded, I would like to just add a better amp into the chain, retaining the Nova as the core.
Do any of you have any advice, especially as far as making a big impact in the short term without spending too much? Having just dropped the money on the speakers, I'll have to wait awhile before the bigger things (phono stage, turntable, amp, etc.).
I'm so freakin excited to hear these things! |
Until last week, I hadn't heard speakers that cost more than around $1000. I imagine these Ohms are gonna be another level of music than I've been exposed to before. It's difficult to read this thread and not be prepared to absolutely love them.I'd be curious to know how many people actually end up returning them!
As far as what I plan on playing through them right after setting them up, it'll probably be something like:
Radiohead- In Rainbows/Kid A
Beck- Sea Change
Field Music- Measure
Beach Boys- Pet Sounds
The Beatles- Abbey Road (remaster)
The Cardigans- Long Gone Before Daylight
Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Joanna Newsom- Ys
Gillian Welch- Harvest and the Harrow
Charlotte Gainsbourg- IRM
Massive Attack- Heligoland
Anyone here ever listen to any of these records on their Walshes? |
How would I know when I've turned these things up too loud? This is just theoretical, but I want to know I'm not gonna damage anything. Running them with a Peachtree Nova, but I don't know what the dial levels mean as far as wattage output. |
One other question...I've mainly been into headphones the last few years, and have owned Grados, Denons, Sennheisers, Westones, Audio Technicas and have settled on Beyerdynamic 880s and AT CK10s for the last year. What do the MWTs most resemble as far as headphone brand/style? |
Getting to the part of this thread where Rebbi decides to sell his Ohms is like your favorite character on a tv show suddenly being killed off. I totally didn't see it coming! What's worse is that it made me second guess the speakers, without even having heard them yet. Prior to that happening, it seemed like these were, hands down no question, the best speaker under $2-3000. I know feel that I need to try out some PSB Synchrony 2s, if Rebbi ultimately decided those could slay the mighty Ohms.
Now I see Frazeur has his MWTs up for sale on another site. Maybe I missed it, but why are you selling them?! |
They're on their way to me next week, so I'll definitely be trying them, at the very least.
Out of curiosity, any of you Ohm owners in the Atlanta area? |
One of the things about this speaker that just calls to me is summed up when John Potis writes that "...these Walsh speakers are designed for those who want to enjoy their music while they live their life." That really appeals to me. I don't generally listen to music just sitting in one spot and concentrating (analytical?). For that I use headphones. The purpose of these speakers will be to have music playing in our livingroom while we have dinner, when we come home from work, when we have friends over, etc. While we LIVE! The idea that they'll sound pretty great just filling a room is so appealing, and when I go audition other speakers and the salesmen have me sit in a specific seat and insist that I not get up and move around the room to make an assessment defeats my purpose for buying speakers in the first place. |
I'm just salivating waiting to get mine. Out of curiosity, does the wrong placement make them sound like bad, cheap speakers, or does the wrong placement merely not give the full, intended sound? All I really have to compare them to directly in my home will be Audioengine 5 active speakers, and my Epos ELS3 bookshelves. |
Well, sounds like my black wood finished Talls aren't gonna ship till next week. This thread will be the one thing to tide me over until I can finally hear them myself.
Have you ever played videogames with the Ohms? Eventually I'll probably go with a real 5.1 setup, but I'm curious how they do with modern videogame sound effects. |
Kbuzz what speakers have you had/heard before? Just curious for reference. |
They shipped today! UPS says they'll arrive Thursday, but of course I'm leaving for vacation Thursday afternoon through Monday, so probably no impressions until Tuesday :( |
Does a PS Audio Duet make more sense for what I'm asking than an APC G5? |
Speakers were delivered and I quickly set them up, In the 20 minutes I had to listen, after a haphazard setup, I'm extremely pleased. At first I thought something wasn't quite right and then found that the grills have cardboard in them for shipping, lol. That sorted things out! With the little I got to listen to, it was clear they're gonna be amazing when I have time for a proper setup. Closing my eyes, it sounded like the music was being played live in the room. Will have more next week when I'm back from vacation. |
I certainly liked them out of the box! Keep in mind I haven't heard many speakers upwards of $1000, so these are a major step up to my ears from most anything. I think I need better speaker cables, though. Right now I'm using $35 banana cables I got on Amazon. Any sub-$100 cable you guys would recommend that would be solid and a good improvement? |
So I'm looking at the Blue Jeans speaker cable, and I'm confused. If I want their best quality cables, with banana plugs on both ends, what're the differences between:
Belden 5000UE 12 AWG Speaker Cable, Terminated
BJC Twelve White Speaker Cable, Terminated
BJC Ten White Speaker Cable, Terminated
Belden 5T00UP 10 AWG Speaker Cable, Terminated
Canare 4S11 Speaker Cable, Terminated
The prices are similar, if not the same for some of them. I know to choose "Bananas to Bananas" for the termination, but otherwise I know very little about cables and would appreciate some guidance! Thanks! |
I'm thinking ordering two of
"Belden 5T00UP Speaker Cable, 10 foot, Bananas to Bananas" makes the most sense. |
Thanks for the advice so far. Moving them a little farther apart and toeing out a bit made a drastic improvement. I don't think I've quite nailed it yet, but it's getting there! |
So if it was between Kimber 4VS cables and Signal Cable Ultra cables, any reason I should go with one or the other for my Microtalls? I found an 8ft. pair of the Signals used for $55...seems like it'd be worth it, unless the Kimber's are considered a better match for the Walshes. |
Finally getting my rig setup. Awaiting Kimber 4VS cables and using cheap wire right now.
While music from the turntable and computer sound great, I'm having a hard time with that "ghost center channel" for television, movies, etc. It just sounds like its coming from two speakers on either side of the tv.
I'll upload a picture of my setup this afternoon for more precise help here. |
Kbuzz, are you currently using the two Ohms as your left and right channels? I ask because as I just mentioned above, I have a 2-channel setup at the moment with the Ohms, but for tv/movies I'm getting a really jarring and unpleasant experience. The dialogue does not seem to come from the TV and I'm very aware of the sound coming from either side of the TV. |
Thanks map, pictures to come. The main issue will be that the TV is on an Ikea Expedit bookcase like this one: http://fatelessmusic.com/newsite/wp-content/themes/ikea-expedit-bookcase-7218.jpg
so they can only be so close.
I guess I could move the speakers in front of that, although I don't think my girlfriend will be pleased and it may look weird. Alternatively, I could pull the bookcase away from the wall and put the speakers behind it, although that will probably cause it's own sound issues. |
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/521/photo1ae.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/545/photo2axc.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/52/photo3yn.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/690/photo4og.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/853/photo5oj.jpg/
I moved them forward and in front of the shelf a bit and it got better, but it still needs some positioning work. |
Ok I'm just gonna straight up ask what subwoofer under $500 I should get to pair with my Microtalls. Can someone also describe where in the chain of connections the subwoofer goes in my setup with the Peachtree Nova? Does the subwoofer get cOnmected directly to the Nova? To the speakers? |
Ok so now that I've got my Peachtree nova, kimber 4vs cables, and Microtalls, I'm thinking the last piece of the puzzle is going to be my power source. I know almost nothing about these line/power conditioners and I really can only spend around $100 right now. I'm dealing with a 2 pronged outlet and I have about 8 devices I need plugged in. How do I handle this situation? What will give me a decent clean power source and what is my real goal here? Thanks guys! |
Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0028RCZSS
?
But how do I deal with the whole 2 prong thing? Right now I have my power strip plugged in using a 3 to 2 prong converter. Is this detrimental to sound quality? |
Unfortunately I rent, so anything like that is going to be ruled out for now. |
I found someone selling a Duet used for $150...any reason to buy it, at $50 more and with fewer plugs, than the Furman? |
Ok, just bought the Furman! Right now I'm just using some cheap power strip so at the very least it's added protection, if not a slight upgrade in sound. |
Haha, thanks! I'm young, don't own my own place, and don't have a lot of disposable income right now, so I'm creating the best system I can given those conditions. Things are shaping up nicely, and at this point I don't see any major upgrades or additions for awhile. Perhaps some better interconnects...
You've all been a huge help, so thank you for that. I plan on continuing to ask for advice and help in this thread rather than anywhere else. |
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/5060/photoevr.jpg
How's that arrangement look? Should they be less toed? Closer to the wall? Closer together? I still love em, but I'm not sure I've heard their full potential with the perfect positioning yet... |
Theres a fairly large rug a few feet in front of the speakers that takes up a good portion of the room. We're gonna get around to curtains soon :) Those should help, but truthfully the room isn't too lively. |
Frazeur, I see new ones on ebay for $500. Would I be alright with just one (at least for the time being)? Does it just get connected to the line-out of my Nova? |
Actually, looks like the T-2 and T3 can both be had for $400. Is the T-2 better? |
Thanks Marty, although I don't understand apart any of what you said, lol.
To clarify though: it's a matter of setup and tweaks, not having a terrible subwoofer, correct? I figured for $400 I had to be buying at least a solid subwoofer that could integrate well with the Ohms! |
Bondmanp, that sub looks nice. Maybe I could even scrounge up some extra cash and get the 10' version...
As for the connections, here's the back of my Nova:
http://www.listenup.com/lu/graphics/00000001/PeachtreeAudio.Nova_Back.jpg
So I could either connect the sub directly from the Nova using the preamp output and then leave the speakers connected to the Nova like normal, or I can connect the speaker out of the Nova to the Velodyne, then the speakers to the sub (which is what "in-line" is?)? Is that how things work? Sorry, I'm totally new to all of this and don't totally grasp some of how it works together. |
I went ahead and ordered the Velodyne since it's on special for $400 right now. I think because I can't afford another pair of nice speaker wire to do the in-line method, I'll have to just stick to using the preamp output on my Nova directly into the subwoofer for now (if I understand correctly, that's how to most simply connect the Velodyne to the Nova). |
How do i make sure the "output is variable level?" And until I can afford a second pair of good quality speaker cables I'm going to have to go with the preamp out on the Nova as opposed to in-line anyway. I appreciate all the help, I'm slowly coming to understand how all of this works! |
I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse after having had the Velodyne sub connected for a day or two now. I don't know if it's positioning, the non in-line connection, or something else but the bass to me seems both unnecessary sometimes compared to the Ohms bass output alone, and other times seems to overpower the sound. Right now I have the sub against the wall, to the right of the right speaker, which puts it about 3/4 of the way to the wall on the right which is about 10 feet from the subwoofer. I haven't yet moved the subwoofer to try other positions.
I used the auto-EQ, and have fiddled a bit with phase settings and the low-pass dial, although generally I shoot to tighten up the bloat and minimize how loud and bloomy it can sound. If anyone has any tips on how I should get this thing properly setup that'd be a big help. Right now I'm not feeling that my $450 was justified. |
One more note: I feel like the sub isn't quick enough to keep up with the speed and crispness of the Ohms. |
The rumble is there, but the notes and the music aren't. I could move it to a corner, but it seems as though that is supposed to make it more bloomy and less tight! Maybe I need a smaller subwoofer? A more "musical" sub? |
Are the low-pass and phase settings room dependent? Is there a setting for those that would seem to make the most sense paired with the MWTs? I think right now I have the low-pass set to about 100. |
Frankly, I don't have the time, patience, money or know-how to EQ my sub/system. Right now I'm just trying to get the Velodyne setup so that I'm happy with it using it's built-in controls. An issue I still can't get past is that from album to album, artist to artist, the volume of bass will vary hugely.
I'll put on Deerhoof, and the bass will be waaaay too overwhelming and overpower everything. Then I'll throw on the Walkmen and it's nice and tight. I feel like I shouldn't have to be tweaking controls on the sub every time the song changes! |
That actually makes me feel better to know I'm not having a problem with the equipment and also that I'm not insane. Fortunately I like just a touch of bass so I can keep the settings toned down the majority of the time. |
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