I read a lot of this thread, and it's tempting me to try some MicroWalsh SE's (my main speaker search has been for something with a very small footprint, due to some constrained NYC living situation). Basically, I'm downgrading, because I need some super-small floorstanders (no room for monitors- selling my Tyler Taylo's, which I love).
So, these things are the right size, and my room is fairly small. But, I rarely sit still when listening to music. All this sweet-spot talk (half-inch toe-in stuff is not for me) has me worried. My monitors filled the room (granted, they are bigger, and I had a sub), but I never felt like I had to tweak their positioning to get a good sound.
So, my amp is an integrated tube (Rogue Audio Tempest 2- which I really like, no plans to change that) and it has what they call "User selectable 4 or 8 ohm output taps". Which would I use for OHM speakers? They're 6 ohm, right?
And, I'm wondering how my amp would do driving these speakers. I don't know anything about "current", and here's the link to my amp, if anyone has any ideas:
http://www.rogueaudio.com/Products_Tempest.htm
ehh, the the link didn't post, so here's the specs)
Ultra-wide bandwith output transformers
- Massive high storage power supply
- Matched quad output tubes
- User selectable 4 or 8 ohm output taps
- User selectable triode or ultralinear output
- (4) KT88, (2) 6SN7, (2) 12AX7 tube complement
- Active outputs for subwoofer or biamping
- Heavy (2 ounce) copper circuit board
Specifications: [back to top]
- output power: 90WPC minimum
- THD: <0.1% typ., <1% at rated power
- frequency response:
- 20Hz - 20KHz at peak output,
- 10Hz - 100KHz at 10 watts
- input sensitivity: 1.0V RMS
- dimensions: 18" W x 15¾" D x 7" H
- weight: 60 lbs
- shipping weight: 65 lbs
- power requirements: 120V/240V - 50/60Hz |
Thanks for the responses, and clearing things up. I think I'm gonna go for the micro talls if/when I sell my Tyler's (I lowered my price to hopefully speed things up). The OHM factory is actually only a mile from my apt, which is kinda cool. |
I still don't get the impedance thing, but if I go with these, I'll call Rogue- they are always really helpful.
Yeah, I've read that they have a wide (or "big", or something) soundstage, so I always thought that meant I could spend less time worrying about the sweetspot. But, I don't have the patience for a million tweaks- I'll do some basic moving-things-around, but not much else. So, yes, reading about the placement tweaks had me a bit nervous.
I need to sell my Taylo's before I can buy anything, though. |
I just ordered Microwalsh Tall SE's in Rosewood... gotta wait 2-3 weeks for them. Heh, I'm kinda banking on being able to sell my current speakers in that time-frame, otherwise I'll have some explaining to do, seeing as my main motive was to save space. ('Um, why are there 2 pair of speakers in here, now?') |
Well, I just got my Micro SE's, and I'm listening to them now. The good- highs, mids, soundstage, form-factor, and they look pretty cool. The bad- bass. It's not horrible, but I feel like I need a sub, and that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid (I used a sub with monitors for years, but I'm trying to downsize, hence, the small-footprint floor-stander). I recently sold my sub, and put my monitors on the floor (they were Tyler Taylo Reference) and they produced more bass than the SE's. BTW, supposedly, the SE's go an octave lower than the Talls. And, I don't have to bother with break-in (I REALLY hate breaking-in speakers)... John @ OHM sold me a pair with used drivers (but, new cabinets & hardware).
I have them a few inches from the wall- that seemed a bit better than when they were pulled out. My room is NOT acoustically friendly (hardwood floors, furniture all about, small NYC place, etc), and that's not going to change (unless I move).
I played one of my best sounding albums for bass (Hendrix - Band of Gypsys), and if all records were recorded like this, I'd be ok. But, so far, every other album sounds anemic. It's too bad, because I really want to like these. They do so many things right, but I can't ignore the bass (or, lack thereof). It's a factor that's too important to overlook.
As for my equipment, I have a Rogue Tempest 2 (integrated tube amp- I love this thing), Jolida phono amp (it was cheap, but I think it's one of the reasons I like vinyl so much more than cd's), Music Hall MMF-7 (no complaints), and the digital stuff doesn't matter since I don't use it. I don't want to change any of my electronics- I'm happy with all of it (esp. the Rogue). Plus, I've heard how this system can sound with other speakers, so I feel it's fine.
Damn, I am kind of bummed. Yeah, the SE's were cheaper than my Tylers and take up less floor space, but the overall listening experience has diminished a bit. I'm not even comparing these with the Tylers and the sub- I'm just talking about the monitors-on-the-floor setup. I really wanted to like these... damn.
I should probably point out that I've only owned box-style speakers... never had anything like the OHM's. |
"Are you getting a big soundstage and reasonably detailed imaging at least at this point?"
Yes. Definitely. That's not a problem at all.
I don't have any latitude on placement. I sit on the back wall (on a sofa- in the middle), and the speakers are on the side walls, a couple feet in front of me, and aimed at me. They are as close to the side walls as I can get them (I tried pulling them out, but that was worse). They are about 11 feet apart. But, like I said, I don't really have anywhere else to put them.
I don't think my ears need to get acclimated... I'm doing a pretty fair comparison. I didn't change any cables or speaker wire- I just swapped out the speakers, and changed the amp settings from 8 Ohm to 4 Ohm (actually, I forgot to do that at first, but it really didn't make much of a difference, anyway). BTW, even though my amp is a tube amp, it IS 90 wpc, so it's not like I'm using a SET. The OHM's are actually louder than the Tyler monitors- I can barely turn the volume past halfway without pissing off the neighbors (the amp has a passive pre, so turning the volume all the way [to eleven] is not uncommon, although it feels weird if you aren't used to that setup).
I appreciate the help (and concern- funny, it's like an AA group), but I don't know that these speakers are going to magically start producing bass.
I think I'm going to look for some used Proac Studio 140's or maybe Totem Hawk's.
I could add a sub (but, I just sold my passive sub and amp), but that was my whole reason for going with floor-standers- I want to avoid the sub (and, I want my stereo to be a bit simpler).
Again, thanks for the help. Either way, I'll keep using these until I find something else, and I'll do a side-by-side comparison before I send the OHMs back. I'll talk to John before I send them back, though. |
I can't really get them in front of me... they are more to the sides. They are probably only 2 feet "in front" and about 5 feet to the sides, but due to crap in the room, I can't really change this. I did move them around a bit, but the bass seemed the best when close to the side walls.
What really seems lacking is that kick you get from the bass drum, and the punch from the snare. I only listen to rock, so there's quite a lot of that in the music I like. Even though I'm not adding a sub (no floor space, plus other reasons), I'm not sure it would really help much. I'm not looking for the 20Hz stuff... I doubt anything I listen to even gets below 35 or 40Hz (although I've never measured). |
Listening to ACDC Back in Black vinyl- some songs sound a bit thin. But, Rock & Roll Ain't... sounds great. These MicroTalls are so close to being "perfect" (and, yes, I'm definitely talking about 'for the money'). I didn't think speakers for this price could sound this good. The mids, highs, and soundstage are great, but I feel like I need a sub. Maybe because I've used subs for so long? Just figured I'd post an update, since this thread was bumped. I'll say that I'm not disappointed, but I am missing the bass. |
Joe-
I've always found I got MORE bass with vinyl, esp. the newer, remastered stuff. I actually gave up on cd's and sold my Rega Apollo (everything sounded lifeless on that thing). I'm not sure why- maybe my phono amp is the wildcard (although, it's nothing special- Jolida). Either way, my stereo is basically all analog for me (I have a Yamaha cd recorder to copy albums- I can play cd's if I really wanted, but it sounds similar to the Rega). I'm not giving up yet, but I don't want to go back to a sub- at least, not where I currently live (no room for one). |
I know this thread was supposed to be for the Micro Walsh, but since it's turned into an "Ohm" thread, just thought I'd mention...
Just bought a pair of used Wash 3's (haven't hooked them up yet), and the WAF was pretty low. Heh, I think she said, "those are the ugliest f$#@ing speakers I've ever seen in my life". I was like, "they don't have the grills on... check them out now". She thought they were slightly better with the grills. Haha, hope they sound good. |
I'm digging my Walsh 3's. Granted, they are a lot bigger than Micro's, but the amount of bass in the 3's is pretty amazing. (The only reason I didn't keep my Micro's years ago was due to the lack of bass.) These are an older model, and I doubt they sound just like new ones- actually, they are a bit less 3D and "open" as the Micro Talls. But, I'm pretty happy with them. (I haven't even touched the tone switches underneath.) |
