Ohm Walsh Micro Talls: who's actually heard 'em?

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Interesting review and comparison to the Magnepan LRS by Steve Guttenberg....bottom line, while not perfect, he loved the ohm walsh 2000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV1EOFzcu9M

@mapman

So my question to those of you that own one of the models would be about the high end.....  If the crossover is really in the 6-8k range, then I would say that the Walsh driver is carrying most of the load for the midrange and top end except for some of the really high harmonic overtones. 


Guttenberg's comments made it seem that while the speaker has a great midrange and overall presence, it may be lacking in openness or ambience or top end detail or realism....at least as compared to the LRS which is a pretty limited sample.


It would be great if you guys that own the speaker could comment on what your actual experience is and whether you think his portrayal of the top end is correct.

Thanks guys....so how do you guys feel about putting a pair of the 2000s in a really big room with a 15" sealed sub to fill in the bottom end....vs buying a pair of 4000s, 5000s, or the sound cylinder....assume listening at 80db with 85db peaks 15' back.  I've got plenty of power from a very beautiful sounding amp...the 2Cherry which delivers 200W @8ohms and 400W @4ohms?

 I know that this is not what is recommended on their speaker per room size page.

@mapman 

Thanks for all of the comparisons.  I have to ask about what "laid back" means to you and what you are hearing?

I would probably say that for me, "laid back" suggests that the high mids and treble may be down a few db thereby giving two impressions....first that you are listening from row 20...and second, that some of the top end detail is missing....or that you are straining to hear it.

Somehow, though, my interpretations seems incorrect vs what many have said about the Ohms.  Example....you equate the Ohms to the LS50s for detail, coherency and attack...and having owned the LS50s for a while, I agree and would not at all suggest that the top end was rolled off or that they were laid back?

One thing though that I would say about the LS50s is that in a large room, even when crossed over to a 15" sealed sub, they still sounded relatively small...and so I had to let them go....on the other hand, I heard the Blade 2s at the Florida audio show in a small crappy room...and they still sounded excellent in every respect.

Given the Ohm website price of $1400 for parts...not including refinishing the cabinets...and then probably $500 of packing and shipping to and from Ohm.....it seems overall that a new pair of 2000s might be equally good...so maybe it comes down to aesthetics??

The one thing you learn over time is that all loudspeakers have pluses, minuses and trade offs.  It seems that John has designed a speaker that meets what his ear tells him sounds "right"....and it would seem that tens of thousands of people agree because you rarely see his speakers on the resale market.


Assuming that the crossover is really 3k or higher...meaning that the Walsh drive is really carrying most of the load...then it is the Walsh driver that is really determining the overall sound...but it might be really interesting to see what a high end (maybe Be, maybe diamond, maybe RAAL, etc. would do for the top end ambience).


To really move "up" the Walsh driver category requires buying something super expensive from German Physiks...and there is no guarantee that when you get it home...it will really sound better in your room with your equipment.  Granted, they probably don't sell a ton of these in the U.S., but again, you almost never see these in the resale market....but they do look really cool!


My current loudspeaker is the Salk Veracity ST...with dual 6" seas midwoofers connected to a transmission line and crossed over around 1700 hz to a RAAL 70-20....massive soundstage, beautiful detail from the low end all the way up to the cymbals...a loudspeaker that transports you to the front table in a small club...and there is Billy Joel right in front of you.


I've wanted to try a pair of Ohms for quite a while...and sooner or later I'm going to fly to NY or find someone that has a pair and see how they compare...although I would probably never get rid of the Salks because the wood finish is just so darn beautiful. 


Each time I've upgraded my system, I've just hung on to the replaced component so that I could fire up a second system with a little more certainty of the sound.  I'm also lusting after the new but not quite ready to be released Digital Amplifier Cherry Preamp...which if its like their amps will also be a shocker.

I suspect the reason for the interest is that maybe Ohm Walsh is the ultimate "mystery speaker".  They have been around for a long time.  Many of the older folks remember the Ohm F and how great it sounded when properly amplified.  Not many have heard the more recent versions, but the few reviews that exist are positive.  And they rarely come up for resale...so, the result is curiosity.