I had a pair of the original Ohm Fs back in the mid-1970s. They were great speakers and always regretted selling them. Fast forward to 2018, and a lot of different speakers in the interim, and I went back to a set of Ohm 1000s. I really enjoy them. A house move last year put them into a bigger room and I briefly thought of moving up to the 2000 or 3000 model, but decided to try a subwoofer first. That turned out to be the perfect solution for me. I don't listen loudly (mid-80 dB range is my general max volume) so the little bit of extra bass turned out to be a great solution without the hassle of buying new speakers, selling the old ones, and probably having to change out an amp, too. I can highly recommend Ohms if your goal is to enjoy your music versus obsess over equipment issues. |
Wow!
You are correct, they were the F’s. I wonder where I came up with 7? I built a couple of Halfler DH 220’s bridged and their preamp in 1980 and in 82-2(?) I built the 400. The bridged Halfers listed more watts, but the Dynaco made the Ohms sing. As I said earlier, I gonna have to pop the top and check most of the caps. I wonder if there’s update videos on YouTube?
JD |
JD,
The only difference between the 3000 and the 4000 is a 12" driver vs. 10" one. Naturally it can go a little deeper in the bass and louder too.
The Dynaco 400 is exactly what these speakers prefer.
As you may have noticed the OHM website is not big on handing out specs on their products (they weren’t 35 years ago either).
But to their credit they emphasize room size to pick the right speaker, which in all probability is the right way to pick your speakers.
You mentioned you had Walsh 7's in the 70's. You are most likely referring to the Walsh F which was a true Walsh design (one driver and a true omnidirectional) unlike the modified Walsh designs that started in the early 80's (gen 2) which were considerably more efficient (but still fairly inefficient) that had the main driver + super tweeter arrangement. These, and all subsequent Walsh models, also featured damping material (which OHM calls 'Tufflex') applied to the rear of the main cone driver which attenuates rear sound propagation by -20 db. |
uncleang,
I was thinking the 3000 or the 4000 and running them with a Dynaco Stereo 400. I’m thinking about recapping it, but we’ll see how it sounds first.
JD
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JD, given the size and nature of your listening room You'll need to go with the Walsh 3000 (or larger) and a good robust amp, which they love.
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Thanks uncleang for the comparison. What ever I get has to fill a 18’X22’ totally carpeted room with two solid walls a two mostly open walls.
All the best.
JD |
Walsh 4 owner here... since 1986!
Yes there has been 3 generations since mine but I believe that the #1 change is the vent (which is at the bottom of the cabinet venting into the floor in my model) now vents into a wood base which is also the cabinet platform.
My older model is sensitive as to what it vents into, i.e. hardwood floor, thick dense carpet, shag carped, etc. This has a major effect on bass quantity and quality.
Current models are therefor more acoustically predictable than mine.
The following is what hasn’t changed between my Walsh 4’s and the current Walsh 3000....
10" time coherent downward facing driver
1" soft dome super tweeter
1st order Butterworth crossover @ 8K Hz( 6 db per octave)
6 ohm impedance
Sub Bass Activator @ 60 Hz (basically a passive equalizer)
weight: 63 lbs.
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I picked up a used pair of Ohm Walsh 4 from the 80’s about 5 years ago. They work great in a room that will probably never be amenable to precise imaging or room treatments, and the only place for speakers is fairly near the corners. One 40 foot side wall is 75% windows and the other side opens into a hallway and kitchen. My speaker quest ended with these speakers. One crossover is on the way out, so I ordered the 4-5000 upgrade. They will fit into my existing cabinets. I expect them in a couple weeks.
They fill the large room with sound and large soundstage and are comfortable with any type of music I play from Talking Heads to Gillian Welch, to Neil Young, or dynamic percussion driven music (especially that). I don’t know about classical or opera, I’ll never be an opera star.
A Rouge Audio Cronus Magnum II (100 tube watts) plays them plenty loud at 12 o’clock on the volume. The different tall models are based on room size. The website has a chart.
The website is a little slow to get around, but all the older models are there. |
Regarding amps, They are not hard to drive but they like beefy amps capable of delivering lots of current for best performance. They are sold direct from factory in Brooklyn NY in the US since ~ the 1990s. Used to be sold via dealers prior. The 5 models are designed to sound the same. Which one is best is a function of room size. The 5xxx models have on board adjustments to fit them optimally into most any room of any size. |
Thanks mapman.
I’m going to call them next week and ask what amps they recommend and see if they’re sold in Midwest. I’d really like to hear the difference between the five models.
JD
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All the Walsh models since inception around 1981 or so have separate tweeter and are damped in the wall facing direction by default. Can be customized. Original Ohm A and F were a different beast with a single full range driver and full Omni. |
jasonb,
That is a great find! Around here, all I see is made by Sony.☹️
JD |
mapman,
I did spend about an hour digging around here trying to find out about their newer line, the “Tall” 1000-5000 series and found very little. The new ones have a tweeter and are dampened in the back. That was the info I wanted to hear about from people who have them.
JD |
I have a pair of the older Sound Cylinders with the 8" Walsh Driver and tweeter, plus the rear damping. They were a lucky Goodwill find! 3-D room-filling sound from any location! Amazing! |
@curiousjim
Lots of info on them posted here if you search the archives.
They are not radically different than the originals. Same basic design but refined 3 times for better sound and performance to keep up with the times. If you liked them then you should love them now.
Never heard of WAlsh 7s. 5xxx models tend to be the largest with 12” driver and adjustments. I have had Walsh 5 series 3 since ~ 2008 and nothing has lured me away yet.
Any specific questions fire away. |
Oh and sorry miller, Wife says Moab’s are to big. I really did try!
JD |
