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Ohm Walsh Talls and amplification

Ok, I am perplexed and I would appreciate any feedback you can give me. I am interested in getting a pair of Ohm Tall speakers. Initially (based off from Steve Guttenberg's and Zeos' reviews) i assumed that the 2000s were the ones for me. I don't see where Zeos' or Steve's rooms are any bigger than mine but, I measure the square footage of my room last night and it's only 353 square feet! Zeos himself even said that the 1000s were the correct size for his room, but he just wanted to go bigger. So, my first question is: Can you use a bigger Ohm Tall than what your room requires (as Zeos does)? Also, these speakers seem to love power. Steve drove his with a Mytek amp and a big Pass Labs amp. I cannot afford  Pass Labs and, the Mytek...well, I *could* maybe swing that but, Zeos uses a pair of Crown amps that are not made for audio but for DJs and live entertainers, etc. Obviously, he's very happy with the results. I finally did call John Strohbeen and he confirmed that the Talls love power... he suggested Mytek, Peachtree, certain NAD models, and Emotiva as affordable amps that have good results. I then asked him about Zeos using the Crown amps and he said, "Yeah, that's another way to go that's very affordable." I asked him if the sound was good and he said, "Yeah, it sounds good. In fact, we used something like Crown that here in our factory for quite a while." So, my second question is: what success have you had in the way of amplification with your Ohm Talls? 
redstarwraith

Showing 7 responses by mapman

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
@bondmanp

My theory is JS smartly markets to the masses not the very limited high end audio market so he presents systems for modest cost that sound great. Since he sells speakers not amps, he keeps the amp costs down. 
I agree though at high end shows you want to show the best your product can do so larger amp investment is needed. But then again, keeping the combo price down especially the amp helps sell more speakers so there you go. Hard to argue from a business perspective.

Back in his Tech HiFi days, high end audio was relatively unknown. Most companies including Tech Hifi just tried to sell the best sounding products they could at prices many could afford.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
The music room has a used pair of BEl Canto ref1000m amps  (the same as I use)  listed for a very good price.  Those PS audio amps cost a bit more but are newer.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
@mlsstl

I use the c5i with my Ohm 100s. Our two setups are very similar then.

Other than absolute volume levels possible, it’s a very hard combo to beat. The sound reminds me a lot of eletrostatic speakers like Quad ESL but with better dynamics and the unique Ohm room filling soundstage and large sweet area of coverage.  Very much like the players are in your room. 

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
Hmm i heard the Rogie Pharoah running Magnepans at my dealer and it sounded wonderful.  He carried full Audio Research and Rogue lines and liked the Pharoah best. 
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
I can strongly recommend BelCanto c5i digital  integrated amp with the Ohms. Only 60w/ch though so no concert level volumes perhaps.

For a more powerful integrated amp, I really like the tube/Class D hybrid Rogue Pharoah or even its smaller brother the Sphinx.

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
Switching power supplies for Class D amps can be very compact circuit boards and need not be big and bulky like traditional amps.

A good exsmple is BelCanto ref1000m amps that are the bomb with my Ohm Walsh speakers. They deliver up to 45 amps peak current.

In general if the amps specs indicate doubling or near doubliing of power from 8 to 4 ohms that  is a good indicator in lieu of specific current delivery specs. 

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
You’ve gotten good advice from John Strohbeen.

Yes they like power and current so throw as much of that at them as you can within your particular budget.

Class D amps in general are a very good way to go.

There is a calculator on the Ohm site to help pick the speaker based on room measurements. That’s as cut and dry as it gets.

Getting speakers that are too big will just produce too much bass in the room. No advantage. If you are a bass hound, maybe go one size larger rather than smaller given the choice.

Or if you have the budget and want the flexibility to use in different size rooms best, spring for the 5000 series that has on board adjustments to fit most any room.
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