Ohm Walsh vs. Mirage OMD 28

haven't heard the Mirages but on paper, I see they have two crossover points and the omni driver configuration appears to target mainly the higher frequencies.

OHM walsh drivers in comparison have a single crossover point at a relatively high frequency. The Walsh drivers deliver a highly frequency coherent omni sound very wide range up to that crossover point. The result is top notch performance through the critical midrange region. The OHMs are also not true omni in that range in that the omni driver sound levels are physically attenuated in the wall facing directions (by acoustic damping material inside teh "can") to allow for easier placement closer to walls than pure omnis.

yes, the OHMs are not hard to place compared to most designs, but careful placement is still needed to yield the best results possible. You can put them most anywhere and they will sound fine for background listening perhaps but imaging accuracy and detail and bass levels may not be optimal.

I think need for use of damping materials will depend on the room and user preference. I have never used any nor been strongly tempted to.

Historically I've found wood or other lively floor materials to be the main issue in that the OHMs are bottom ported and a lot of energy is directed towards the floor.

"Remember: the "first reflection" point for an omni is not the same as for a conventional dynamic cabinet loudspeaker."

The first reflection point for an omni is variable depending on listening location I believe since you can listen from a wide range of lcoations and not just the "sweet spot". For the "sweet spot" the first reflection point on the rear wall would be the same as for other speakers in teh same location essentially I think. It would change depending on where you listen from. So it might become a difficult task to treat the room optimally in this way in a manner that works best for a wide range of listening locations.

I always view omnis like OHMs as best applied in scenarios where you want to use the room as it is as your concert venue as opposed to typical audiophile scenarios where you become obsessed with modifying the room to avoid interactions with the speakers.

Of course, some rooms can just make flat out lousy concert venues, so in these cases, you might want to think twice about using more omni designs like the OHMs.

supplementing a smaller pair of ohms with a sub is not a bad option either.
I'll be interested in how well the mirages stack up. i think they both will sound very good but also quite different.

"There are two placement issues with the OMDs, however. If you want that deep, holographic soundstage, you want to pull them further into the room and place them wider if you can. If you put them where you put a typical forward-firing speaker you'll get some center clustering, though the timbres will be spot-on. If you want a sonic hologram, bring'em out into the room.

Secondly, the OMD-28s have very strong bass down into the 20s, so that's another reason to have them out from the front wall. I have my OMD-15s a little more than 3 ft into the room. If you have the room to bring OMD-28s 4-6ft into the room they'll probably blow your mind."

The placement considerations for the OHMs are quite similar though moving them out 4-6 feet may be overkill except for larger OHMs in very large rooms.

bran,

have you discussed your room with john at ohm? there is no advantage to larger more expensive ohms over smaller unless room size considerations warrant it. the exception is the 5000 which has adjustments on
board to taylor the sound to roomsize and other acoustic considerations.

Frazeur1,

Yes, the larger adjustable Walshes makes it easier to adjust or optimize the sound to the room and your preferences especially when things change.

A parametric equalizer or flexible tone controls on a pre-amp can also accomplish the same, but having the controls right on board the speaker works well.

Toe-in/toe-out, port plugs, speaker placement, room treatments and of course equipment tweaks are the weapons you have at your disposal otherwise.

Try toeing in the right speaker for more direct exposure at your listening position to move the image to the right? Or, if both toed in already equally toe-out the left speaker.

Sometimes a balance control can come in handy!