Ownership and Review of a pair of Ohm Super Sound Cylinder

@craigsub - I don't do dope, or drop anything when listening.  Doing, perhaps?  Checking email, usually.  But I try to set aside a few hours here and there for listening as a destination activity.

Bondmanp - I knew "doping" was a typo, but it was too good to pass up. :)

So I have some OLD SSC's from back in the day.  Always fun to listen to, but not as refined as some other speakers I have.  

But, I've been on the fence for a while on getting trying some of the new OHM's.

Trigger has been pulled...

Dep14 if you get to hear the newer more refined models I think you will be in for a treat. 

Map... hoping to have a pair here within weeks.

dep14 - Looking forward to reading about your listening tests with your new Ohms! 

dep14 - Any updates on the ship date for your speakers? 

Nothing yet, the hope is today or tomorrow before they go on break.

I am pretty sure you will find it was worth the wait. What is your electronics make up? We have an Oppo 105, PS Audio Stellar Gain Pre-amp/DAC and matching 700 mono amps from PS Audio. It's sonic bliss for under $10,000 delivered. 

@craigsub, currently pass labs 250.8 and xp12.  But will also try some older harman kardons and other equipment.  Primary source is a Sony HAPZ1es.  

dep14 - I have a 1976 vintage Marantz 250M amp that will get a tryout with the Ohms this fall when it's indoor season. 

I would love to hear some Pass Labs amps with the Ohms, too. 

If your speakers didn't ship before the break, I think you will be happy once you finally get them. The frustration is tough while waiting, but I have no regrets. 

@craigsub 

Would love an update on the 4900's  Really your whole set-up.  Pros/Cons vs your other speakers as you have a ton it seems?   The PSaudio amps, how are they now that you have had them for a while.  Always a bit scared of class D?

Even pictures.  Considering some Walsh Talls, or the 4900's as you have.  So, an update with some of the above thoughts if you don't mind.

Many years ago, my favorite speaker was the Ohm A.....you needed vast amounts of power to properly drive it, so I didn't own them.

Roysq … We are getting close to doing a formal write up on the SSC-4900's. Unfortunately, I don't know of a way to post pictures into this forum. Does anyone know how?

You can look for a formal write up over the Thanksgiving Holiday, when I finally have some time. I bought a "distressed" Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram dealership in October, 2017, and this summer was a lot more work than I anticipated. 

For now, I can say I absolutely LOVE these speakers. Every chance I get to try new music, I do. And what they do with old rock favorites like Pink Floyd and Supertramp is astonishing. Deep, tight bass. A soundstage that is MASSIVE. The clarity of vocals is world class. 

They are more power hungry than the Legacy Signature SE's or Axiom M100's, but the PS Audio M700's are more than enough - and for under $10,000 for the total system, the PS Audio Pre, M700's and Ohm's are fantastic. 

Polarin, nice on the Duevel Planets. I bought Venus back in
June and they have been really enjoyable. Very similar to Ohms in many ways, but have to give the nod to the Venus overall, probably why I ended up with them. The Ohms too are certainly very enjoyable speakers too.

Circa 1989 I was living in NYC doing my medical residency. I didn't own a stereo system and never desired to - reproduced music didn't do it for me. I was an amateur musician playing dozens of concerts every year since high school all through college and med school with various symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles and wind bands - I was always saturated with live acoustic music.

A musician friend invited me to his home to listen to some vinyl on his Vandie CEs driven by Manley tubes:  I was hooked!  I didn't know reproduced music could sound that real. I spent the next few weeks visiting various stereo salons around Manhattan listening to monitors, floor standers, electrostats and planars. None of them really grabbed me: they all sounded like boxes and gadgets making sounds - I didn't hear the live acoustic my ears were accustomed to. I recall that in the sweet spot the Vandies came close - in the sweet spot. Also the B&W 801 were very nice - but not in my budget nor WAF. There was a Newmark & Lewis across the street from my apartment on Park Ave IIRC midtown so I meandered in one day and asked the kid to play some loudspeakers. No magic occurred. Then I spotted these cyclindrical loudspeakers - hmm - intrigued I asked the kid what they were. He said they're Ohms (pro-200 sound cyclinders). He turned them on and whamo; I heard that live airy acoustic that I was immersed in daily at rehearsals. The speakers disappeared and the music just floated above and behind them - effortless, detailed yet natural, just lovely.

I bought those cylinders and boy oh boy did I did I go to town building a library of recordings to play on them. I was driving them with a first generation Sony CD player (oh Lord did it sound bad on certain classical recordings) or turn table and a JC Penny receiver. I loved my sound cyclinders. I proceeded to read Absolute Sound and learned about the Walsh 5's - they became my dream loudspeaker. When we moved to LINY in 1990 I got the big house and nice size den. Two years later I spotted an ad - someone in Florida selling a used pair of Walsh 5's for $2400. Bam- I called the guy, made the deal and sent the check. Two weeks later they arrive - in cardboard boxes badly damaged by UPS ( the idiot delegated the job of shipping to his wife who packed the Walshs in boxes filled with just styrofoam peanuts!  UPS (pronounced OOPS) finished the job all but destroying my beloved Walshs). One can was partly collapsed. One cabinet corner was pulverized. Damage everywhere. I was upset but I had to hear them! I propped one speaker on some books, checked the speaker terminals with an ohm meter, then hooked them up to my Rotels. Wow - they sounded amazing. Just beautiiful - a big wide deep airy soundstage and a bottom octave I had never heard before. You know I listened to them, beaten and bruised they were, for days and debated whether to get them repaired because I didn't want to live without them! 

Eventually, I called Ohm and told John my tale of woe and he chuckled, unsurprised by the UPS gorillas. He assured me that he could make them right - and so he did! I drove those babies to the factory in Brooklyn myself and John was so gracious to me - he gave me a tour of the factory and I had a wonderful day surrounded by parts and gadgets and speakers. Long story short I eventually got my Walsh 5s back, all fixed up and pretty and was thrilled with them for years. I eventually upgrade to the Walsh 5 Series 3 (improvement!) and circa 2011 the Walsh 5000s (big improvement) and I am listening to these amazing loudspeakers playing a Haydn organ concerto as I type this long winded response. These speakers make music. I listen to them at least 3 hours per day as I am retired from my practice - life is good.

The thing about John - you can tell that loves building speakers. And he has a amazingly analytic ear - he can listen to a loudspeaker and describe it's frequency response, power response and damping/alignment without needing a measuring device. It has been said that Tchaikovsky and Schubert were incapable of composing a tune that wasn't beautiful and memorable. I think John has that gift vis-a-vis voicing a loudspeaker. Not only do his loudspeakers always sound musical - they are also rock solid reliable. I have never had an issue with the Walshs I've owned - and I drive them hard sometimes. Lately though, I'm thinking about buying a backup pair of head units for the Walsh 5000s, just in case! I could not go a day without listening to them make fine music

To the OP - you have made a wise choice in loudspeaker with the Ohms.

Mamboni - Thank you for one of the BEST posts I have read on an Audio Forum EVER. I am planning on a final write up to be posted this Sunday, and our experiences are pretty close. In the last 2 months, I have auditioned Maggie 20.7's, Magico S-5's, Monitor Audio Platinum PL500 II Towers ($27,000 per pair) and GoldenEar Triton Reference. 

The Ohm's have the depth of the Maggies, the dynamics of the Magico's, and just lack a bit of bass in contrast to the Monitor Audio and GoldenEar speakers. 

There are no regrets in this purchase, and the Ohms are staying in our system. 

Little known fact: Mamboni’s posts were a big part in my deciding to give newer OHM Walsh speakers a chance back in ~ 2008. I love mine  (series 3, one generation older than current) still for all the same reasons and find it hard to stay as immersed with most any box speaker for any prolonged period of time when it comes to serious listening.

@craigsub

As you no doubt know, the bass output of the Ohms will depend to a large degree on their proximity to the front wall - positioning is a compromise between imaging and bass. You must really love your deep bass if you find the SSC lacking as it's low frequency output is similar to my Walsh 5000, being nearly flat in room to 20 Hz! Personally, if I were you I would supplement the SSC with a supersubwoofer to handle the 13 - 20 hz range. Below that you risk shaking your home to pieces!

Wonerful post mamboni, I hope the 2000’s I ordered give me half the pleasure your 5000’s have given you. May I ask are you still using Rotel for amps? I was a bit surprised when I asked Evan what amps they voiced the speakers with, he didn’t exactly say but did say they really liked the NAD C388 with them. I guess the smaller 2000 speakers not sure that would drive the 5000’s. The other amps he mentioned were modest priced amps as well. Actually this thread  and one other on the OHM' s why I decided to try them. 

I'm now driving the Ohms with the Wyred 4 Sound ST-1000 class D amp and they are an excellent match. As the Ohm 5000s have a nominal 6 ohm impedance and an easy load, the ST1000s are effectively good for 750+ watts per channel - they are never really taxed in my 14 X 17 X 8 bedroom. The room enjoys a fortuitous acoustic as there are three large closets and two alcoves connecting to it, and dormers on one wall for truncated corners. It's an old 1930s house, very solid with plaster walls. There are no audible standing waves - the bass is nicely uniform and extended. And I can play the Ohms as loud as I want at any hour with nary a sound detectable outside. Because the enormous power reserves, the Ohms sound effortless. As it is a short line source it works well in this smallish room. Few loudspeakers of comparable sound output could work well in a small room as the Ohms do. They sound indistinguishable from mini monitors at low volumes.

@djones  - As a happy 2000 owner for 9 years, I expect you will enjoy your new speakers.  But please let them break in as per Ohm's instructions.  And while they work well with a wide range of electronics, they will respond well to improvements in associated gear.

Mamboni - I have an Axiom EP-800 subwoofer that will eventually be added to the mix. It's a dual 12 inch, sealed subwoofer that is flat anechoically to 13 Hz. I have some pretty good measuring hear at the house, and in our room, the unit provides a flat response to about 10Hz.

Even more important, all signal processing is done via DSP, and a low pass can be set at 30 Hz, perfect to match up with the SSC4900's. The bass quality, to my ears, exceeds even the JL Audio Gotham/Fathom series, and this will allow the Ohm's to enter what one would consider "super speaker" territory.

I haven't matched it in yet, as the review was just for the speakers, which do very well to the upper 20's in bass. John and I talked about this last March, and he is honest to the point where he said adding one of his subs would probably not make for better than what the Axioms would do. And this was also done in the context that I was willing to get a pair of the 5015's (with built in 15 inch subs) at the time.

Having paired my 2000s with a pair of Vandersteen 2Wq subs (with battery-biased crossovers) since I got the Ohm's, I can fully agree with craigsub that adding powered subs to Ohm's, if done properly, takes the Ohms to a whole new level.  Go for it!

@bondman - I am hopeful I will be as happy as  everyone on the Ohm threads are with their speakers. From my interaction with the company it looks like I need to break-in as much if not more than the speakers,  since I am used to nothing but box type speakers.  When I was discussing amps with Evan he naturally asked what I had which is a Micromega M100 with room correction. He was not familiar with the amp but  researched it and thought it should work OK.  I mentioned my reservations concerning the room correction paired with the Ohm's and could it be utilized. He told me that yes it can be used  but in their experience concerning room correction I should try it with and without, that's when I asked what amps they liked and he said they really like the NAD I memtioned but there are a lot of amps that will work fine.  He said that in his opinion what they have found with room correction in general  is it is coming at the problems that everyday nornmal rooms have from opposite perspectives,  room correction works to remove the room  to produce a good focused listening position and the Ohm's use the room to produce a sort of whole room listening experience, but he did say as a direct answer to my question it can be used. If I end up not using the room correction I might sell the Micromega since that's one of it's main marketing points though it is a very good sounding amp so then again I might keep it.  Might not make sense but it seems like I am not using it as intended and I could probably get an amp better suited to the Ohm's which is why I was wondering what others use with theirs. Sorry for the long post. 

Just my two cents -- I've also posted in the Ohm Micro Tall thread -- I bought a set of Ohm 1000s that were delivered in September and have been enjoying them immensely. (There was a near 40 year gap in my Ohm ownership as I had a set of the original Fs back in the late 70s.)

The sense of real instruments in a space is the strong point of these speakers. While I admire the company's willingness to offer a 120 home trial, there are certain headaches associated with that likely prevents a lot of people from taking them up on it. (Repacking the speakers requires an advanced degree all by itself!) It's a pity that there isn't a way for someone who is simply curious about them to give them a listen outside of a formal trial purchase.

However, as I said before, these speakers are an excellent buy for anyone who is looking for a well-voiced, exteneded range floor standing speaker with a small footprint.

Craigsub,

I would agree integrating that Axiom properly with the low pass filter should produce extremely impressive results!

From my interaction with the company it looks like I need to break-in as much if not more than the speakers, since I am used to nothing but box type speakers.

That is very true! When I first got my newer OHM Walshes I was totally befuddled by what I heard and even once again later when I fed them from my current amp a pair of Bel CAnto ref1000m. That despite having owned other older OHM Walsh 2s for over twenty years. But once your ears tune into the different dimensional "omni" sound, if like me, there will be no turning back ever.

NAD amps are a very good cost effective match. Most any good quality amp will do well within its limits. The larger OHMs in particular do respond to power and current though, so I always recommend as much of both as you can throw at them.


Even at Capital Audiofest, where most vendors throw the kitchen sink into their rooms, John S. went with a very modest Outlaw amp to drive the 5015s. It sounded fine especially in the acoustically challenged "room" they were in, but I know from experience, as bondman alludes to, the OHMs will respond and sound different with most any change made upstream. I’ve heard it with even more esoteric tweaks like wires and power cords on pre-amp and DAC not to mention no two DACS, amps or pre-amps sound exactly  the same when things are set up well.

djones51 - best of luck with the speakers.  I’m guessing the M100 will work great as will the MARS.  Seems to me to mainly help in filling the bottom end and that shouldn’t hurt what the Ohms are trying to do, since the low end isn’t directional.  Be sure to let us know on the Micromega thread.  

It is time for the 6 month summary of the experience our family has had with the Ohm SSC-4900's (referred to as the Ohms from now on). During these 6 months, the Ohms have had every type of music thrown at them, along with dozens of movies in two channel, and finally my kids (who are all grown) playing X-Box and Play Station games.

The Ohms are unlike any speaker we have ever had. We all have biases that "hit us" in different ways. When we first unboxed and put the Ohms into our basement system, my instant bias was that there was no way these "speakers in a can" could deliver detail. I was expecting a diffuse sound with punchy bass from the large driver. This bias turned out to be well off the mark.

The Ohms match or beat any speaker we have had here, and also any that I have auditioned at a high end store. For speakers owned, this includes Legacy Signature SE's ($8000 per pair), Klipsch La Scala II and Klipschorns, VMPS SuperTowers, PSB Stratus Goldi, Onix Reference III's, Infinity IRS Sigmas ($10,000 per pair) and numerous others. In store auditions have included Magic S-5's driven by $50,000 in McIntosh electronics, Magnepan 20.7's, Goldenear Triton Reference and Monitor Audio PL 500 II's. 

The associated system we have is a relatively modest PS Audio M700 monobloc amps (350/700 WPC into 8/4 ohms), Stellar Gain Pre-amp and DAC, and an OPPO 203 universal player. For video, we have a standard Spectrum Cable box. Both the OPPO and the Spectrum are sending a digital signal to the Stellar Gain's DAC using Pangea Coax digital cables. The entire system is about $10,000.

Let's start with detail. On Pink Floyd's The Wall, the song has a background vocal muttering something. On the Ohms, for the first time, those words are quite clear … "You … Yes You … Stand Still Laddy!". The see through quality of the Ohms is incredibly well done, yet the speakers always sound so musical. On the same disc, the guitar work on Mother is natural, and the bass depth of the guitars is palpable. 

To come up with one particular arena in which the Ohms shine would be almost impossible. Every disc we have is played with a deep, wide soundstage, a realistic spectrum starting at about 28 Hz and up to well above one's hearing abilities, and never a hint of harshness. The Ohms are a music lover's dream. They can rock with the best of them, handle male and female vocals with all the emotion intact, and are the type of speakers that make one look for reasons to lose a couple of hours listening.

They also are a tremendous experience for watching video - whether from DVD or from the Cable Box. One experience from earlier this year was watching golf after walking 18 holes with some friends. The microphone was picking up the gallery of golf fans, and one could easily hear comments from the audience members, sometimes coming what seemed behind me. Regular television is actually enhanced by these speakers. 

So - what are the caveats? The Ohms need power - good, clean power - to drive them. They won't rock in the way the Klipsch Heritage line can. Personally, I would recommend nothing short of a good 200 WPC amp to drive them. They are not the speakers that you crank for your buddies while showing them off. They are the speakers you buy because you want to experience something that is close to what you experience live. Just don't expect 120 dB in output at the listening position. Even with that Caveat, we have a pair of Stereophile Class A Klipsch La Scala II's here, and it is the Ohms to which I turn for the best music performance. 

A good subwoofer will add to the bass depth. I am a bass-aholic, and even with the knowledge that a subwoofer will add to the experience, for 6 months, we have run the Ohms without a sub, and we just plain love them. 

On a personal note, to everyone who has owned Ohms for years, and a couple of you, Decades, thanks for participating in this thread. Let's keep the conversation going. This thread has evolved from one person's long term review to a thread of Ohm owners adding their experience and expertise to the thread. You guys all are amazing! 

If anyone has a question, please ask. One of us will hopefully be able to help. 

For now, Terminator 2 is starting on cable. The Ohms are already making it better - it's a wall of sound. Time to enjoy !! 

Craigsub, thanks for the detailed 6 month ownership summary.  Curious to find out more about your conversation with John on subwoofers.  I have a pair of old Fs and am trying to decide between just updating the drivers or getting the F-5015s with the intergral subs.  The large size of my center console would place subs outside of the main speakers instead of between them if I purchased one or more separate, non-integral sub(s).  Also debating going without subs to save the $$$.

Michiganbuckeye (yesterday was confusing for you??) … The subwoofer conversation started as a conversation about the F-1015's and the SSC-4900. I believe the F-5015's are about $11,000 to the SSC-4900's $4900. The $6100 difference is pretty large.

I was leaning towards the F-5015's, but John was looking for exposure in something that more people could afford. We discussed the subs I have here - including one from Rythmik, one from Power Sound Audio and the Axiom. The fact that all crossover and slopes are done in the digital domain, plus the response to 13 Hz anechoically, led John to give the nod to the Axioms with his speakers.

If you upgrade your speakers, adding a sub for the 10 to 30 Hz range will make a lot of sense. That being said, the F-5015's look awesome. Either choice will probably be worth the time and money. Has John given you any suggestions yet? They are running a Black Friday deal now (got a couple of emails about this) - maybe he can get you a deal on the 5015's. 

Thanks Craig,

Nice comments and review.

Are you planning on setting up a center and surrounds from OHM?

Will the sub be as a .1 for theater use only, or are you thinking of setting it up line-level and crossing it at the sub?

Always interested as to how people integrate their 2 channel and surround systems.

Bought a pair of what I believe are Ohm sound cylinder Pro-150’s locally for $200 last weekend.  They are in good shape and I did so really without knowing anything about Ohm other than 30 minutes research afforded.  Grabbed cash and bought on-site without listening.  Since then, I have included a freshly refoamed surround Optimus SW-12 12” passive woofer I’ve had around 20 years with a small Dayton Audio 2.1 amplifier that is careful not to over drive the cylinders.  So far, I am delighted with the performance and discovey of Ohm and what simplicity does for a small system.  Its been an inexpensive way to explore and get something truly pleasant outside traditional design.

I’ve had a pair of the Ohm 2000’s for about a month and they just seem to get better as time goes by. The bass on this model goes down to 32hz and that’s just about right for my tastes so I haven’t felt the need to supplement with a sub. The highs and mid range are very smooth and I can listen for hours without fatigue, from Mozart, Brubeck, Pink Floyd , Beatles no matter what I play they just fill the room with wonderful music. I still have a couple of months evaluation left but so far I don’t see me sending them back. I was in a shop about a week ago looking at amps and listened to some speakers that cost three times the Ohm 2000 and they did sound nice just not nice enough to change my mind.

Fortunate enough to have a pair of the 5000’s that I bought used. Sent the cans into John and the team at OHM for new cans and a once-over.  I have some old OHM Pro-200's that are beaten up pretty badly and not perfect but they did so much right I decided to go all-in on some OHM's.

Pricing was very fair, turnout was very reasonable.

Waited a bit to order a center and rears. They have been ordered from John.

I can’t say enough about how happy I am with the 5000’s. Eventually I will post a review of sorts. Huge soundstage, coherent from top to bottom, plenty of bass, not harsh but all the detail I need. When I want to push them - they do not lose any composure.

I picked up a pair of kef ls50 over the holidays as a treat replacing other older monitors.   Run them in my 12x12 office with a sub.  I like them alot especially with the sub.  My big Ohm 5s still rule though in the adjacent much larger room. Also moved the Dynaudio Contours into my wife's sunroom where they continue to impress.  My smaller Ohm 100s have found their home in our family room 2 channel a/v system where they are a perfect fit.  Everyone always in the sweet spot!

I found this thread via a link in Ohm Acoustics periodic emailed newsletter that featured craigsub’s comments on his SSC-4900’s.  It’s been a true treat to read through all the posts.  Having been an Ohm user for almost 15 years, it’s been very rare to find much commentary online about them, especially from actual owners who are so pleased with their Ohms.  I count myself in your camp, most definitely.  With John’s patient and friendly consultations - isn’t he just great to work with?! - I purchased a MicroWalsh home theater system in 2004 (Talls, Center, Short Omni’s and SMB-10 subwoofers) and got thousands of hours of enjoyment over the the last 15 years.  Although I had a Denon AVR-3805, it turned out to be mainly 2-channel listening and I loved the sound of my Ohm’s.  We’re moving into a new home in another 6-8 weeks and my budget is a little larger than it was back then, so I am upgrading to Walsh Tall 1000’s for the front L & R as well as center (it’s a relatively small room with only 10-11 feet to the listening positions).  Ohm’s trade-in policy was definitely a blessing in this transaction: I sent in my Talls, the Center and the subwoofers a couple weeks ago and Ohm gave me very fair value.  Also, Ohm suggested that for my surround channels, my existing MicroWalsh Short Omni’s should work just fine given the room they’ll be in.  This, to me, is excellent business practice: actually help the customer, don’t just try to upsell them.  A final comment about amplification.... I am going with a Denon AVR again (this time the x4500H) for all its great processing features, WiFi and app enablement, streaming, etc.  However, a friend who’s a digital audio engineer convinced me to use the Denon’s pre-outs and get Class D amplifiers for the front L, R and center channels.  I got Crown XLS1502’s (300W into 8 ohms, 575W into 4 ohms) and while I’m waiting for my new 1000’s hooked one up to my 15-year-old MicroWalsh Omni’s.  OMG, what a revelation!  The sound is so effortless and open regardless of volume (and I cranked them pretty hard) and the bass depth and musicality is so much better and the amp isn’t even breaking a sweat.  When I mentioned in an email to Evan at Ohm my plan for using the Crowns, he replied “....we’ve been using Crowns in the lab for decades; they sound great and will take all kinds of abuse...”. So, I have new insight into why craigsub is so happy with his PSAudio monoblocks as are the others in this thread who’re feeding their Ohms with amps that have a lot of headroom.  I am thinking I might have to get another Crown to power the surrounds.  :-)

@tjj99... If you like this thread, check out the Micro Walsh Talls, Who's Heard Them thread, one of largest here.  Yes, Ohms respond well to gobs of power, no question.  And yes, John and everyone at Ohm are a pleasure to deal with.  My 2000s are probably my last pair of speakers.

@bondmanp thanks for the tip....I'll check that thread out!

@craigsub

How about a final follow up on the Ohms...what do they do well...what do they do not so well....who might like them....who might not...how are they for piano? trumpet? saxaphone? female voices?  It would be great to hear your conclusions after having these for 9 months.

Snapsc ... this is a great suggestion. I did dial in the Axiom EP800 subwoofer last fall, and with a 40 Hz crossover, it has taken the listening experience to new levels. I will try to get some more information posted over the weekend. 

Craigsub

👍

I can't help posting:  Some times, my listening sessions seem, um, uninspired.  But then there are nights like last night.  I put together a pretty random playlist on my server.  Nearly every track was just magical.  The capper was "No Way Out" by Peter Gabriel.  Gabriel's albums can be notoriously difficult to reproduce correctly, but if your system can manage it, what can sound muddy and confused on many systems just snaps into focus and makes perfect sense.  Deep, powerful bass, expansive soundstages, and pinpoint imaging all over those soundstages.  Last night, it just clicked into place.  Gabriel's voice was natural, with spot-on transients that were neither too hot nor to recessed.  It was so good, I stopped the playlist at the end of the track, assuming no other track I had programmed could possibly equal this one, and certainly would not equal the emotional connection to the music that kept me riveted to my chair.

And all this from a pair of speakers priced way below what most audiophiles would consider the price range for "serious" loudspeakers. It bears repeating:  John Strohbeen is a master of speaker design and voicing. I only wish his show demos sounded as good as the 2000s do in my system.  

BTW, if you go to the Ohm web site, there is a Youtube link to a cool interview of John done by Steve Guttenburg.

On the OHM speaker website, JS indicates a resolution to update his news blog there more regularly this year. A great place to go to learn about the nuts and bolts of home sound reproduction in general as well as his specific approach with OHM.

Here’s a tidbit recently posted I found interesting:

"Speakers are designed to sound their most ‘natural’ and ‘accurate’ at a specific listening level. At Ohm, we have chosen the sound level heard on the ground floor, rows K-P in Carnegie Hall – be it a solo violinist or full orchestra and chorus. "

I find most things JS says there tend to ring true with me, which I guess helps explain why I like these speakers as much as I do.

@mapman interestingly, in the Strohbeen/Guttenberg interview, John admits he really doesn't have a system of his own.  He attends live performances regularly.  I think this affects how he voices his speakers.