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

Congratulations on the purchase, mas426.  I am sure you will enjoy them.  Just let them break in.  I have heard Joseph Audio speakers many times at shows, and always enjoyed them, but you don't get much Joseph Audio for a grand!  If you haven't heard Ohms in 35 years, you may be in for a pleasant surprise.

I have just finished reading this thread from start to finish. It took me a couple of weeks to wade through it. In some ways, it has been a fascinating read punctuated by the original poster selling his Ohms. I have to admit being disappointed about that event, but was pleased that the thread continued on.

I own 2 sets of early Ohm-Walsh speakers, a set of Walsh 1s and Walsh 2s. I paid less than $200 for each set so I wasn't gambling much.

My original interest in Ohms was sparked by reading a review of some amplifier whose name escapes me at the moment, but the Ohm speakers were mentioned. I believe the review was in a San Francisco based paper. Being a curious type, I did some internet searching and came upon the Ohm website. The technical aspect of the Walsh design was fascinating to me (I'm an engineer) so I looked around locally (SoCal) and found my speakers.

The Walsh 1s were good, but I hadn't bought a new CD player yet. That only happened after the Walsh 2s showed up. There was a noticeable difference between the two models. Let's just say the Walsh 2s are still listened to and the Walsh 1s are in the garage waiting for the 2.2000 upgrade when the budget allows.

Reading this thread has prompted me to buy a used Parasound 1500A amp. It hasn't been set up yet because there doesn't seem to be a way to connect it to my current A/V receiver (Onyko HT-R430). It has the normal line-level outs (tape, etc.), but no pre-amp out.

I know, I know; buy a pre-amp. I get that, but in order to have a decent WAF, I have maintain an FM tuner and a remote. This makes things more complicated and, hence, more expensive I'm sure.

Any ideas out there?

BTW, I'm reading Jim Smith's book 'Get Better Sound'. Any comments on that?

Thanks,
Tate

Here is the article that steered me to Ohm speakers.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24674435/sound-advice-ohm-walsh-speakers-cant-be-beat

I guess I’m talking to myself here. :-)

I just bought a B&K Reference 5 S2 pre-amp on Audiogon that satisfies my requirements for a tuner and a remote so I’m pleased with that.

I’ll post how it sounds with the Parasound 1500A amp when I get it hooked up; probably after the new year.

I really am talking to myself so I don't need to be shy.

The preamp/tuner and power amp were integrated into my system and the Onyko got relegated to garage duty.

At first, I wasn't sure if I had made the right decision in jettisoning the old Onyko receiver. I realized that some adjustments might be necessary to get the new components and the room tuned in.

The bass response was good so I kicked the treble up slightly to better match what I had the old receiver set to and, voila, the sound was starting get there.

While I was expecting a big difference in the sound, the reality was measured in more subtle layers. The bass was stronger and better defined and I didn't need as much volume to hear the details. My wife wasn't complaining to me about the SPL.

This last point is important because I want her to be able to share some of the music with me. Before, it wasn't happening at the levels I needed.

I have reviewed some of my CDs on the new set-up and I'm hearing details and a general openess that wasn't there before. Also, the congestion at higher volume levels is gone.

My original goal, 3 months ago, was to get closer to a reference system I had heard while on vacation. Now, I can say I'm about 90% there.

I still have some cable tuning to do and, eventually, an Ohm speaker upgrade to 2.2000. I might change the listening area some if I can get the WAF high enough.

My current modest system is partially the result of reading this Ohm discussion and components purchased on this site. I can say that I am very satisfied with the result considering the amount of money spent (about $1,500 so far). Buying used components made it financially possible to do for me. Additionally, I don't have to do any major break-in proceedures; someone has done it already!