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


Hi,

I'd love to hear the impressions of people who've actually spent some time with these speakers to share their sense of their plusses and minuses. Mapman here on Audiogon is a big fan, and has shared lots on them, but I'm wondering who else might be familiar with them.
rebbi
The OHM Micro Subwoofer 12 is a self-powered unit that takes the amp output and crosses it over internally. There are choices of cross-over points and a volume control. Since I first installed it, I have turned the volume down slightly as my wife was complaining about the whole house shaking. Actually, it does sound better turned down a bit.
If I had a sub-out on my Schiit tube pre-amp, I could have used that, but it sounds fine as is. I am using a Parasound HCA1500 to power the system.
@t8kc... If you read through this thread, you will see that from the start, I have run my 2000s with a pair of Vandersteen 2Wq subs.  Overkill?  Perhaps, but I love extended, clean bass, and this combo works extremely well.  Dynamics can be startling.   The 2000s are surely not bass-shy speakers, but with these subs, my rig punches well above its weight.
@t8kc .. thanks. My curiosity stemmed from this statement in particular:
 
The speakers seem to perform better now that the sub is taking over the bass load.

So, if I understand you correctly you're going from amp -> sub -> 4XO's and using the sub's crossover. Is that correct? Never tried that method but I've been curious if it works well. I use an old Outlaw ICBM-1 active crossover for bass management, a leftover from my home theater days. BTW, I have a pair of the MicroSubwoofer 10's. I was surprised Ohm is no longer offering them.

@melvinjames you are correct about the sequence.
Honestly, I don't know how OHM made any money on the Micro Subwoofer series; the part is great quality for a low price (my 12" version cost $400 + shipping!).The replacement sub is $1,500. Granted it is a different beast, but still...

@bondmanp I have read most of this very long post and commented in the past. I was aware of your set up, just adding my 2¢.
I think I recall  the old model subs were the only Ohm speakers not made in Brooklyn (China) whereas I read the new ones are. 
@mapman Perhaps for the electronics, but the woodwork was done in Brooklyn as it took 6 months for delivery. The new subs use Danish (ICE) electronics with the woodwork done in NYC.

IIRC when I bought my subs and spoke with John about them he mentioned importing them from China but "tweaking" the electronics and doing the veneer etc. in Brooklyn. I was fortunate enough to hit a great sale on them. Hard to beat for the price.
BTW, I just noticed this thread has nearly 15 million views. Incredible. See what you started @rebbi !
 @melvinjames thank you for calling that to my attention! It is pretty amazing, isn’t it? :-)
Looks like this is the all time most viewed and responded to speaker thread on this site! That is amazing. There is a lot of interest in the OHM speakers. The second place thread was a general one about "the best speaker".
I suspect the reason for the interest is that maybe Ohm Walsh is the ultimate "mystery speaker".  They have been around for a long time.  Many of the older folks remember the Ohm F and how great it sounded when properly amplified.  Not many have heard the more recent versions, but the few reviews that exist are positive.  And they rarely come up for resale...so, the result is curiosity.



Yes. A mystery speaker for sure! One of the few that you can’t even see the driver and only hear the magic it produces, eh?

Seriously, as I’ve been saying all along for many years now here, Ohm Walsh offers a truly unique value and listening experience. That and they have been around a long time and fly largely under the radar otherwise. However, several very popular "private" web reviewers (Guttenburg and Zreviews come to mind) have become fans and given rave reviews in recent years. So just between that and here it adds up to a lot of exposure and publicized positive results from more "regular Joe" types, in recent years. Mostly word of mouth though still...the most cost effective form of advertising.

Does that much interest in a product on a "high end" web site seal its certification as "high end"?


I wonder how many unique viewers?
However, several very popular "private" web reviewers (Guttenburg and Zreviews come to mind) have become fans and given rave reviews in recent years.
Rave reviews indeed. Z's in particular was rather enthusiastic. No doubt both peaked a lot of interest as of late. I'm glad for John and company, the accolades are well-deserved.