Hi Jtwrace -- I've had the Walsh 5 Mk IIIs for a year and have been very, very pleased. My last speakers were the Vandy 3A Sigs. which are a very nice speaker, but the Ohms took me a few big steps further up the audio ladder.
What surprised me most initially was how similar they sounded to the Vandys. However, they were particularly improved in mid range definition and overall coherency is probably about the best you'll ever hear. In my room, the general presentation and specific soundstage characteristics were, much to my amazement, not all that different than the Vandys. You have to remember that even though the primary driver radiates 360, there are plates that partially attenuate the sound to the back and outside of each speaker. So, you're not spraying equal volume levels in every direction. The contour switches on the Ohms are not to be dismissed as they can be very helpful.
I do use a sub (ACI Titan) which I've been able to integrate quite well thanks to the ACI's multiple controls and the great help of a Copland DRC205 Room Correction System. I should take the time to write a review of the Copland as I find it a terrific help and also a great education in what happens to sound in your listening room. A relatively slight 2 db variance in the midrange, at your listening position, can quite dramatically change a vocalists voice for the worse. Back to the sub -- the Ohm's have good, well defined bass to the low 30s, fairly similar to the Vandys. But, years ago, I realized that most recording have at least some information below the low thirties and unless I had a high quality sub or monster floor standers I would never have that vital foundation under the rest of the music. Good integration can be time consuming, but the ACI and the Copland shortened the time considerably and the results please me no end.
The Ohms are very easy to like and, I believe, they have a four month trial period. My advice is to check them out -- you don't have much to lose.
Best regards,
Brian Elliott
What surprised me most initially was how similar they sounded to the Vandys. However, they were particularly improved in mid range definition and overall coherency is probably about the best you'll ever hear. In my room, the general presentation and specific soundstage characteristics were, much to my amazement, not all that different than the Vandys. You have to remember that even though the primary driver radiates 360, there are plates that partially attenuate the sound to the back and outside of each speaker. So, you're not spraying equal volume levels in every direction. The contour switches on the Ohms are not to be dismissed as they can be very helpful.
I do use a sub (ACI Titan) which I've been able to integrate quite well thanks to the ACI's multiple controls and the great help of a Copland DRC205 Room Correction System. I should take the time to write a review of the Copland as I find it a terrific help and also a great education in what happens to sound in your listening room. A relatively slight 2 db variance in the midrange, at your listening position, can quite dramatically change a vocalists voice for the worse. Back to the sub -- the Ohm's have good, well defined bass to the low 30s, fairly similar to the Vandys. But, years ago, I realized that most recording have at least some information below the low thirties and unless I had a high quality sub or monster floor standers I would never have that vital foundation under the rest of the music. Good integration can be time consuming, but the ACI and the Copland shortened the time considerably and the results please me no end.
The Ohms are very easy to like and, I believe, they have a four month trial period. My advice is to check them out -- you don't have much to lose.
Best regards,
Brian Elliott