Parasound, if you can't take them, I sure would take them and fix them up! They are classics, and getting more difficult to find. They are pretty big but they sure would be a lot of fun though! Enjoy! Tim |
So true Mapman, things aren't very pretty at all under the cans. But I sure do love the music they make. And that is what is important! I do love the design, and I love the industrial look of those cans!
I was doing some testing on the Super-2/2000 upgrades, they are a very nice upgrade over the original drivers. I don't know how they compare to the last series as I don't have anything to compare them too directly at the moment. I have enjoyed reading through this thread. Enjoy your music! Tim |
Map, yeah the D400 would be great, wouldn't mind the extra oomph that would give me as well.
Foster, will be interested in your take on the Wyred. The McCormack is very nice inded. Tim |
Mamboni, where in the world did your wife hide those big things? That would be a rather nice surprise! Looking forward to reading about your impressions.
I am going to talk to John once their end-of-year shutdown is over about getting the 3000 series drivers for my Walsh 3's. I had been listening to the 2000 series drivers mounted to one of my friend's Walsh 2's, very nice indeed. Now that I have a very nice set of 3XO cabinets, the 2000's will be going back to John for the 3000's.
I have to say the newer drivers are a very nice upgrade from the original drivers! Much smoother and not so "peaky" in the treble region. Bass is a bit tighter and deeper. A high recomendation if you have an older pair of Walsh's that haven't been back to Ohm for a tune-up.
Would love to have a pair of 5000's someday, but the 3000 should fit my listening room very well. Enjoy your music, and Happy Holidays to all! Tim |
After I posted that, I got to thinking that you probably only got the driver upgrade. Those are still some pretty decent-sized packages! Again, what a nice surprise! Did you get new grills or will your older ones fit?
I am really looking forward to the 3000's, based on what I had heard with the 2000's in my room, the 3000 should be even better yet!
I tried the 2000's on top of my 3XO cabinets, but the top driver board that comes with the 2000 upgrade wasn't quite big enough to work properly. I could have made a new top board, but in the end I just thought it would be best to just go for the 3000's. Hopefully that will be just a drop-in replacement versus the OW2/2000 new driver board.
My initial plan was to have my own pair of OW2's, but one of them got destroyed by UPS(Oops), so most of my testing/listening was done with a friend's pair of old 2's. Glad he was able to do without them for awhile.
Am thinking about maybe getting a pair of micro-talls at a later time for my rear surrounds. Will see. Enjoy those new 5000's! Tim |
Bondmanp, interesting as I had a bit of the same issue as well, it seemed more like a small midbass hump. It didn't seem to matter where I positioned the speakers, further away from the wall, closer, whatever, it seemed to stay there. It really wasn't very irritating, but there nonetheless. This was with 2000 series drivers in an OW2 cabinet, which I might add was not in the best of shape either.
I kept with it though, had them running for the better part of 3 months and it did smooth out some. I found it did not take long for the treble to break-in if at all, it seemed very smooth and detailed right form the get-go. The bass/midrange was a little more problematic.
The last time I listened to the 2000 series drivers they were a bit better in the midbass. Unfortunately, my OW2's were borrowed and I had to return them, so my testing was cut a bit short. I have since found some really nice OW3XO cabinets that I have talked to John about in trading my 2000 series drivers in for 3000's. I am going to put that in motion when they get back from the Holiday shutdown.
I do think it is a break-in thing though, as I felt like mine were beginning to smooth out as time went by. I did do one interesting little thing with my 2000 drivers before I boxed them up. Once I didn't have any OW2 cabinets, I placed the driver cans on top of a couple of plastic milk-crates just to store them so the driver surrounds wouldn't be touching anything until I had time to pack them up right(They come packed on a wooden board that is cut out from the factory). I thought hmmm, wonder what these things would sound like without the cabinet. So I put 2 milk crates on top of each other for both left and right speakers, and kind of set the 2000 drivers and their mounting boards across the opening of the crate. Fired them up and listened to them for quite awhile. There was no real bass below about 60-70 Hz or so, but man, that midrange and sweet treble was to die for. These things were just floating the nicest image in my room, almost better than with the OW2 cabinets. If I would have had the time, I actually thought about dragging my Velodyne subs out and trying them together just for the fun of it.
It was an interesting little listen, I wasn't looking to really take anything in particular away from my experiment, but what I did come away with is that John really knows how to voice a speaker and to make some very basic drivers sound really great together! It was like listening to a small monitor yet with all the wonderful goodness that an Ohm Walsh brings to the table, minus the bass of course. I don't know that my description does it justice really, but I have to say it was fun. Again, my admiration for what John and crew do is pretty high up on my ladder.
Needless to say, I can't wait for John to get back from vacation(sorry John and company)and get the ball rolling for the 3000's. Enjoy your music, and of course those Ohm's! Tim |
Bondmanp, I forgot another thing that I tried in regards to the mid-bass hump, in the OW2 cabinet, there is a layer/blanket of acoustic dampening material or whatever it is, and I was able to actually move mine around, basically up or down at various levels within my cabinet. It made small differences, nothing earth shattering.
I am not sure how the newer cabinets are filled, I had thought they were pretty much stuffed to the gills with the stuff. If you continue to be put off by this mid-bass issue, I strongly encourage you to not only give it some more time, but also talk with John about it when convenient. He might have some suggestions that you can try with regards to positioning and maybe even some of the fibre fill in the cabinet or the port.
I think too, it is or can be difficult to diagnose these kind of problems as there are so many things that it could be-or not be for that matter. I find most of my displeasure usually comes from the recordings themselves, not the gear. But we all have certain references that we go by, and it is your ears that you have to satisfy! Don't give up on them yet!
I really think that John is very willing to go the extra mile to make sure his customers are happy with their purchase. Hopefully your 2000's will work out well for you. Enjoy! Tim |
Bond, very good, I do find the Ohm's to be "just right". I think another aspect of them that I am always amazed with is the height of the performers. They almost always seem to be the proper height/proportion, not some rinky-dink version of an event. My Magnepans always did a wonderful job on that and something I am glad the Ohm's do as well.
I would say your Odyssey amp is more than capable for the task at hand. Good amplifier! Built right here in my hometown. Hmmm, maybe I should try one at aome point! Enjoy your music Bond! Tim |
Things do seem a bit slow, maybe everyone is just busy getting back to work and all from the holidays.
I should be getting my 3000 drivers to mount on my Walsh 3XO's next week, so I am very excited about that needless to say! Should be fun getting them broken in! Tim |
Mapman, you might want to check out a couple of the ARC D300 power amps available on here, they are fairly high current, good damping factor and good sounding units. Would probably compliment your ARC pre that you have. While maybe not a whole ton of watts, the current delivery is good with these. I have a D130 and it has been a wonderful amplifier, I am sure these would drive your Ohms very well. Can't say it would be better or worse than your MF amp though. Enjoy! Tim |
If you are happy with the MF anyway, why rock the boat? It is fun to play though. My D130 physically looks fairly small, but packs a pretty good punch. I am always amazed at how good it does sound.
I haven't listened to many class D amps myself, and while it would be nice to not have the added heat/cooler running, not to mention the space, I don't think I would change for that, it would have to sound a good deal better! One of these days I might take a closer listen. Tim |
Bond, it would maybe be a good thing to contact John and see what his thoughts may be. My 2000 drivers in the OW2 cabinets eventually smoothed out pretty nicely. Unfortunately, I had to get the OW2's back to their owner, but I feel like I got a very good feel for them. I am hoping yours will smooth out as well.
I never really got the same midrange issue as you, and surely not anything I would call "distortion". I think there were times that I could overdrive them a bit in my room which would muddy things up a bit. But once I got past the slight mid-bass bloat, things settled in very nicely!
Bond, I have a Narada sampler that has I believe David Lantz/Christofore's Dream, good piano, it makes for a nice demo. Some folks don't care for the Narada stuff, but I like it.
My main reason for going to the 3000's is that they will mesh better with my room volume and I will not have a tendency to overdrive them. Not that I listen to music at ungodly levels, but there are those times when you just feel like you want some concert-hall levels!
Also, not trying to take sales away from John at all, but have you watched any film with the Walsh's set up, center in Phantom mode, in my setting I am very pleased with how things sound without a center channel, but rooms and placement will have a big influence on that. I am thinking about getting a pair of Microwalsh's at some point for my surrounds.
I hope you can get squared away with your 2000's Bond, I do think you will enjoy them a lot. Sometimes too, I think it is all too easy to get in the "critical listening mode" instead of just letting the music speak for itself. Especially when you are in the dem mode and making sure these are what you want to purchase. Enjoy! Tim |
Glad your Ohm 100's are doing the job for you Rebbi! Ohm's are just plain fun to listen to!
Do you miss your Unico at all? I never have had the pleasure of listening to one, but they sure do look nice. I am sure your Manley/Bel Canto is doing a nice job for you though. Enjoy the music! Tim |
Mamboni, how are the new 5000's coming along? I have been anxiously waiting on some comments about these. I know you have them and also Don Lindich of Sound Advice is also going to have a review/comment on them at some point.
Bond, glad things are sounding a bit better for your 2000's. Tim |
Excellent Mamboni, will be looking forward to more comments/review when you can. Tim |
Thanks Parasound, me too, I'm Ohm for the holidays and listening to my Ohm theater! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! Will have to get busy working on my MWT review soon! Happy listening all!
Tim |
Rebbi! What the devil! I see a pair of Ohm 100/S3's for sale! Guess we will have to strip you of your Ohm Stripes immediately sir! That 1000th post here will have to be awarded to someone else I guess.
Seriously, I hope that whatever direction you chose to go, that it brings you much enjoyment! I think you will miss the Ohm's though! Tim |
Bond, you are using just "regular" micro-talls right? I was talking with John Strohbeen about using them for surround duty, he says they will work fine, but the omni version of them works even better for surround duties. I would love to hear the differences as I was thinking of possibly trying that myself with my 3000's as the fronts.
Map, glad to hear the pre is okay and that your new Bels are doing the business! Enjoy! |
Yep, that is basically what is going on in the omni version Map. I would think either one would do a fine job though with proper positioning.
With the time I have played with my 3's in the front left/right, I don't feel a need for a center either. I think that would obviously depend on distance apart/screen size too.
I am still debating the whole surround-sound thing anyway, and it is hard to break with the traditional 2-channel sound that I love and know. But I have found it doesn't mean that you can't do both nearly as well, might just cost a little more! Tim |
Bond/Map, I totally agree on this. I think that is one reason why I am looking at possibly even doing surround at this point instead of scrapping the whole thing. I have the processor and amps that are all as matched as one could want(within reason/budget). It is a matter of just using my 3/3000's for the fronts, and because I don't have a super-wide space to cover between my L/R fronts, I can get away with not having a center. I just need to come off of some money and buy the MWT's for the rears. I think the voicing will be very seamless/uniform. I very much agree with Kal and others on this point.
My problem will be more along the bass end. I have tried subs, a pair of Velodynes, and my room just is a nightmare to get them positioned and sounding right. I would rather use no subs at all compared to the crap I have been trying to achieve/get through. The good thing is, I don't really care for all that really low bass boom/bang. Hopefully the 3/3000 will do enough of the low end to satisfy me there. I guess there are always 4000/5000's! Right! Enjoy, Tim |
Thanks Bond/Marty on the sub info. My biggest problem with subs is a good place to put them to start with. My living room which is also my listening room, is rather odd. It is a good sounding room, just that it is broken up by entryway/hallways and a kitchen/dining area opening. No real corners that are usable for the most part. And floor space too is at a premium.
The other issue is the same issue for surround, running wires. It will take running them overhead in the attic and fishing them down two walls, one is easy, the other not so much. Everything is do-able, just time, money and a lot of effort. I am willing to go to take this on, but also taking my time before jumping in whole-hog.
If I decide to do the whole surround A/V thing, the subs probably will be the last thing I tackle. I will get the rears in place and go from there. Again, sometimes I think why bother, I get extremely good sound in 2-channel mode for video/movies. I am sometimes amazed at the enveloping sound I get with either my Ohm's or the Magnepan's when in the system. Agreed it isn't the same thing as "surround", but pretty darn good!
I already have an Anthem AVM-30 processor, Anthem MCA-20 and PVA-2 amps, so the real hard part is already available. I just happen to love my Audio Research gear too, and do to space, I can really only have one system. Music is my main priority anyway. I know, tough to live with huh?
Rebbi, that 1000th magical post is right around the corner! Tim |
Hi all, got a message from Ohm that my 3000 drivers are on the way, should get here tomorrow if the snow doesn't slow things down. Thanks John! Looking forward to getting these put on the 3's and breaking them in, and then sitting down to enjoy some great Ohm magic. Will report back on how this all goes.
Bond, anymore good takes on the surround experience? You said something about placing your MWT's on some blocks to get them up off the floor, how high are the drivers in relation to your head/ears? I am really interested in how all this works for you, I will probably be making a decision in the next couple of months or so on ordering a pair of MWT's for my room and giving it a try.
Telescope, if you haven't heard the Ohm's yet, give them a try, they are wonderful speakers, and John and Co. are great to work with, they will get you what you need. It is great to have the ability to listen to them in your own home with plenty of trial-time, and quite a few budgetary options. Enjoy! Tim |
Joe, when I had the OW2/2000's for test, I can remember many times that they would surprise me. If everything is set up properly, I am always amazed at how they sound even when listening from very unconventional hi-fi positions, off axis, walking around the room etc. I have been so used to sitting more head-in-vise with my Magnepans, and with the Ohm's, I don't worry over it so much, it just doesn't seem to matter.
One Sunday morning I was sitting a good bit back from the speakers, even outside of the left-hand speaker. I was listening to a morning show called OverEasy, usually good acoustical stuff. Neil Young's Harvest Moon was playing and I had been reading and I just dropped the book in my lap and sat there just totally transfixed on just the music. It just sounded so real, lifelike. And I can't say that I am especially a big Neal Young fan overall! Yet sitting in that position, I still had it all there, great soundstage, and just a wonderful musical event.
I sometimes find it difficult to put into words just what these speakers do. It isn't like they force me to listen, or that they draw me into the performance really, they just are very natural performers and make great music! It is so easy to listen to music through these transducers, other speakers soemtimes can be hard to really listen to or I seem to be listening too hard that it is almost work! Not with these.
I think John has done a super job of voicing these, very incredible really. Any good live recording especially is pretty amazing. I am so looking forward to getting my 3000's going. It has been a long road getting here, but one I think will be special for a long time-that is until I can maybe afford 5000's! I am glad to hear that so many of you guys have enjoyed them as much as I did years ago, and soon will again. By the way, I would put in a plug for the Super 2000 upgrade, that is a great cost-effective upgrade if anybody already owns OW2 cabinets with original drivers. And if you don't, John can get you fixed up, especially if like myself, tend to like the older style cabinets. Enjoy the music! Tim |
I haven't tried the "music in the round" yet, but I have pulled the 2's pretty far out in the room just to see what this would bring to the table. Bass suffers a little bit, but they still did the staging thing very well. I often wondered what they would sound like in that setup if the back of the driver can wasn't attenuated some.
I think positioning in general with the Ohm's can be as tweaky as you want to get, but they generally sound very good no matter how they are placed within reason. I love that my 3's have the casters on the bottom, makes it so nice to wheel them out from the wall that my A/V stand is on, and move them where they do sound best.
When I am not in the "critical listening mode", they can just stay put, which is about 10" from the wall in front of me, and spread about 6' apart. Pulling them out so the plane of the speakers are beyond the TV screen usually works nicely for video. If in the music zone, they get moved out in the room about 2' and spread apart about 8/9', which still leaves about 4' on either side of each speaker. My listening position is about 7/8' away. Still fine tuning though!
Still in break-in mode on the 3000's, enjoying them very much at the moment! Tim |
Joe, if you like some jazz, I love the Yellowjackets and their LiveWires disc. Maybe not the best of their collection, but just a good live album. Another album that I like but gets a bit twangy for me, is Allison Krause Live, with this one cooking it is just pretty amazing, very dynamic and just plain good. I also like Lyle Lovett's Joshua Judges Ruth, it is a very good mix to listen to. KD Lang's Ingenue, vocals to die for. Basically, most anything I have listened to gets portrayed in a wonderfully realistic way on the Ohm's.
I think the Ohm does extremely well, regardless if the album is live or a studio recording, it just sounds right. I have heard some people complain about the Ohm's sounding unrealistic on some studio albums, but so far, I can't say that it has happened to me.
I am glad you are enjoying them Joe. It does make me want to get out and buy more music. So much for my budget. Thanks for that John! Enjoy, Tim |
I second the Aimee Mann/Lost in Space, great album! I also have a double set of her live-can't remember the actual name of the set, DVD and CD, good stuff there. I also second most of Steely Dan and Sade. Just all around good listening.
It is amazing to hear the major differences in the source material, and usally, it is the thing that lets me down the most, not the hardware. Really well recorded music is just so stunning on the Ohm's, obviously, just okay recorded music is just that. I would rather have just okay music than none at all though! Tim |
3000 series driver update. I recieved my 3000's on Tuesday, and finally got to install them on my 3XO cabinets last night.
Installation was pretty easy, easier than the 2000 series on an OW2 cabinet that I had tried prior to the 3's. The hardest part is getting out the old terminal board on the bottom and getting the new one with the Sub-Bass Activator installed. Then it is a simple matter of connecting the plug from it to the new drivers and mounting the drivers with four wood screws each to the top baffle board.
I know from past expereinces with the 2000 series and also what others have experienced, the Ohm's do need a considerable bit of break-in. I used to think was a little bit of crap, and maybe for some speakers/drivers it is. But I find things tend to loosen up a bit and smooth out. It took the 2000's about 3 months of heavy playing and a fair bit of playing with positioning to get them where I was happy. I don't expect the 3000's to be much different in this regard, other than positioning will be a little easier now.
Initial impressions are very good, the treble is very smooth and lifelike, again, very realistic. The midrange/upper bass is a bit fuzzy at the present, and bass a little on the heavy one-note side. Again, most of this is the same impression I had of the 2000 as well.
I believe the 2000/3000 main drivers are a bit different from each other, and not sure of the surrounds on the 3000. I think the tweeters are the same though. Some of this might impact the break-in period a little, not sure at this point. In the meantime, I will be playing tunes whenever possible to get them up to speed, and enjoy them along the way. Shame the wife works from home or I would put the CD player on continuous/repeat while I am at work.
My thanks to John for working out a few bugs along the way, as mine were the first 3/3000 they had done. Will keep you all posted as time goes on. I think I am going to like these a lot! Enjoy the music! Tim |
Foster, what is different in your prototype 5000's? Just curious. Glad you are getting your system sorted though. The Cary is a nice looking rig, haven't heard it yet but my local dealer is a big fan-must be why he sells them! Enjoy! Tim |
Map, I might be able to play around with this option at some point. I have a lead on some old drivers/cans that would be fun to play with. I think most of the lower mids might already be somewhat omni, not sure though, and maybe it depends on what model.
I know the old 3XO's and maybe even the 4's had a layer of felt on the backside of the can that could be taken off, but again, not sure about inside the can and all those details. I would imagine the sound would vary some depending on what was behind them.
My room is a little odd in that when I do move the Ohm's out in my critical listening area, I have basically an entryway behind the left speaker, and a hallway behind the right one, so effectively an open area. I don't get much reflective sound this way, which I don't know how much that happens anyway and to what degree if the speakers were placed along a long flat wall behind them instead.
Map, what kind of differences do you get with your 5's and the switch settings when your speakers are placed in different positions, such as pulled out from the wall, or against a wall? I can imagine there are many possibilities but does it change the overall presentation/sound much? Just curious, maybe someday I will find out! Tim |
Thanks for the info. on your 5's Map, so basically you feel like you have plenty of adjustability overall for most situations in your room other than odd/drastic frequency anomolies then? I am just getting a feel for that in case I do think about the 5000's in the future.
Have been listening to my 3/3000's a lot this weekend, the "fuzziness" is already smoothing out, and I am just being patient with the lower mids/bass right now. Things are very enjoyable though! Enjoy the tunes guys, Tim |
Tvad, do you happen to remember I think Stereophile or one of the hi-fi rags a number of years ago offering a pair of little leather flaps or cups you hung off of your ears? I need to Google that. I found it kind of funny at the time.
This is all interesting reading though. Many interesting points being brought up. Must be why there are so many different types and companies that make speakers, we all have ears, but listen in differing ways. I just say enjoy whatever floats your boat! I know I do enjoy my Ohm's very much, and also, when I had ATC Active 20's, I enjoyed them as well. It takes all types! Enjoy the tunes! Tim |
Map, have you looked into ordering a set of new tubes for your ARC? I know there are a lot of folks that tube-roll with that preamp, but even a new set from ARC might just take those pains away!
Also, where did you come across your MIT cables if I might ask? Always wanted to try a set of them, but have been really pleased with my DH Labs cables so far. Tim |
Congrats Steve, you are in for a real treat! Will be waiting to hear how they come out. How long of a wait for them? Enjoy! Tim |
Thanks Finsup for posting that note from John, I also put a little notice up over on my 3/3000 update thread too. I really should call John and get those MWT/omni's ordered for my home theater! Tim |
Congratulations, I am sure it will be well worth the wait Hungryeye! Keep us posted once you get them! Tim |
Well, I took advantage of John's sale, received my Ohm MWT/omni's yesterday. Thanks John! I am in the process of running them in now, just driving them as 2-channel speakers, but they will end up being used as surrounds in my Ohm-Theater.
Initial thoughts, I am liking these as stereo speakers very much, even if they aren't necessarily intended for use this way. But I say, who cares? They have a very smooth treble response even in the omni mode, and they do spread a very wide stage of course. Bass is very good for a small cabinet, and I am sure it will only get better.
I do think these are going to make an excellent surrounds for me in my room. Will give some more details later on as things break in. Probably write a mini-review when I have time, but that will be later on for sure. Tim |
Yep Bond, I think I discussed your MWT's awhile back ago with you. Your comments as well as many others here prompted my decision to go into the whole surround thing and give it a try. But I am just as impressed with these using them as front L/R speakers for the moment. Just very fun and engaging to listen to. Feels like you are right at the edge of the stage(if not on it) with the performers! Tim |
Bond, sounds like you have been busy with your system! Glad the Ohm's are really doing well for you. I need to post some thoughts on the MWT omni's soon. I also have a new project in the works for my 3.3000's thanks to John at Ohm. More to come. Enjoy the music! Tim |
Thanks Map, glad the tubes are doing the thing for you. I have also been tempted to try the Harmonic line of cables as well, but really, I have a hard time messing with cables. I guess when you find something that works so well, why change it? Tim |
Map, that is exactly what I thought when I first got my 3000's cahnged over from the original drivers. I thought "My goodness, what have I just done?" But knowing how good the 2000's ended up being during that trial period, I just kept on with them. Have had a few difficulties along the way, but all is paying off. It is nice to have that very generous trial period for sure. Tim |
Hi guys, nice to see this thread still moving along. I think with the image height as others have said, is very recording dependant as is soundstaging(althought the very nature of the Ohm makes these things even better in my mind). I notice varying image height very much when I am playing around with my MWT/omni's. Last night I was listening to many different types of music, from Yellowjackets, Pink Floyd, and then decided to listen to some Who. On "Who's Next", image height was to the top of my 8' ceiling, whereas the other recordings I had been listening to were more about the 6' foot or so height. The omni MWT's are very interesting, the stage is more set back from the front plane of the speakers, yet pretty much blows the wall behind them away. My Ohm 3000's tend to be more all around the speaker. The MWT kind of challenged my preconceived notions of what they would sound like in a 2-channel setup-I had purchased mine with more of a surround/rear duty in an A/V setup.
Moonglum, the next time you see or talk to Mathias, give him a "hello" from the USA for me. We corresponded a couple fo times via e-mail quite awhile back. He seems to be a very wonderful guy and has a passion for the Ohm's. I too would be intersted in hearing an actively driven pair of 5000's myself! Enjoy the music! Tim |
I think the recording is a big factor in staging/imaging/height more than we care to admit. I do find it interesting how each recording in general is different in certain areas.
Before I bought the Ohm MWT'S omni's, I had this idea that because of the way the tweeter was pointed straight up at the ceiling, that music would be splashed all over the place and not have much of an image or staging to speak of. I was so very wrong on this account, and in some ways prefer the omni presentation to the "normal" Ohm speaker. Probably the thing it does give up to the normal Ohm driver config. Is the ability to have that same sweets pot no matter where you are sitting. You tend to have to be sitting more centered to get the affect, but my, what an affect it is. On some recordings, the omni can be a tad bit overblown or slightly un-natural in it's presentation, but it is a rare thing and again, more recording dependent. I typically have the "hot seat" anyway, so doesn't really matter much to me.
Either way, the Ohm's are just a lot of fun to listen to, maybe not so much the defining and spot-lit definition overall, but thoroughly and utterly enjoyable. I probably just enjoy my tunes more when listening through the Ohm's. My Magnepan with subs are maybe a bit more used as an analytical tool, but still very musical and enjoyable. Really a big toss-up at times, I enjoy them both for different reasons I suppose. Tim |
Moonglum, yes it is indeed, some recordings like the one I was listening to from the Who sounded way to overblown, but let's face it, it is a fairly old recording too. Most of the time I find both the Ohm MWT's and my 3/3000's to be just right with image height overall.
Map, I too feel the same way, when I just want to sit back and totally relax, the Ohm's are the way I go. Sometimes though, it is very recording dependant and the mood. It is hard to take off the "analytical" hat sometimes.
Bond, I agree, John does know how to voice a speaker, no doubt. Speaking of messing with the drivers, I have a pair of original 3XO drivers and I have been tempted to do some playing myself, but in the end, I just let it be. Even the older original drivers are very good, in some ways maybe even better-dare I say that(ready for flame suit)? |
Phaelon56, yes consider yourself very blessed on your LeGall rebuilds. I have two friends that have had his work done on a pair of F's and a pair of 3XO's, and they both have said the same thing, swear by his work and ability to make things right. I had him redo some foams on my 3XO's a couple years ago, and again, great work and very reasonable. Would recommend him anytime. The last I had heard too was that he didn't want to do rebuilds on F's anymore. Shame, but I am sure it is for a good reason. Glad you are enjoying your F's! Tim |
By the way, for another interesting omni, check out the Decware ERR speaker. One currently available for sale here on the 'Gon. It is similar in appearance to the older Ohm cabinets, but the tweeter is a ribbon and uses Decware's own twist on the main radial driver. A passive radiator is in place in the bottom of the cabinet. I have really wanted to listen to this speaker, need to take a little trip to Peoria someday and check it out, very intriguing! Extremely nice cabinets/quality too. The guys at Decware are top-notch too. Just another alternative. Tim |
Not to take away from the Ohm thread here, but I also wanted to note another speaker I have wondered about now for a couple of years-mainly the tweeter in particular, is the Ikonoklast 3, 5, 7 models. This tweeter reminds me so much of the tweeter used on one of the older Infinity speakers-can't recall the model right off. The Infinity tweeter I believe was a Walsh tweeter-or a variation of it anyway. Anyway, take a google and check it out. I had sent Warren a few e-mails not long ago about these. Very nice and informative. Tim |
Moon, I always kind of dig around for any omni speaker, omni's just seem to do it for me more than any other speaker, yet I can enjoy about any type, planar, dynamic or whatever. I guess ever since hearing my first Ohm Walsh of the CLS kind in the early 80's, they have just managed to stick.
The Decware ERR definately looks interesting though, and if I don't get over to Peoria, Illinois to hear them soon, I may go over in the fall to their annual "Decfest" to give them a good listen. I was planning on going last fall, but some unexpected things came up and I couldn't go.
I am really curious how the ribbon tweeters sound with this combination, and am also curious about the overall bass response of this speaker. The cabinetry and grills look very nice, with that Ohm pyramid look, which I do love. We shall see. Tim |
Batch, the question of how much power for the OW2/2000 depends on several things. Room size, how loud you like your music.
For what it is worth, I had a pair of 2/2000's for awhile in a room that measured roughly 15.5' X 16.5', with an adjoining kitchen/dining room area and two hallways off of this main room. So a decent amount of space to fill. If you do not play your music loudly, you might be okay with the 2000's, but in the end, and using Ohm's guide for speaker/room size, the 3000 was and is a btter choice for me. Where it mattered as to size of space, was mainly in the bass end of things, the 2000 could run out of steam in this space, the 3000 does not. I sometimes do like my music loud, not ear-splitting, but at decent volumes.
As to the power question itself, my system comprised of several solid-state amplifiers, 2 Anthems, one a PVA-2 rated at 105 wpc/8 ohm, a MCA-20 rated at 200 wpc/8 ohm, and my Audio Research D-130, rated at 130 wpc/8 ohm. All of these did fine for me on the 2/2000, but I did feel that with the MCA20 and also the ARC, did a bit better handling the load of the Ohm better at higher volumes.
My opinion is with the Ohm's, the more power-as long as it is good clean power and you are not overdriving your amp, the better. But, I have also read on this forum a few folks that have done well with fairly low-powered tube gear as well. It is all a matter of taste, try what you have and go from there.
I don't find the Ohm's to be overly sensitive to what you have, and many use fairly budget gear with great results, but one thing is, the Ohm's will definately improve with better gear if/when you move up the ladder. Enjoy your music, and your Ohm's! Tim |
Congrats on the 3000's! I do enjoy mine very much so, and probably like many here, remember first listening to Ohm's back in the early/mid 80's and them kind of staying with you. I am glad John was able to work with you on these, I am sure you will enjoy them very much. What veneer did you get?
Once you get them, hang in there with the break-in period, that can be somewhat frustrating at times, but they will come around. I think in the end they are a speaker that will just do it for you, or they won't, not much of an in-between. The main thing is just have fun and enjoy them along with your music! Tim |
Batch, I had one of the first 2000 series upgrades on a pair of older OW2 cabinets. I felt like the break in took most all of the trial time, and then even a bit after that it seemed they smoothed out over the course of several weeks thereafter. John will work with you though as long as you keep him in the loop from the get-go. If you have any issues or doubts about things, even early on, don't hesitate to bounce things off of him. Of course a lot of this will depend on how much play time you actually give them over the course of the trial period, the more the better. Enjoy! Tim |
