2. speakers
  3. 152418-130247

Ohm Walsh Talls and amplification

Ok, I am perplexed and I would appreciate any feedback you can give me. I am interested in getting a pair of Ohm Tall speakers. Initially (based off from Steve Guttenberg's and Zeos' reviews) i assumed that the 2000s were the ones for me. I don't see where Zeos' or Steve's rooms are any bigger than mine but, I measure the square footage of my room last night and it's only 353 square feet! Zeos himself even said that the 1000s were the correct size for his room, but he just wanted to go bigger. So, my first question is: Can you use a bigger Ohm Tall than what your room requires (as Zeos does)? Also, these speakers seem to love power. Steve drove his with a Mytek amp and a big Pass Labs amp. I cannot afford  Pass Labs and, the Mytek...well, I *could* maybe swing that but, Zeos uses a pair of Crown amps that are not made for audio but for DJs and live entertainers, etc. Obviously, he's very happy with the results. I finally did call John Strohbeen and he confirmed that the Talls love power... he suggested Mytek, Peachtree, certain NAD models, and Emotiva as affordable amps that have good results. I then asked him about Zeos using the Crown amps and he said, "Yeah, that's another way to go that's very affordable." I asked him if the sound was good and he said, "Yeah, it sounds good. In fact, we used something like Crown that here in our factory for quite a while." So, my second question is: what success have you had in the way of amplification with your Ohm Talls? 
128x128redstarwraith

Showing 6 responses by bondmanp

bondmanp
1,782 posts
 
I recently went from a SS class a/b amp (Odyssey Stratos upgraded to Kismet Reference) which died to a class D, Arion Audio S500 for my 2000s.  I couldn't be happier.

While I have great respect for John Strohbeen, I disagree with him on a few points.  Rather than place my 2000s close to the front walls, I pull them out into the room a bit.  I do run them with a pair of Vandy subs, though.  Also, while John likes to point out that his speakers sound good with low or mid to fi gear, and they do, IME, they will sound better with better gear.  Every upstream upgrade I have made has improved the sound of the ohms, and not in a subtle way.  So, go with the best amp you can afford now, but upgrade when you can.  I think you'll be glad you did.
bondmanp
1,782 posts
 
@redstarwraith... I think the warranty is 10 years. Life expectancy of the caps he uses is 12 years. But even if it was under warranty, my point was that I am no longer able to maneuver this 64 lb amp easily enough to pack and ship it. So, I am done with it. Too many catastrophic failures for me anyway. I desire reliable gear.

I think it was powerful enough for my 2000s, but I think the 500 watts of my Arion Audio amp is better. My room is in the upper range of the room size for the 2000s. But beyond wattage, the Arion amp sounds better. Cleaner, more neutral and just as dynamic and holographic as the Kismet.
bondmanp
1,782 posts
 
@bsohne...  I have said for a few years that John Strohbeen might be making a mistake by demoing his speakers at shows using only midfi gear.  Especially when he is showing more than one pair, I have been saying that better gear would result in a better show demo.  It seems he finally did that in New York.  And, surprise, it sounded great.  I hope he gets enough good feedback from this show to encourage him to show his speakers to their best advantage again in the future.
bondmanp
1,782 posts
 
I agree, mapman, and I understand John’s approach. But he could do both, showing people that his speakers will sound good with whatever they feed them, but they will reward upgrades with even better sound. You will not have to buy new speakers as you improve your system. Over 10 years with my 2000s is a case in point. I have upgraded almost everything in my system, and the 2000s  have benifitted from every upgrade. Especially at an audio show, where many will want to know the speakers’ full capabilities, this could be a way to get attention from the high end consumer and journalists. Based on what I read here about Ohm’s demo at the NY audio show, he may be trying just that.
bondmanp
1,782 posts
 
@high-amp... No worries. My 2000s sound wonderful at background levels, even listening to lossey internet radio. Too good, actually, as I am often unable to continue what I am working on, and instead focus on the music. I often end up cranking the volume anyway because, well, you know, this amp goes to 11!
bondmanp
1,782 posts
 
As I have posted elsewhere, I recently replaced a broken Odyssey Audio Kismet Reference amp (A/B) with a class D amp from Arion Audio.  The Arion is actually smoother and cleaner than the Kismet, by a very noticeable amount.  The combo of the Arion S500 with my 2000s is wonderful, and the Ohms clearly showed the many differences between the two amps.  Bottom line, John's speakers will sound good with almost any amp of sufficient power, but ever better with better amps, including really good ones that cost more than the speakers.
More to discover