Ownership and Review of a pair of Ohm Super Sound Cylinder

@audionoobie - I will tell you, but I will also tell you that things aren't good right now, and I don't know why.  I have an Odyssey Audio Stratos HT3 (3 channels), which failed last September.  I sent it in for a repair and upgrade to full Kismet internals.  The amp seems fine, but it no loger plays well with my Vandersteen subwoofers.  I am working with a local dealer on resolving this issue, but it has baffled everyone who I have explained it to.  But prior to the amp failure, I was in hog heaven and listened to music every chance I got. 

My cables are simple Kimber 4PR, which I have always liked, but would eventually like to upgrade.

I am sure Ohm will offer you a demo at their factory.  I know they have a listening room there, although I have never been.  Just call to arrange it (Ohm is better at replying to phone calls than emails).

@roysq - I think John Strohbeen of Ohm is more focused on voicing his speakers to his liking than specifications. 

@snapsc - Agreed.  Speaker design is a bit like making sausage.  Especially in the case of Ohm.  I have not been able to do side-by-side comparisons, but I hear many speakers in the course of each year through attenting shows and my local audio club meetings.  To be clear, there are better speakers, IMHO, than Ohms.  But so far, none of them that I have heard that I would rather own than my 2000s come in at less than about twice the price or more, often much more.  I pride myself on having been able to assemble a modestly priced system that punches way above its price.  I did this with careful listening, a lot of reading, and communicating with other audiophiles, like I do here.  I ended up with a system that has wonderful synergy, and produces sound the way I like it, if not totally neutral.  Now I am having some equipment issues, but I am trying to get everything back up to par.  But the 2000s may well be my last speakers. 

@jstrohbeen - Ah! I figured there had to be a reason. Of course, a $700 pair of tweeters, even if they did work well, would skew the price points of the Ohm Walsh line much higher, so, for po’ folks like me, it’s a moot point. I was thinking more along the lines of the cheaper folded ribbons in speakers made by Golden Ear, Martin Logan and even Dayton (Parts Express). But your explanation of why such tweeters failed with the Ohm Walsh design puts the last nail in that coffin, as far as I am concerned.

@snapsc - Dude, even I can tell you the answer to your question! As I often post, I have been happily enjoying my 2000s since late 2009. As I have upgraded my electronics, tweaks and cabling, the 2000s have responded really well, getting better and better. The kicker is that, as a member of my local audio club, I get to hear lots of speakers in a variety of settings, and in a variety of price ranges. So far, without spending at least $12K, there is nothing that I have heard that equals or beats my affordable 2000s. Sure, I can listen to Vandy 7s or Magicos and be very impressed. But then I go home, fire up my own modest rig, and I do not feel like I am missing anything worth mortgaging my house for. Take last night. I was letting my Squeezebox Touch and server pick the tunes on random mode. On came the odd track "Atmospheres" (?) by Ligeti, an atonal mix of vocal sounds, percusive strikes and other sounds. It is an acquired taste, but, oh my, the dynamics!!! Even though this file was from an early 2001: A Space Odyssey CD full of hiss, I was repeatedly startled by the realism of the voices, the attack of the transients (which were never harsh), and the reverb trails of the voices and bells. If your system doesn’t make you jump a few times when you listen to this track, it’s doing it wrong. And all this is through the temporary X-2 crossover unit from Vandersteen for my 2Wq subs, which is not intended to be very transparent, and isn’t. Yes, some of this might be due to my recently upgraded amplifier, but the amp would not have been able to overcome dynamic limitations of the speaker. Listening last night I felt like there were no limitations on the dynamic range of my 2000s whatsoever. Goose-bumps, chills up my spine and a s--- eating grin on my face. What more could I want?

snap - Understood. You say you haven’t heard Ohms in 35 years. I would be happy to invite you in for a demonstration if you’re ever in northern/central New Jersey. I am confident that my current setup shows my 2000s to their full advantage. Although the sound in the Ohm room at the Chester Group show in NYC last November was really good, in many ways, I still prefer my own. And the sound with the 1000s at the same show the year before was not as good as in 2017, IMHO.

But I think you’re asking John to be more of salesman than he really is. IMHO, John lets his designs do the talking, which is why you don’t see too many adverts or professional reviews of Ohm out there. I think most of the pro reviews are from reviewers who opted to publish a review of Ohm speakers, rather than the result of intensive lobbying and ad placement by Ohm. You know, the very first time I heard Ohms, it was at a campus party nearly 40 years ago. A pair of John's dynamic speakers were filling the party with great sound, even though they were just plunked on matress in no particular arrangement. I remember asking about them and being told they were Ohms. That’s how the word gets around for speakers like these, that sort of fly beneath the radar. I am sure this also helps keep prices down, too.

@craigsub - Thanks for the update.  To us Ohm owners, your experience is not at all surprising. 

I also run my Ohms with powered subwoofers, and I am thrilled with this combo.  Obviously, care should be taken to position and blend the sub(s) optimally with your mains.