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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? 
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bondmanp
1,783 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.
dep14
333 posts
 
Zero doubt in my mind that my 5000's (and now Pro-3000's) highlight differences in equipment changes more so than many other speakers I've owned.  It's pretty remarkable.

One of the more recent speakers I have owned is the DynAudio Contour 60.

The OHM's far and away highlight equipment differences more than the Dyn's (and the dyn's did to an extent).

I like the OHM's a fair amount better.

I have another pair of speakers being built right now, but I won't let go of my 5000's before I really get a chance to put them head to head.  I've never done that before.  I usually sell when I decide to buy.

I will absolutely be keeping at least 1 set of my 5000's or 3000's.  

Personally I do hear differences in them, the voicing is quite similar as John states.  But the 5000's are better, no question.
high-amp
508 posts
 
I had a question regarding these Ohm (2000-3000) Talls.
If they need lots of power (low power tube amps are not recommended), do they should they need to be turned up loud (60%+) to sound good and clear? Or can you still her good detail when played at lower volumes, (20%-) with a big amp ? Thanks
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,838 posts
 
@bondmanp

My theory is JS smartly markets to the masses not the very limited high end audio market so he presents systems for modest cost that sound great. Since he sells speakers not amps, he keeps the amp costs down. 
I agree though at high end shows you want to show the best your product can do so larger amp investment is needed. But then again, keeping the combo price down especially the amp helps sell more speakers so there you go. Hard to argue from a business perspective.

Back in his Tech HiFi days, high end audio was relatively unknown. Most companies including Tech Hifi just tried to sell the best sounding products they could at prices many could afford.
bondmanp
1,783 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.
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