Amplifier advice from Ohm Walsh 100 Mk. II owners


I am awaiting a pair of Ohm Walsh 100 Mk. II speakers. My current system uses a Rega Brio 3. (49 watts at into 8 ohms, 64 watts into 4 ohms) I suspect it may fall short with the Ohms.

The room is around 30x20, with a cathedral ceiling that extends up to 16 feet. The system is along the long wall, and most listening is done with 8-10 feet.

The amplifiers under consideration are:

Rogue Cronus Magnum (90 watts, Tube)
Wyred4Sound STI500 (250 watts into 8 ohms, 550 watts into 4 ohms, Class D)
Quad 99/909 (140 watts into 8 ohms, 250 watts into 4 ohms, Solid State)

Any input/guidance from other Ohm Walsh owners, specifically Ohm Walsh 100 Mk. II owners past and present, would be greatly appreciated.
anonymoustao
I currently own a pair of Walsh Ohm 100 Mk IIs.

The Exposure 2010S2 is a first-rate match; this is with Naim CDX2 as source (Naim 5-pin-to-RCA interconnects), Nordost Flatlines as speaker cable.

The Exposure amp is quite transparent, and everything it retrieves - and I do mean everything - ends up being music; a great piece of gear, and a very high-quality match with the 100s indeed. Highest recommendation.

I never had much luck with the 100s in my 30x16 family room,
but they sound very good in a 17x13 bedroom. A very balanced, coherent sound, articulate without brightness, excellent bass - easily reaches into the 30s.
I'm very happy to hear that. I currently have my Ohms listed for sale because I got a wonderful deal on another speaker I'd always wanted to own. However, if they don't sell at my bottom line price the Ohms are going over to my girlfriend's house to replace her aging speakers. It's funny. I won't actually be that disappointed if they don't sell because it'll give me an opportunity to listen to them that much longer. I really like them a lot, but the desire to experiment with other types of speakers and only have one set of floorstanders in my home at a time forces my hand. Anyway, if they go to her house, they'll be run off an HK receiver with similar power output to the Exposure 2010S2. While the receiver is highly unlikely to have have anything approaching the quality level of the Exposure, especially in terms of its power supply, I'm hoping it'll drive the speakers well enough for her living room, which has similar dimensions to the bedroom you described. That Exposure is really an incredible integrated amp. I recall being very impressed with it when I heard it, and thinking I'd love to own one someday. Have you used it with any other speakers aside from the Ohms? Also, would you mind sharing how you have the Ohms placed in your bedroom setup? I always appreciate any feedback others have with regard to optimum placement.
Hi, Anonymoustao -

Tried the Exposure 2010S2 with Epos ES12, Audio Note J/L, Reference 3A Veena (which are still breaking in). Works well with all, altho AN J/Ls may like tubes better. I would say the 2010S2 is a best match with speakers that are articulate even to the point of being slightly bright. Tone is outstanding with the Exposure. Actually, so is everything else, including bass.

The 100 MKIIs were set up along the 17' wall, about 7' apart, altho they can be separated more than that; my room is in a state of flux, so not an ideal setup - they sound good anyway. Among the easiest speakers to set up - move closer to wall behind them for a meatier, full sound; further away for the opposite effect. Love the wheels; no spikes!
State of flux...I can relate to that. :) I've also heard from folks on the Harbeth owners' forum that the Exposure works well with Harbeth speakers, but have no personal experience of that match. I was considering purchasing a pair of Compact 7s or SHL5's a while back and was researching amp options for those. And I believe Stephen Meijas from Stereophile uses an Exposure 2010 with Devore Gibbon 3's. I've never heard the Veena but have read good things about it, and can imagine that would be a nice pairing.

So true about the Ohm set up. Those casters make playing around with placement a breeze. Experimenting to get a proper set up with the Ohms has been a joy, especially compared to the Vandersteen 1Cs I had before the Ohms. I have hard wood floors and dealing with spikes and discs and getting the tilt set properly was a bit of work, made especially slow because I was doing it alone. It's too bad they dropped the casters from the newer Ohms.

Here's to speedy break in on those Veenas. Cheers, Irc3479!
"It's too bad they dropped the casters from the newer Ohms. "

I agree, but I suspect they could be done by special request, especially with refurbished cabinets, or they may not be hard to add yourself.