Refresh Ohm Walsh 4s or Walsh 5000 upgrade?

I went from 1980s Walsh 2 to newer x00 series one gen older than current in 2008. Had both concurrently and compared them a/b. Huge difference, no comparison...detail, soundstage,imaging, tonality....better more modern sound in every way. Go for the upgrade if you can afford it.

I currently have both 100 and 5 series 3 driver models.   100s on refurbed Walsh 2 cabinets and 5s on refurbed Ohm F cabs. 

Thanks, mapman .  Good to hear.  I’ll put the upgrade on my old 4 cabinets that are in good shape.  That will keep the cost down.  Never had a desire to see if the grass was greener on the other side or replace the 4s until the one acted up, so the cost seems like a bargain to me.

Thanks, mapman .  Good to hear.  I’ll put the upgrade on my old 4 cabinets that are in good shape.  That will keep the cost down.  Never had a desire to see if the grass was greener on the other side or replace the 4s until the one acted up, so the cost seems like a bargain to me.

Just be sure to check with Ohm prior to get an idea of what is involved to do the upgrade yourself. It can vary model to model. Some will be comfortable doing it and others perhaps not. It’s can involve some work. You have to decide if you can do it yourself or if better to just pay to have the speakers shipped to Ohm for the upgrade. Good luck!

In my case I traded in older model Ohms towards the newer model which they did on their existing refurbed cabs for me to lower the cost. I have also ordered parts from Ohm to upgrade an old pair of Ls I own myself and that was not hard but the Walsh models are a different beast and can sometimes require physical mods to install new drivers on old cabs.


The level adjustments only on the 5000 drivers are very useful for tuning the speakers to the room and personal preferences.   I think you will like that.   My newer 5s have similar controls which come in very handy. 

I've talked to John at Ohm a couple times.  The 5000 is pretty much a drop-in upgrade to the 4s with new anchor bolts.  Removing the crossover will take some work, but I'd have to take them out to send back for crossover repair anyway.  The instruction manual is on their website on the Ohm Walsh4 legacy products page.  I sure don't want to ship entire speakers from Seattle to New York.  I have long arms and he said that was most important.  I do have woodworking skills and plenty of wood working tools and good chisels.  Apparently there's also one block also glued to a wall inside the cabinet.  I'm going to ask if he'll give me that black and pink Ohm t-shirt if I return the crossovers to him unbroken.

The level adjustments are key to me.  My 4s have them, and they are helpful as the two speakers are pretty much in the corners of a very long narrow room.  The left wall is 40 feet of mostly windows, and the other side has furniture and opens up to a hallway and then a kitchen.  I had the treble down on the right speaker aimed at the window wall, and the treble up on the other.  I'm especially looking forward to a midrange adjustment.

Thanks for the encouragement.  I was able to tell my wife someone on the forum said it's a no-brainer.