OHM Walsh F

[srb08]

Guys:
I have a chance to buy a pair of Walsh F's for $400.
I assume that from what I have read, the F's are at the end of their useful life and the drivers will need to be replaced.
They also seem to be power hogs and like lots of amperage.
My questions are
1. Are the F's with the new driver mod($1700) worth the time and expense.
2. I presently have a Pioneer C-90 M-90 combo. This is advertised to be capable of 47 amps of current flow. Is this enough and the proper type of amp for the F's.
I've been away from quality audio for 15 years and am just now getting involved again. I presently have a pr of Klipsch LaScala's that I like but am wondering if the F's with the upgrade would be better. Sometime the LaScala's seem a little muddy, they seem to lack crispness.
Any help is appreciated.
I realize that speaker preference is an individual thing but still welcome all intelligent advice and opinions.

Steve
"I'd rather shoot a bad person than a good Dog"

 

[Ohming]

If you can afford it.

I sure enjoy my walsh 3's. The F & the A are the original walsh type I believe. I have talked to John Strohbeen at Ohm, seems like like a good dude, I'd give him a shout. I have seen pictures of the F, they look enormous.

 

[sheltie dave]

Steve, the Fs are a good speaker, but the antithesis of the La Scalas. There are better speakers for sale in the area for less money and trouble than these Ohms, unless you have heard these extensively in the past and absolutely need them.
BTW, what was the vintage receiver the seller has, IYDM?

 

[srb08]

Pioneer 1050 but he won't give me a price.

 

[Greyhawk17]

Ohm's........

srb08,
I do not know much about the Ohm's, but by reputation very different
from the LaScala's,.....Have you thought about 'freshening' the xovers
on them, perhaps via Bob Crites xover recommends? You can ask one
of the Klipsch experts on AK's Klipsch forum......Cheers, T

 

[Coytee]

I always wanted to buy a pair of F's just because of how cool they looked and their good reviews. My audition with them was probably 4 minutes. I DO own a pair of LaScalas and have had them since 1979

Muddy is not something people usually accuse LaScalas of sounding like... I wonder if you need to redo their crossovers? (I'm presuming they used to sound non-muddy in this same room?)

It's been ...yikes.... 30 years? since I heard them so I don't really remember anything about it. Maybe not 30 but if not, maybe 25.

I'd wonder, once you are sure that your LaScalas are operating 100% if another type of speaker would seem... well.... a bit too casual?


I've got a pair of ElectroVoice Interface D speakers, which rock in their own right however, the EV's simply do not punch you in the chest like the LaScalas can.

 

[Coytee]

Grayhawk beat me to it! (he can probably type 30 words/minute, compared to my 2.4)

 

[srb08]

I was already planning on doing the X-overs in the LaScalas.
Have only had them a couple of months so I can't compare to what they used to sound like. They are from 1974 and look to be original.
I just wondered what the difference in sound would be and if I had the proper amp to drive the Ohms.
I remember listening to a pair when I was in college and being totally blown away, was also blown away by the LaScalas as well. Can't really remember the difference in sound, it's been 30+ years and I'm pretty sure I was in an altered state of consciousness.

 

[sealy]

In good operating condition, the F's would be exceptional speakers. Problem is, the fellow at Ohm responsible for re-foaming them has long since retired. Apparently some techs have attempted re-foaming them, albeit with mixed results. It is not simply a matter of re-foaming. The interior of the long cone must also be damped as per original operating specs. I have heard the F's many times. Properly positioned and powered with the right ancillary electronics, they are stunning in their ability to create a realistic sound stage. The effect is more like a live performance than almost any other speaker could ever produce. The F's are an acoustic suspension design, which contributes to their inefficiency. Bass is good down to about 39 hz, but they are definitely not deep bass speakers. The highs are rolled off a bit at 17000 hz, but who cares? Most of us can't hear that high anyway. The F's are a bit of a conundrum in that they require lots of clean power, yet at the same time will fry if pushed a bit beyond their power handling capability. I think the idiosyncrasies of the speaker are minor compared to the pleasure of hearing the sound that they produce.

That being said, the so-called "upgrade" Ohm is offering is basically an inverted conventional woofer with a specially damped dome tweeter firing at a 45 degree angle toward the centre of the listening area. From what I've heard from other members, this type of arrangement gives a satisfactory emulation of a 3-dimensional sound stage. But for $1700?

 

[srb08]

Thanks for the info.
I'm going to pass on the F's for now and concentrate on the LaScalas.
There are so many good speakers out there it's hard not to be a piggy.

 

[apachef1]

There is a gentleman in the US that is building new Ohm type F and A speakers and he repairs/upgrades to both models. I believe the company name is HHR. I'll look it up tomorrow I know its saved on my computer
No cheap but seems to do excellent work

 

[Coytee]

The LaScalas will probably be much easier and from what I'm seeing about the F's, much less expensive also.

If you live in the world of cranking it up, you might also want to visit Ak K's "extreme slope" networks that he makes for the LaScalas. not cheap but very nice also.

If you want to go really radical with your laScalas, you can take them back to a 2-way speaker and have arguably better sound than their stock horns. You'd replace the top horns with their K510. You might not like the look of it sitting on top though.

 

[laserman]

Two sources

New to the forum, but familiar with Ohm F's. I purchase a new pair when I graduated from collage as a graduation present to myself. I also purchased a Phase Linear 700 amp and an SAE equilizer preamp, so that gives you and idea of how old I am.

Here are two souces to explore to get the Ohm F's back to "like new" condition:


Dale Harder
http://www.hhr-exoticspeakers.com/HHRabout.htm

or
Bill LeGall
http://www.millersound.net/about.htm

I have had work done by Bill and would highly recommend him, but I'm not sure he works on the F's anymore.

In either case, call first. I hope this is helpful and you reconsider bringing a favorite classic back to life. :thmbsp:

L

 

[dnewma04]

400.00 is about 300.00 too high for Fs that need work. If you found the Lascalas muddy, you might find the Fs to be molassesy. They have a much more laidback presentation. I've heard the Lascalas and I'm not sure muddy is how I'd describe them unless you mean muddy as in an ice pick covered in mud. Just kidding about the ice pick, but I cant say that i've ever heard them described as muddy.