Ohm Acoustics "Upgrades". I Stand Corrected.

[satellite65]

I had the same experience when I "upgraded" my I's. The replacement low tweeter was a joke compared to the original. SBA shipment took months, then arrived without the port adapters. I had to adapt the port adapters because the OD was too small, and the new tweeter and the SBAs look like they were assembled by blind monkeys. The SBAs are heavy and not accurately cut, so getting them adequately secured to the woofer magnets was challenging.

I expected MUCH better considering that the "upgrades" cost more than the speakers did, but then again, try to find another company that provides ANY support for something this old.

 

[MetalDaze]

I had the same experience when I "upgraded" my I's. The replacement low tweeter was a joke compared to the original. SBA shipment took months, then arrived without the port adapters. I had to adapt the port adapters because the OD was too small, and the new tweeter and the SBAs look like they were assembled by blind monkeys. The SBAs are heavy and not accurately cut, so getting them adequately secured to the woofer magnets was challenging.

I expected MUCH better considering that the "upgrades" cost more than the speakers did, but then again, try to find another company that provides ANY support for something this old.

Wow. 100% with you there.

But in that regard they're acting like a monopoly. The only place to get the stuff, and they take you for a ride over it.

With the prices paid, touting hand made quality in USA, and comparing the 'updates' to the workmanship of their newer components. Why do they even bother? It's so frustrating. And they act like they have no idea what's wrong with this.

May I ask how you adapted the port vents? It seems we (& others) got served the same dish there. I bothered them to get the adapters when they weren't included as they're advertised to be. Looking back I wish I hadn't.

 

[baco99]

Grainger will sell short lengths, and you can get a huge range of od/id. Clear pvc is pretty cheap, and looks great. Most tubes are sold by inner diameter, but polycarbonate and some others go by the od too. 5" is not a "standard" pipe size so hardware stores and such will very likely disappoint.

You can also "roll your own" cardboard tubes with heavy paper over a pvc tube and then slide the tube out.

@baco99 might also be a really good resource for you.

But honestly, after reading your saga, I'd call them and get my money back. That's the worst service I've heard of yet. Sad, I loved my old ohms.

Thanks for the tag. I'd be happy to help if I have the resources to do so. I can ask around regarding the port sizing, but I agree with other posts that you can combine different wall thicknesses (schedules) to achieve the result you want. You could also try to source cardboard tube from clothing/fabric companies to see if any fabric rolls have the diameter you need. As for the tweeter hack, I am not sure I can help there. It sounds like the cabinet or faceplate or both needed modification for a tight fit and Ohm just lost interest in the job. I could fabricate something but would physically need the speakers here. I don't let anything out of my shop if it doesn't look factory fresh. It takes time (sometimes a long time) but to me it is the only way to do things.

I had one interaction with Ohm that I won't elaborate on, but it was similar to other comments posted here. Will not repeat.

 

[MetalDaze]

These joke of speakers sell for 11,000.00 set!!

• 
  
  F-5015 in Red Walnut

Once upon a time a little bird whispered in my ear, "we're in an odd place. Our cheapest speaker is too expensive for some people who may want to get into Hi-Fi. But our most expensive speakers ($6,600 at the time) isn't expensive enough for high end audiophiles to consider living with. They want to spend more money."

I guess they're throwing for the end zone now.

 

[MetalDaze]

Thanks for the tag. I'd be happy to help if I have the resources to do so. I can ask around regarding the port sizing, but I agree with other posts that you can combine different wall thicknesses (schedules) to achieve the result you want. You could also try to source cardboard tube from clothing/fabric companies to see if any fabric rolls have the diameter you need. As for the tweeter hack, I am not sure I can help there. It sounds like the cabinet or faceplate or both needed modification for a tight fit and Ohm just lost interest in the job. I could fabricate something but would physically need the speakers here. I don't let anything out of my shop if it doesn't look factory fresh. It takes time (sometimes a long time) but to me it is the only way to do things.

I had one interaction with Ohm that I won't elaborate on, but it was similar to other comments posted here. Will not repeat.

Thank you for the input. I was able to at least make the low tweeter look passable:

The front tweeters would be a replacement job. I was able to seat the new wooden face plates for the dayton drivers flush with the cabinet. But like I mentioned some of the screws with close inspection are cock eyed, and don't tighten to a finish. A couple just spin. Which I admit I hate. Lol

I wish Ohm still had that mentality of nothing leaves the shop until its right.

 

[HiFiJeff]

Sad to admit but it is. I don't know what is going on with them, but it's been a downward trend or so it seems. That would be sadly hilarious. I can imagine them shipping them, only to see you canceled after they sent them. Being as disorganized as they make themselves look.

Hey, if they did send me a pair, I would for sure try them out. If I ended up liking them, I'd pay for them, but if not, I'd just send them back, on their dime of course.

 

[MetalDaze]

Hey, if they did send me a pair, I would for sure try them out. If I ended up liking them, I'd pay for them, but if not, I'd just send them back, on their dime of course.

And this good sir makes you an excellent customer. Cheers to that. They should be so lucky as to have patrons such as yourself and other's in this thread.

 

[ouimetnick]

Thank you for the input. I was able to at least make the low tweeter look passable:

The front tweeters would be a replacement job. I was able to seat the new wooden face plates for the dayton drivers flush with the cabinet. But like I mentioned some of the screws with close inspection are cock eyed, and don't tighten to a finish. A couple just spin. Which I admit I hate. Lol

I wish Ohm still had that mentality of nothing leaves the shop until its right.

John probably doesn't care. Have you seen him lately? He doesn't seem to care about himself either. They probably make most of their money on new sales and put their effort there.
I'm surprised that they are still in business to be honest.

 

[baco99]

Looks like y9ou fixed the port.

I could sacrifice a pair of Ohm Cs if you really wanted the correct tweeter in front. You would still have to fill the old screw holes with a polymer-based wood filler and some wood glue and re-drill new holes to seat the screws correctly and securely.

The top mids look like a Seas mid similar to the ones that Dynaco used. TBH, what you did with the face plate doesn't look terrible from this angle.

 

[MetalDaze]

John probably doesn't care. Have you seen him lately? He doesn't seem to care about himself either. They probably make most of their money on new sales and put their effort there.
I'm surprised that they are still in business to be honest.

To be fair, he has always looked that way. At least in the few years I've known him.

I do just want to caveat, I don't have any contempt for the man or his company. I'm just dissatisfied to a large degree, and no longer wish to continue what I'd call a business relationship.

I suspect though, you're right. Which is a shame. They could be so much more. I'm surprised to see so many folks who have had a similar experience. And in that regard I'd have to agree with you again.

 

[MetalDaze]

Looks like y9ou fixed the port.

I could sacrifice a pair of Ohm Cs if you really wanted the correct tweeter in front. You would still have to fill the old screw holes with a polymer-based wood filler and some wood glue and re-drill new holes to seat the screws correctly and securely.

The top mids look like a Seas mid similar to the ones that Dynaco used. TBH, what you did with the face plate doesn't look terrible from this angle.

I haven't done anything with the port yet. I just didn't install the adapters. Or what they call adapters.

Although I had considered the idea, just in general. And I appreciate your candor. But at this point I don't have any complaints about the way they sound. And from my listening spot almost 10 feet away, I can't really see any of the issues that I can point out up close. Ridiculous I have to make that distinction though after paying the manufacturer

The top mids with the metal ring were the best I could do, given what I had sent to me. Short of just ripping the tweeter out of the plywood frisbee and redoing the whole thing, properly as you would. Or as it should have been in the first place. They had already been out of service for so long by that point. I just wanted to listen to them.

At least when I sit & listen, I don't have to see the tops. Only the cross section horizons of the drivers.

 

[captouch]

Almost two years ago, a friend and I acquired two pairs of Ohm 4's. One pair had a clear disparity in output level between the L and R. Ohm was really helpful in helping us remotely diagnose the problem: having us send photos of the crossover, making suggestions on different things to try. Eventually, we narrowed it down to a defective resettable fuse in the protection circuit and they told us the current replacement part that would help us get up and running.

We talked to John on the phone, but it was Evan there who walked us through various debugging steps and finally helped us solve the problem.

It really does sound like there are a lot of quality issues there and disorganization. But just wanted to provide my own experience of a time where they were very patient and helpful, even when it didn't result in any revenue for them.

 

[Nixxuz]

Closest I've gotten is a pair of Spherex "Xbox" speakers I use as computer speakers. Really cool, a smaller versioin of the Omnisats. Made by the same parent company of Mirage and Energy speakers.

View attachment 2135310

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I've got a set of 4 of the Nanosat Prestige satellites and the Nanosat Center. Using 2 of the sats and the center in my HT setup. They sound great IMO.

 

[MetalDaze]

Almost two years ago, a friend and I acquired two pairs of Ohm 4's. One pair had a clear disparity in output level between the L and R. Ohm was really helpful in helping us remotely diagnose the problem: having us send photos of the crossover, making suggestions on different things to try. Eventually, we narrowed it down to a defective resettable fuse in the protection circuit and they told us the current replacement part that would help us get up and running.

We talked to John on the phone, but it was Evan there who walked us through various debugging steps and finally helped us solve the problem.

It really does sound like there are a lot of quality issues there and disorganization. But just wanted to provide my own experience of a time where they were very patient and helpful, even when it didn't result in any revenue for them.

This is an example of the company I have come to know and love so much.

There are really only 2 people who make things go around there. Evan & John. There are others in the BOH as well and wood workers. But anything done there will go through one of those two individuals.

I was surprised so many folks have had not so great experiences with them. Happy to hear your time with them was good.

Hence why I'm so aghast at my own situation. And have given up on them. They have been quite the opposite of helpful since I got this set of speakers. And it has really tarnished my idea of who I thought they were.

 

[captouch]

This is an example of the company I have come to know and love so much.

There are really only 2 people who make things go around there. Evan & John. There are others in the BOH as well and wood workers. But anything done there will go through one of those two individuals.

I was surprised so many folks have had not so great experiences with them. Happy to hear your time with them was good.

Hence why I'm so aghast at my own situation. And have given up on them. They have been quite the opposite of helpful since I got this set of speakers. And it has really tarnished my idea of who I thought they were.

Sometimes when a company is poorly run, understaffed, or has poor quality control resulting in an overwhelming number of customer issues, morale goes way down and it spirals and employees are just struggling to tread water. Not sure who owns the company at this point and whether they're "all-in" or thinking about retirement. But all these things are a poor sign for future outlook. It's unfortunate as there's a rich legacy behind Ohm speakers.

 

[Lavane]

Thank you for the input. I was able to at least make the low tweeter look passable:

The front tweeters would be a replacement job. I was able to seat the new wooden face plates for the dayton drivers flush with the cabinet. But like I mentioned some of the screws with close inspection are cock eyed, and don't tighten to a finish. A couple just spin. Which I admit I hate. Lol

I wish Ohm still had that mentality of nothing leaves the shop until its right.

If the screws just screw into the wood and spin due to being stripped out, I've used bits of flat toothpicks. Many times one will do. I smear a very thin light coat of wood glue to one side of the toothpick and attach it inside the hole. The glue is just to hold it in place while to put the screw back in. In some cases glue isn't even needed. The added bit of wood will give the screw something to bite into.
I've also done this with stripped out screw holes on door hinges using larger bits of wood with good results.

 

[TimF]

This has been an interesting read so far. Thing is, I WANT to like Ohm, I really do. I have even praised them here on AK and a couple other forums, but...They do seem to have such potential as a company, and what they do build can be good, but as others have mentioned, the QC issues, customer service-which is generally decent, is so let down by constant mistake after mistake, blaming, finger pointing, that it sometimes just isn't worth the bother. It all just boggles my mind really. I could go on about several of situations where Ohm/John/Company really botched things quite badly with items that I bought from them, but why go there. In the end, I moved on and put my money into speakers that show pride in what the company does, not to mention sound quality to match and, at prices that were not all that far off from comparable Ohm products. I enjoyed my Ohms for quite a number of years, and still probably would, had it not been soured by poor quality, and a very strange attitude by John himself.

I imagine too, it isn't easy building something that they do here in the US, in NYC no less, and being profitable, and probably paying their work force a reasonable living and benefits. I do not know exactly what keeps them afloat, parts, repair etc., and throw the "new" speaker sales in there, hard to say. I wish them no bad will, in fact, I would love them to get off their ass, make truly great, well built products that they can really be proud of! Maybe that will happen in time, maybe it is a matter of who might take the reigns in the future, who knows? Time will tell. In the meantime, if you enjoy your Ohms, continue doing so, that is the main thing! In the right room/situation, they can make very good music IMO. Ugh...I hate a post that really sounds so crappy...

 

[MetalDaze]

Sometimes when a company is poorly run, understaffed, or has poor quality control resulting in an overwhelming number of customer issues, morale goes way down and it spirals and employees are just struggling to tread water. Not sure who owns the company at this point and whether they're "all-in" or thinking about retirement. But all these things are a poor sign for future outlook. It's unfortunate as there's a rich legacy behind Ohm speakers.

John owns the company and has for some time now. It is unfortunate since there is certainly a very rich history behind Ohm speakers. They were and still are to a degree industry pioneers. Here's hoping.

If the screws just screw into the wood and spin due to being stripped out, I've used bits of flat toothpicks. Many times one will do. I smear a very thin light coat of wood glue to one side of the toothpick and attach it inside the hole. The glue is just to hold it in place while to put the screw back in. In some cases glue isn't even needed. The added bit of wood will give the screw something to bite into.
I've also done this with stripped out screw holes on door hinges using larger bits of wood with good results.

Ah yes, the good ole' wood shim trick. I've also used this method for many different applications like you said. From bits of scrap wood to tooth picks. The latter which works very well around the home for small projects and the like.

If I ever get the gumption to redo the front tweeter face places. I'll more than likely have to employ this method or some variation. I also see Titebond in my future.

 

[MetalDaze]

This has been an interesting read so far. Thing is, I WANT to like Ohm, I really do. I have even praised them here on AK and a couple other forums, but...They do seem to have such potential as a company, and what they do build can be good, but as others have mentioned, the QC issues, customer service-which is generally decent, is so let down by constant mistake after mistake, blaming, finger pointing, that it sometimes just isn't worth the bother. It all just boggles my mind really. I could go on about several of situations where Ohm/John/Company really botched things quite badly with items that I bought from them, but why go there. In the end, I moved on and put my money into speakers that show pride in what the company does, not to mention sound quality to match and, at prices that were not all that far off from comparable Ohm products. I enjoyed my Ohms for quite a number of years, and still probably would, had it not been soured by poor quality, and a very strange attitude by John himself.

I imagine too, it isn't easy building something that they do here in the US, in NYC no less, and being profitable, and probably paying their work force a reasonable living and benefits. I do not know exactly what keeps them afloat, parts, repair etc., and throw the "new" speaker sales in there, hard to say. I wish them no bad will, in fact, I would love them to get off their ass, make truly great, well built products that they can really be proud of! Maybe that will happen in time, maybe it is a matter of who might take the reigns in the future, who knows? Time will tell. In the meantime, if you enjoy your Ohms, continue doing so, that is the main thing! In the right room/situation, they can make very good music IMO. Ugh...I hate a post that really sounds so crappy...

No reason to feel that way, your post is very amicable if you ask me. I also back peddled & considered removing this thread a couple of times. I really love my speakers (and the company still, as a symbol & in history) But I have been so frustrated by the work I'm paying for, and as you've noted the sometimes downright strange attitude of John towards the work that comes in.

I agree with all of what you said. I can't say what keeps them afloat but I imagine it's the newer speaker sales. However you are dead on. Even being in the same spot for so long, and possibly rent controlled. The cost of living in the city is outrageous. So between that and cost of living to pay your labor a decent wage, that very well may cut into ~40% of the profits. Then there's materials, extras, a usual budget of like 5 or 10% for some losses.

So with that, I too wish I could get the fire lit under them. I even said that to the pleasant young woman I spoke to last time on the phone.

There are a lot of factors at play that which round out the balance of what seems to be happening here. But certainly not granting themselves any extra breathing room with the sub par workmanship that goes into the updates.

I honestly think for their updated speakers there are teirs:

1) Raw Vintage in the Wild
2) Vintage Updated by Customer
3) Vintage Updated by Manufacturer

I assume this is the case, because they don't want item (2) to be more valuable than item (3). If you look on their webpage for "Completely upgraded Ohm Is are sometimes available for $2195 -- $2595 depending on veneer, call for details"

When was the last time you saw a pair of I's go for that money? Even my single owner, fully updated ones I doubt I'd be able to get more than 1500? or so. And the walnut veneers are perfect.

This again is all my conjecture. But why else would they so cheaply perform these updates to customer's vintage speakers. When they so obviously know how and very well can make them nicer. My guess is they still want room for profit if/when someone wants to turn around and trade in their already updated speakers towards 'XYZ'.

 

[pch300]

@MetalDaze, an others, if you are referring to recent events, they posted on their website that they are going through the wrath of COVID, which may explain some of the long delays experienced by folks here. I have upgraded Walsh and conventional Ohm speakers some years ago, and have always had good experiences with John and others there.

I hope the Ohm I that you have is working well. I heard these when they first were introduced, in the late '70s, or early '80s. They can handle a lot of power, up to a kilowatt or more, I'm told. They can play very loud.

I considered getting one of these Ohm I's, but I kept with my F's. Ohm offered half-price trade-in of the F drivers (at least magnets) for a new Walsh 5 (LE). For such a deal 25 years ago, I suppose they want the magnets back so you can't keep the old F's and get the Walsh 5 for half-price. I sent the F drivers back, but kept the F cabinets, and installed the F3 upgrade as the rear channels of home theater setup.

I will say that the current Ohm Walsh drivers can project a very reasonable image to a wide sitting angle away from the centerline between the speakers. This is most advantageous when watching movies with a group of people, with many of them enjoying the sonic 'image'. I have not yet come across another speaker that can do this, and also give an excellent image when you sit centered for two-channel sound.