Ohm Model L Questions

[Chief Brody]

Hi all,

I am acquiring a pair of Ohm Model L’s from my step-father-in-law (original owner) for free. I’m pretty excited! I actually reformed the woofers about a year ago but didn’t really get the chance to use them. They are in excellent shape, though!

Questions for other Model L owners:

Have you done any of the Ohm factory upgrades? (SBA, new woofers, new crossovers..)
If so, how do you like their performance?

If you have done upgrades on your own (recapped the crossovers), are you satisfied with the results?

I also need some opinions on an amp to drive them. I’m currently using a Denon AVR from my old home theater setup and I want to replace it with something better than can handle the 4ohm load and that has more power.

I’ve been strongly considering the Peachtree Audio Nova300, as everything it offers is what I would like to have.

Please let me know what you think! Thanks in advance!

 

[OnTheBlitz]

Calling @Harvestor

 

[Harvestor]

Hi all,

I am acquiring a pair of Ohm Model L’s from my step-father-in-law (original owner) for free. I’m pretty excited! I actually reformed the woofers about a year ago but didn’t really get the chance to use them. They are in excellent shape, though!

Questions for other Model L owners:

Have you done any of the Ohm factory upgrades? (SBA, new woofers, new crossovers..)
If so, how do you like their performance?

If you have done upgrades on your own (recapped the crossovers), are you satisfied with the results?

I also need some opinions on an amp to drive them. I’m currently using a Denon AVR from my old home theater setup and I want to replace it with something better than can handle the 4ohm load and that has more power.

I’ve been strongly considering the Peachtree Audio Nova300, as everything it offers is what I would like to have.

Please let me know what you think! Thanks in advance!

I have two sets of Model H...
1 set completely original from factory the other set has brand new modern capacitors in the crossover...
And in my opinion and my wife's the untouched original set sound Superior immediately noticeable when switching between A versus B on any of my receivers or amplifiers..
So I'm going to actually purchase the original style capacitors and put them back in the other set.
My model L are 100% factory original also and I'm leaving them that way, but if I ever upgrade the crossover capacitors they will be the original electrolytic style capacitors...
First of all I figured they lasted forty years already and if I go with original electrolytic capacitors they should last another 40 years and I'll be long since dead by then.
At this point in my life I do not believe I will ever sell any of my OHM Acoustics Speakers except maybe one set model C2 because I have a couple sets...
Ohm Acoustics in Brooklyn New York can rebuild your crossovers to their original like new State... If you're not up for doing it yourself.
I also have the model ( i ) set and they are 100% original crossover and everything and I will not be redoing that crossover Network either unless I actually obtained what ohm Acoustics in Brooklyn New York has 4 upgrades.
But I don't believe it's necessary.
My opinion on the sub bass activator upgrades are better suited on the larger speakers..
I love the way they sound as produced from 1978 to 1980 and don't believe that any modifications improve anyting.
If your set of model L have the dual switches on the back to attenuate the tweeters I suggest running them at their minimums to tame down the brightness, if you have the single switch they may not be bright anyway.
Experiment and adjust to your liking.
OHM Acoustics box speakers from 1971 until 1982 are my personal favorite bang for the buck speakers in the world, and it's my personal opinion no matter how much money you have the law of diminishing returns really becomes apparent after listening to a good set of OHM Acoustics Speakers and trying to improve upon their abilities versus other manufacturers no matter what price point.
I do have some other favorites out there in the manufacturing world of audio whether it be from the vintage Era or from today, but once you get spoiled listening to Ohm speakers from 40 years ago you'll be hard-pressed to improve upon them.
There's just something magical about what they did engineering and manufacturing them back then.

I have used the Kenwood basic m2a 400w RMS per channel into 4 ohms and 220 Watts per channel into 8 ohms on the little OHM Acoustics model L and have no problem, but I use common sense and watch the woofer excursions and make sure that I'm not overdriving them.
And I don't do it for hours on end and wouldn't recommend you make that kind of a setup for a house party,. I would use the bigger model speakers for House parties with that kind of wattage...
But you can certainly enjoy three or four songs in a row with some power and not hurt the speakers.
I personally like the receivers from the 1970s that have at least 50 watts per Channel and up and how they sounds with the speakers.

The speakers that you acquired are special and I recommend that you get some Howard's oil and feed the wood veneer.
Do that a few times in the next few weeks and be careful to keep that oil away from the woofer and tweeters.
Get some good 12 gauge oxygen free copper and a decent receiver or amplifier and enjoy them

 

[ctjetta]

While I like all the '70's Ohm loudspeakers the L's are the ones I want to add to my (already too large) collection. For their size and cost they are a beautiful speaker.
Enjoy!

 

[Chief Brody]

Thanks for the input @Harvestor. I’ll definitely spend some time listening to them in their original state before making any decisions.

The other items I’d like to have are stands for them. I’d be fine with the short wooden kind that angle the speaker up toward the listener a few degrees. Anyone have a lead?

 

[luxmaster]

The OHM L speaker is truly a magnificent loudspeaker. For their size they are very heavy. I have them sitting on stands where the top of the speaker is at eye level when sitting down. I've actually ordered an OHM subwoofer to extend the bass out. I can't wait to hear them both together. Yes they can be bright at times but with the right types of music can also image extremely well.

 

[Chief Brody]

The OHM L speaker is truly a magnificent loudspeaker. For their size they are very heavy. I have them sitting on stands where the top of the speaker is at eye level when sitting down. I've actually ordered an OHM subwoofer to extend the bass out. I can't wait to hear them both together. Yes they can be bright at times but with the right types of music can also image extremely well.

have you done any of the upgrades Ohm offers?

 

[luxmaster]

I haven't. The foam is still really good on them. I don't know how much of a difference an upgrade will do to these little speakers. The switches in back are still clean. I guess I haven't felt the need yet. If you end up doing the upgrade I would be curious to know the improvements

 

[Chief Brody]

I haven't. The foam is still really good on them. I don't know how much of a difference an upgrade will do to these little speakers. The switches in back are still clean. I guess I haven't felt the need yet. If you end up doing the upgrade I would be curious to know the improvements

Ill certainly post up if I go that route.

 

[Harvestor]

Thanks for the input @Harvestor. I’ll definitely spend some time listening to them in their original state before making any decisions.

The other items I’d like to have are stands for them. I’d be fine with the short wooden kind that angle the speaker up toward the listener a few degrees. Anyone have a lead?

It's very easy to make a set of stands...
Go to Menard's or Home Despot...... and purchase a nice 2 x 10 board 8 or 10 feet long, then purchase 2 pieces of nice plywood 5/8 thick , they have some already cut two by two ( 2 x 2 ) and nice clear pine or Birch, then purchase ( 2 ) 8 ft long pieces of decorative wood trim to use on the two by two plywood edge... You can paint the stand black or stain the wood to your color liking...

In my video here you can see I have a set of OHM C2 sitting on a set that I made.. the model L also Fits these stands...
Also I purchased a 3 foot section of angle iron actually aluminum tie the two sections on top and keep the loudspeaker cabinet from sliding off the back... And I used felt pads and all the surfaces that touch the cabinet of the speaker bottoms..

 

[Harvestor]

And a side note for all those watching this thread...
The OHM Acoustics model C2 and model L use the very exact same crossover Network completely identical

 

[Harvestor]

Another side note for those that saw my last video in this post...
This cell phone microphone becomes overpowered too easily and distorts.....

 

[Old Guy8]

These are C2s with the new 10" poly cone /SBA woofers, upgrade few years ago. I recapped with Dayton films.
Setting on 7" high AR3 style X shape stands.
Bought new in '77. I liked them before and after ungrades. Can't tell you how sound changed. If I had before and after sets to compare, could tell you. Bound to be different paper to poly cones. John at Ohm told me the poly should like female voices.
Financially, do changes make sense? You decide. Mine are pristine, and wanted to preserve. About $325-350, if remember for woofer/SBA upgrade. What I paid for them in '77.
Single treble switch. Always liked in lowest position for less treble, no matter room.
Sound nice for jazz. Bet Harvestors I and H sound even better.

These are 6 ohm. I currently drive with Rogue Cronus Magnum a KT120 quad tube amp OR Rogue Sphinx hybrid amps. Either should drive L's 4 ohm load. Do my Maggies fine. No experience with Peachtree amps.
Enjoy your Ohms.

 

[Harvestor]

View attachment 1733707
These are C2s with the new 10" poly cone /SBA woofers, upgrade few years ago. I recapped with Dayton films.
Setting on 7" high AR3 style X shape stands.
Bought new in '77. I liked them before and after ungrades. Can't tell you how sound changed. If I had before and after sets to compare, could tell you. Bound to be different paper to poly cones. John at Ohm told me the poly should like female voices.
Financially, do changes make sense? You decide. Mine are pristine, and wanted to preserve. About $325-350, if remember for woofer/SBA upgrade. What I paid for them in '77.
Single treble switch. Always liked in lowest position for less treble, no matter room.
Sound nice for jazz. Bet Harvestors I and H sound even better.

These are 6 ohm. I currently drive with Rogue Cronus Magnum a KT120 quad tube amp OR Rogue Sphinx hybrid amps. Either should drive L's 4 ohm load. Do my Maggies fine. No experience with Peachtree amps.
Enjoy your Ohms.

I agree the H and the model I sound better than the C2....but my C2's sound better than all of my Cerwin Vega speakers D9, 380SE, PD6, PD9, except for my
Cerwin Vega 300 SE ......
And the C2 are just Classy .

 

[Chief Brody]

Just a quick update for you guys who posted up:

After getting the L's hooked up about a week or so ago, I gave them a listen with a few vinyl test tracks and have to admit, I was a little underwhelmed. Bass frequencies appeared almost non-existent or barely noticeable. I turned my subwoofer back on and everything came alive, as you'd expect. Turned it back off, and everything just kind of fell flat. I pretty much made the decision to send the L's woofers to Ohm for the upgrade at that moment.

Shipped them off this past Friday and received the replacements yesterday. SUPER fast turnaround time, so they have a supply of upgraded woofers ready to go.

Packaged extremely well. Everything unboxed without blemish. I could immediately tell the woofers felt beefier, if that makes sense, even though they're the same size. The SBA electronics are attached to a wooden "frame" that is attached (glued?) to the rear of the magnet. The woofer cone and surround were of new material and look fantastic. The setup also came with foam inserts that slip into the ports for a bit of tuning. Very simple and straightforward process, as y'all would assume.

Initial (and brief, thanks to the wife haha) listening tests/thoughts: The first thing I noticed was how CLEAR and broad the imaging and soundstage were. I was a bit shocked, honestly, that 40+ year old speakers like this could sound THAT good. The mids, the highs, the dynamics that came through these L's were just delicious. I seriously have no complaints.

Well, maybe just one. But it's not really the L's fault. While the bass did improve a little bit, it still isn't that impressive to me. I understand that the woofers are only 8", and maybe I was assuming or had an idea in my head that these things were going to have some real balls, but I am just a smidge disappointed. I didn't want to have a subwoofer in this setup, but I think I am leaning in that direction. I have a 20 year old Sony sub that came with an equally vintage home theater kit that I've been using since I bought it when I was 18. Has pretty good sound, but it's all I know. It's rectangular in shape, so somewhat low-profile compared to normal square shaped subs. I switched it on and listened to another track for about 30 seconds before the wife factor kicked in.. and I thought immediately "holy ****! now we're talking!" It really woke things up.

So, if I keep a sub in the system, it needs to be low profile as to be accepted by the wife. I've basically got to be able to hide it near the speakers or behind the console where my amp/turntable is. With that in mind, I've been searching the web for slim home theater subs that could work for my needs. Thus far, Monoprice seems to be one of the only solutions.

 

[Chief Brody]

Almost forgot, I think at this point, after hours and hours or research and review reading, the Rogue Audio Sphinx v3 integrated amp is what I'm leaning towards. I like the specs, I like that it's pre-amp section is tubes, and the price is good. Not many reviews on it, though, surprisingly. I'm sure it will do a much better job at driving the Model L's than my trusty basic Denon AVR (that isn't rated to drive 4ohm loads... which is what the L's are..).

 

[Chief Brody]

Here are a few shots from last night as I was installing the new woofers.

 

[Old Guy8]

Just a quick update for you guys who posted up:

After getting the L's hooked up about a week or so ago, I gave them a listen with a few vinyl test tracks and have to admit, I was a little underwhelmed. Bass frequencies appeared almost non-existent or barely noticeable. I turned my subwoofer back on and everything came alive, as you'd expect. Turned it back off, and everything just kind of fell flat. I pretty much made the decision to send the L's woofers to Ohm for the upgrade at that moment.

Shipped them off this past Friday and received the replacements yesterday. SUPER fast turnaround time, so they have a supply of upgraded woofers ready to go.

Packaged extremely well. Everything unboxed without blemish. I could immediately tell the woofers felt beefier, if that makes sense, even though they're the same size. The SBA electronics are attached to a wooden "frame" that is attached (glued?) to the rear of the magnet. The woofer cone and surround were of new material and look fantastic. The setup also came with foam inserts that slip into the ports for a bit of tuning. Very simple and straightforward process, as y'all would assume.

Initial (and brief, thanks to the wife haha) listening tests/thoughts: The first thing I noticed was how CLEAR and broad the imaging and soundstage were. I was a bit shocked, honestly, that 40+ year old speakers like this could sound THAT good. The mids, the highs, the dynamics that came through these L's were just delicious. I seriously have no complaints.

Well, maybe just one. But it's not really the L's fault. While the bass did improve a little bit, it still isn't that impressive to me. I understand that the woofers are only 8", and maybe I was assuming or had an idea in my head that these things were going to have some real balls, but I am just a smidge disappointed. I didn't want to have a subwoofer in this setup, but I think I am leaning in that direction. I have a 20 year old Sony sub that came with an equally vintage home theater kit that I've been using since I bought it when I was 18. Has pretty good sound, but it's all I know. It's rectangular in shape, so somewhat low-profile compared to normal square shaped subs. I switched it on and listened to another track for about 30 seconds before the wife factor kicked in.. and I thought immediately "holy ****! now we're talking!" It really woke things up.

So, if I keep a sub in the system, it needs to be low profile as to be accepted by the wife. I've basically got to be able to hide it near the speakers or behind the console where my amp/turntable is. With that in mind, I've been searching the web for slim home theater subs that could work for my needs. Thus far, Monoprice seems to be one of the only solutions.

Congrats.
I have had no complaints with the C2 10" woofer upgrade, I did with Ohm. They answer the phone to help with any issues. First pair of woofs I got rubbed on voicecoil. Close clearances. They immediately sent replacements. Great company.

Search in AK for threads on subwoofer recommendations. Is your setup home theater, music or a mix of both?
I've had a couple old JBL and Fosgate Acoustics subs. In my 2 channel setups, none were fast enough. Can't keep up with my Ohms or Magnepans. They sounded bloated. I think subs are the toughest gear to buy. Even auditions in someone elses room may not apply to yours. And recommendations from others of limited use.
I'm looking to upgrade and I'm confused. I'm considering new REL T7i or T9i models for my 2 channel, in a 400 sf room. But not heard them. They seem to go on sale a couple times a year, for $100 and $200 off. They are not large size.

 

[Harvestor]

Almost forgot, I think at this point, after hours and hours or research and review reading, the Rogue Audio Sphinx v3 integrated amp is what I'm leaning towards. I like the specs, I like that it's pre-amp section is tubes, and the price is good. Not many reviews on it, though, surprisingly. I'm sure it will do a much better job at driving the Model L's than my trusty basic Denon AVR (that isn't rated to drive 4ohm loads... which is what the L's are..).

I was about to ask what are you driving your model L with but you answered that....

I was going to say you need a good receiver like the Technics SA 600 or SA Receivers from 1977 and or 1978.. or a Pioneer SX950 or bigger...or a good Amplifier ..
I use my Kenwood m2a 400 watts per Channel RMS at 4 ohms or my
Techincs SA 800 @ 125 + Watt per Channel and I use a 10 band Equalizer ...
I also have a beautiful Onkyo Dolby Atmos and pioneer elite 7.2 surround sound rated at 150 watts per Channel and neither one of them drive the model L anywhere near as good as the vintage receivers or the Kenwood amplifier, and like you said your AVR Denon not enough Bass with the AVR

Get back to us after you get them hooked to the more powerful amplifier can't wait to hear your thoughts I also recommend highly adding an EQ and boosting the 31 Hertz and 63 Hertz just slightly off 0 I'll post a picture of my EQ setting that I recommend and like

 

[Chief Brody]

Agreed, great company and great customer service. Very responsive guys, over there.

My Denon AVR has been retired from home theater use and is currently only being used as a 2-channel out. I just want something that is purpose built for 2-channel music listening and not 20 other things. I'll definitely need a DAC at some point, too, as the Sphinx doesn't have one built in.

@Harvestor - I was originally VERY interested in the Peachtree Nova300 which offers 450 watts @ 4ohms. It has everything I need or could want as far as features go. Almost future proof for me. Price is on the high end of what I would spend right now, but do-able.

The Rogue Audio Sphinx v3 offers 200 watts @ 4ohms, but doesn't have a built in DAC (which is fine), and is more affordable than the Nova300.

Are you saying that if I'm going to buy a new amp, I should get as much power as I can afford in order to get the most out of my L's?

Thanks in advance.