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Ohm Walsh questions - the Good, the Bad,.. the Ugly ?

MisterDK

MisterDK

Addicted Member
Hey folks, I’d like to learn about older Ohm Walsh speakers. Are there any Ohm Walsh enthusiasts here who can point me in the right direction regarding history, old reviews, repair and modification, etc.?
What would I need to look out for when shopping used?

I barely remember hearing some about 35 years ago, but just recently got an itch to look for some vintage speakers - and the Walsh is one I’m considering. Would anyone here like to help me get a clue?

Thanks!
 
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I don't believe that Ohm services the old Lincoln Walsh drivers any more. You'd have to go to HHR Exotics for an outfit that is still into Walsh's design. They were on my bucket list for quite some time when I cam across a pair nearby for a reasonable price. If you like bi/di/360-degree -pole sound, you'll love the Walshs.
 
I've owned many variants, 1's, 2's, 4's, F2's, and F's. I've still got my restored F's, they're in the "you can have them when you can pry them out of my cold dead hands" category. Needless to say, I'm a big fan.

F's are hard to find, and there are very few places that can properly service the drivers. At this point, if they haven't been serviced, any original F driver would need the foam replaced, and probably the internal damping material as well. Sagging spiders are a common issue with these drivers as well.

In good shape, it's hard to beat the sound. There is no crossover, and the soundstage is superb. I found that the Walsh 4 came pretty close in overall dynamics (others have disagreed with me on this), and the 4's are much easier to find and service. They'd be a good place to start.

Ohm is still in business, but doesn't service the original drivers. They'll gladly 'upgrade' you to newer style drivers, but imo it's a shame to send in the original true Walsh drivers, regardless of how good the newer drivers might be.

As mentioned, Dale at HHR Exotics is the true master with these things, he actually sells modern versions of the original F's and A's (truly rare, and my personal audio holy grail speaker).

Not sure where you're located, but if you're ever in the Bay area of Ca, you're welcome to have a listen to mine.

bs
 
Thanks folks. I’ll be reading up more on them. I had been thinking about Walsh II, if a nice set comes along, but also considering Dahlquists.. Need to learn more about each brand though.
 
The funny thing about Ohms is that the models with "Walsh" in their name don't use true Walsh drivers (Walsh 2, 3, 4, etc), and the ones that do use true Walsh drivers (Ohm Model A, F, and G) don't have "Walsh" in the name. Go figure.

The true Walsh driver models (A, F, and G) are the special ones, but as mentioned before, they're hard to come by, and most will need restoration if they haven't had it already. That restoration is a little more labor intensive than most other speakers, so it tends to be quite expensive. However, I find that it's not particularly difficult, and all the parts to do it are readily available and inexpensive. I wrote a thread on that here: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....d-to-restore-a-set-of-legendary-ohm-f.780113/

If you're not up for the task, the "lesser" Ohms are fine speakers as well, just not in the same league as the Model F in terms of presentation and overall sound quality. But they're far easier to own and have a unique airy presentation in their own right. The earlier Walsh 2 and 3 can be found easily and cheaply and have a cloth surround that never needs to be replaced. The later version (2XO and 3XO) have a foam surround that will need to be replaced if it hasn't been done yet.
 
I don't know about the 3XO but the 2XO has a rubber surround. The Ohm website says there is nothing in the 2XO can that needs regular maintenance however it does not say that for the 2.
 
loonlodge said:
I don't know about the 3XO but the 2XO has a rubber surround. The Ohm website says there is nothing in the 2XO can that needs regular maintenance however it does not say that for the 2.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I can't be 100% sure as I don't have one in front of me, but lots of previous posts on AK, including this one, mention the 2XO as having a foam surround. That was how they were able to squeeze a couple extra db out of the sensitivity for the XO (extra output) models.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/ohm-walsh-2-impressions.579293/
 
MisterDK said:
Hey folks, I’d like to learn about older Ohm Walsh speakers. Are there any Ohm Walsh enthusiasts here who can point me in the right direction regarding history, old reviews, repair and modification, etc.?
What would I need to look out for when shopping used?

I barely remember hearing some about 35 years ago, but just recently got an itch to look for some vintage speakers - and the Walsh is one I’m considering. Would anyone here like to help me get a clue?

Th
Click to expand...
Sure! I discovered these amazing wide dispersion speakers in 1986 on display at a (now defunct) Federated Department Store in San Bernadino CA. My initial reaction after listening was total amazement at the clarity, wide sound stage, tight bass, smooth response. My 2nd reaction, which I kept tp myself, was, "WTF are these high end speakers doing at a place like this?" The store was well respected, but certainly not a place for boutique audio equipment, so I immediately forked over the $700 for a pair. Soon after this, Walsh disappeared from retail outlets, remaining as it is today, the sole source for new or upgraded Ohms. They still operate out of a nondescript building nestled within a bunch of warehouses in Brooklyn Heights. Sadly, the founder recently passed away, but he made sure his operation would remain in place, with an uncompromising commitment to quality. Thirty five years hence, my Walshes are still performing as well as they did on those first few days after being broken in. They've followed me from Redlands CA to Stony Brook NY, and now fill a cathedral ceiling living room with sound, being aided by four 24"x48" acoustic panels, in Sarasota. They are happy being powered by a Harmon/Kardon AV510. Now complimented by two SVS 12" subs, the integration has been flawless, thanks to the SVS app, which incredibly, lists Walsh 2s in its data base. SVS is a top drawer outfit, their experience matters, so their inclusion of these 35 year old legacy speakers within the app is a sign of respect. I've replaced the cloth tops, which are now black, increasing their attractiveness. My recent interest in connecting a center speaker is based soley on the much larger sq footage associated with cathedral ceilings. In previous domiciles they lived in a traditional 15' x 35', 9' high room. TV dialogue came flowing out of the middle, basically like a ghost speaker, voices and vehicle noise etc. traveled back & forth across the room as intended. Have I recived +++ compliments on them? Yes, but only from men. For some reason 99% of women could care less, the other 1% watched "Last of the Mohicans" with me in 1994, was impressed with the canon fire and directionally of the battle scenes. That's about it, pathetic lol.
 
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