owlsalum

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $4300.00 from Direct from Ohm

Summary:
This review is exclusive to the Ohm Walsh 300 Mk-III (S3). I took delivery of my
pair in November of 2006. My impressions are based on ~5 months of daily use and experience with the W300S3s in my home. I should point out to all prospective owners the generous 120-day in-home trial offered by Ohm. As a high-ender of 20+ years I know of no other manufacturer so confident in the product it produces to allow a 4 month in-home trial. For me, this meant I could thoroughly break-in my pair, fine tune room placement and experiment extensively with components and cables free of pressure before finally deciding to keep the W300S3. How many other audiophiles can say the same?

I use my W300S3s exclusively for 2-channel audio. After extensive break-in (see below), I find the W300S3s to be tonally coherent from top to bottom. Full-range coherence is a design feature of the Walsh driver. I can say from personal experience that goal is acheived nicely with the new Series 3 incarnation of the Walsh driver. Ohm crosses the Walsh driver over to a super-tweeter in the high end. Integration of the super-tweeter is well-high seamless to my ears when heard on-axis. Listening to the W300S3s as close to the axis of the super-tweeter is in my opinion very important, since the super-tweeter is directional whereas the Walsh driver has a true 360 degree omni-directional dispersion pattern. Literally the only nit to be found in this view is the higher than normal listening position required to attain the best performance the W300S3s are capable of. The cabinet of the W300S3 on casters is rather tall at 48" with the super-tweeter mounted at the top.

Ohm is to be congratulated for resisting the temptation to play the usual
pyscho-acoustic tricks with the voicing of the S3 driver. I hear no mid-bass
bump, no rising slope in the high end, nothing but tonal honesty. A good recording
just sounds right, no more, no less. My acid test for tonal integrity is chamber
music (e.g. with period instruments). The W300S3s reproduce small scale orchestral music beautifully. I listen to a great deal of jazz and have found over the years certain harmonically complex instruments to pose a significant challenge for home reproduction. Vibraphone, Hammond B3 and trumpet all connect when heard through the W300S3s.

Ohm states the bass performance of the S3 isn't quite the match of previous generations of the Walsh driver, the bass drive and extension of which is practically legendary amongst users. I find no fault whatsoever with the bass performance of the W300S3s used for fine audio only reproduction. When the W300S3s are properly positioned, bass extension and power are all I could wish for or want. What the W300S3s thankfully are not is boomy or over-ripe in the bottom end. My experience, by the way, shows the W300S3s to be quite sensitive to room placement. Sound stage depth and width are touchy to distance from the front wall immediately behind the W300S3s and the to distance from the side walls. Image height I've found to be less sensitive.

In my moderately large room the W300S3s require lots of clean, high current power to really sing. The W300S3s sucked the poor McIntosh MA6500 integrated I
originally used dry. I've since upgraded to a Bryston 4B-SST and have found the
Bryston/Ohm combination to be an excellent match. The 4B-SST is whisper quiet, quite powerful and provides the serious current delivery the W300S3s demand. I haven't experimented with tube amplification, but would venture an educated guess SETs, OTLs and tube amplification in general below, say, 150 Wrms won't be a wise match with the W300S3s. A powerful hybrid amplifier, on the other hand, might be a good choice.

Break-in of the S3 driver proved to be a test of this audiophile's endurance. Hundreds of hours (~500 hrs of normal daily use by my reckoning) were required before my pair finally stabilized. Fresh out of the carton my W300S3s sounded somewhat dull and recessed. Taking full advantage of Ohm's 4 month trial period, I hung tough with the W300S3s. Distinct improvements in the presence region were noticeable after a month. Today, my W300S3s sound nothing like what I initially heard straight out of the box. I can say every initial reservation I had about the performance of the W300S3s has been wiped away with patience through the difficult break-in period and through extensive experimentation with placement and equipment the long in-home trial permits.

Strengths:
Full range tonal coherence and honesty. No false zip or chestiness to be heard even past the crossover region to the super-tweeter. Highly satisfactory bass performance - taut and tonally accurate with plenty of low end extension for 99.9% of the material any audiophile is likely to listen or have in his/her collection. Deep and wide soundstage with proper room placement. The typical, iritating, uncomfortable 'stone-statue-head-in-a-vise' audiophile ritual is a non-issue with the Walsh driver in the W 300 Mk-3s. Love the casters, which make placement of these large 100 pounders a snap. I wouldn't use carpet spikes with my W300S3s even if supplied.

120-day in-trial period offered by Ohm is simply unmatched by any other manufacturer I know of, and a benefit no brick-and-mortar dealer is ever going to extend.

Weaknesses:
Unusually high listening height needed to put the super-tweeter on-axis with the ear. In my opinion, a high power, high current delivery, high damping factor solid state amplifier is the only sensible match for the W 300 Mk-3s used in the large listening space the 300s were designed for. A protracted break-in period is required before a true measure of the full capability of the W 300 Mk-3s can be assessed. Patience is mandatory, but remember you have 4 months to make an informed decision based on your experience in your listening environment with your music. Freedom from pressure to make a snap decision on the basis of an audition with equipment I don't own in an environment I'm not familiar with was wonderful. A brick-and-mortar dealer will never allow a comparable money-back in-home audition privilege.

I could wish for better quality binding-posts than the plastic jobs Ohm chose for my Walsh 300 Mk-3s. Details matter. I think this product warrants good quality WBTs (or equivalent).

Similar Products Used:
Harbeth, Spendor, Aerial Acoustics, Magnepan, Silverline Audio, Audio Concepts Inc., Mirage

Price Paid:  $1995.00 from Ohm Acoustics (facto

Summary:
For some background, Ohm Acoustics and I, specifically their speakers based on the design of the late Lincoln Walsh, go back quite a number of years for the most enjoyable listening to a wide variety of music. My affinity for Ohm Walsh speakers began in the mid-70's, when I purchased a pair of Ohm F loudspeakers, the inverted cone, Walsh design in its purest form. In 1986 an upgrade was made to the Walsh 4 after the movers damaged the Ohm F cones during a relocation. In 1999, Walsh Super 4 mkII upgrades made their appearance in the living room. Now, a pair of Walsh 4.300 Mk-2 speakers has arrived, trading in the previous drivers with an attractive allowance by Ohm Acoustics, utilizing the previous cabinets that are acoustically correct. (The line of Ohm Acoustics speakers are only available direct from the factory.) Listening to this pair of Walsh 4.300 Mk-2s with a wide variety of Compact Discs for over a month, the musical sounds reproduced are superb. A Creek CD43 mk2 Compact Disc Player and a Carver Home Theater Receiver, HTR-885.1, in “bypass” mode to deliver a least 120 watts per channel of conventional stereo are the sources into these Walshes by Ohm. As promised, these speakers can play loud and into the deep bass, even when located in a larger-sized room (12 x 21 ft.), with a dining room off to one side. Sound is smooth, accurate, free of distortion, with a wide sound stage of precise stereo. Inner detail is well-defined (ability to reveal low volume sounds, while overall, the music may be quite loud). True bass is reproduced and distinct, not the one note “boom” that characterizes many other speakers. These speakers sound great even at low volume. A couple of CDs show off the capabilities on the Walsh 4.300 Mk-2s. Get a copy of Holst’s, “The Planets,” Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, conducted by Charles Dutoit, on the London label. Play the last two minutes of track 5, Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age at a fairly high volume. When what must be the 32 foot pipe of the organ is engaged in several spots, the extremely low note is distinctly heard and literally rattles the room. Listen to Linda Ronstadt’s “Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl like a Wolf” on Elektra. On several cuts where Aaron Neville duets with Ronstadt, their voices are similar in register and volume, but distinct in sound. Each are each reproduced with clarity. On other tracks, Linda is backed by a gospel choir. She’s there, front and center, but you’re musically surrounded by the choir voices. You can spend more for loudspeakers, but the Walsh 4.300 Mk-2 is in a class by itself, one of, if not the best to be found.

Strengths:
Accurate reproduction with wide stereo sound stage. Bass strong and distinct. Abilty to play loud in a large room.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Ohm F; Walsh 4; and Walsh Super 4 mkII

Price Paid:  $4000.00 from Ohm Acoustics (facto

Summary:
My two cents is these are the best speakers. I started with Ohms back in the 80''s with the Walsh 2''s. These were so good they sold themselves. Two of my audio friends bought them after me. Now I''m old with a bigger listening room and needed to upgrade. The Walsh 300 Mk-2''s specs suggested the room size. I never thought I would spend four grand on speakers but I really wanted to own these. They arrived in perfect shape. The packing was excellent. The sound is the best. No need to sit in a special place. It''s all good. www.ohmspeakers.com

Strengths:
Great music everywhere. No need for a certain sweet place. No crossover. Lockable casters. Unreal low end. 20Hz-20KHz. Factory direct prices and shipping. You will be delighted.

Weaknesses:
I wish the cabinets had the old sloped pyrimid shape. They are now verticle. Still excellent finish (oak) and quality.

Similar Products Used:
Ohm Walsh 2''s

Summary:
I am a long time lover of Ohm walsh speakers, having owned new f's walsh 4's and now new walsh 300 Mk2. The 300's are large speakers with casters for rolling. There strong suit is imaging, properly placed the soundstage is wonderful.I am using Mcintosh equipment to power these speakers, what a nice mix. These speakers love power! lots of very low base!! I was going to add a subwoofer to the walsh 4's but Ohm suggested these(they will take a trade in on older Ohm speakers),I am happpy I did. So give these a try!

Strengths:
wide frequency responce incredable bass down to 20 Hz

Weaknesses:
none noted yet

Similar Products Used:
Ohm f, Ohm walsh 4, advent, audes,