Believable soundstaging,360 degree dispersion

Needs alot of power!

I've listened to these speakers years ago at a friends house many times,in use with a modified Phase Linear 700B(350 w/ch),and a Radford preamp,with Linn turntable w/Grado cartridge.And to this day that was one of the best systems I have ever heard.BASS,sound in three dimensional space,air.
But they need all that power as the Phase Linear 400(200 w/ch) did not cut it.Would like to listen to the new 5's.

I picked up a pair of these at an estate auction for $200(they sold for $5000 new) in 1983 during a very cold Chicago winter and they've travelled from Chicago to Milwaukee, to Philadelphia, and now to Mobile. These are truely the most amazing speakers I've ever heard. The bass goes down to 25hz and is smooth as silk. Vocals are realistic and the soundstage is awesome. The only drawback is that they're bulky and not terribly attractive. My wife wanted me to toss them until she listened to them. Now, 10 yrs since marrying her, she's forcing me to replace the drivers which have now disintigrated(rotten foam) with the years. Ohm has a great replacement deal and I can't wait to get my new ones. If you can pick up a pair cheap, keep the boxes and upgrade through Ohm.

Incredibly smooth, natural, seamless sound with a very "high-end" quality to it. Can listen for hours on end without tiring. They sound full and natural even at very low listening levels... remarkable.

Narrower sweet spot compared to more recent Walsh designs, however soundstaging is better when you happen to be in the "stereo seat".

As a longtime Ohm Walsh fan, I have always wanted to hear a pair of the one that started it all, the Ohm F. Unfortunately, the only time I ever even saw a pair was back in 1988 at a hi-fi shop where a pair had been traded in... and one driver was blown, the other missing entirely! I called Ohm about repairs, to find that a replacement F driver was $750... IF you traded in the old one. Without a trade they were $1,500 each. So, it would cost me $2,250 to get them working again... ouch. Not in the budget of a college student!

I have never forgotten the Fs (in fact, I want a pair of Ohm As to complete my collection!) and have kept my eye out for a pair... just for my personal collection and satisfaction. I was fortunate enough to find a kind soul who sold me his at a great price and helped facilitate delivery, as well, from 2,500 miles away. Excitedly I assembled them, hooked them up to the new (used) NAD 7175 receiver (125/4ohm continuous,500 peak) that I purchased just for them... and was shocked. They were amazing... I can't believe they were designed over 25 years ago. Such a full, natural, seamless, almost hypnotic sound. My more recent Walsh 200s are a better fit for home theater as they have a crisper top end and more dynamic range, but I honestly prefer the Fs for music reproduction on about 99% of all recordings.

They are designed for a bigger room but I have not encountered problems in a small room... and despite their heralded inefficiency I have not found them to be all that bad. If I had to guess I would have said 87db/wm as Ohm's website does. However, this is a VERY optimistic efficiency rating. I have the original review from 1973 and Stereo Review needed to feed them 18W to get 90db... that equates to about 78db! Whatever the actual efficiency, my NAD drives them very well.

A final note: the last owner was a very experienced audiophile who successfully re-foamed the bottoms, something Ohm itself doesn't recommend on their website because it changes the cone and degrades the sound. If these things actually have degraded sound compared to the original foam, I would REALLY like to hear what they sounded like then... anyway, with fresh foam I hope they last for at least twenty years!

Similar Products Used:

Ohm Walsh 200, Ohm Walsh 1, Ohm 3XO, Ohm CAM16 (surrounds)