Maggies vs Ohms- a welterweight match, 9 rounds

[thedelihaus]

Maggies vs Ohms- a welterweight competition, all 9 rounds

Met a new audio friend a few nights ago, the most excellent BShorey, who brought over some Ohm Walsh 1s and smaller Maggie SMGas. He's also got some rare Ohm Fs, a Cerwin Vega Earthquake original 24" sub (not the later 18" model), and three working Quad ESL 63s, but that's a listening session for when I go visit him at his pad.

A last-minute listening invite went out to my friend Grateful (a local top-notch tech) and friend Birddog (still re-couperating from a stint up "the river") who were unable to attend, but new friend Jim (who owns some of my old gear) who's 20 minutes away was able to make it for a listen.

For reference, both speakers were run off a solid state Denon POA 1500 (these bench test between 170-200wpc) and through a CA-2000 Sansui pre-amp, with a sony ES CDP source ran through an external DAC. It was a very good match for both the Walshes and Maggies.


EDIT- Special thanks to my friend Brian for making the hour long trip to come see me, and for the kind hospitality, fun stories, and genuine enjoyment he brought with him. Truly a fantastic fella.

Also thanks to my friend Jim, also great company, a swell person, and a key player in a plan for a future article on some local hi-fi guru. Details to come at a much later date....

[thedelihaus]

Part 1 of the review- the Magnepan SMGa.

Jim Winey's company Magnepan, of White Bear Lake, Minn. has quite a devoted following. His friendly, 1" thick "room-divider" speakers of a mylar-type diaphragm instead of the cone approach is not only oddly impressive in the fact it makes sounds, but it does so with fervor and finesse and realism many cone-based speakers can only dream of clawing their way to.

The Maggies were very much what I expected, which was a window into the possibilities of the most realistic and natural sound reproduction. But they still managed to surprise a bit, and completely delight me with their performance and magical experience. Before I go on with my impressions I need to first admit that due to room constrictions, there was no way I was getting the full potential from them. Despite that, I was quite aware of their capabilities and their limitations pretty quick.

Maggies feature a sound typical of dipole sound radiators, projecting well to the front and rear (but not to the sides), they also remain, due to the large 48" height and approx shoulder-width spread, very sharp in imaging- as good as many a big-buck, highly expensive mini-monitor of excellent quality.

and that height, with that diaphragm covering nearly 4 vertical feet, has an added benefit of presenting the performers with a "height" that again, typical cone speakers struggle to do. Instruments and performers seem naturally and proportionately "tall".

The thin mylar diagpraghm also delivers a response time that's hard to match with cone drivers- sudden starts and stops to the music, or brief strikes of a string, snare or key are immediate- no lag, no blur, no hazy approach. Just a sudden reaction of the diaphragm and the rewards of a realistic reproduction of time.

Detail was nothing short of phenomenal, and the natural sound of the voices, instruments and the ilk were quite impressive. Everything they are cracked up to be in those aspects. And indeed a very capable speaker for many musical styles. They offered better detail and control than any Infinity EMIT I've heard, with sustain, decay and overall resolution just superb. And while I've experienced sibilance with EMITs in my setup, not so with the Maggies. Overall music presentation on a whole, was unparalleled. The most realistic speakers I've heard yet.

The bass was pleasant, and this a tiny bit surprising to me, quite sufficient for most recordings I played. However, heavily produced works of rock, like KISS's Destroyer album, completely failed on them- a total flop. Flat sounding, dull, and whole elements of the music just disappeared, leaving a one-dimensional, flat, greasy smear of a sound. It was more severe than I thought it would be. When folk say Maggies can't rock, I don't fully believe it, but if the wrong record or CD is fed to them, then yesh, the Maggies are incapable of sounding good, no matter what. The aforementioned KISS album is one of those poor choices, a total miss-match. One could reproduce the experience with some off-the-shelf Awia all-in-one shelf system. Sorry if that sounds harsh- the Maggies just buckled, collapsed when fed this CD. I am quite aware, however, that other rock albums should do better. Steely Dan was suggested. I could see possibly some Cheap Trick, or Dire Straits working on the Maggies.

Also, these were the baby Maggies. The larger brethren should be more adept at attempting rock and roll as well.

Other issues? Placement is indeed extremely important. The positioning of the listener is indeed very important with these, as there's a certain "beam" you must be in to be tele-ported to audio bliss. Outside of this relatively narrow window, and the speaker goes flat. Placement being less than optimal in my apartment didn't allow the room to interact as well as it could have with the Maggies. I could sense the magic of them, but couldn't get my head around it's full potential, due to rear-wall interaction just not gelling. I was granted a taste of it, though, and liked it very much. comparable to watching an up-and-coming college football star destined to be a legendary pro.

I'd like to give 'em another spin at some point when I'm able to play with placement better. I am fully convinced that that I missed the last 25% of their potential (according to S-T member Superfly), and this last quarter of performance is the purely delicious thickly applied creamy frosting on the Maggie's cupcakes.

If you decide to pursue a pair of Maggies, a word or two of advice- If you are a big rock and roll fan, look for the bigger Maggies, as the smaller Maggies aren't likely going to cut it for you, possibly not even with a subwoofer. you've been forewarned.

It's also important to note that you'll need a bit of floor space to wring out the potential of the Maggies. If you don't have the floor real estate, you are going to have a difficult time realizing the full potential of the Maggies, and therefore not "get it" about what's so magical about 'em.

That said, if you haven't experienced Maggies, I implore you to do so. They may not be what you are looking for in a speaker, may not win you over from large Altecs or Klipsches or other delightful speakers, but they will impress you with their abilities in certain applications. Their 1" thick, rectangular shape is truly door-like, funny enough, because they act as an entranceway to a new listening experience, one of sharpened senses and heightened awareness, much like a "door of perception" indeed. I imagine Mr. Aldous Huxley would be a Maggie fan.

[thedelihaus]

Part two of the review- the Ohm Walsh 1.

Lincoln Walsh was a student of S.I.T., as well as Columbia University and Brooklyn College. Founder of the Brook Amplifier Company. He later worked with Rudy Bozak, the speaker builder, before meeting up with Martin Gersten, the founder of Ohm Acoustics. Gersten had the capitol to get Walsh's cone-radiating "tin man's hat" driver into production, and thus the ground-breaking Ohm A, followed by the legendary Ohm F, was born.
The Ohm Walshes, this model the Walsh 1s, were also exactly what I expected from this legendary design collaboration efforts of Ohm of Brooklyn, NY, and Lincoln Walsh. Typical of later Ohm/Walshes, these use a modified approach to Walsh's original design, employing a separate tweeter along with a “Coherent Line Source” driver that quite resembles Lincoln Walsh's original, and supposedly still reproduces around 80% of the speaker’s sound.

The Ohms- I've got them on loan for a week or two, possibly much longer if i can arrange it, so I plan on writing more about them, strengths and weaknesses, at some given point. But here's a start-

As much as I liked the Maggies I've reviewed elsewhere (above), which were listened to the same initial night I reviewed these Walshes, it's the Ohms that won me over at the end of the date with their charisma and charm, despite apparent flaws of the design. I hate to cal 'em flaws. I think "character" is a better term to be applied here.

The Ohms, they indeed are a treat. I think these would do best as a HT speaker, or one used to capture any intimate stage acoustic guitar or piano performance, up to live large orchestral work. The room becomes alive, vibrant with the music- it becomes interactive. Spacial elements are delightful, with the back wall disappearing, or at least moving back another 10-12 feet, and many of the instruments being placed well behind the speakers in an airy presentation.

One caveat, however. This airiness of the Ohms can cause a bit of unnatural phenomena- it doesn't necessarily smear the presentation- at times it's more like sniffing ether and then trying to focus down a hot Georgia slab of pavement. Things are a little out of focus, a touch phantasmagorical. For anything you want to focus on tightly, that demands extremely sharp pinpoint accuracy, it's akin to holding a live baby catfish in your hands. Do-able, but difficult.

Jeez, I'm making it sound worse than it is though. You must hear for yourself. Really.

This shortcoming is quite minor compared to what the Walshes do add- a magical experience no typical "box" speaker is capable of, not by a long shot.

So let me be fair, and defend the Ohm Walsh's honor.

First is the ease of them on your ears. Non-fatiguing, I can play them all day long without a hint of strain on my ears.

A literature-claimed first-order (yet simple) crossover for the tweeter that's part of the driver configuration goosing the top 20% or so of the field (I'd personally argue less- maybe 10%) keeps the blend of top end and the remaining sound body cohesive and smooth as a brazilian wax, and that single cone and ported inclosure handling the majority of the reproduction make it reminiscent of a full-range driver paired with a super-tweeter, or a pair of EPI 100s with better midrange presentation and without the choking constraint of it's typical monkey-coffin box.

But what's possibly, and i'd say surely the best thing about the Ohms? They nearly completely remove any boxiness associated with a typical speaker, stripping away the "walls" and opening up the listening area. Oversimplified, they are the epitome of "open". This delightful approach of music reproduction by this Walsh-influenced driver works excellent for many musical applications- large orchestral works, jazz-club and even for small halls with an element of echo to them, featuring a guy on acoustic guitar, or girl on the piano. any of these thrown at the Walshes, the listener was instantly transported to a new level of enjoyment regarding these recordings.

The affect is akin more to drinking (real) Absinthe than to Bourbon. Things remain clear enough to be impressive and shame many a lesser designed box speaker, just the edges are a bit feathered and fluffy, and a bit more effort to try and focus than a high-end mini monitor would allow (like my small Royds, Balteks or Missions). Not a point-source design by any stretch, yet magical how, all of a sudden, that wall a few feet behind them drops 10, 20 feet away, and your roach-infested $1200 dollar a month studio apartment becomes the Wang Center, the Apollo, the Majestic Theater, the Charles Street Playhouse, Scullers Jazz Club, Carnegie Hall, or the Orpheum Theater.

So, while incredibly tight, focused, accurate pinpoint imaging is not a strong forte with these, Ohms are hardly lacking in top-shelf performance or more importantly to these, a true music "magic". Imaging still remains superior to many speakers I've heard, but that extra astral plane of existence, that superior box-ess, airiness of the design allowed a freedom to the musical presentation. The imprisoned, or weighted-down element of musical reproduction of many a speaker that short-changes many listening experiences is just not there. It's best to describe it not as much as removing shackles from your wrists or ankles, keeping you earth-bound and shuffling, but as to one day awaking with wings, and able to catch a jet stream under you, gliding across the land with a freedom not originally known.

This was so enjoyable, despite my exhaustion at the end of the long night while reviewing these, and desire to go to bed and dream of Vincent Black Shadows and tough read-headed hussies awaiting in my tired little head, I continued listening to the Ohms. for about 3 more hours, late into the night/early morning.

They captivated me, muck like that damned ring possessing Frodo in that overblown nerd epic Lord of the Rings. "My Precious"! That's how I felt about the listening experience of these beauties.

Recording after recording, CD after CD, if I selected the right one, I was rewarded with a whole new listening experience.

As they lent themselves so well, so superior, perhaps, to soundtrack and ambient music, as well as live recordings, or albums recorded with a light hand on the production. Anything "natural", from Townes Van Zandt, to Chan Marshall/Cat Power's "Covers Record", to telArc's 1812 recording, to David Lynch's eerie Inland Empire & Mulholland Drive soundtracks, well, despite the yearning for my pillow, I was captivated, and couldn't move. "My Precious! My Precious!!!".............

There was indeed one surprise here with the Ohm Walsh 1s I wasn't expecting, however. for the smallest of the Ohms, I was impressed with bass output. A claimed 50hz on the website, I'm convinced it's deeper.

And clean. No slop to the bass. Granted, it's a ported design, and I'm not often one to favour a ported design, however the Ohms don't even hint at getting sloppy. That Tel-Arc recording of the 1812 is, by anyone who's familiar with it, a real nice test for bass response. Well, these "baby" Ohm Walshes were no slouch. Granted, nothing fell off the wall, but hells' bells, if those cannons weren't close to being as impact-ful as my larger a/d/s/ L630s, I'd eat a Bose Basscube! And the cleanliness and control of the bass was tops- no flabbiness here, my friends. That soft, doughy Richard Simmons would be envious. These are a lean Yoga student, one who maybe a bit ditzy, but in shape, eating yogurt and fruit salad and the occasional whole-weat bagel, splurging a bit on a few light beers and the occasional oatmeal raisin cookie.

To recap- not as laser-pointer sharp as the point-source ability of a good mini-monitor, nor as detailed or as sharp as a planar speaker such as the Maggies, the Ohms still managed to be quite impressive at imaging, incredibly revealing of detail, hearty in the bass department, and had that added magical appeal of opening certain (many?) recordings up with an ambience just not capable with your typical box-shaped, forward-firing speakers. Jazz, live vocal, small hall, classical, orchestral, opera, acoustic guitar, piano, creepy soundtracks- all were delightful and intoxicating. They proved to be non-fatigue-ing, with bass and midrange coupled smoothly together, no funky disconnect. and the Large sweet spot made them easier to listen to than a planar.

So, for a very, very special treat to yourself, you must go hunt out some Ohm Walshes and hear what these do with your recordings. It is not to be taken lightly, or missed.

They are that much fun and enjoyable. And they are affordable enough to do so.

And if you find any of the bigger brothers to the Ohm Walsh 1s, especially the 4s, do a fellow enthusiast a favor, and give me a call, wouldya? Please? Pretty-please?

[thedelihaus]

So, the winner?

I'd be foolish to declare one. and that's not a cop-out. Both are easily declared world-class champs.

The maggies excel at imaging and realism, doing both with an agile ability that many a cone speaker can't come close too, especially at this price offered, and although the Ohms are stellar at this as well, it's clear the Maggies have one mylar leg up on 'em.

However, this comes at the expense of being finicky about placement, demanding as an oppressive mother or wife in needing to dominate the living room, while rewarding the listener with a very small (nearly miniscule) sweet spot.

And then there's an absolute collapse of it's dignity when presented with certain demands- when it comes to attempting to reproduce certain rock and roll recordings, the maggie gets weak in the knees.




The Ohms are a bit ethereal in presentation, loosening it's grip on the pinpoint accuracy the Maggies have, but reward the listener with a rich, wide soundstage and huge sweetspot, and the magical effect of knocking down walls and barriers, transvorming your room into a concert hall or club with a large stage. And the sound is big- not as tall as those 4-foot Maggies, but close.

Also easier to place, the Ohms can sit unobtrusively in the room. A nice bonus.

And bass is almost as tight as the Maggies, but indeed stronger and with more "punch".



If I had the space, I'd go for the Maggies, add a subwoofer and a comfy chair, and come to terms, when I listen, I'm going to have to do it alone, and sit still. company will not benefit from the smaller Maggies- a game of musical chairs would accompany any listening sessions with guests. But having such a personal speaker is not such a bad thing, as I could sit in my Lay-Zee-Boy, dressed only in my Fruit-of-the-Looms, eating Cheez-Its and sipping 3- fingers of $40 Glenlevit while playing Holst.

But since man is a social creature, and my room demands useable floor space over sound reproduction, I lean towards the Ohms.

Doing much of what the Maggies do, with minor (in direct-comparison only) and obvious shortcomings but with the bonus of a wider sweet-spot and more forgiving of placement, I'll tuck them closer in to the wall, take that $40, buy some ThunderBird and "Mad-dog 20/20, throw on some "KISS ALIVE", and invite those red-headed hussies over. I can live with them, because, with how they perform and how easy they are to place, they are easy to live with.

And with any luck, it won't be long before I'm back to being dressed only in my Fruit of the Looms. But this time with female red-headed company. Here's hoping the ladies shop at Victoria's for their undergarments though, and not Wal-Mart.


So- winner, only by default- the Ohms.

A different set of room circumstances and personal needs, and the Maggies easily could be wearing the Golden Belt here at Delihaus Grand Arena.

Choose accordingly to your personal needs, as I'm only supplying my opinions and advice as a guideline.

This post has been edited by thedelihaus on January 19, 2008 12:43 pm