Omnidirectionals : OHMs, MBLs, Bolzano, Duevel, German Physic, Rountree....

[Victor]

Has anyone compared Ohm Walsh 5000 or similar to Logans? I know that some of our members/former members have a liking for MBL but those speakers tend to be a little more exotic/expensive than the others. (German physic aren't cheap either)

I welcome assessments of the MBLs and German Physic nevertheless

[Gordon Gray]

Victor,

Can't speak to the other brands mentioned but I really enjoy my 116's.

Some folks claim that an omni presents a more diffuse image. Frankly I don't have a problem with that performance issue. Contrary to "common sense" folks and I include myself in that mix, the MBL's are very sensitive to toe in, which definitely impacts imaging specificity amongst other things.

As with any other speaker or technology thereof, you should have a listen to see if it's your cup of tea.

My advice to anyone considering buying an MBL speaker, on the assumption one likes the performance / technology, is to keep an eye on Audiogon for a used pair. They're just too damn expensive, at least for me and many others on a limited budget, to buy new.

GG

[Rich]

German Physics speakers sound awesome too. But are also way too expensive.

[Victor]

Thanks Guys
It's difficult to get Omnis which tick all the boxes.
Some are gloriously inefficient and power hungry due to their very nature, while others offer more efficiency but afflicted by early bass rolloff or an inability to handle serious electrical power to balance that inefficiency.
You will often hear comments by professional Reviewers such as, "they give a mid-hall perspective on the orchestra rather than front row experience...".
At first glance, such a judgement seems crazy because you and I know that if we wish to be "front row" we simply turn the volume up!
With some speakers this may not be physically possible before you blow the driver...

The Ohms are interesting because they're among the few that claim to be able to do justice to organ music and this suggests an ability to handle SPLs.
They are also American....
Shahinian are nice too - and also American - but the Compass is in the rolloff category mentioned earlier.
Kind regards.....

[BobF]

Thanks Guys
It's difficult to get Omnis which tick all the boxes.
Some are gloriously inefficient and power hungry due to their very nature, while others offer more efficiency but afflicted by early bass rolloff or an inability to handle serious electrical power to balance that inefficiency.
You will often hear comments by professional Reviewers such as, "they give a mid-hall perspective on the orchestra rather than front row experience...".
At first glance, such a judgement seems crazy because you and I know that if we wish to be "front row" we simply turn the volume up!
With some speakers this may not be physically possible before you blow the driver...

The Ohms are interesting because they're among the few that claim to be able to do justice to organ music and this suggests an ability to handle SPLs.
They are also American....
Shahinian are nice too - and also American - but the Compass is in the rolloff category mentioned earlier.
Kind regards.....

Hi Victor,
I have heard the now discontinued Duevel Jupitor on various occations and they were quite impressive.

I don't know how their newer models sound.

Regards,
Bob

[Victor]

Hi Bob,
I've been looking closely at the Duevel Bella Luna , which has been around for a few years now and is described as a "Jupiter in miniature" while still being 1.1m tall.
Interesting concept
Best regards.....

[BobF]

Hi Bob,
I've been looking closely at the Duevel Bella Luna , which has been around for a few years now and is described as a "Jupiter in miniature" while still being 1.1m tall.
Interesting concept
Best regards.....

Hi Victor,

I have heard it many times as my friend used to be the U.S. distributor for them.

Very nice speaker and sounds really nice on low wattage tube gear with a lot of dynamics.

The Jupiter was a step up but you would need a good size room for that one where the Bela Luna can fit in a much smaller room.
Funny how set up even with them makes a huge difference.

My Best,
Bob

[Pcar928fan]

I still love my 101a MBL's! Can only imagine the d's and e's are even better! I stole mine, otherwise there is no way I could afford them! They look as good as they sound too btw!

[Pcar928fan]

Now the 101a's look even better with the SWEET NEW MBL 8011 mono-blocks parked in front of them! OH YEA! A good pre and a good source (probably a DAC that will take an iPad/iPhone/iPod) and that zone 2 system will be way beyond imagination...and well, better than my nearly shot hearing... dang it!

[RAH]

I have heard Shahinian Acoustic's Arc and Obelisk. I was very impressed by how they made listening

to any genre of music enjoyable, regardless of listeners preference for a particular recording.

Shahinian Acoustics are the most musical speakers i have heard. With matching and high quality

amplifiers, source and cables they produce a very musical sound. Not airy like ML though.

Subjectively speaking and really only my opinion that Martin Logans have the potential to

sound better than the Shahinians however in my opinion and in my limited experience ML

can not match the Arcs and Obelisks on one dimension. Namely, musicality.

Musicality achieved by designing loudspeakers with design and parts selected to maximize musicality,

i think is really the way forward for Martin Logan. Compared to Shahinians, Martin Logan's

excel in nearly all other parameters, except may be musicality.