The system components have remained largely unchanged, but for the additions of a large Minus K platform for the turntable, a pair of 15" subwoofers to augment the lowest octaves and the installation of a robust electrical sub-system--powered through a Controlled Power 10kVa isolation transformer. The main change is the room--we relocated from New York to Austin, TX in 2017 and I now have a longer, narrower room that occupies most of the 2nd floor of the house. I have added a few photos reflecting updates since 2017. Bill
I think OHMs factory used to be on Taffe Street in Brooklyn back then, so that rings a bell.
Things have come a long way since the 70's all over I would say!
HAve never heard Hornings or Avantgarde, though Avantgarde has always caught my attention in reading. I have heard other modern horn systems that were very good indeed and have a vision of a second smaller system built around a pair of high efficiency speakers someday.
I only mention it here in teh context of the conversation at present and that I feel the OHMs are a different and reasonable option for one that might be looking for a sound that I find captures a lot of the unique positive aspects of not just the better Electrostats, but horns I have heard in one place. It's the Walsh driver approach done well that uniquely enables this. The big difference would be the more omnidirectional nature of the OHMs versus the more directional nature of both horns and electrostats. Apples/Oranges in that regard.
Were my system built around a pair of Avantgardes, I suspect I would be quite happy as well!
"Went back to dynamic speakers,but could never capture the Quad mid range."
I liked the Quad MR as well but settled on a pair of larger OHM Walsh speakers for a fraction of the cost. SEt up well, these can be quite Quad ESL like sounding but also with the authority of a dynamic driver in the bass and the highest degree of coherency through the midrange as a result of the wide range Walsh-style driver that crosses over at 7khz or so, well beyond where most dynamic speakers do and beyond the range where most of the music occurs.
ALso made in Brooklyn, NY and sold direct only with a generous in-house audition period. Might be worth a try.
That's a system I'd hate to part with, but the good news is downsizing does not necessarily mean compomising the sound. In fact, its easier (and cheaper) to get really good sound on a smaller scale.
Regarding speakers/monitors, there are some very nice fast and dynamic ones out there at attractive price points worth considering.
One line I would consider coming from horns would be Triangle, either small floorstanders or stand mount monitors like the Cometes. Fantastic bang for the buck and as fast and clean a speaker as I have heard.
Another would be OHM Micro Walsh, 1000s, or 2000s. These are omni floorstanders that are also surprisingly fast and just plain solid all around.
Any of these would be inexpensive to try out prior to going to something way more expensive (and heavy) like Magico.
Many also rave about MErlin speakers as a viable alternative for this kind of application. I have no thard these but would think they might be an option worth considering.
