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German Physiks - Listening Impressions Wanted

I would like to hear from folks that either own or have heard any of the German Physiks Speakers,
preferably the Carbon or Borderland.Both being MK 4 versions with the latest triple D drivers.

I have either one of these unique speakers near the top of my short list but with too many unknowns with a speaker this expensive,I will probably have to make a trip to see Larry owner of Distinctive Stereo and get a good look and demo.

The HRS-120 might be a candidate also at a lesser price point.

Kenny.
kdude66
mapman's avatar
mapman
15,679 posts
 
kdude the newer OHM Walshes and GPs are very similar in that regard. However both are two way designs not one driver with only physical crossovers like the original Fs. It turned out to be almost impossible to deliver a long lasting durable and reliable product that way. GP uses Walsh principles on the higher frequencies, OHM Walsh on the lower. GP and OHM F both are/were true omnidirectional designs. OHM Walsh only somewhat in that side and rear sound is physically attenuated with sound absorbing materials inside the can to enable placement somewhat close to walls which works better for most in most rooms.


This is the one guy who I think still tries and claims to have solved the issues with original OHM A and F. Have never heard but would like to.

http://www.hhr-exoticspeakers.com/


All good stuff! Different solutions that solve different problems.

Lots of info on various thread here about OHM speakers.  Not much else to say.   If any specific questions ask away.
bondmanp
1,465 posts
 

Kenny - All the information on current and recent Ohm speakers you could possibly want is on this huge Audiogon thread -

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/ohm-walsh-micro-talls-who-s-actually-heard-em

It’s a long slog, but if you want a feel for what the Ohm’s are like, the only thing that would be more helpful would be an in-home demo (Ohm offers a 120-day in home trial, but you lose the round-trip shipping). Mapman may disagree, but I have long called my 2000s the "poor man’s German Physiks or MBL Radialstrahler". But the gap in sound, IMHO, is not nearly as large as the gap in price.

audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
1,621 posts
 
You are either an Omni guy or not. We have heard pretty much every major omni, the MBL really are the best Omni on the market. WIth that being said most Omni's all suffer from the same problem they really don;'t work in real world envionrments. 

An Omni is going to produce a gigantic swath of sound which bounces off all surfaces, this does create a giant yet unfocused sound. 

Unless  you can really tame all the room boundary effects or you love an oversized image which has no basis of reality then Omni's all the way.

It is interesting to note almost every single audio reviewer owns a direct radiating loudspeaker, why because they work in real world rooms and they produce life like well sized images. The only genre an Omni might be better would be orchestral music.

So Kdude you have to ask yourself what you value.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ
bondmanp
1,465 posts
 

@audiotroy - Exactly. The reason I suggested the OP read through that huge Ohm Walsh thread was to get a feel for the kind of audiophile that likes the omni presentation, the pros and cons of it. It was that thread that lead me to try an in-home demo of the Ohms. For my taste, there was enough image specificity. There might not be enough for everyone.


I do beg to differ on the room treatment issue with omnis, though. Too much absorption defeats the whole point of an omni. The sound is supposed to bounce off the room surfaces; that is what creates the large soundstage. In my room, singers are properly sized on good recordings, with the singer’s apparent hieght at about 5.5’. They may produce images a little larger than life, but I prefer that to the miniaturized images many speakers produce. I actually have removed some of the absorption panels I had up from when I had more conventional dynamic speakers. I have a 60" plasma TV behind and in the middle of the Ohms. Covering this with a thick blanket actually sounds worse than just leaving it alone. I do plan on adding more diffusion, since my room is smaller than I would like, but the point is, I think, that as long as they are not too close to the adjacent walls, omnis should be allowed to bounce their sound off of them.


I would never expect an audio reviewer to use omnis as a review tool. Dispassionate neutrality is not really what omnis and their fans are all about. As JV of TAS would say, these are speakers by and for the "as you like it" crowd. I make no apologies for being a part of that crowd. I hear a lot of loudspeakers in the course of a year, and with rare exceptions, none of them that I can afford appeal to me as much as my Ohms. After all, if there were only one "correct" speaker, eveyone would own the same thing. But everyone hears differently and, as you said, values different aspects of reproduced sound differently.

mapman's avatar
mapman
15,679 posts
 
Omnis project sound and deliver sound stage and imaging MORE like what occurs in live un-amplified music. That’s the unique appeal. If the actual performers were in your room, they would be affected by acoustics more similarly. The nature of the soundstage and imaging totally depends on the room acoustics and seating location as well as the nature of the gear upstream, as is the case with any truly revealing speaker design. Early reflections are always a problem to avoid and omnis must be placed further from walls to avoid that than more directional speakers. OHm Walsh are not full omni’s however and are designed to be placed closer to walls to work better in most people's homes. OHM will customize most anything though if requested.

Bondman I would agree OHMs are poor mans GP or MBL based solely on the cost differential. Each does things quite differently though so not a strict apples/apples comparison. Should not be hard to hear the differences among the three.


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