Ohm Walsh Micro Talls: who's actually heard 'em?

Tvad,

Yes, it does apply similarly to most cone speakers without a doubt. Some drivers take longer than others to "break in" physically or equivalently "open up" sonically, that's all.

In the case of Ohms larger drivers take more time than smaller ones.

I think what has been said in this thread earlier about the Ohm's not having a typical "Hi-Fi" sound is very true. When I was looking at speakers I auditioned the Arros and thought they were a very nice speaker. To me they seemed a bit bright. Loudness and brightness can often be linked to "detailed" or "better". Each speaker will definitely have a different sound and only you can determine which is better for your needs. The one thing that always impresses me about Ohm's is how close they come to making vocals sound like the real thing. But one thing that impressed me about the Arros was the "punch" they seemed to give on certain things like drums.
Right now you are picking up on differences. Just as you did when you took the Arros out and placed the Ohms in your system. If you were to sit with the Arros for a few weeks and put the Ohm's back I think you'd post the same type of reaction on differences you hear :)

One thing you should do is play around and get the best placement for each speaker. Also, listen to a variety of music that you care about. I've never understood how some audiophiles can tailor what they listening to based on the system they have. Your system should be able to play the music you enjoy in a way you enjoy hearing it. Good luck and keep us posted on your thoughts!

Rebbi - You may want to try the Totem Claws instead of spikes for your Arros. Your speakers would then sit on 3 large ballbearings. A friend of mine used these on his Arros sitting on hardwood floor and made a significant improvement. Tightened up the bass and soundstage widened.

Biz07,
Thanks for the comments. I think that what I'm going to do is a alternate between the Ohm's and Arro's, maybe a week on, a week off. Of course, the unreliability of sonic memory being as it is, it'll be an interesting experience.

Smholl,

Interesting suggestion with the claws... I think I've seen them cheap on eBay.

Just ordered a pair of 100s as recommended by John. They should arrive in 2-3 weeks and will go into rotation with my Parsifal Encores and Merlin VSMs (and ocassionally Zingali Overture 3s). I've heard the MBLs a bunch of times and loved the "staging", but couldn't abide the tonal balance. I'm really eager to sit down with these speakers and see how they compare with the horns, equalized dynamics, and modular systems I use now.

Shy of adding planars (my preferred choice, Soundlab, is too big), non-'Stat single driver systems (maybe one day), or DSP room corrected systems (just a matter of time), I guess I'm getting close to covering all loudspeaker design bases. I'll report back when the Ohms get here. Thanks for the help, everyone.

Marty