Craig Chase
Gear Guru
Greetings all - We had opened a thread that was originally going to be about all 2 channel audio, but after a lot of thought, it just seemed to make more sense to write a separate review thread about each set of speakers reviewed, starting with the Ohm SSC-4900's.
We ordered the speakers in late February, 2018. It took just over 2 months for delivery, with good reason. The speakers are a new model, and are a cylinder in shape. Ohm was having shipping difficulties, and finally, after several weeks of experimenting, they came up with a solution: Ship the cabinets in 2 separate boxes, the drivers in 2 separate boxes and the grills in their own box, for a total of 5 boxes.
The cabinet boxes are on the left, the driver boxes in the middle, and the grill tops on the right. There was some final assembly required, which took less than an hour, including unboxing the TRIPLE boxes for the cabinets and drivers.
The drivers were mounted on particle board to further protect them during transit. Assembly was simple - plug the drivers into the main cabinets using the "fool proof" connectors (they won't let you accidentally wire the speakers out of phase), then lining the drivers up with the 7 mounting holes and using the supplied screwdriver and screws to secure the drivers to the cabinet.
Next - the binding posts are under the speakers, and are high quality, easily accepting banana plugs. The Ohms were then placed where the Axiom LFR-1100's were located. For now, the subwoofers are still there, although we will "clean up the area" this week when I have more time. For now, we are using the Ohms in a far less than ideal situation. Here they are as they are now placed:
The 65 inch TV was left on just to give a feel for the size of the speakers. Visually, they do not dominate the room.
Initial listening impressions: The Ohm SSC 4900's are unlike any speaker I have ever auditioned. One of the first things that was noticed about the Ohm's is they present sound from an almost "black" background. The impression is similar to a band starting the music from a blacked out stage. You hear music, but at just seems to be a wall in front of you.
Discs being played already are Roger Waters "In The Flesh", Cowboy Junkies "Trinity Session", Steely Dan "2 Against Nature", Bob Seger "Live Bullet" and Diana Krall, "Live in Paris".
Some initial impressions: One can be sitting outside the left speaker, and STILL get a pretty good stereo image, including hearing the right speaker quite clearly. The soundstage is wide and deep, yet vocalist and instruments are placed with excellent location and imaging. Margot's voice on Trinity Session changes as she is singing to us from varying parts of the stage. Lyrics are also really clear and easier to discern than from other speakers we have had.
Even with all the detail, they are also very musical. With most discs, one has favorite tracks and others that one might skip. The Ohms are immersive to the point that I am never tempted to skip a track.
After 3 days of ownership, they are already impressing.
We ordered the speakers in late February, 2018. It took just over 2 months for delivery, with good reason. The speakers are a new model, and are a cylinder in shape. Ohm was having shipping difficulties, and finally, after several weeks of experimenting, they came up with a solution: Ship the cabinets in 2 separate boxes, the drivers in 2 separate boxes and the grills in their own box, for a total of 5 boxes.
The cabinet boxes are on the left, the driver boxes in the middle, and the grill tops on the right. There was some final assembly required, which took less than an hour, including unboxing the TRIPLE boxes for the cabinets and drivers.
The drivers were mounted on particle board to further protect them during transit. Assembly was simple - plug the drivers into the main cabinets using the "fool proof" connectors (they won't let you accidentally wire the speakers out of phase), then lining the drivers up with the 7 mounting holes and using the supplied screwdriver and screws to secure the drivers to the cabinet.
Next - the binding posts are under the speakers, and are high quality, easily accepting banana plugs. The Ohms were then placed where the Axiom LFR-1100's were located. For now, the subwoofers are still there, although we will "clean up the area" this week when I have more time. For now, we are using the Ohms in a far less than ideal situation. Here they are as they are now placed:
The 65 inch TV was left on just to give a feel for the size of the speakers. Visually, they do not dominate the room.
Initial listening impressions: The Ohm SSC 4900's are unlike any speaker I have ever auditioned. One of the first things that was noticed about the Ohm's is they present sound from an almost "black" background. The impression is similar to a band starting the music from a blacked out stage. You hear music, but at just seems to be a wall in front of you.
Discs being played already are Roger Waters "In The Flesh", Cowboy Junkies "Trinity Session", Steely Dan "2 Against Nature", Bob Seger "Live Bullet" and Diana Krall, "Live in Paris".
Some initial impressions: One can be sitting outside the left speaker, and STILL get a pretty good stereo image, including hearing the right speaker quite clearly. The soundstage is wide and deep, yet vocalist and instruments are placed with excellent location and imaging. Margot's voice on Trinity Session changes as she is singing to us from varying parts of the stage. Lyrics are also really clear and easier to discern than from other speakers we have had.
Even with all the detail, they are also very musical. With most discs, one has favorite tracks and others that one might skip. The Ohms are immersive to the point that I am never tempted to skip a track.
After 3 days of ownership, they are already impressing.
