Ohm TRS System

[ChrisBogg]

Hi Guys

 

Have been looking at buying some Ohm TRS stacks from an ex hire company. I have used these a few years ago and thought they sounded good but just wondered what others thought of the stuff. I know wigwam had an input into the design of them. Are they still a current product? We used them three stacks aside but has anyone ever used them just one stack aside? Most of our small rock and roll stuff would be just one stack and Im wondering how the sub side of things fairs when theres not loads of them stacked.

 

Thanks Again

 

Chris

[Simon Lewis]

Chris,

 

a) yes, I believe they are still current

b) yes, they can work as single stacks, but naturally there's the coupling benefit from using multiple bins, and increased coverage / level from multiple tops.

 

However, they are a nominal 60x40 box, so running too many tops side by side doesn't make sense.

 

I've used two stacks a side, and they were plenty loud enough for a rock band in a 200 seater venue.

 

A few issues you may wish to consider:

 

OHM have revised this box several times.

The bin is loud, but the sound produced by the composite "horn loaded reflex design and band pass loading" may not be exactly what you want.

The mid top voicing seems to suit music playback a little more than live work - many live boxes are "in your face" and "rip your ears off when you get near" (vernacular expressions I know, but it should strike a chord! - the TRS boxes don't quite do that for me).

They do not array seamlessly

 

The good points are:

A low cost box that delivers quite high SPLs with acceptable audio quality

Good build quality

They look impressive!

 

If you can, try them out in the configuration you are interested in buying. I have used and installed Ohm boxes for about 20 years, and I like their products. I run a small BR system for bands etc. However, I recognise that there are other boxes that sound more 'rock'n'roll' on the market.

 

 

Simon

[ChrisBogg]

Thanks Simon

 

Your coments are very helpfull. Tell me subjective opinion I know but you discribe "the sub as the sound produced by the composite "horn loaded reflex design and band pass loading" may not be exactly what you want. " what effect does the hornloading / bandpass loading have on this box? It would mainly be used for live work and although as you say they might not rip your head off I will need something with a bit of bite.

 

Thanks

[Simon Lewis]

Thanks Simon

 

Your coments are very helpfull. Tell me subjective opinion I know but you discribe "the sub as the sound produced by the composite "horn loaded reflex design and band pass loading" may not be exactly what you want. " what effect does the hornloading / bandpass loading have on this box? It would mainly be used for live work and although as you say they might not rip your head off I will need something with a bit of bite.

 

Thanks

 

OK... Bass bins first...

 

Do have a look at a loudspeaker textbook on the behaviour of sealed, ported, bandpass and horn loaded enclosures.

 

The summary is that the transient response of a bandpass design is different from that of a sealed enclosure or horn loaded design. Some would argue that as a result bandpass enclosures are not ideal for live work. However, the Nexo Alpha sub is a bandpass box, and seems to work pretty well! Horn loaded boxes sound different again, with a more "in your face" sound often with good transient response.

 

You need to listen to this bass bin. I'm not sure if it's really a horn loaded box, ported or bandpass, and it's hard to see from the picture. It can deliver very high levels of "slam" (which is all I can describe the bass sound at a Message Tribe concert I heard them at!), but this may tend to favour that style of music (House etc.). I have used them live, and they sounded quite different from the other boxes I was using at the time. You need to find out whether you can play live lick through it and make it sound the way you like it.

 

The tops seem a little flat in the midrange. They are fitted with (AFAIR) B&C compression drivers on OHM designed waveguides. The top end is clear and extended, but the ability to cut through in the consonant band isn't as pronounced as with (say) some good quality JBL boxes.

 

Overall, I think that the TRS range is great for the money, and they can sound very good. However, depending on what you are paying for them, you may want to look at other established brands for comparison.

 

Simon