Shahinian and other speak suggestions from SL2 for 500 system

You will have something very special Mike. Not many spend this amount on speakers, but in a crazy way, they're worth it. They take an absolute age to break in and don't be tempted to push the volume high for at least 50 hours. I would say minimum 200 hours before they sound good, so be patient, you won't have the incredible low hz for a while.

How long before you get yours delivered?

Wilson Sasha speakers sound awesome with a 500 system.

Confused... Did you try the Hawks in your room before ordering a pair?

Thanks for the run-in advice, count.d. I was mightily tempted to go for the Diapasons, but had too many doubts about them overwhelming the room, physically as much as sonically. Back to the running in: are you advising against high volumes because of how the Hawks sound new or because this has a negative effect on running in itself?

I have no idea when mine will be delivered- maybe another three weeks to wait. They are being built as  "as we speak" and I get an occasional photo update like in the custom motorcycle build programmes. Rather nice.

Curiously, I find myself missing some of what the top Rega gear brought with it, though it's difficult to know exactly how much of the increased tonal accuracy came from Rega and how much from Shahinian. I'm really looking forward to the speakers arriving. Much more so than any other gear I've bought.

Consider yourself invited Nigel and for a good dinner too. I owe you one! :-)

You may also consider it fun to get involved in my future pratting about with a possible Rega Isis/Osiris or Dynavector future, but not just to reduce the box count. Quite possible though that there will be little changes to the black boxes. I'd love to go streaming, but not convinced that anything beats the 555 except possibly the Isis (and obviously not in all respects).

For anyone who's interested, there's been a slight change of plan: I'll be auditioning Diapasons at the beginning of the month, with option for them to stay if they don't overwhelm the room. Comments from others using them in similar-sized rooms have been encouraging....

Sorry, I never saw your reply. I always think running in a mechanical devise should be done gradually to prevent stress.

It will be interesting to hear how you get on with the Diapasons. They were just physically too big for my room, especially considering the distance from the walls they need to be. They were obviously a lot more expensive too.  

Thanks for expanding. That's how Simon at Audio-T Reading explained it to me, too.

I'll let you know how I get on with the Diapasons both sonically and as "furniture". I suspect they are better looking in the flesh than in pics, but in pics I prefer the look of the Hawks with their pirate cyclops eye...

Well, the Diapasons came and have stayed. They were every bit as fine as I was hoping for and really do "scale" rather than just sound BIG like most big speakers do - instruments have their own size (no giant cellos or pianos blared across the room), while symphonic pieces attain the full swell and drama of the concert hall, with all the visceral, guttural impact of massed strings. And this massive scale works with equal magic for everything from heavy metal to psychedelia and trance as well. Jazz and chamber music is breathtaking with a real sense of the space occupied by the performers and the interplay between them. And I've never heard a piano rendered so well.

They're also surprisingly unfussy about positioning and don't really need to be any further out into the room to give of their best than the Obelisks. And of course, big as they are, they are nothing compared to big ARCs, Focals, Neats or DBLs that tower over one in a room. Their sound though - in my opinion - is in a totally different class, handling guitar, strings, piano, organ and percussion timbre with much greater accuracy, going fabulously deep totally effortlessly with articulation, detail and stunning transients, while holding multiple strands together etc. and yet rendering voice with both great body and great delicacy. I've not heard anything that compares with them.

When not being used for focused listening they can simply be wheeled back up against the wall, where they are of course even less intrusive, yet still perform quite acceptably for easy listening.

A bit of a gush, eh? I suppose you could say I rather like them :-)

I'll post a couple of pics as soon as I have a second or two.

Mike

So, here are a few pics so people can compare the room with Sl2s, Obelisks and Diapasons if interested. The speakers are where they work best, but perform acceptably when rolled back in to a cm or so of the back wall.

As you can see, that are not that far from the wall.

The left speaker is further from the corner than appears above (everuthing is a vbit foreshortened in these iPhoen pics)

Their performance continues to improve as they settle in and the speaker cables burn in. The clarity is at least on a par with the Sl2s and the bass is controlled to the extent of almost being dry, but then surprises by being both amply thunderous and resonant when required. The timing, articulation and interplay is outstanding, easily beating any other large speaker I have heard in the past 40 years. Piano and strings are exceptionally convincing, as is the unique sense of space. The dog continues to be unimpressed by my choice of music, however. 

Michael_B. posted:

So, here are a few pics so people can compare the room with Sl2s, Obelisks and Diapasons if interested. The speakers are where they work best, but perform acceptably when rolled back in to a cm or so of the back wall.

As you can see, that are not that far from the wall.

The left speaker is further from the corner than appears above (everuthing is a vbit foreshortened in these iPhoen pics)

Their performance continues to improve as they settle in and the speaker cables burn in. The clarity is at least on a par with the Sl2s and the bass is controlled to the extent of almost being dry, but then surprises by being both amply thunderous and resonant when required. The timing, articulation and interplay is outstanding, easily beating any other large speaker I have heard in the past 40 years. Piano and strings are exceptionally convincing, as is the unique sense of space. The dog continues to be unimpressed by my choice of music, however. 

Hi Mlchael

What's the price for the Diapason? Reason I ask is because I am thinking of upgrading my 802 D2 to the new D3 ( especially the 800 D3). Just wonder if they are similar in price. Had Arc for a few years and might come back to Shahinian.

thanks ayap1

I bought the demo pair since Pear Audio don't have any new ones at the moment. They are made in small runs and there aren't any in the States either at present. This means the price is likely to go up with the next batch, but I expect you'd be looking at around £24-25k. Unlike many manufacturers, Shahinian don't add a premium to their top products but the extremely complex cabinets are beautifully made with extensive internal bracing and of course contain a plethora of drive units. Listen to a pair if you can though. As you probably appreciate from your Arcs, there's nothing else like them and from the Obelisk up they are really in a class of their own in so many ways.

Michael_B. posted:

I bought the demo pair since Pear Audio don't have any new ones at the moment. They are made in small runs and there aren't any in the States either at present. This means the price is likely to go up with the next batch, but I expect you'd be looking at around £24-25k. Unlike many manufacturers, Shahinian don't add a premium to their top products but the extremely complex cabinets are beautifully made with extensive internal bracing and of course contain a plethora of drive units. Listen to a pair if you can though. As you probably appreciate from your Arcs, there's nothing else like them and from the Obelisk up they are really in a class of their own in so many ways.

24-25k is slightly over budget but thanks for the reply

ayap1

Then you could consider the Hawk. Shahinian specifically made these for those that haven't either the room or the budget for the Diapasons. They are a scaled down version of the Diapasons in that they have only one bass chamber, bass driver/radiator per cabinet and 8 drivers in the top boxes instead of 14. Same height though. £16K at present. I was so taken with Michael's pair am seriously considering the Hawks for home. The pair Michael originally ordered are now on the way for our demo stock, one of only 2 demo sets in the UK I'm told. 

Simon Walker posted:

Then you could consider the Hawk. Shahinian specifically made these for those that haven't either the room or the budget for the Diapasons. They are a scaled down version of the Diapasons in that they have only one bass chamber, bass driver/radiator per cabinet and 8 drivers in the top boxes instead of 14. Same height though. £16K at present. I was so taken with Michael's pair am seriously considering the Hawks for home. The pair Michael originally ordered are now on the way for our demo stock, one of only 2 demo sets in the UK I'm told. 

£16k is about the same price as the 802 D3 and Wilson Sabrina.I am looking for one final speaker upgrade so it has to be a big improvement over my 802D2 rather than a small step up.Will wait for the 800D3 to arrive next spring then will audition the above speakers plus the Kudos Titans.

Mike, basically everything I've said since 2002. I'm always right, it just needs people like yourself to listen. Glad you liked them, they're incredible. The Hawks are not far behind, but both are leagues ahead of anything I've heard, especially if you enjoy music and not hifi. Also, I've said for years that a large speaker in a small room is irrelevant. 

count.d posted:

Mike, basically everything I've said since 2002. I'm always right, it just needs people like yourself to listen. Glad you liked them, they're incredible. The Hawks are not far behind, but both are leagues ahead of anything I've heard, especially if you enjoy music and not hifi. Also, I've said for years that a large speaker in a small room is irrelevant. 

Indeed, and I thank you for it. It's the postings of people who "get" Shahinians like yourself and recently Frank extolling the Arc that finally got me to audition them. The impact of them on my system and enjoyment of my music cannot be overestimated. Not all large speakers work in a small room, but the Diapasons certainly do.

ayap1 posted:

£16k is about the same price as the 802 D3 and Wilson Sabrina.I am looking for one final speaker upgrade so it has to be a big improvement over my 802D2 rather than a small step up.Will wait for the 800D3 to arrive next spring then will audition the above speakers plus the Kudos Titans.

I strongly advise you to get your ears on Simon's demo Hawks once they have run in. You'll find them in a class apart from the speakers you list and especially appreciate what they do if you frequently listen to live performances or play a musical instrument.

If you organise a home demo further down the line, give them a good hour to settle in before making any judgements. The difference between straight out of the box and after an hour's playing music was massive with the Obelisk and even more so with the Diapason - like a  different speaker.

Michael_B. posted:

ayap1 posted:

£16k is about the same price as the 802 D3 and Wilson Sabrina.I am looking for one final speaker upgrade so it has to be a big improvement over my 802D2 rather than a small step up.Will wait for the 800D3 to arrive next spring then will audition the above speakers plus the Kudos Titans.

I strongly advise you to get your ears on Simon's demo Hawks once they have run in. You'll find them in a class apart from the speakers you list and especially appreciate what they do if you frequently listen to live performances or play a musical instrument.

If you organise a home demo further down the line, give them a good hour to settle in before making any judgements. The difference between straight out of the box and after an hour's playing music was massive with the Obelisk and even more so with the Diapason - like a  different speaker.

Will do but there might be a slight problem in that no London stores sell Shanian ( bought my Arc from Graham's long time ago but they don't sell Shahinian anymore).Not sure if dealers outside London would be willing to give a home demo.

Ayap1

Unless you live at the top of the Shard I don't see as an issue. Closer to me than Brighton and that wasn't an issue, in fact it turned out rather well:-)

Thanks,will contact next spring cos that's when the 800D3 is launch.

Just to keep you up to date. As promised, John at Pear Audio has delivered our pre-run in Hawks yesterday and magnificent they are too. We have them running on a Well Tempered Versalex/XX2/NDX-XPS@DR/282/HiCapDR/250DR right now and it seems to be coping admirably. They can be played at insane volume levels totally stress free and the 250 barely gets warm.

I brought in my full Rega Ref system and my Versalex/XV1t and boy did that work well. Now got to negotiate with the wife.

Simon

"250 barely gets warm"

Exactly. They produce stress free sound at high volume and sound magnificent. Another Count.d smug moment. If only they were cheaper! 

Have the prices risen quite a bit. Looked up the price of the Compass and that seems to have doubled. Shame as it looks to be a very interesting speaker but not at over 4k