I have been playing with these little guys for awhile now....

[Frazeur1]

I used to have Shahinian Obelisks but had issues dealing with the lower mids/bass of them in my room. Decided to try something a bit smaller from their line of speakers, which I do enjoy.

I don't have a good picture of them in the room yet, maybe more to come. These are fun speakers and can be situated a couple of different ways on my 24" heavy 4-poster stands. If I want a bit more diffuse sound, they can be placed upright, a more direct, monitor type of sound, they can be laid down on their backs lengthwise and pointed forward. I typically like the "monitor" position with these best, it just gives me another flavor from my Larsen Model 4.

While obviously not a lot of bass from a small 5" mid-bass driver, they do quite well, much like say a Proac Tablette might do. I also find the titanium dome tweeters to be very detailed, not at the expense of brightness. They do take a bit of getting used to, but once there, very enjoyable.

These are easily driven by my Naim Uniti/Nap-100 combination, but may be trying them with a Croft integrated down the line.

Will have to get a "systems picture" posted soon.

[struth]

Interesting shape Tim. What are they?

[Frazeur1]

Sorry Grant and all, they are Shahinian Larcs, short for Little Arcs. They somewhat resemble a downsized Arc model. They are indeed tiny, about 13.5" tall by 6" wide and 8.5" deep.

The speaker utilizes a resistive bass technology, the bottom resembles a grid with multiple small holes in it, and carefully placed fill inside the cabinet. I would guess a fancy reflex type of arrangement. Seems to work pretty well. They can be placed out in the room fairly well, or close to the rear wall if desired, without affecting the bass too much.

So far am having a lot of fun with these!

[Macca]

Shahinian are one of the few speaker companies not afraid to try something different.

heard the Super Elves a few years ago was expecting them to be terrible as they got a bad review in HFW but they were nothing like what I expected.

[Frazeur1]

Basically the Larcs took over the entry level Super Elf spot in the Shahinian line. Indeed the company is a bit different, but I like what they do.

[Frazeur1]

Thought I would add some more pics of my system, should have probably titled this thread differently at first. Oh well....on it goes. This is my main rack/stand with Naim Uniti and a pair of Naim Nap-100 amplifiers in mono mode. Also a Harman Kardon BDS unit for Blu-Ray, yet it also has a five channel amp in it if I choose to use if as such. A pair of Sennheiser HD580 phones. Sorry for pic quality, not too good of lighting here.

[Frazeur1]

Next up, my pair of Swedish Larsen Model 4 speakers, unusual, but fantastic, have owned these for 3 years now, and wouldn't think of ever moving them along. Had some custom welded plinths made up for them which allows for leveling them on my uneven floors, and also they have SD isolation footers placed between the speaker cabinets and plinth. Supra Classic 6 cable finishes it off. Sorry about the rotation of the pic, not sure how to make them show up right way around, anyone?

[Frazeur1]

Larc on 4-poster, sand filled stands, next to Larsen 4's.

[Macca]

Naim with semi-omni speakers...it's different :) do you ever long for good old fashioned stero imaging. I heard Sonabs years ago but they were lashed up in a cluttered room and didn't really shine.

[jandl100]

Larsen - interesting kind-of-omni design.

http://audioskies.com/brands/

Close links with Sonab ...

"Stig Carlsson invented the unique acoustic design principle used in Larsen speakers. A patented design developed when Mr. Carlsson created speakers for Sonab in the 60’s and 70’s. John Larsen, the designer behind Larsen, worked with Mr. Carlsson for sixteen years, learned all of Carlsson’s design secrets and took over the plant, when Mr. Carlsson’s died. Larsen has further improved upon these innovative design principles to build the Larsen speakers."

http://www.larsenhifi.com/en/images/larsen4/larsen4_big.jpg

[jandl100]

... do you ever long for good old fashioned stereo imaging.

Omnis can give fantastic stereo imaging. ;)

My speakers are full omni for most of the freq range above the bass and I challenge you to find a speaker with a better stereo soundstage. :)

[walpurgis]

Anybody remember the Larson (not Larsen) Pyramid? That was an unusual omni design too. Popular in the later seventies if I recall. Reputed to sound quite decent. The odd pair still crop up on eBay.

http://i67.tinypic.com/1zo83gh.jpg

[Frazeur1]

Both Larsen and Shahinian have great imaging abilities, which I think is more realistic than the most of the typical front firing monkey coffins. They both provide a very open and large soundstage, but not overblown in my opinion. My Larsen resembles the Carlsson OA58 model of years ago. I had also heard Sonabs too back in the day, and enjoyed them then, however the newer Larsen is a much improved speaker over the Sonabs.

They both also work very well with the Naim source and amps, I also have a Plinius 8200 integrated amp that can be put to service if I feel the need for more power.

Next on my "want" list is possibly a turntable. Been listening to the Well Tempered line, the Simplex and Amadeus with various cartridges. Time will tell on this though. At the moment very happy to stream my CD collection from my NAS, or listen to Radio Paradise and the like from the Internet stations available. I still love analog, but it would be a potentially expensive proposition for me to start all over with it at this point. More to come, stay tuned.

[jandl100]

monkey coffins

:lol:

[Frazeur1]

Geoff, I have seen pictures of those here and there, but certainly have never heard them. Unusual to say the least. Definitely one of those conversation pieces if you had a pair in the living room, much like my Ohm Walsh speakers used to be. I received more questions about what they were than any speaker I have ever had, especially with the top covers off.

[Frazeur1]

Just picked up a Croft Micro 25 pre and Series 7 amplifier. Currently just have the amp running off the Naim Uniti preamp out, but will get everything settled here in a few days! Looking forward to this!

[Macca]

It is a good combo - I'm sure you will enjoy.

[RichB]

They're something different that's for sure.

I quite like the look of them though.

[Floyddroid]

I remember them. And Sonab too. Very odd designs but hey, they worked.
Anybody remember the Larson (not Larsen) Pyramid? That was an unusual omni design too. Popular in the later seventies if I recall. Reputed to sound quite decent. The odd pair still crop up on eBay.

http://i67.tinypic.com/1zo83gh.jpg

[Frazeur1]

Thanks all, the Larsens, Shahinian and now the Crofts, all a lot of fun and musical enjoyment! Now where is my turntable?

[Dauntless]

Frazeur, I wonder if you can say how much you have to pay for your Larc speakers in the US. If we buy them here in the UK they want £2450 for them around 3430 USD a pair. I would love to hear the Larsens but dealers are thin on the ground over here. I will be in Norway later in the year and may get the opportunity over there.

[Frazeur1]

Michael, my Larcs came about in a multi trade deal, so not an exact figure, just that it worked out for all. The last I heard, your US figure was where I was told they came in at, but then later heard prices had dropped a little. I certainly do not understand the US pricing, seems all over the place depending on time of inquiry.

Hopefully you will get an opportunity to check out the Larsens, like most things, not the ultimate, but a very solid performer in my book, especially for the outlay. They never fail to allow me to fully enjoy my music through them!

[Frazeur1]

Going on now almost 4 weeks with the Croft amps in the system, using my Naim Uniti as source only, and things sounding very, very good. Compared to the Naim amps, the Crofts just present a more natural, subtle smoothness to the overall picture. The Naims could be a bit hard edged, that is all gone now, providing of course, that the recording itself isn't that way. It took me awhile to kind of wrap my head around the differences in my system, but am loving it so far.

I have found the twin gain controls to be quite superb, and very useful for balance. I know many do not like them, and yes, I am sure there are better pots too, but these do the job very nicely in my opinion, not sure what the fuss is all about at times. I basically don't get worked up about them being in the exact spots, just set them and go, job done.

Currently using the stock Edicron valves that came with the units, and frankly am in no hurry to try anything else, as I really just want to get a good feel for them in their stock form. There really isn't anything I can complain about, these amps are simple, and I find the "styling"-if one could call it that, very appealing to me. I am not a "bling" person at all, so this fits. Purely functional, and I also thank Glenn for using the good old green/red LED's instead of nasty, piercing blue!

The main thing of course is that the darn things just sound superb for not a ton of cash. Have to say I am kind of hooked on them! So much so, that I am really itching to get my Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge on a turntable soon and check out the phono stage in the Micro. I just have to figure out what table to go for once I have saved back some money. More to come.