Anyone listened to LaHave Speakers

I heard LaHave Mela monitors at a show with a very nice Artisan Fidelity analog front end. They have great fit & finish, sound superb across the entire FR, and go lower than expected for a monitor. The unusual Jordan driver is smooth and extended. They are among the top monitors that I've heard.

I have the Melas and they are one of the best standmount at any price.
The positioning in the room is very important for the best performance.

I have the Melas and they are one of the best standmount at any price.
The positioning in the room is very important for the best performance.

Thanks you both for your impressions. I guess there is no substitute for listening but I have consistently been hearing very high praise for these monitors even compared to some quite expensive floorstanders.

Cafacal could you provide a bit of information concerning your room size, what is your impression of their low frequency extension and weight in your room? A sealed enclosure with a passive radiator seems like a good recipe for more perceived bass for a small monitor but these also seem relatively efficient at 87.5db for such a design, I guess the radiator helps.

Hi Tubegroover: My room measures are 3 x 5.5 metres. The Melas now are plased at 70 cm from the back wall and 45 cm from the side walls. Would be better if the room is wider.
I listen to music 3.5 meters from them. The tweeters looking at me.
The low frequency extension and weight is very good for its size. The passive radiator gives a good body to music.
I have some photos from the web of Melas in others rooms,
if you want write me your email address and I will gladly send them.

Carlos.

I still have mine (for about 2 years now). Yep, natural
tonality is what defines
these speakers top to bottom. About the bass, I have heard
(mainly at the NY show) some well known monitors (Harbeth
among them) that have bass that seems be from a much larger
speaker, but, in comparison to the Melas, the bass from
these sounds sort of forced IMHO, but in the Melas the bass
is just there and sonorous and is some of the most tuneful
bass I ever heard, and does not feel truncated. It holds a
sustained bass note beautifully without quivering, it's just
nice and solid.
I'll stop now before I go on about the liquid but vivid mids
and sweet un-metallic highs.
I went through a lot of speakers but these are staying.

Imaging is fine, but, honestly, big planars and big Wilsons
throw a more vivid soundstage with a sort of virtual reality
space, but the imaging is, for sake of comparison, better
than the Aerial 10Ts I once owned, and on par/better than my
Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors. The Melas are more natural and
pleasing (significantly) than both of these pretty good
speakers.

How much do the Mela retail for?

Thanks Rgs92, yes I've read your raves and am aware you have experience with some heavy 2-way contenders. I was unaware of this until I did some research and read your praises. When you hear something that seems so right you want to let the world know. The bottom line is this is a real small outfit with little to no marketing. As a result, there is little available information. You seem to be one of the few shouting your joy but I have also communicated with a few others less vocal but equally enthusiastic. I am a long time owner of Merlin VSM-M's which I am seriously considering upgrading. I really have enjoyed them over the years but before proceeding I am researching my options with my tube based system. I also use a Berning zh270 amp which seems to work well with the Melas based on what I have been told by those who have actually heard this combo.

Hi Bob, I believe they retail for 6.9K.

Hi Tubegroover. The measures of my room are 3x5.50 metres.
The Melas are 60 cm.to the back wall and 45 cm.to the sides walls. The tweteers always must be looking to the sweet spot.
I listen to music at 3.5 metres aprox.
The low frequency extension is exellent with surprising punch and good detail its size. The passive radiator bass sound is natural and credible.

Here's a current web link.

A lot of great information Rx8man, wouldn't you agree? I didn't provide the website because it's almost a joke. A realization of how small this outfit is but the proof is in the results and the real matter at hand, does it really deliver the goods? It all kind of lends to the mystique of the brand, other than those who've heard and the seemingly universal praise and favorable comparisons to highly regarded, and uber more expensive speakers. You are there realism, organic presentation, natural resolution, non-fatiguing are descriptions that I keep hearing. I sure would like to hear them and plan to one way or another.

Mine isn't too much better, but the results spoke for themselves.

My room is large-ish, about 22 feet by 13 feet, but I do sit nearfield and have them on the long wall. It may not be relevant here and I have never come into contact with any other Lahave than my own, but fit/finish/build quality/sturdyness is as good as I have ever seen. Every bolt, seam, surface feature (and symmetry-factor) looks perfect to me no matter how close I examine them. They do best with neutral amplification and they do like tubes somewhere in the chain, and they scale with a better food chain, although solid state is very good also. They are revealing but not ruthlessly so. I have a tube preamp and a solid state power amp. (I use a nonwarmish Psvane 6NS7 tube in my preamp for best results; I am a Psvane tube fan.)
The Melas are NOT dull speaker--the highs are very present and soar, but they do not sting at all. I like the highs much better than my old Kharma 3.2FEs, which could be painful. The Kharmas were imaging champs, with a total disappearing act even with one speaker driven, but it came at a cost of some fatiguing highs. Overall tonality is definitely preferable to me in the Lahaves over the Kharmas.

You've nailed it for me Rgs92. Tonality is the most important aspect of reproduced sound, get it right and all the other aspects of a stereo system takes a back seat, IMHO. I heard the Kharma 3.2 once at a NYC audio show with a Lamm 1.1 I guess it was, the 18 watt SET amps. Yes, the disappearing act and huge soundstage which to me has never been a priority. For something to sound real it must first get the accurate pitch of instruments and maintain that throughout the frequency spectrum, first and foremost. It is difficult to find this in most speakers since they can distract with other areas of performance and by the time you purchase and live with them for a while, it's too late.

Yeah, just to give a perspective, for the last 15 years or so I've always gone to the NY shows and would always have a good listen to the well known midsize reasonably priced floorstanders/Monitors that would regularly be there that I really liked and actually felt, yep, these are all pretty good, different from each other and I could live with them. These were (in various versions) the Von Schweikert VR4, Merlin VSM, Joseph RM7 or RM33, or the Dynaudio C1s.

They all had some important consistent strong points I mentally noted year after year (VSR vocals/rounded mids/sweet highs/percussion, Merlin openness/bass/ambience, Joseph coherency and natural driverless sound, and Dynaudio dynamics and solid bass).

But somehow the Lahaves, have a more compelling emotional and live sound that makes it significantly preferable to any one of these, the ability to draw me in with no hint of abuse, even if one of the above technically beats in in one of the areas of strength I noted. So for me, the Lahaves are the champ here.

I just met the owner, Jim at his shop and had a chance to listen to an older version that he uses while he builds his speakers. They are the best sounding, neutral speakers I have ever heard, bass, midrange, and treble were accurate, bass was deep and full. I was blown away with the sound. Jim also showed me cabinets that were in various stages of production and I was able to see the attention to detail on the inside of the cabinets, the bracing and the thickness of the walls......no wonder these weigh so much. The wood finish veneers were beautiful with matching grain on each pair. All in all Jim makes incredible pieces just for their looks but the real test is the sound and these speakers are the best I have ever heard. If you are serious about your music you won't be disappointed with a pair of La Have's.

Thinking of selling my Lahave mela. I haven't listened to speakers in a very long. Let me know if anyone from canada is interested. Bought from an authorized dealer, looking to sell these for $4k

Thanks for the responses. This is the problem with a speaker manufacturer with so little exposure, too few have heard them so it just becomes a leap of faith based on the little info provided which I'm unwilling to do, been there done that, not this time. If there is anyone in Florida that has them please contact me if willing to let me listen.

I agree with Tubegroover...not too long ago I was seriously considering them but ultimately decided against them simply because I have never heard them. If you have a good product (or even not so good) you have to make yourself available to the public somehow, drag yourself to some shows, especially since it's a standmount, not some huge floorstander.

Though belated... I have the Melas also - a true "World-class work of art" in both appearance and sound quality - which rival the TAD monitors for a lot smaller "investment." A term I use for a piece of audio gear, which you would expect to keep and savor for a lifetime! If you ever find them at a good price... don't pass them by.

I've owned a pair for a couple of months. I've owned 30 pairs of $1500-5000 stand mounts over the years and these are the most expensive but also the best. Detailed, fast, yet with a real musical tonality, very much as the others have reported.
I use them in my 10x12 ft. office system and the sound is heavenly- on a par with the best I've heard.
If you find a pair, do consider them if the budget is there. They are premium performers in every way.