Who are those 4 dealers, do you know?
I adore my Shahinian loudspeakers
Myself and several other Audiogoners with Shahinian loudspeakers repeatedly bemoan the fact that so few people know how good these speakers are. Richard Shahinian has formerly and accurately been described as a poor promoter of his products. Other than a website, I am not aware of any advertising by his company. It bothers me that Richard and Vasken Shahinian are not more famous than they currently are. And no I am not financially tied to these guys but I do talk to them enough to consider them as friends.
Why do Richards speakers sound so good? I think it's primarily do to his love of live classical music performances. At the workshop, the focus is making the speakers sound like the performance the night before. I can't think of a better way to design a speaker. Isn't the goal of hi-fi to reproduce the actual event in our home? And oh golly g molly the Shahinians do this like no other I have heard or owned. I have compared the Shahinians with many, many loudspeakers. Some of these speakers cost 10 times as much and couldn't touch the Shahinians ability.
What told me these speakers are worth mighty praise? My family loves them. My wife and kids play them when I'm gone. My friends bring there cd's over so they can hear them on my system. People congregate in the listening room when they are playing. Last X-mas we had 20 or so family members over. Before the night was over, they were all in the listening room. Several went out to their cars to bring in favorite cd's. I was in heaven. Finally I could share my love of hi-fi. The X-mas before I had a $11,000 pair of electrostats and nobody even gave them a nod.
What do they sound like? Easy answer-- Live Music!
Do yourself a big favor. If you're in the market for a pair of speakers then give these a listen. You'll probably have to fly to Richards shop in New York if you want to hear a pair. I think he has maybe four dealers in the US.
Why do Richards speakers sound so good? I think it's primarily do to his love of live classical music performances. At the workshop, the focus is making the speakers sound like the performance the night before. I can't think of a better way to design a speaker. Isn't the goal of hi-fi to reproduce the actual event in our home? And oh golly g molly the Shahinians do this like no other I have heard or owned. I have compared the Shahinians with many, many loudspeakers. Some of these speakers cost 10 times as much and couldn't touch the Shahinians ability.
What told me these speakers are worth mighty praise? My family loves them. My wife and kids play them when I'm gone. My friends bring there cd's over so they can hear them on my system. People congregate in the listening room when they are playing. Last X-mas we had 20 or so family members over. Before the night was over, they were all in the listening room. Several went out to their cars to bring in favorite cd's. I was in heaven. Finally I could share my love of hi-fi. The X-mas before I had a $11,000 pair of electrostats and nobody even gave them a nod.
What do they sound like? Easy answer-- Live Music!
Do yourself a big favor. If you're in the market for a pair of speakers then give these a listen. You'll probably have to fly to Richards shop in New York if you want to hear a pair. I think he has maybe four dealers in the US.
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I've never heard any of RS's speakers, but some of the acoustic goals I think he has from reading about his work - if not always the exact design principles for getting at them - seem reminiscent to me of Roy Allison's 70's efforts, with which I'm familiar. Does anyone know if I am wrong in assuming this similarity of overarching philosophy, and if not, are the results at all in the same (albeit updated) type of ballpark, sound-wise? |
OK. Now I remember. And a pair was reviewed by TAS a few years ago. There are so many speakers out there with so many claims it's sometimes difficult to keep them all straight. Still, it's not too practical for most of us to take off and fly to New York in search of the perfect pair of speakers. We hear the same claims about Talon, Wilson, Kharma, Avalon, etc. After a while, it's just more of the same. |
I have never heard of these speakers; however, I am always interested in finding something that may be to my advantage. After checking out their website, I came across this statement: "Contrary to some feedback we have received, our loudspeakers have never been designed to work with only one kind of electronics; however, our preference in electronics has always been solid state, even though tubes can work well if done properly." I guess SET lovers are out of luck here. Oh well!! |
Here's the link to the manufacturer's Web site: http://www.shahinianacoustics.com/ So the key to the design is omnidirectional sound -- kind of like reflected sound, kind of like Bose 901s, right? Only lots better drivers, crossover components and cabinet construction. Still, if a musical performance is recorded in real time and then played back through speakers like these, isn't it way off with respect to phase and time? I mean, it seems like the actual recorded event would be smeared all over the room, which might be enticing, but I don't know how accurate a system like that would be. Any thoughts on this observation? Still, it would be interesting to hear a pair of any of the Shahinian speakers. -- Ron |
I've mentioned this before but I heard some Obelisk's in the early 80's at someone's house & the next day went to my dealer & ordered a pair of the box speakers (that's what they were called), as I couldn't afford the Obelisk's. I had them for many years & thoroughly enjoyed them. Unfortunately the dealer I purchased them from does not deal with Shahinian anymore (hasn't for quite some time) or I very well may have purchased another set when I was looking for something else. |
Many years ago I heard the Obelisks and thought they sounded very good. Excellent soundstaging. However, I couldn't get past their rather odd looks and comparatively high price tag. Shahinian's newer models such as the Starter and the Compass look interesting, but I wonder how they sound. Also, are they sensitive to room placement? |
I've heard a few different models over the years, in different rooms, but always at shows. Richard is a sweet heart of a guy. He also plays real music in his demos, kudos! He used to really push Bedini amps. Shows are not for serious auditions, but I never liked any of his products at any time, and never investigated further. |
I talked to Richard Shahinian yesterday. Apparently none of the American dealers are active. He does demo them in his shop in New York. I was happy to learn Shahinian loudspeakers are owned by some notable hi enders including Scott Markwell, John Marks and Peter Thomson. Scott Markwells review of the Hawks can be found on avguide.com |
The link to Markwells review. http://www.avguide.com/product/Main_Speakers/Speakers/Shahinian_Acoustics/Hawk/2303.jsp |