Shahinian Hawks or Obelisks

Many thanks for reply Rpfef. We do listen to Symphonic works however I would probably say we listen more to chamber music and also listen to a bit of pop/rock. I must say I have never listened to chamber on the Hawks (but have on the Obelisks)...... still good on the Hawks ?

Pugget,
I have both Obelisks and Diapasons, and after playing around with a lot of amps, my conclusion - and that of a friend who has both speakers, too - is that indeed, all Shahinians do need a lot of current, of a powerful solid state amp, to sound their best.
In our experience, strange as it may sound, the Obelisk is a more difficult-to-drive-beast than the Diapason. It needs a lot of current especially for the bass to sound controlled, which is true for the Diapasons, and probably Hawks, too. I do not know your AR amp, but it being a tube amp, I suspect it to be less than optimal for either the Obelisk or the Hawk. If you are determined to go the Shahinian road further, I would look into Plinius, Naim, Densen amps, to name a few which have proven to sound good with shahinians.
Regards,
Florian Hassel

Hi Pugget,

I have gone through some of the Shahinian line as it sounds you are about to do. Obelisks to Hawks, Hawks to Diapason. Your AR amp should be fine to start with. However, one advantage to the Hawks is that you could, if you so desired, bi-amp the pair. This would give you the sweetness of the AR with, possibly, the control of the bass with a ss amp. I am so glad to hear that another person appreciates these wonderful speakers. Having owned hi level Thiels, Wilson's etc, They are the best on the planet! To echo previous comments - Call Richard and Vasken - Such nice people with great advice.