Tyler Acoustics Highland H3.5 Floorstanding Speakers: First Impressions

I picked up my Highland H3.5s at Ty’s shop near Owensboro on Wednesday. He showed me around the place and he described his build processes. His cabinet work is incredible. I have read many times that he is a great guy and I found this to be true. After several minutes of good conversation, and even a listening session on his shop system,we loaded up the speakers in my SUV and I headed home with my precious cargo!

I got the speakers unboxed and was very pleased by the care he took packaging them. They were well protected. I screwed in my Gaia II Isolators and set them into position. No easy task, as these speakers weigh in at 100 lbs each. I used a laser to make sure that my toe in was symmetrical to my listening position and then it was time to give them a listen!

I played Dire Straits’ Private Investigations and the depth of the sound stage is awesome. The Focal Aria 936s I had did a good job with depth, but these are on another level. It is almost haunting. The width of the sound stage is about the same as the 936s. The bass is more pronounced, but definitely not boomy. I would describe it as articulate. I would guess that some of this can be attributed to the Gaias, but I never played them without the Gaias, so I can’t be sure. The H3.5 has a Scan-Speak beryllium tweeter and this is a significant upgrade from the 936. I sometimes had trouble with sibilance with the 936s. One clear example is on Tom Petty’s Don’t Come Around Here No More. When Stevie Nicks says Don’t the D had a very pronounced sibilance with the 936s. I played the song on the H3.5s and it’s gone. I am very pleased with the realism and decay of cymbals. It’s fantastic.

These are my first impressions and I am very pleased. The speakers are a clear upgrade from my 936s. I can say that I was happy with the entire experience of buying these. Ty is a guy who builds speakers because he loves to listen to music, and you can hear the difference that makes.