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Shahinian Compass, 1 to 2

Seanm

pfm Member
Apologies if Shahinian fatigue has set in. I have a line on a pair of Compass 1s that have apparently been upgraded to 2 spec and hoped someone might know what's involved in such an upgrade.
 
Not sure you can get Shahinian Fatigue to be honest, well not in my opinion. But I would contact John Burns at Pear Audio, he is a very helpful and most pleasant chap.
 
Well, an almost instantaneous response from John.

Main changes are to the cabinet, with Mk 2 have better bracing internally (difficult/not really possible to upgrade); newer bass unit (possible with some woodwork), new tweeter (larger holes in mesh, in case anyone's trying to ID a pair, but the same size I think).
 
Well, an almost instantaneous response from John.

Main changes are to the cabinet, with Mk 2 have better bracing internally (difficult/not really possible to upgrade); newer bass unit (possible with some woodwork), new tweeter (larger holes in mesh, in case anyone's trying to ID a pair, but the same size I think).

Is there anyone in hifi as quick to respond and as helpful as John? I enquired about repairing my Arcs when the fuse holder snapped off. Even though they were second hand to me and I'd never bought anything from him within a few hours he'd posted me some internal wiring free of charge and arranged with Audio Counsel to fix them up.

I get the impression he enjoys his job very much!
 
John is one of the best I think. He has always been so helpful via e-mails, especially seeing as I am on the other side of the pond and have never bought anything from him!
 
I am currently upgrading my 20 year old Compass with new bass drivers and tweeters and have recapped the crossovers. I am also having the cabinets re finished. They should be finished in about 4 weeks. John at Pear has been really helpful getting me original replacement parts inc grille covers. The rebate for the bass driver needs to be routed by 2mm increasing the diameter by 4mm - cabinet maker is doing that. Can let you know in a few weeks what the diffreence is but for minimal cost compared to a new pair bar the cabinet bracing you can easily upgrade to Mk2 spec. Not sure how the Mk2 cabinets could be any stronger when you see them inside.
 
Would love to see pics of the inside if you get any. Am curious how the two chambers(?) are done. At any rate, hope all goes well with your upgrade, enjoy!
 
Will post some before and after shots plus a photo of the inside of the cabinet when they are returned, cabinet is split 2/3 1/3 with a plywood brace /shelf with slots cut in it. Total cost of the upgrade (exc cabinets) is around £300.
 
Thanks Simon, yes, will be interesting to see the inside of the cabinet. The cost of the upgrade seems very reasonable, especially considering new prices these days, ouch!
 
Yes, John is a real enthusiast, and very helpful!

He certainly is! I emailed him about the pros and cons of upgrading the Compasses to the later tweeter (even though I think they sound fabulous as they are). His advice? Para-phrased - If it ain't broke don't fix it.
 
I found my old post about the upgrade of my Shahinian Compass 1 (20 years old to the current spec. I completely forgot to post the results so in case anyone is interested this is what was involved. I stripped out the cabinets completely and had them re-veneered by a specialist AV joiner called Audinni who did an amazing job - see finished pictures. They also routed out the hole for the new base unit which is a few mm larger. I purchased new tweeters from Pear Audio, they advised me to buy the base units from Falcon Acoustics the unit is by Seas CA18RNX H1215-08 Woofer - Prestige Series. The tweeters look like Seas 25TFFN/G H615-06 Tweeter - Prestige Series but I am not completely sure as Pear directed me to Falcon for the base units but not the tweeters which they said had to come from Shahinian. I have attached a picture of the new Shahinian tweeter and the Seas unit. I replaced the capacitors in the cross overs whilst the speakers were dismantled. Finally I recovered the grilles with material advised by Pear Audio. I have attached images of the inside of the cabinets as asked and the finished speakers. The result aesthetically is amazing - had them re-veneered in a beautiful walnut (originally oak).

They sound much better than the original - more solid punchy base, bigger and smoother. Some of the improvement will be down to having my Naim NAC 82 / Supercap / 250 serviced at the same time. Incidentally I had the NAC 82 upgraded by Whichhat Audion so the 12 supply rails of the Supercap were used rather than 4 rails. It takes the NAC 82 quite close to the NAC52 - they say!

All I can say that for a fraction of the cost of changing components I felt like I got a completely new system.
 
I certainly would love to see your photos! I am especially curious about the inside cabinet works. It sounds as if the effort though has been worth it for you, as the Compass really are very nice! Congrats!
 
Can't work out how to post images but if someone guides me I will add them or I can email if interested.

I'll have a try.

You need to upload the pics to a host. I use Imgur - Once you're registered, on the top right-hand side of the screen (green ball), left click on ball and click on 'Images'. Click on the green bar that says 'Add images'. Add an image and once it's uploaded to Imgur, click on it - Under 'Direct link' click 'Copy' - Go to pinkfish and click on the 'Image' icon then right click and Paste into 'Image URL:' - Click 'insert' and it should be in the post.
 
The mk2 is streets ahead of the mk1 and sounds similar to the arc but with a lighter less extended sound.

It was once suggested to me that one cabinet manufacturer actually skimped on the insides bracing etc on the mk1.

The mk1s I had were very light , go figure , I may be quite wrong of course.

The mk2 is a very fine speaker.
 
Thanks will sign up to Imgur and post the images next day or so, my pair are very thick plywood with a single internal slotted brace. Very solid and heavy - light is not how I would describe them! Not convinced any more internal bracing would make any difference but would be interesting if anyone has some internal pics of a Mk 2 as adding your own bracing would be easy as part of an upgrade.
 


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