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I think I need to try Shahinian Larcs

Eugene

Eugene

Identity crisis...
A tale of compromise...?

My ATCs are in storage (and have been for nearly 4 years) as there isn't room in either lounge or dining room to give them the space they need. Consequently, music has mainly been via Sonos (various streaming and vinyl through Sonos Connect) and while that's been ok, it's a long way short of what the ATCs do and I miss the scale and detail of their presentation. I've occasionally looked at finding smaller "proper" speakers (Elac B5, AE1 Active) as a proxy but they need stands and it'd still be tricky to accommodate them - so nothing's happened.

And then I saw Larcs on the System pics 2019 thread and wondered if they might be a possible solution, being fairly compact floor-standers. I'd always assumed the starting point for the "serious" Shahinian experience was Arcs, so I'd really not paid any attention to Larcs before - besides which, I was /am already a happy ATC owner and figured if I ever changed them I'd go for one of their bigger models. But there seems to be a lot of love for them on PFM (and elsewhere) with a few long-term fans, so I think I need to find a pair of Larcs to try.

Pros:
Compact/small footprint; largely unfussy about placement being omnis; not spiked so can be moved for listening or tucked away when not; relatively discreet and therefore domestically acceptable ;)

Cons:
I've never heard a pair in the flesh and a demo is out as they're discontinued - so definitely a second-hand purchase but possibly unheard and a gamble.
My ATCs are active so the Larcs will need a power amp - so another variable/world of pain opened up.

Before I set out on a quest to find a pair, am I potentially missing any other possible and more straightforward solutions? I'm thinking whatever I go for, presentation is going to be quite a bit different to the ATCs but as long as they're engaging, I think I can live with that. I'm also thinking compact floor standers - possibly Larson 4.2 or (and here's a wildcard!) Royd Minstrel?

Thoughts welcome!
 
A similar solution to your placement issues might be found with the Neat Iota Alpha, or larger Iota Xplorer.

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Not heard the Larsons. I still have a pair of Minstrels (in the loft). They are good fun with a Naim Nait. They don't have much bass but then neither does the 12W Nait. However, they are not very refined and certainly not to everyones taste.

I owned Larcs for a year or so, just sat on a carpetted floor. I did like the omni thing and they have great rhythm and swing when powered by a Nait or other CB-era amps. The treble could be a bit too pronounced and metalic sounding, especially when partnerred with a Linn amp. They suited CB Naim better. They have more bass than I expected for their size - I'd say it's similar to a bigger sized standmount. In the end, I missed the coherence of early-to-mid era Linn speakers. If they'd only cost £300 or so then I would have just hung onto them cos they were very flexible, like you say.

We've had surprisingly good results with various bookshelf speakers just plonked on top of a couple of waist high cabinets. Not sure if that's an option for you though.

A mate of mine has a Nait 5i for sale if you need an integrated amp with remote (about £450 I guess but not asked him).
 
I've been impressed with the Larsen 4.2s that I have had in the last week. Certainly very easy to listen to and possibly a bit vague compared to the single-driver speakers I've had recently, or my big Rega R9s but that is to be expected considering the design.

If you are anywhere near Oxfordshire, you are welcome to pop in for a listen.
 
I have pair of iota alphas, had the original iotas before them. I was considering the larks instead of the iotas but couldn't demo & they seem rare 2nd hand.

The alphas have downward firing bass driver(s) and so have the frequency response you might expect from a (smaller) floor stander. Easy to place and my wife actually likes them!

They 're not very sensitive (86 db I think) and have 4 ohm impedance. They've been much happier since I swapped my old Naim Superait for some Teddy MB100s.

The original iotas might also suit. They are 'stand mounts' but I didn't find them fussy about positioning - I didn't use stands. I suspect they'll work anywhere a sonos will. Less bottom end than the alphas though, and even less sensitive.
 
Hi Ed!

Larcs nice. Arcs nice. Super Elfs nice. Pick whichever is available. Combine with a Nait 2, 3 or 42/110 and you'll have a hifi that will recoup the majority of its cost when you come to resurrect the ATCs.

Martin
 
Those tiny angled Ikea stands that Shahinian recommended for Super Elves work well with many bookshelf/standmounts in smaller rooms. I've even used them successfully with Snell Type Ks which are actually quite large.
 
Hopefully useful... I have enjoyed owning several of the above speakers – Larcs, Arcs, Super Elves, Minstrels and Linn Kans.

I found the Larcs great for a 'spooky' and engaging soundstage when positioned quite far apart (around 3m from memory), they were a lot of fun to listen to. They were unfussy, too, and they look great! On the downside, I found them lacking in high-frequency detail and any sort of tuneful bass. The bass I could understand, and I could do without, but I thought I would get the sparkly detail from these little guys. I had a similar experience with the Super Elves. The Arcs, however, are quite different. They were huge sounding, full frequency and lots of fun in my current room – 5.5 x 4.5m approx, but sounded dark and boomy in my previous 4x4m room.

Minstrels are a total bargain if you can get a nice set. Kans are great fun, but there's plenty of commentary on those...

However, I have settled on Harbeth P3ESR as always! They have been my go-to speaker for the last 8 years or so.
 
I auditioned Neat Iota Alpha and Shahinian Arc speakers when searching for my ideal. I rejected the Neats because they had very little sense of scale when playing the big orchestral music which is my thing. I thought the Arcs rather strident with massed violins. Either of these findings could have been a consequence of a poor demo in an unsympathetic room... but my Duevel Planets, bought unheard as a gamble, have great scale and never hurt my ears unless the recording is pretty poor.

They are easy to position, especially if you have room correction capability somewhere in your system (I use a DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2).

I love mine and will probably keep them forever.
 
If you like ATCs, maybe have a listen to some of the Amphion floorstanders? Like the ATCs, they’re not ported, so they’ll probably have the sort of presentation you like. And they’re also derived from studio monitor designs, but pretty room and placement-friendly.
 
My two penny worth is try some Shahinian Compass' as they have a small footprint, are unfussy about placement and have a surprisingly full bass for a speaker with such a small main driver.
 
Rana said:
Those tiny angled Ikea stands that Shahinian recommended for Super Elves work well with many bookshelf/standmounts in smaller rooms. I've even used them successfully with Snell Type Ks which are actually quite large.
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Absolutely. Not only did my Super Elves sound great on them but also AE1s (original) and ProAc Sig 8s.
 
Interesting comment about the Larc being discontinued/closed out-Elves/Super Elves have been long gone, as a friend of mine recently got an updated price list from Vasken Shahinian, that shows Larc still on the menu. This was for the US though, but seeing as how the UK market for Shahinian is better than the US, doesn't make much sense.

A lot of good comments above, and many good recommendations! I loved my Larcs, they certainly can sound a bit bright and spitty if directly in-line with the tweeters, off axis things tend to smooth out a bit more. I noticed this more when they were situated directly on the floor and my listening position more or less was above the plane of the speakers. Getting them up off the floor and onto some stands things seemed much better in the highs. Like anything, there will be preferences to other ways they are situated. Fun speaker though, if a bit pricey.
 
Elves/Super Elves are no longer made. Larcs are still made and they fill the gap in the Shahinian range left by the Super Elf’s.

Kevin
 
Shahinian Super Elf - if you can find a pair - should be on your list.

I’ve owned Arcs, Compasses and Larcs as well.

For me the Super Elfs had something special.

#RegretSelling !
 
Currently enjoying my Super Elf’s with Rel S2 sub in my front room. The combination is, I think, a tad better than the Arcs. Will need to put the Arcs back again to be sure but so far, I’m pleasantly surprised.

Larcs in the office sound good too.
 
Thanks for all the responses so far. I did check with a couple of dealers and Pear Audio (as distributor) and it seems that Shahinian's range only extends to Compass, Arc and Obelisk, all of which are a bit big for current circumstances.

The downside of having thought myself sorted system-wise is losing track of what's available - so it's equally pleasing and daunting to see I've potentially been missing out on so many possible options! The Neats and Amphions in particular look interesting and relatively local dealers are a bonus. I included Royd Minstrels as they fit the bill size-wise, plus there's a whole nostalgia for when I first heard a pair (with Linn Axis and Creek 4040) and being amazed at what came out of such a small box - same with Kans, though having owned a pair I'm not sure I'd go back given how fussy they were about placement.
 
Ed Rogerson said:
Thanks for all the responses so far. I did check with a couple of dealers and Pear Audio (as distributor) and it seems that Shahinian's range only extends to Compass, Arc and Obelisk, ........
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That’s strange. The Larcs were the newest model in the range, and the mark 2 versions of the Hawk and Diapason are even newer. Still, the advice from Pear Audio will be reliable.

Kevin
 
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