This poly-directional speaker is described by Richard Shahinian as, “the crowning piece of our art.” Noted for his encyclopedic knowledge of classical music, Shahinian built a speaker system to replicate the sound of an orchestra – particularly the big sounds of Gustav Mahler, Vaughn Williams and others who incorporate a full choir as well. Shahinian dedicated the speaker to the late A. Stewart Hegeman, an audio pioneer particularly in poly-directional speaker designs. The speakers do not flinch with sudden changes in dynamics and can capture explosive jazz and rock ensembles as well.If you Google these speakers, you will run across the 1993 Stereophile Review by J. Gordon Holt and John Atkinson. They did not like what they heard, and many believe that they were listening to a pair of speakers that was not broken in. Others have different views. In fact, in 1990 J. Gordon Holt wrote in Stereophile, “Its sound was absolutely magnificent. These speakers came closer to creating the impression of live-orchestra than any other speaker I have ever heard.” In 2004, John Marks of Stereophile wrote, “There are perhaps half a dozen speakers I could live with indefinitely, and the Diapason is on that list.” A 1999 Sensible Sound issue states the difficulty of reviewing the speakers; “…even though I have heard the speakers at least a half dozen times, I must admit to listening to the music each and every time and having paid no attention to the speakers reproducing it.” As shown in the photos, the system includes a Diapason module (pyramid shaped containing 14 drivers) sitting on top of the Double Eagle subwoofer (a transmission line design containing active and passive drivers). Together the system covers 23 – 22,000 Hz. Sensitivity is 86 dB and nominal impedance is 6 ohms. Shahinian Accoustics is a small US company with no advertising but an active following among those in the know – particularly in Europe. The speakers are in excellent condition and have been used in a no-smoking, no-pets house. I am the second owner of the speakers which contain updated 2006 drivers placed in older, nicely refinished cabinets. A local sale (near Chicago) would be preferred but they can be shipped in four pieces in their original boxes with a shipping cost commensurate with their weight (276 lbs without boxes). Buyer pays shipping and I will cover PayPal fees if that is used. I am not a frequent poster or buy – sell guy but you can see my feedback on Audiogon so buy with confidence. Thanks very much for looking at this ad.
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