I am an absolute newbie here, but was pointed over here by a member of the Naim Forum. I suspect that others have been in a similar position to me. Front end is Naim CDS2/NAC52. I have been deliberating speakers, originally thinkg NBLs against active ATCs. Both have their pros and cons. However, my situation is such that I tend to move house regularly, almost annually of late, and feel that Shahinians may be a boon because they:
1. are easy to position
2. do not require much setting up
3. do not have seals etc that need replacing each time they are moved
4. seem to work in most rooms
In short, it would seem they can be moved along with the rest of the gear and resited pretty easily.
Unfortunately, since I am currently living in Beijing, home auditions are out.
My experince with hi-fi so far is that the divide between the front-end and back-end of a system is around the pre-amp/power amp; i.e. the power amp should match the speaker chosen and endlessly trying speakers to match a power amp is rather backwards. Witness the ATC actives: I have no idea what amplifiers are used, but the 100s work at the end of my system.
So to the question: What power amps are people using to drive the bigger Shahinians (I am thinking of Obelisks or Hawks) and why? As may be expected, members of the Naim forum argue that a NAP300 would certainly be enough grunt yet the Shahinian website mentions three makers of rather more beefy amps. Dynavector HX1.2 and Plinius SA102 being two obvious ones.
So to the question: has anyone relevant experience here? Any input would be greatly appreciated especially, as I mentioned, home demos are out.
Musical taste is mainly classic: orchestral, choral and chamber. Current room is maybe 18'x12'x10'high, concrete with a marble floor, but who nows nextyear?

Welcome to the forum, Jonathan. I'm sure someone will be along shortly to answer your query.

Jonathon,

As Markus has said, welcome to the forum. I have used DV amps (L200, L100, HX75) and continue to use DV amps (L300 + HX1.2) with Shahinians (Arcs and now Obelisks) and have absolutely no desire to change either so can hopefully give you some advice.

To answer your question if you like a bit of volume on occasion then a NAP300 with Hawks is not powerful enough **. With recent Obelisks it probably just about is but that doesn't necessarily make it the best choice. I found the Dynavector amplifiers particularly good with Shahinians, they should be since the DV designer designed the amplifiers to drive Shahinians better than Bedini amplifiers but without the unreliability. The biggest issue with the Dynavectors is unavailability as a new design is due and they have the ridiculous habit of stopping a product before its replacement is ready, usually 18months before! The next generation of amps is worth a look as they are going to use switch mode power supples and so will work off any mains voltage and frequency so that would fit with your travels. If you went down this route you should trade the 52 in against a DV L300 preamplifier as well, the DV's, like the Naims, work best as a system. A search on this forum will reveal that ACM has posted about his upgrade from a 52 to an L300.

The bigger question is whether Shahinians are a good choice. They tend to work in a wide range of rooms because people take the effort to make them work. If poorly setup they can sound poor and that includes choosing the wrong amplifiers. Also they have a different presentation to many speakers, they are a pseudo-omni after all. They do filll a room with great scale and power but they do not sound like a direct radiating speaker and do not image in the same way. I guess I am saying they are a risk if bought blind! You could love them like me, in which case they are the only choice but for every fan there is somebody else that "doesn't get it".

Hope that helps

Jason


** A friend of a friend has Hawks and went 2x135's, 4x135's, 1x500, 2x500 then 2xDV HX1.2 before he was satisfied he was getting the best from them.

Thank you for your insight, Jason. If a NAP300 would be inadequate to drive a pair of Hawks, do you think a NAP500 would do the trick, or bi-amping NAP300s? You suggest it is not just a question of power and I too am a believer that power amps should be matched to speakers (rather than the other way round), but there seem to be plenty of happy Nam/Shahinian users out there too.

Did you approach your system from the speakers and work back to the Dynavector amp? If so, did you try other muscle-amps, like Plinius or American ones?

I do intend to audition the speakers before purchase, but canot do a home audition since there are no dealers in China. Also, it may not be practical to audition a whole range of combinations so I would like to narrow down initially then listen to either confirm or deny my conclusion.

Regards,

Jonathan

Thank you for your insight, Jason. If a NAP300 would be inadequate to drive a pair of Hawks, do you think a NAP500 would do the trick, or bi-amping NAP300s? You suggest it is not just a question of power and I too am a believer that power amps should be matched to speakers (rather than the other way round), but there seem to be plenty of happy Nam/Shahinian users out there too.

Assuming Hawks and that you don't need it REALLY loud in a cavernous space, I don't think inadequate is the right word, as I said above the 300 will drive them, 2x300 would be better (the 500 may actually be worse from a load point of view as it is bridged) and in either case they would sound good but you won't be getting the best out of them imo.


Did you approach your system from the speakers and work back to the Dynavector amp? If so, did you try other muscle-amps, like Plinius or American ones?

Before I heard Shahinians I was a happy Linn Kan owner and ran a typical Linn / Naim / Linn flat earth system which was great fun. After hearing the Shahinians I quickly became a happier Shahinian Arc owner. I ran those with a 180 then a 250. Then I upgraded to Obelisks with the 250. I then did a dem. of the HX75 and it drove the Obelisks much better than the 250, not just in a volume / control sense but subtle detail and dynamics were much better handled. Out went the 250. I then replaced the 82 + PS with an L100 and when it was finally released a L300, lastly the HX75 made way for a HX1.2. Just before that I thought I'd buy Hawks but that didn't happen and I ended up changing my Obelisks for more recent Obelisks. I have heard a few other amplifiers on the Obelisks but not Plinius or American muscle amps. I have heard the Densen gear on Hawks and Obelisks and that works well, especially the big Mono amplifiers (which James on this forum uses with his own speakers) but I'd still take a DV if possible.


I do intend to audition the speakers before purchase, but canot do a home audition since there are no dealers in China. Also, it may not be practical to audition a whole range of combinations so I would like to narrow down initially then listen to either confirm or deny my conclusion.

Good plan. Do you ever visit the UK? If so that maybe the best place for a Shahinian dem tbh.


Regards

Jason

Front end is Naim CDS2/NAC52. ...ATC actives .. 100s .. at the end of my system.

Uncanny. Have you ever considered the Naim NAC 552?

Hi Jason,

Have you ever listened to Linn Klimax Kontrol/Klimax 500 solo's driving Arcs or Obelisks. I currently use this combo with Kabers and quite fancy Shahinian speakers. The problem is no dealer within 150 miles. Pear audio is only minutes away from my house but no dealer in the North East.

Cheers

Spike

I too went from Kans to Arcs some 12 years ago, and remain besotted by them. They're driven by a 180, quite adequately at loud levels. Love them, except they didn't suit one house I lived in. Really easy to live with.

What Jason said.

I think that quite a few Dynavector/Shahinian owners originally started out with Naim amps & Linn speakers, following this upgrade path:

1) Replace Linn speakers with Shahinians (usually Arcs or Obelisks)
2) Replace Naim power amp with DV power amp
3) "Complete the set" by swapping-out the Naim pre-amp for a DV pre-amp

In my case, I started out with Linn Kans on the end of a 52/SUPERCAP/250 (with a Stageline/HI-CAP phono stage) and first made the switch to Shahinian Arcs. My next move was actually to demo an L-300/P-300 pre-amp & phono stage (with my NAP250) as I was becoming disillusioned with Naim's apparent lack of interest in things analogue. To my ears, this was a major upgrade and so I quickly sold off all of my Naim amps. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to locate an ex-dem HX-75 power amp to go with my new L-300 (I couldn't afford an HX-1.2), otherwise I'd still be waiting - some 12 months later - to buy a new HX-75...

As Jason has already mentioned, if you are ever in the UK then it would be a very good opportunity to demo Shahinians. Grahams Hi-Fi in London stock Dynavector, Naim & Shahinian, and they are also a Linn dealer, so you could hear for yourself a wide range of options for driving Shahinian speakers...

Spike,

I'm not Jason, but I run a Linn Klout into Obelisks. The resulting sound is utterly fabulous, so I should imagine that the Klimaxes would be more than adequate! They seem fairly easy to drive too - certainly compared to many of Linn's amplifier crushing speakers.

Toby

Hi Toby,

Many thanks for the reply. I used two Klouts to drive the Kabers and the Solos do the same with greater ability. I love the Klimax combination and will not be separated from them!!! I will definately try out Arcs & Oblesiks. What is the difference between the two?

Cheers

Spike

Try the Shahinian site for more info.

http://www.pearaudioeurope.si/

Obelisks might be my next speaker but I'm in no hurry to replace my Royd RR1s

Spike,

Sounds like Toby has answered your question, I would have predicted the answer as the Klimax are reputed to be very good into difficult loads, just what Obelisks need.

The difference between the Arc and Obelisk? Difficult to put down in a few words. The Obelisk is the first of the true pseudo-omnis (!) in that it has the drivers mounted on all surfaces of a pyramid. This means it has a bigger sound than the Arc and generally is a bit more real and solid sounding. The Obelisk has more extended bass and can go even louder without complaint as it shares power over more units. Over all it is a more refined speaker, the Arc is still a great speaker but the Obelisk is better still. Where the Arc can win is that it is easier to site and drive than the Obelisk. Hope that helps.

Cheers

Jason

Hi Jason,

I heard the big Shahinians (Diapson?) briefly at the importers house in Alnmouth using his well tempered and dynavector amps - very impressive.

I really think that this may be my next dem.

How difficult are the Obelisks to position in a room?

Cheers

Spike

Daed easy - just plonk them down and push them where you want them, because you're no longer listening for a sweet spot. They'd fit easily into your room, Spike (because you'd want them well away from the corners) - and look the business.

If you go for them , expect me to darken your door again one of these days...

Spike,

Obelisks are not very difficult to position but they do excite different parts of the room because they throw the treble out in all directions. The bass can also get a little loose in a poor room (like mine) and care needs to be taken to keep them out of the corners as Martin suggests but to also put something (furniture) in the corners to reduce the room gain - works for me.


Cheers

Jason

I must have been in the wrong part of the room when I heard Obelisks. The Arcs are great, OTOH.

Martin,

Get thy behind me Devil

Cheers

Graham

PS

Happy New Year. I'll give you a call in the next week or so. We have OFSTED in tomorrow!!!!!

I'm still to be entirely convinced by Obelisks; in one case because of the room, in the other because of the NAP500 driving them. I've heard Hawks in a small room at low volume sounding great but would find it tricky to justify and would go for Arcs. In a big space, loud, its Hawks or Diapasons with a single DV HX1.2 or preferrably two. Its hardly a coincidence that DVs and Shahinians are beautifully matched. I wish I could justify keeping my 1.2 and sticking it on the Super Elves, but I can't.

That was probably the most nicely done oblique for sale announcement in the history of this forum.

All things considered, I'd trade my Obelisks for a pair of Arcs in comparable condition, even swap, if the opportunity arose.

Hi Alex,

I heard John Burns Diapasons on the end of a single DV HX 1.2 and they were stunning at low, medium and loud volumes. His room is not that large at all - probably about 4 by 4 metres. They also looked good.

Cheers

Graham

Hi, sorry to highjack the thread a bit. I'm interested in the Dynavector HX 1.2 and I see that a few of you that have posted on this thres have experience of them. Does anyone have a feel how the Dynavector would work with the B&W 802D's? My dealer ahs recommended I demo it. Would love to hear what people think.

Thanks
David

Back to the thread:-

Jason obviously has a lot of experience here, I have Arcs and have extensively heard a CDS2/52/135/Obelisk System.

Arcs are defintely easier to drive than Obelisks, I succesfully drove a pair with a NAP140 whilst I have heard a 180 struggle with Obelisks. In my mind Obelisks need a large room (and plently of good power - 135s get their fans on easily and will shut down if driven too hard!) to really work well whereas Arcs will work better in smaller rooms, but you need to keep both speakers away from walls otherwise the base can get a bit overblown. I actually move my Arcs away from the wall for Stereo and put them closer to it for HT, for me it works.

I have driven my Arcs with the following:-

NAP140 - surprisingly good, really rocked
Arcam AVR200 - Not enough power, lacked base, very poor with HT
Ion Obelisk 1 - thought I'd give it a go, not bad much better than the Arcam!
Meridian 557 - my current weapon of choice, just seems to cope with everything thrown at it from Mozart to Motorhead and effortlessly gets on with the job.

I have an Ion Nexus dual monobloc arriving tomorrow and I'll definitely be giving that a whirl.

Hope that helps

Whll I'll pitch in here. I run Obs in a room 17 x 13 x 8 ft with a 12 x 10 x 8 room ajoining and an open staircase and small landing. They face across the 13 ft width and are (gets up to pace) about 9ft apart peak to peak. We listen to everything but dance music (no - I have some of that too) at low to medium volumes and drive them with an 82/SCap and a 140. They really rock and are great when watching films on the Powerbook.

The 140 delivers the sonic goods. I've heard DV L300/HX 1.2 at Grahams and 282/SCap/300 into Obs. I preferred the Naim but I've lived with it for nearly 10 years now. On coming home I decided I was quite content with things as they are.

Our Obs are the end of my 30 year hi-fi oddessy and we're delighted with them.

No doubt bigger amps would give 'more' buit we don't feel at all short changed.

I can see a lot of support for Dynavector amps driving Shahinians. This is no doubt a logical match if, indeed, the amps were made with Shahinians in mind. Although there are also supporters of Naim too. I did receive an e-mail back from Vasken Shahinian on the subject of amps as follows:

"As for Amplification Obelisk can do very well with a minimum of 50 to 75 "good" watts per channel. Hawk more like a minimum of 100 to 125 watts per channel."

This wold suggest a NAP250 or 300 would be fine for the Obelisks, but Hawks would require a NAP500. Although quite what "good" watts are, I don't know. Also, there are no impedence figures given here.

So far, nobody has chimed in with comments about Plinius amps, which appear fairly similar to Dynavectors in some regards.

Thats because Plinius amps suck the life out of the music. Horrid hifi for people who are
turned on by such things.

Jonothan,

The Impedance curve of the Shahinians is the main problem for amplifiers. The Hawks dips down toward an Ohm in the treble. It is a combination of a lot of tweeters and a crossover topology that does not use resistors so can be reactive to say the least.

One thing to bear in mind with anybodies comments is that if they like the Shahinian sound then they are more likely to compromise elsewhere to ensure they get it so you will find some odd systems about. The UK importer used to recommend a £2500 system as a Rotel CD player, a Creek amp and a pair of Arcs (then £2000)! I have driven my Obelisks with the 13W Sugden MusicMaster and while it would not go loud it did sound excellent even up to normal levels with simple music in my smaller room, conversely the Lavardin IS Ref fell apart with anything more than a whisper. The Naims will drive them, 140 + Arcs is a very pleasant combination and a 300 with Obelisks will be great, but to get the very best, at volume in a reasonable space needs plenty of grip imo.

I have no experience of Plinius.


Regards

Jason

Would the consensus then be that the issue of powerful amplification is only one when driving them at high volume levels? i.e. for normal domestic purposes, the output of a NAP250 or NAP300 should even be qdequate for a pair of Hawks? Or doesn't it quite work like that?

Jonathan,

I do not believe it is as simple as that. I had better results from the 13W Sugden than I did from the ~30W Lavardin in a small room at average levels (not loud!). Similarly the HX1.2 (180W) is far better than the HX75 (100W) which was better than a 250 (70W) with low levels (less than 9 o'clock on a Naim pre) even though all the amps are generating less than 10W (possibly less than 2W) of power at the speakers. I do not listen loud at all but still find the DV amps superior irrespective of paper ratings.

The most improtant thing is to try to buy something you won't lose money on if you are taking a gamble. So a 2nd hand 300 will tell you if it is good enough without the risk of losing money on a trade in if it isn't! As Mark and others have said if you end up liking what Shahinians do then any old amp will get you a long way towards a satisfying system.

Cheers

Jason

Would the consensus then be that the issue of powerful amplification is only one when driving them at high volume levels?
Not really, no. The larger Shahinian speakers have a lot of drive units which present a difficult load to the amplifier. A more "powerful" amp will have better control over the drive units at all volumes, not just when playing loud.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the first thing to determine is whether or not you actually like the Shahinian sound. If you do, then you are going to need to buy a suitable power amp as you don't currently have one (unless I have mis-read your posts).

The Dynavector power amps are designed for and using Shahinian loudspeakers and so are an ideal match. They are priced competitively too, with an HX1.2 providing arguably better performance (in the context of a Shahinian system) than a NAP-500 but costing only about the same as a NAP-300.

Yes, there are indeed plenty of satisfied Naim/Shahinian owners out there, but I suspect that few of them have actually tried the DV amps, if indeed they are even aware of their existence.

Spike

If you're based in the north have you contacted Adventures in Hifi in Wigan, I believe they are the only UK dealer with the full Shahinian range on demonstration. FWIW I listened to Obelisks being driven by a Naim 250.2 there and it certainly did a good job, they had Dynavector as well but I didn't see any Linn amps when I was in.

Hope this helps

Hi Piper,

Its over 200 miles from my house to Wigan!!! Long way to go for a dem. I'm going to investigate Arcs & Obelisks and try to get some home dems somehow.

Cheers

Graham

May I suggest that you visit Derek Whittingham at New Audio Frontiers in Loughborough, if possible. He has a vast knowledge of the Shainian range together with Naim and DV. amps. If anybody can point you in the right direction he can. There's no hard sell with him, but he isn't a charity either! Expertise such as his deserves to be rewarded with an order whenever possible.

One thing I would say Johnathan is DO NOT BUY SHAHINIAN SPEAKERS BLIND.

These speakers sound completely different to most speakers you will hear. No matter how well they are driven if you don't like the presentation it won't matter.

I absolutely hated them, like listening to music in a lift !!

Spike,

From your description we must live quite close.. i also live 4 miles or so from John Burns. I have just replaced my briks with some obs which arrive some time next week. When they do you can come and have a listen if interested.

cheers

glenn

Hi Glenn,

I live in Longframlington and walk the dog (Spike) and play Golf (Foxton Hall) in Alnmouth. I would really like to take you up on your offer when the Obs arrive. I have sent you a PM with more details.

Cheers

Graham

"As for Amplification Obelisk can do very well with a minimum of 50 to 75 "good" watts per channel."

My own trials in finding a suitable (modest) amp for my vintage Obs is pretty well documented here, and has led me through a range of amps fitting the above description (Rega, Naim, Linn, Primare, others). I have to say that my current John Shearne Phase 2 Reference integrated is the pick of the litter thus far. I have very few complaints with the job it's doing.

naim 102 + 180 does the job well with arcs, don't have to turn the knob past 9 oclock.
Done the job for 4 years now, don't see the need for any more power, just spend the money on more albums/cds

Thats because Plinius amps suck the life out of the music. Horrid hifi for people who are
turned on by such things.
Are Plinius amps that bad? It seems odd given Shahinian themselves recommend both Plinius and Dynavector, yet so far only Dynavector users have piped up.

Are Plinius amps that bad? It seems odd given Shahinian themselves recommend both Plinius and Dynavector, yet so far only Dynavector users have piped up.
Seeing as Dick Shahinian himself recommends them, I'm sure that Plinius amps work very well with his speakers. In the UK, though, Pear Audio are the distributor for both Shahinian & Dynavector so it's no big surprise that the two makes are often sold together. I'm not aware of a UK dealer who sells both Plinius and Shahinian, so you will probably have trouble getting a demo. Perhaps you might be able to persuade a Plinius dealer to lend you an amp on "home loan" which you could then take to a Shahinian dealer for the demo (or the other way around...)

I shall check some of the dealers in Singapore. Snag is, no Shahinians seem to be sold there which makes any demo somewhat academic. I suspect there will be a certain amount of trial-and-error anyway, so I may start with something that could be recycled to our (long-planned) home theatre system at some point.

The distributors of the Heed Envoys, tsource (http://www.tsource.co.uk/), have just taken on Plinius for the UK, so there must be some synergy between them as well.

Well, decision made - for better or worse. As I write this, I have a pair of Obelisks waiting to to be sent direct from Shahenian and a NAP300 sitting in Beijing customs awaiting clearance. I went for the NAP in the end because I know I like Naim electronics and it is a very "safe" purchase which could always find a use in another system. If The Obelisks work out well for me, I could easily see them being upgraded in a year or so...

...I went for the NAP in the end because I know I like Naim electronics and it is a very "safe" purchase which could always find a use in another system.
The NAP300 is probably a wise choice, since you know the Naim sound and are having to buy blind. In any case, you would have had trouble getting hold of a Dynavector HX1.2 because it has just been discontinued (a replacement model is due later in the year). Do let us know how you get on...

The first time I heard Shahinian Obelisks was at Peter Thompsons house in Palmerston North, New Zealand circa 1982. Peter is the designer and manufacturer of Plinius amps.
I was in a Hi Fi shop auditioning gear and the retailer introduced me to this fellow Peter Thompson and suggested I listen to his home set up.

I was taken to Peters house in the 'burbs - a very modest house as his company was just starting up.

I was a Linn LP12 user (as was he at the time) and I had Sara 9's and LK100 amp with whatever Linn pre amp. Peter's sound was a revelation. In his modest little living room you could walk between and through his Shahinians and the musicians in the string quartet stayed imobile in space. A most uncanny experience ..... not my kind of music ..... but it's and experience I have never forgotten and never heard again anywhere in the world.

Shahinian and Plinius is a superb combination motor car-priced amps.

My tuppence worth

Well, decision made - for better or worse. As I write this, I have a pair of Obelisks waiting to to be sent direct from Shahenian and a NAP300 sitting in Beijing customs awaiting clearance. I went for the NAP in the end because I know I like Naim electronics and it is a very "safe" purchase which could always find a use in another system.

Good choice imo, God alone knows when the new DV stuff will appear and buying the speakers blind is surely enough of a shot in the dark. Good luck and as Adrian has said please keep us informed.

Cheers

Jason

From what I can gather Shahinian does not image like a normal direct firing speaker and this is why some do not like it correct? Well a lot of 'flat earthers' are not too bothered about imaging and like to focus more on the tonality, beat, PRAT e.t.c

How does Shahinian fare in this regard and how does it fare with music that is not symphonic, ie rock or modern contemporary music?

Im not suprised that Shahinian and Dynavector are lumped together because of the fact both companies have some of the most pathetic web presence I have ever seen.
Spartan websites that are 10 years out of date, and no effort made to get products out for review into the press (not even the online free review magazines which do not cost you anything but the effort)

I have an Ion Nexus dual monobloc arriving tomorrow and I'll definitely be giving that a whirl.

Hope that helps

Whats the verdict Mr Perceptive - Are these revolutionary 'floating bridge' amps something special?

Im not suprised that Shahinian and Dynavector are lumped together because of the fact both companies have some of the most pathetic web presence I have ever seen.
Well, it's true that their web sites aren't up to much, but that's because they are both small companies with very limited resources (in the case of Dynavector we are talking about Dynavector Systems Australia & New Zealand, not the Japanese company of the same name).

Actually, I sometimes wonder whether this is all a deliberate ploy to reduce demand for these products. I understand that there is often a lead time of several months for Shahinian speakers, and Dynavector are renowned for their lengthy "fallow" periods after a product has been discontinued and the replacement model remains under development & unavailable in the shops.

In other words, these guys can easily sell everything that they can make, and for one reason or another, don't appear to want to get any bigger. Whatever, they both make exceptionally good products, and it's a crying shame that more people aren't able to enjoy them...

I think your second reason, the fact they easily sell out their production runs, is most likely.

There are many small manufacturers and one man shows that manage to have a very detailed website with reviews, faqs, descriptions of the technologies e.t.c its not hard to do.

I now have, waiting at home, a pair of Obelisks and a NAP300 ready to drive them.. A pair of 3.5m lengths of NACA5 and, somewhere enroute from England, a Naim Fraim stand. Can't wait to get back home to put it all together and fire it up!

Jonathan,

Did you get my PM?

Out of interest, what plugs do you have at the speaker end of your NAC-A5?

Shahinian recommend Pomona (http://www.pomonaelectronics.com) double-banana plugs which I found to be a much better fit on my Arcs than the Naim plugs. I'm not sure exactly which model number of plug is the one to get, but I'm sure that New Audio Frontiers (+44-(0)1509-264002) could supply you with some...

Hope that you will love your new speakers (bear in mind they take a long time to run in...)

Best Regards,

Adrian

Adrian,
I have replied to your PM.
The plugs look like regular banana plugs. I hadn't thought to ask for anything special. Does it really make such a difference?
Jonathan

Shahinian recommend Pomona double-banana plugs

That's interesting to hear - those are exactly what I'm using, but only because of the three or four types easily obtained locally, they looked the simplest and actually fit in the space under the speaker.

I use them at the amp end too, but I had to split the plastic bit down the middle with a hacksaw to seperate the plugs in order to make them fit. Seems to work just fine.

The plugs look like regular banana plugs. I hadn't thought to ask for anything special. Does it really make such a difference?
Well, I thought that they made a noticeable improvement. The Pomona plugs are certainly a perfect fit mechanically with the sockets on Shahinian speakers, and they aren't particularly expensive, so it's definitely a worthwhile tweak. Not worth losing any sleep over, though...

Jonathan was long time not active here, but perhaps there are some new Diapason friends here.
I for myself will be a Diapason user in some weeks. Now i listen to my new (=old) Bedini BA-803 on my Cabasse Escadre. Very exciting! Fast, detailed, with plenty of power.
And i have 2 of them to drive the Diapasons in Bi-Amping.