For one thing, because they tend to be healthy and well educated, and because their governments are at peace and, for the most part, economically and politically sound, Scandinavians can take a joke. For another, Scandinavians are famous for not only having a loudspeaker industry—something that has thus…
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I wouldn't normally begin a review of an imported product with generalities about the culture from which it sprang, but this isn't just any imported product. It's a Scandinavian loudspeaker, and Scandinavian speakers are subject to a different and altogether more liberal set of rules.
I also confirmed the merit of Larsen HiFi's advice to sit a bit farther from the speakers than the distance between them: too close, and the soundfield between the speakers lacked solidity and presence. That said, when I listened for sheer musical rather than aural pleasure—concentrating on pitches and dynamics and tone rather than spatial cues—the Larsen 8s were, in my experience, unique in their ability to be enjoyed from a seat literally anywhere in the room. Wherever I parked myself, sitting or standing, I never heard any colorations or changes in bottom-to-top tonal balance. It was…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-and-a-half-way, ported, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" polymer-dome tweeter, two 1" fabric-dome tweeters, 7" carbon-fiber/pulp-cone midrange unit; 7.75" carbon-fiber/pulp-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 300Hz, 2.5kHz, 5kHz (see text). Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 88dB.
Dimensions: 36.1" (916mm) H by 10.9" (278mm) W by 12.9" (328mm) D. Weight: 55.1 lbs (25kg).
Finishes: Cherry, Maple, White or Black Lacquer.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 1505157, 1505158.
Price: $6995/pair. Approximate number of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Linn Sondek LP12, Thorens TD 124 turntables; Audio Origami UniArm, EMT 997, Rega Research RB 300 tonearms; EMT OFD 15 & TSD 15, Shindo Laboratory SPU pickup heads; Denon DL-103 cartridge.
Digital Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly Black & DragonFly Red USB DACs; Apple iMac G5 computer running Audirvana Plus v.1.5.12; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 & T2, content/listening-171-bobs-devices-sky-40-transformer">Bob's Devices Sky 40 step-up transformers; Shindo Laboratory…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I was intrigued by the Larsen 8 loudspeaker. More than 40 years ago, I had auditioned a pair of the late Stig Carlsson's unique Sonab speakers and come away with mixed feelings: While Carlsson's original designs, with their arrays of tweeters pointing in all directions, seemed to me innovative attempts to design an omnidirectional mono speaker, I felt they just didn't work when used in pairs for stereo.
But that was a long time ago, so I unpacked from their wooden crates the Larsen 8s that Art Dudley had shipped to me and set to work measuring sample…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: We are very grateful to Art Dudley for all his high praise and many accolades of the Larsen 8 speaker in his insightful and positive review. We appreciate all his efforts. As Art rightfully states, the Larsen 8 is a speaker for music lovers who want to forget the gear, sit back, and enjoy their music. When you do that, the Larsen speaker makes you "immensely happy," as Art writes.
Larsen speakers continue the development of the highly acclaimed Carlsson Acoustics OA-52, which Stig Carlsson developed in the 1980s with John Larsen. John Larsen worked…
In the United Kingdom, the first seeds of perfectionism in audio separates were sown by Goodmans Industries, founded in 1925. Then, in 1930, Garrard (est. 1722) produced its first commercial gramophone. Shortly thereafter, England experienced the Great Slump, the British name for the worldwide catastrophe known in the US as the Great Depression. Near the beginning of this economic downturn, in 1932, Gilbert Briggs founded Wharfedale Wireless Works—and the first British "high-fidelity" audio amplifiers began being manufactured by H.J. Leak & Co. Ltd., founded by Harold Joseph Leak in…
I wanted to find out if the 25W of First Watt's J2, designed by Pass Labs' Nelson Pass, would be enough power to make me, Metallica, and the Wharfedale 225s skip, mosh, and fist-pump through some densely vibrating air. I cranked "Battery" to old-man loud, and holy effing shit—these shiny little Brit boxes lit a hot flame that belied their size. They sawed fast and pounded hard. They got me up. I felt loose and free like I was 23. With easy clarity and ambitious drive, they powered my small room to average levels of 89dB and peaks of 96dB. No overcompressed muck. No congealed textures. No…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, port-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) cloth-dome tweeter, 6.5" (165mm) woofer with woven-Kevlar cone. Crossover frequency: 2.3kHz. Frequency response: 45Hz–20kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 4.2 ohms minimum. Peak SPL: 96dB. Bass extension: 40Hz, –6dB. Recommended amplification: 25–120W.
Dimensions: 14" (355mm) H by 7.7" (196mm) W by 10.3" (262mm) D. Weight: 14.3 lbs (6.5kg).
Serial number of units reviewed: WH057516BKF0083 (both).
Finishes: Black, White, Walnut, Rosewood.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Palmer 2.5 turntable, Audio Origami PU-7 tonearm, AMG Teatro cartridge; Linn Sondek LP12 turntable, SME M2-9 tonearm, LP Gear Vessel cartridge.
Digital Sources: Mytek Brooklyn, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DACs; Hegel Music Systems Mohican CD player; Integra DPS-7.2 DVD-A player.
Preamplification: Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III phono preamplifier & Copla MC step-up transformer; Parasound Halo JC 3+ phono stage; Pass Labs HPA-1 preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: First Watt J2, PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium.
Integrated Amplifiers: Line…