Capital Audiofest (CAF) 2017 & CanMania Show Report
Dr. Vinyl, Larsen, Pear Audio Blue, And EnKlein
CAF 2017 Show Report By Kemper Holt

  It isn't often you enter a room at a show that you find not only all the equipment against a wall but the speakers as well. Where are the room treatments? Why aren't the speakers four feet out from the wall? Audiophiles who don't have a dedicated listening room, I'm guessing 85% of us, typically have some room decor considerations to run by a significant other. Most (all) of the time having speakers three to five feet off the front wall for better soundscaping will be met with resistance. Sometimes the compromise is that all parties are unhappy. Jose Ramirez, a.k.a. Dr. Vinyl, has a perfect solution that will keep everyone happy, they're called Larsen loudspeakers. Designed with the goal of having to be placed against a wall, the Larsen lineup has an unusual looking (without grille) driver layout. They use the wall boundary as a benefit, especially the bass reinforcement, they are not big speakers but they can deliver room crunching deep bass.

Jose used a simple system comprised of his finest gear in Room 323. The biggest in the lineup Larsen 8 loudspeakers ($6,995/pr) Pear Audio Blue Reference preamp ($6,495) Pear Audio Blue Reference Mono amplifiers ($6,495) Pear Audio Blue Kid Howard turntable w/ Cornet 2 tonearm ($4,995) Hana SL Low output moving coil cartridge ($750) Bob's Devices Sky Cinemag 120 step up transformer ($1,225) and EnKlein Cables stringing it all together.

The music I heard had plenty of detail, rich string tone, horns had the right amount of bite and were dynamically alive, vocals were perfectly centered and nicely focused while sounding very real, and the bass was tight, quick, and had great impact with drum kits sounding alive with energy. The bass goes very deep with authority and the ability to pressurize a room, very deceptive from the modest size cabinets. Imaging was precise and the soundstage was wide and deep as the speakers disappeared nicely. If you've been looking for speakers that don't dominate a room with their size or placement demands, call Dr. Vinyl, I mean Jose, and audition a pair of Larsens.

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