Seeking input on Larsen speakers

I listened to either the 8 or 9 at Axpona this year and was very impressed. To be honest I can’t recall the details but they were among the best I heard in a typically poor trade show hotel room environment. If you are interested, seek them out. It’s worth the effort. 

One other speaker that gets a miss and is still available, the Direct Acoustics Silent Speaker. The looks may not be great, but the price to fun factor is in the extreme here. I owned a pair for a few years.

These can be placed very close to the wall behind them, tailor your bass response with that distance, work a little with toe for staging etc., good to go.
 
Another really fun thing which I tried briefly, and I believe was mentioned in Stereophile(?) review possibly, place a pair, so two pairs back to back, for an even more Omni presentation. It worked quite well. One had to be a bit more careful with positioning, but it worked quite well.
  
Many fun speakers out there to listen to, sometimes it is just taking the time and effort to search them out and hear for yourself what sounds good to your ears!

I heard some Larsens--6's??--at CAF 2018, set up on long wall of small hotel room.  Listening sofa jammed against opposite wall.  I was severely underwhelmed.  And yes, surprise, surprise, there was no depth of soundstage.

sfmorris, I was a dealer for Larsen speakers for several years and had two pair in my home.  Like all omnidirectional speakers they have a different presentation than direct, forward facing drivers.  If you are a fan of live, unamplified music then you will find the Larsens a revelation.  Music sounds like a live performance.  All models exhibit good range and tone is lifelike and realistic, without coloration.

What twoleftears described above as no depth of sound stage I would describe as an accurate sound stage.  The Larsen speakers exhibit no audiophile tricks or gimmicks.  Also, they can (must) be placed smack against the wall so all you need to adjust is how far apart.  Most times proper placement is achieved in five minutes or less.

I sold the Models 4, 6 and 8.  The Model 9 was not designed when I decided to get out of the audio business but I understand that they sound great.  The Model 4 is a steal, the Model 6 is a very good speaker but the 8 is a remarkable speaker for the price.  I sold more Model 8s the other models combined.  All models sound similar but there is more goodness as you go up the line.

Downsides: sure, like any speaker not one is perfect for all music, all rooms or all ears.  As mentioned, there are no audiophile effects or artifacts.  The soundstage is painted as a huge audio mural on the wall behind the speakers.  Imaging is good but ot pinpoint, as in a live acoustic performance.  And while I played all sorts of music though my Larsens they probably wouldn't be my first choice for heavy rock, metal or electronica.

Great, honest speakers that capture the essence acoustical music better than most.  Interestingly, many of my customer that purchased Larsen speakers are/were professional musicians.

Enjoy

Really excellent and helpful insights! Re genres that are a good fit, is there a bit more you can tell me about why heavy rock wouldn’t be a great fit for them (just curios - I wonder if it’s something the newer 9s perhaps do better than previous models?)

thanks again to everyone!