Talon Hawk - your experience, opinion?

surprising that no has responded to this thread, so I guess I will have to respond to my own! After less than a week it is obvious that this is the best Talon speaker to date. The Hawk looks like an amputation of the Firebird, which I have not heard, but despite (or perhaps because of) its diminutive size, it is just plain stunning. Easily and dramatically more musical than of any of the previous Talon speakers. Detailed but not aggressive, smooth but not bland or boring; very dynamic with a huge soundstage. Excellent bass, regardless of driver or cabinet size. In a word: musical, extremely musical - you just plain forget the equipment and hear the music.

Great question, since both are excellent speakers. I traded my Hawks for Raven C's. The Hawks of course can't approach the bass reproduction of the Raven C's. Few speakers can. The Raven's bass response is just stunning. Pitch correct, full, deep, fast, musical. The Hawks, on the other hand provide more detail and sound faster overall than the Ravens. Imaging of the Hawks is better, they sound more refined. From a practical standpoint, the Hawks are easier to deal with. Much smaller of course and lighter. The Hawks aren't as dynamic nor will they fill the room like the Ravens. If you like it loud, the Ravens will simply immerse you in the music and not go over the top. Either speaker will treat you nicely, they certainly won't beat you up, and I like the looks of both. In a smaller room, and if volume is not an issue, the Hawks are the ticket. In a larger room and for those who require a true, full range speaker, the Raven is the better choice. Probably the best of all worlds was the Hawk with the Magellan VIII sub woofer. If you have not heard the Magellan sub woofers, you are missing a real treat -- a welcome departure and excellent reproducer of bass notes. I have owned 4 subs including the Talon Roc and it is the best by far. Tremendous combination, though the combo still won't exceed the Ravens in overall scale or loudness. Both require power - I ran the Hawks with the HALO A21 250 watt SS amp and it was just enough. A 125 watt amp made them sound puny. You really can't go wrong, it depends on your tastes, as usual, room size and needs. Be sure to get a quality stand with the Hawks, they are smallish, but still weigh 45 lbs or so.

Actually had the VR4 Jr's in the house at the same time as the Hawks. Interesting comparison. The Hawks are definitely more refined, more "sophisticated" sounding -- hard to describe, but when you A/B the two speakers, the Hawk immediately sounds like a better reproducer: more detail, better imaging, more resolution, equally or more musical. That said, the VR4 Jr's have better bass and have a very appealing quality to them as well. The VR's are bit of a pain to deal with -- you have to add lead shot, the spikes are a bit puny, you have two boxes per speaker, several binding post options etc etc, but once set up and broken in they are a really nice speaker. Good detail and very involving. I could easily have lived with either and had both, in fact, for sale at the same time. I planned to keep which ever speaker did not sell first. If you require deep bass, the VR4 is a better choice -- if you prefer more refinement and clarity, the Hawk is better. I ended up with the Raven C because the VR 4's sold first and I wanted a full range speaker, which the Hawk is not. The Raven C is a "bigger" sounding speaker though not as refined as the Hawk. Though I was unable to A/B the Raven C vs. the VR 4 Jr's, I know I could easily have lived with both. The bass of the Raven C is superior to that of the VR4 Jr, but I am not convinced it is a more emotionally involving speaker. Again, there is a musical quality to the VR 4 Jr's that is difficult to put in words, you have to hear them and they must be broken in. Extension on both speakers is good and I like the looks of both. All 3 speakers are winners.