The Aspara Acoustics HL-2 Loudspeaker

Anyway, while I’m not quite ready to chop up my H1s for firewood just yet, the little HL-2 demonstrated areas where improvements could be made.Indeed, due to having experienced the HL-2s, I actually got my soldering iron out and made a small modification to the crossover of my H1s – aiming for similar integration and cleanness. I really can’t pay the HL-2 a higher or more sincere compliment than that. On a practical note, the original H1 was not a success commercially – mainly down to size and price.

And while it has some distinct sonic advantages over smaller upstarts like the HL-2, it’s larger than most people want in their living rooms. In this context, a pair of HL-2s partnered with a decent sub would give the H1 a good contest without taking up vast swathes of living room space. For the well-heeled without size/price considerations, Aspara offer two other speakers – the £3600 HL-6 which sits immediately above the HL-2, and the £6000 HL-1 - a sort of modern day Aspara equivalent to the old Impulse H-1.

The Aspara HL-1 features a compression driver for the mid/top, and a fully horn-loaded bass driver. Efficiency is said to be around 102dB, which is pretty high. I hope to obtain a pair for review in the not too distant future, and am looking forward to the encounter. Well - sort of. Having just experienced what Aspara have achieved with just two drive units in a (relatively) small enclosure, I have an inkling the HL-1 is going to blow my H1s into the weeds.

Although very happy with theH1s (especially since making that crossover modification inspired by the HL-2), I wonder how they will seem after living with a pair of HL-1s. There’s only one way to find out…