Nola Concert Grands

[Priaptor]

Thank you! Very very interesting. In terms of scale...when playing a 20-piece ensemble or even a 4-piece band...what would you say the differences in life-life effortlessness and scale are between your X1s and these Nolas?

When hearing Genesis 1.1s...my immediate reaction was that I felt like my X1s would be Sashas to Alexias in comparison. Similar reaction for Arrakis 2...obviously a direct shootout would be required with a long audition period to be sure, but in all the years, times and rooms I have heard X1/X2/XLF, I have never anything remotely like the big Genesis 1s or even the Arrakis 2.

That is a difficult question. When I hear people claim it is "live" or like "live" I am never sure how to put it. I guess one's definition of live must be looked at in the context of the venue, where one sits, if there is amplification of the music, a hall with no amplifications, the quality of the hall, etc. Then of course, is the mastering and how that interferes with the live experience. I have been to some amazing live concerts and to some really lousy ones as well.

The scale is maintained NO MATTER what music is being played. I can be an intimate quartet, a huge symphony or a solo like Sinatra with a band in the distance. The scale is ALWAYS real. The music always sounds "real" and in some cases it is scary, almost like a time/space warp where you are brought to the artists and they are with you performing. With my X1s they imaged nicely, were accurate but they never moved me like these. My son, not an audiophile describe the sensation as a bubble of sound and to a certain sense that is exactly what they are.

They would probably most resemble the Genesis you heard, although of course, they are different and you would have to hear it to make up your own mind. I am not here to say these are the "best" speakers as that would be foolish and nothing but provocative but they are fantastic, if you are considering speakers in the range you are quoting worth a listen and see if they are your thing. Compared to most other speakers they are simple to set up, require minimal tweaking and are infinitely enjoyable.

 

[LL21]

That is a difficult question. When I hear people claim it is "live" or like "live" I am never sure how to put it. I guess one's definition of live must be looked at in the context of the venue, where one sits, if there is amplification of the music, a hall with no amplifications, the quality of the hall, etc. Then of course, is the mastering and how that interferes with the live experience. I have been to some amazing live concerts and to some really lousy ones as well.

The scale is maintained NO MATTER what music is being played. I can be an intimate quartet, a huge symphony or a solo like Sinatra with a band in the distance. The scale is ALWAYS real. The music always sounds "real" and in some cases it is scary, almost like a time/space warp where you are brought to the artists and they are with you performing. With my X1s they imaged nicely, were accurate but they never moved me like these. My son, not an audiophile describe the sensation as a bubble of sound and to a certain sense that is exactly what they are.

They would probably most resemble the Genesis you heard, although of course, they are different and you would have to hear it to make up your own mind. I am not here to say these are the "best" speakers as that would be foolish and nothing but provocative but they are fantastic, if you are considering speakers in the range you are quoting worth a listen and see if they are your thing. Compared to most other speakers they are simple to set up, require minimal tweaking and are infinitely enjoyable.

Thank you! That is an excellent description that gives me a lot to chew on and consider. I am almost feel like I know what to expect when I hear them based on your detailed description...and it definitely sounds like something I will investigate.

I think for me, disappearing is also part of the act of music making...but scale is something else when done at a certain level. I heard ONE note from Norah Jones, and it was so powerful, it made the same note coming from an X1 like the difference between hearing a Steinway Grand...and a small Roland electronic keyboard. There is power, impact, depth that is so instantaneous, so powerful and yet so unassuming when it strikes...I was actually shocked to hear it...and then realized a moment later that other SOTA speakers have delivered when I've heard them...maybe 75% of that power, impact and depth...and sometimes I can feel the speaker pushing that impact which adds a cumbersome mechanical flavour.

Sounds from your description like Nolas are more like the former...most intriguing! Thanks again.

 

[Priaptor]

Thank you! That is an excellent description that gives me a lot to chew on and consider. I am almost feel like I know what to expect when I hear them based on your detailed description...and it definitely sounds like something I will investigate.

I think for me, disappearing is also part of the act of music making...but scale is something else when done at a certain level. I heard ONE note from Norah Jones, and it was so powerful, it made the same note coming from an X1 like the difference between hearing a Steinway Grand...and a small Roland electronic keyboard. There is power, impact, depth that is so instantaneous, so powerful and yet so unassuming when it strikes...I was actually shocked to hear it...and then realized a moment later that other SOTA speakers have delivered when I've heard them...maybe 75% of that power, impact and depth...and sometimes I can feel the speaker pushing that impact which adds a cumbersome mechanical flavour.

Sounds from your description like Nolas are more like the former...most intriguing! Thanks again.

Exactly.

Excellent description that for occurred when I got them. It was pretty shocking. I know EXACTLY what you are saying. It is an experience.

 

[adyc]

LL21

They are "big" physically but not like other speakers in sonically. The speakers literally disappear. I have let many neophytes listen and not one believe the music is coming from the speakers. They point to the traps, etc.

Those who are audiophiles and come to listen are astounded that these "huge" speakers can disappear as they do and present the image they do and I like a relative nearfield so even though physically large listening to them is a much different experience than most other large speakers.

My X1s never gave me this intimacy or came close to the transparency and full range coherence.

Is it possible to post a picture of your speakers and room?

 

[Elliot G.]

Exactly.

Excellent description that for occurred when I got them. It was pretty shocking. I know EXACTLY what you are saying. It is an experience.

I think one thing you haven't mentioned is how fast and how efficient and easy to drive they are. When a product has this as well as a super low noise floor the sense of realism is greatly increased. The micro dynamics are there as well as the macro dynamics. I think that the small dynamics are what makes a system sound live. The fingers on a string the intonation in the vocals etc are what really gives that you are there sensation. These speakers do it in spades.

 

[LL21]

I think one thing you haven't mentioned is how fast and how efficient and easy to drive they are. When a product has this as well as a super low noise floor the sense of realism is greatly increased. The micro dynamics are there as well as the macro dynamics. I think that the small dynamics are what makes a system sound live. The fingers on a string the intonation in the vocals etc are what really gives that you are there sensation. These speakers do it in spades.

I would agree that those particular characteristics are very important. I am looking forward to hearing these, and have communicated with Nola about hearing them later this year.

 

[Elliot G.]

I would agree that those particular characteristics are very important. I am looking forward to hearing these, and have communicated with Nola about hearing them later this year.

Where are you located?

 

[mep]

Where are you located?

He's on the wrong side of the pond.

 

[LL21]

He's on the wrong side of the pond.

I'd have to go to nyc, but that does not bother me. its a nice place to visit for vacation in the summer.

 

[Priaptor]

Is it possible to post a picture of your speakers and room?

I will. It will be a few days.

You will be surprised by the limited treatment and the position relative to room size but I can guarantee you they room is conducive to better sound than many rooms with 50k + in room treatments. I was very surprised at how good the room works. As I said I took a huge room and used a few well placed traps to make the listening environment much more intimate.

 

[adyc]

I will. It will be a few days.

You will be surprised by the limited treatment and the position relative to room size but I can guarantee you they room is conducive to better sound than many rooms with 50k + in room treatments. I was very surprised at how good the room works. As I said I took a huge room and used a few well placed traps to make the listening environment much more intimate.

Looking forward to the photo. I am happy that you find a speaker that you can forget about everything and enjoying music. This makes me very interested in listening to this speaker. Do you have any idea how this compares to MBL speaker?

 

[Priaptor]

Looking forward to the photo. I am happy that you find a speaker that you can forget about everything and enjoying music. This makes me very interested in listening to this speaker. Do you have any idea how this compares to MBL speaker?

Very different in many ways and very similar in others. Both disappear like few others and both immerse you in the soundstage. The differences are really preference and I prefer the Nola.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Very different in many ways and very similar in others. Both disappear like few others and both immerse you in the soundstage. The differences are really preference and I prefer the Nola.

I have a question slightly off topic.

What really good high-end speakers don't disappear?

 

[Carl]

Some of the differences between Nola and other loudspeakers are obvious and some are not. Nola is quite different in its goals and in its implementation , from other brands,

- We use special mid range drivers operating on an open baffle. These use Alnico magnet systems, which while much more costly than ferrite ceramic, provide the lowest dynamic distortion.
- The open baffle mid has no coloration due to a mid range enclosure as there is no enclosure or enclosure material. In the mid band we found that the best enclosure is none.
- The short line source array is unique to Nola and provides the advantages of line source radiation, but with superior focus and imaging not possible with a floor to ceiling line source.
- It is well known that dipole radiation in the mid band provides the least reflections from your room surfaces, as it cancels sound toward ceiling, floor and side walls-so you get to hear more of the acoustic of the recording and less of the sound of your room. This is in contrast to front firing mono pole or omni-directional radiation.
-Low moving mass over the entire range. Our subwoofer drivers, without a crossover are flat to 1000 Hz with low distortion. However we use them only below 40 Hz. So we start fast and get faster as we go up the range. Most speakers use 6 1/2 inch mid range drivers with a moving mass typically of 16 grams.This is way too slow, in my opinion. Our mids are only 4 1/2 inches, with a moving mass of only 3 grams. Of course we use 4 of these instead of the single 6 1/2 inch--so our approach is much more expensive. Our 4 woofers have a mass of 7 grams--compare this to 30 grams or more in other designs. The true ribbon tweeter and true ribbon super tweeter have a moving mass at least 25 times less than any known dome tweeter. This very low mass design across the whole range is necessary to preserve the nuance, micro dynamics and "jump factor" of the real thing.
Our unique "Unison" crossover design is a 5 way passive design implemented over 7 hand wired crossover boards per speaker. This allows easy drive 8 ohm load with 91 dB sensitivity. So a high quality medium power stereo amp is capable of driving Concert Grand to "live" levels. This means you get to choose the amp--the speaker does not force a choice.

These are some of the highlights of the design-- there is more but I do not want to bore you with details. The point is Concert Grand has a lot of real differences compared to other designs.
Cheers

 

[Elliot G.]

I have a question slightly off topic.

What really good high-end speakers don't disappear?

Most will disappear in some manner however there is IMHO a big difference in the way this speaker gets out of the way versus some of the large box speakers do.
The capability to create the illusion that you have been transported to a different time and place is something truly special with the Nola's in my opinion.

 

[microstrip]

I have a question slightly off topic.

What really good high-end speakers don't disappear?

Many high-end speakers can disappear in the sense in do not hear the sound coming from the speakers. However very few will make your room also disappear, replacing it with the acoustics of the recording. Surely the system, room and recording will also play a part in it.

 

[Priaptor]

Many high-end speakers can disappear in the sense in do not hear the sound coming from the speakers. However very few will make your room also disappear, replacing it with the acoustics of the recording. Surely the system, room and recording will also play a part in it.

Micro,

I have never had a real life experience with any system where you are literally immersed in the reproduction. I am now. I got it to an extent with the Baby Grands, but not to this degree. The scale with the Concert Grands are not bloated or distorted in any way and hence why so realistic and quite amazing. Someone, I think Elliot called them a time machine and in a way that is very apt description. It is like one of those movies where someone crosses to a different dimension and finds themselves in the real setting they were either talking, thinking or reading about. That is how I feel every time I turn on the system; that I have crossed a barrier and have been cocooned with the performers.

Many other brands can somewhat reproduce the effect under extremely special circumstances, whereas even a moron like myself in a typical room can garner the results I describe. With my Wilson's no matter how much I tried, no matter who they sent to my "specially constructed" listening room could I reproduce what I was looking for. They were excellent, but not this.

The last thing I will say is that another characteristic that makes these speakers so awesome is how easy it is to achieve the results. I can't stress that enough. This really is the first speaker I have owned or in the past sold, that I really just want to do nothing but listen to the music. In fact, there are some things I have to do my new Townshend racks that I have been remiss in doing as I don't want to fuss and I just want to listen and I still have crap all over my room that should have been cleaned up long ago-BUT, every night, I say, do I want to finish or do I want to listen and the latter desire always wins out.

 

[LL21]

Fascinating reading...the descriptions by Carl, Priaptor and Elliot G are much appreciated, and intrigue me to go out of my way to listen to these. Looking forward to it.

 

[Elliot G.]

I believe that the lowering of the noise floor is a major secret in the advancement of Audio. The ability to "hear" more and into the system always seems to bring about a further sense of enjoyment and realism. I dont mean bright or more detail but rather the ability of the system to get the heck out of the way and allow you to get inside.
This is where speed, clarity and the lack of electronic noise whether active or passive leaves. The better the system at this low level noise and dynamics the more engaging and realistic the music.
Just one mans observations across the entire audio spectrum.

 

[Hyperion]

I'd have to go to nyc, but that does not bother me. its a nice place to visit for vacation in the summer.

Very soon you will only have to travel to Stockholm Lloyd. Welcome