Nola Concert Grands
- Thread starter Elliot G.
- Start date
Fascinating. I remember that Harry Pearson regarded these very highly many years ago...to a novice they seemed to share similar ambition to massive 4-towers for those who aspired to the massive IRS V of old -- 4 tower, 7 feet tall, wide range 12hz - 100khz, ribbons, etc. I wonder how much the latest versions have evolved from those days.
Do you sense the designs as well as execution remain state of the art in performance today? I would really like to hear them some day. For a 4-tower, the big Grand Ref VII Gold has a particularly attractive foot print for each channel: 12" x 16" and 13" x 26", each 7' tall.
I have heard them only once, at CAF last year, and with unfamiliar music. I had the feeling that I like the sound of the open baffle.
I think the current model that I heard is competitive with state of the art performance today
Was this old model open baffle?
Yes, that is part of the Nola philosophy, that was also there when they were called Alon, and before that Dahlquist. It's just the bass that is always in the box.
Thanks, Ron. The Grand Ref VII Gold is their current flagship and definitely appears to be a renewed version but based on a very stable, historic design.
It honestly feels like you could take this basic design to a good speaker maker and they could probably replicate it. Obviously making an appropriate crossover and internal bracing is another matter.
Yes, on the one hand, I suppose I could see that.
On the other hand, whether it be horns or the massive Genesis Ones...the designs have been around for 30-40-70+ years...and yet the upgrades, nuances that are changed in the execution can sometimes make significant differences. I think of the AG Trio G3...not having ever heard the earlier versions, I think of the significant coverage this speaker is now having with Roy G, Jacob H, the owners here, and I have to admit having heard it myself late last year, even me. And yet the Trio has been around for quite some time.
In this case, is it a matter of a great design and dont fix it? Or a great design that could use a full modernization? Or perhaps it has actually had a full modernization?
What I am intrigued about is its scale...huge and yet a friendly footprint in-room. The AG Trios basically seem to required 25 sq ft per channel (5' x 5') one way or the other. Our XLFs (2' x 2') even with dual Funk 18.2s (2' x 2') would require 8 sq ft per channel. So the Trio is a huge [literally] commitment to space as remarkable a speaker as it is. The Nola Grand Ref VII Gold is potentially less floor area-demanding than the XLF + dual subs and it appears certainly not more.
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