dudlew
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2002
- Posts
- 1,158
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- 152
I had checked my shipping agent on Monday to see if my package had arrived, and it did. So I picked up my new babies and ran away from work to set them up, being the thirsty audio monster I am.
Well as I got the boxes inside, opened them up and got the speakers out, the looks stunned me. The pictures of these dont do them any justice at all. I took my time (yeah right) and installed the outrigger(?) and the spikes and I used some small pieces of my speaker wire as jumpers. I then put them in the same position as my old speakers (B&W DM601).
In this position, my first impression was of a slightly overpowering, and slow bass line. The bass was deep fat and loud, a bass head's wet dream. In my room there is absolutely no need for a sub with these. The bass as I said was slow and ponderous and this was a big distraction for me. It wasnt drowning the rest of the information per say, It was just louder than it should be. The rest of the sound was also different from my 601s. If you are looking for a warm, rich sounding speaker, with a slightly forward balance, then in my opinion this is not it. The sound in the rest of the frequency range was what I would call flat, or just a little lean, with a slight nasal quality. All of the detail and sound was there, but it was not as forward (especially in the midrange) as I was accustomed to with the 601s. It is not a bad sound though and I found my self enjoying it as I went along.
In the last few days, I was experimenting with positioning, and I think I have found a good location for these relative to my listening position. I pulled them a little further off of the rear wall and toed them in slightly. They are about 5 feet apart.
Now, the bass is balanced. It still has the extension, but is now tight and mor under control. It does highlight recordings with and excessive bass line though, a thing that the 601s could not really do well.
Also the rest of the sound has opened up a bit. The slight nasal quality is still there, but the midrange has bloomed just a little bit more than it was before, so the sound is a tad richer.
The big surprise for me is the treble. It is clean and crisp. It is more extended than the 601s, but with less bite. It is not aggressive, but it is still crisp and clear and very revealing of the treble on the recording. If the recording is bright and has alot of sibilance you will know it for sure. The 601s will also let you know it, but with a more aggressive and metallic quality and, despite this, seemingly less extension.
The overall sound is enjoyable if a little laid back in the midrange reigion a bit, and it does encourage you to crank the volume, as at low volumes the lack of that bloom makes it sound a little lifeless. But once you do crank it, it will definitly liven up the music. The good and bad thing about this speaker is that you dont realize how loud it is until you realize that your phone is ring and it sounds like a distant part of the music, or you are listening with someone and you have to shout for them to hear you when you speak!! They are definitly effortless in their sound. The only thing that sounds bit strained is the bass, and this would only be at levels where the mirrors or the window pains in the room might start resonating from the power of it!! The built in subs re only 8" but they can kick up to their limits and are more dynamic than I bargained for.
I like this speaker and see it as an upgrade to the 601 in terms of overall performance. I prefer the mids of the 601 a bit better, but the overall sound goes to the NHTs. cleaner treble, my dynamic and better bass extension with an overall more neutral (to my ears at least) sound to it.
And to consider that I only paid $670 for them as well (I could have gotten a cheaper set but that sale fell through) I think I did well
If you are looking for a speaker in this price range, then you should give these a look.
D
Well as I got the boxes inside, opened them up and got the speakers out, the looks stunned me. The pictures of these dont do them any justice at all. I took my time (yeah right) and installed the outrigger(?) and the spikes and I used some small pieces of my speaker wire as jumpers. I then put them in the same position as my old speakers (B&W DM601).
In this position, my first impression was of a slightly overpowering, and slow bass line. The bass was deep fat and loud, a bass head's wet dream. In my room there is absolutely no need for a sub with these. The bass as I said was slow and ponderous and this was a big distraction for me. It wasnt drowning the rest of the information per say, It was just louder than it should be. The rest of the sound was also different from my 601s. If you are looking for a warm, rich sounding speaker, with a slightly forward balance, then in my opinion this is not it. The sound in the rest of the frequency range was what I would call flat, or just a little lean, with a slight nasal quality. All of the detail and sound was there, but it was not as forward (especially in the midrange) as I was accustomed to with the 601s. It is not a bad sound though and I found my self enjoying it as I went along.
In the last few days, I was experimenting with positioning, and I think I have found a good location for these relative to my listening position. I pulled them a little further off of the rear wall and toed them in slightly. They are about 5 feet apart.
Now, the bass is balanced. It still has the extension, but is now tight and mor under control. It does highlight recordings with and excessive bass line though, a thing that the 601s could not really do well.
Also the rest of the sound has opened up a bit. The slight nasal quality is still there, but the midrange has bloomed just a little bit more than it was before, so the sound is a tad richer.
The big surprise for me is the treble. It is clean and crisp. It is more extended than the 601s, but with less bite. It is not aggressive, but it is still crisp and clear and very revealing of the treble on the recording. If the recording is bright and has alot of sibilance you will know it for sure. The 601s will also let you know it, but with a more aggressive and metallic quality and, despite this, seemingly less extension.
The overall sound is enjoyable if a little laid back in the midrange reigion a bit, and it does encourage you to crank the volume, as at low volumes the lack of that bloom makes it sound a little lifeless. But once you do crank it, it will definitly liven up the music. The good and bad thing about this speaker is that you dont realize how loud it is until you realize that your phone is ring and it sounds like a distant part of the music, or you are listening with someone and you have to shout for them to hear you when you speak!! They are definitly effortless in their sound. The only thing that sounds bit strained is the bass, and this would only be at levels where the mirrors or the window pains in the room might start resonating from the power of it!! The built in subs re only 8" but they can kick up to their limits and are more dynamic than I bargained for.
I like this speaker and see it as an upgrade to the 601 in terms of overall performance. I prefer the mids of the 601 a bit better, but the overall sound goes to the NHTs. cleaner treble, my dynamic and better bass extension with an overall more neutral (to my ears at least) sound to it.
And to consider that I only paid $670 for them as well (I could have gotten a cheaper set but that sale fell through) I think I did well
If you are looking for a speaker in this price range, then you should give these a look.
D
