Nola Micro Grand Reference
bwright -- Thu, 12/31/2009 - 23:47
Under the recent discovery file - while on a trip to New York, I made an afternoon pilgrimage to Lyric Hi Fi. I ended up listening to a variety of speakers, and came upon a prototype Nola speaker which was eventually christened the Micro Grand Reference.
I hope someone at TAS takes a look at them soon - I'd be interested in reading a comprehensive review. I compared them to a pair of Sonus Faber Amati Anniversarios using the same amp/player, and to my surprise, found the half-pint Nolas far more compelling.
I realize this is all subjective to begin with, but the same conclusion was reached by everyone in attendance. They were truly superb.
Bill
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1999 - 2011 NextScreen. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Have to agree. Also heard them recently at Lyric and was just blown away by how "musical" they were. I have listened to a lot of really good speakers lately : B&W 802D, Dynaudio C4, Wilson Sophia2, Maggie 3.6 and 20.1, Totem Wind, Sonus Faber Elipsa, and Vienna "the Musik". All great speakers in many ways, all flawed in some ways. The Micro was no exception, sounding somewhat constrained at volume with orchestral surge, but oh so musical in every other way that it was probably the one I wanted most to listen to over and over. A close second was the maggie 3.6 (albeit it with a sub): rendition of voices like palpable holographic images that I could reach out and touch. But overall, the Micro was just wonderful. Hard to put into words, so I guess it touched an emotional chord. Now I'm VERY interested in hearing the NOLA Viper floorstander (same price ~15k, more bass, possibly lesser value driver/crossover) to compare. In addition, NOLA has just added a Metro version, which is a larger Micro for ~22k. Definitely recommend a listen, and hope TAS will give either the Micro or Metro a review. BTW, I listened with mostly jazz, although celine dion/bocelli the prayer was beautiful (at normal volume). On a lark, just before leaving, threw a Yes song at them, Starship Trooper. Wow, I just never heard it that clear, distinct and (hear we go again) musical before.
I own the older Nolas, the Viper IIs, with the alnico magnets in the midrange and tweeters, and thought they were wonderful speakers. My only reservation is that they seemed not to have the "tension" of live music, making "ominous" compositions sound a bit more relaxed than they should. Also the fff to ffff sides of music were reduced, keeping the sound from "crashing" over me. I wondered if that was part of the design back then. I'd seen that Carl changed the drivers because people were complaining of that very thing, tthat it seemed to not have all the intensity and drive of live music. In fact, if I remember Roy Gregory's review of the Elites (which are actually the Vipers with an upgrade or two [before the new drivers]) he pointed out that they had a "relaxed" sound.
Did you get that impression with the Micros?
brion:
at least for me, I didn't notice that, but neither was I looking for that. As I mentioned, I have been auditioning lots of very good 10k-25k speakers, and they all have trade-offs. If you are looking for tension and crash, I'd suggest a more dramatic speaker like the Sophia or the 802D, or in this price range, or perhaps the Legacy Focus (based on review only). But for me, the Micro offers an especially musical perspective with great detail and clarity throughout it;s range. The distinction of each instrument and voice is bordering on the spectacular, without the "big wash" overloading me, so I like that immensely. It also definitely sounds very lively to me, just not "crashing" over me, which to be honest is not a sound I'm looking for. Yes, the Sophia's transients and bass energy were startling, but I didn't like it. Guess I'm getting a little too old for the dramatics, and just want to hear great music in a lively but perhaps slightly more relaxed way. The experts tell me that I'm becoming more music lover/audiophile than "hifi" dramatics lover. Is that a compliment, lol? BTW, went back and heard the Metro, and have not yet reached conclusion that it's worth $7k more than the Micro. Brion, have you replaced the Nola, and with what?
Brion - I really agree with your assessment of the Nola Vipers IIs. I also heard them the same day at Lyric Hi Fi - they had the signature warm Nola sound, but somewhat reduced in intensity, particularly in comparison to the Micro. I believe the Micro may be just the thing you're looking for, given your thoughts on the matter. I also heard the Metros recently at CES 2010, and felt they were similar to the Micros with a bit more resolution and extension - and the Micros are still very close, as noted above. Both are well-worth the effort to audition them, particularly with the right system in place. I felt the Metros were a best of show contender at CES.
Just to clarify:
I was at Lyric this week and we modified the Metros so that they are the same as the speakers we showed at CES. We think they sound better now.
Also we updated their Viper References to series III status (MSRP is $16,000) with new Alnico mids and crossover upgrades.
Cheers,
Carl
Carl, yes, to be fair, I should have stated clearly that the Metro at Lyric was a prototype. That said, as I noted above, they sounded great, however there was not yet a clear advantage IMHO over the Micro, which really blew me away. The guys at Lyric did call me to tell me that you had made some modifications, so I'm looking forward to getting back there to listen to them. Great product.
Clearly, for me, I think that open baffle, single driver, and planar/stat can sound more open, realistic and musical to me. The bigger box sounds like the Sophia, SF, etc, while very nice in their own right, just aren't doing it for me. I think what may be a very interesting box vs open baffle competition is a Von Schweikert Unifield 3 vs the Micro. However, first problem right off the bat is VSA's everchanging distribution model, which at this time includes no NY area dealers. Would be an interesting comaprison though. Hopefully someone listen to both and report.
Hi,
At Lyric I also found out that the Metro loses a great deal if the Micros are sitting next to them. It is as if there is a veil thrown over the upper mids with the Micro sitting there which causes a loss of immediacy. Interestingly the Micro does not lose as much sitting next to the Metros . Anyway for best sound from the Metros have them move the Micros.
Cheers
Jeffkad:
Live music has "crash" to it: Scheherazade, The Firebird, Rites of Spring. Speakers should not have "crash," but neither should they NOT have "crash" if it's part of the music. Preferences are one thing, but a correct reproduction of music is paramount, so that the compositions that have "crash" (why not subsitute "swing" as in big band: it's the same thing, just a different type) should startle, while more lyric compositions should sound lyrical.
I'm not sure what halls you might be listening in, but in Carnegie, when the music has "crash" it washes over you. It's just the way music is sometimes. The thing is whether one appreciates the music as the composed intended it or whether one wants it tailored to one's one tastes. I'm not much for the "tailoring" effect in equipment. That's what reviewers mean when they say the equipment got out of the way of the music: that the music sounded as it was meant to sound. Speakers shouldn't do this in an obvious way. If they do, they're sound producers not sound RE-producers.
Jeffkdad:
Forgot one thing: I never replace my speakers. I have around 10 pairs of speakers: Hales, three Nolas: Esprit, Elite (that's what they were originally called) with Alnicos in tweeter and midrange, and Alon Petit, Audio Artistry Dvorak, Usher 718, Mirage 490s, Metronomes and Sound Dynamics RTS 3s. For utter grainlessness, none of the others beat the Sound Dynamics.
Actually...I lied. I did sell some of my other speakers when I lived in California: WATT/Puppy, Avalon, and Goldmund Super Dialogues. Speakers are, to me, a learning experience, not something I attach myself to. I only attach to human beings!
I still have the Nolas, but they're not upgradeable, and the drivers changed from the models I bought (back around 2004), so I'm sure the newer ones are better. I thought them terrific, but they were TOO relaxed. They only barked when they really should have bitten. I'm very happy if the newer ones have more "bite" -- or "crash" to them. Scheherazade without "crash" is a bit absurd, isn't it??