Early impressions of the NX-Oticas and H-frames

Tomy2Tone · « **Reply #20 on:** 31 May 2016, 08:50 pm »

Quote from: Vedder323 on 31 May 2016, 04:54 pm

With the paint, I found using a roller and flat enamel worked extremely well. I think we often get stuck in a rut of going super glossy or glass like, as if is the only finish that looks good but thats not been my experience. Like HAL mentioned the Duratex would also work just fine. By the way, this was my first time doing wood veneer and it was easy...

Amen on the glossy finish...

Those speakers look like they belong in that room!! Great job!

Early B. · « **Reply #21 on:** 31 May 2016, 10:26 pm »

Nice pre-review. I know these speakers sound incredible. Once you get them dialed in, they're gonna exceed your expectations.

Ric Schultz · « **Reply #22 on:** 31 May 2016, 11:14 pm »

Let these burn in for awhile and then put better xover parts in them......will blow your mind....a whole nuther level.....Ferrari level. You want the Jantzen Wax foil coils: 12 gauge for the midrange coil and 14 or 16 gauge for the tweeter coil and Clarity Cap MRs. See this link for info on two others who tried the Zantzens versus the stock Erse:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=141060.80

Tyson said on another thread that the fully burned in Clarity Cap MRs were definitely better than the Sonicaps.

Speaker drivers/open baffles this good demand the best xover parts.

Captainhemo · « **Reply #23 on:** 1 Jun 2016, 02:18 am »

Where can we get the 2.5 mH Jentzen wax/foil inductors Ric ?

I have used the Clarity MR caps before, I was hapy with the results

jay

mlundy57 · « **Reply #24 on:** 1 Jun 2016, 02:36 am »

Quote from: Captainhemo on 1 Jun 2016, 02:18 am

Where can we get the 2.5 mH Jentzen wax/foil inductors Ric ?

I have used the Clarity MR caps before, I was hapy with the results

jay

You think the Clarity MR caps sound better than the Sonicaps by-passed by Sonicap Platinums?

Ric Schultz · « **Reply #25 on:** 1 Jun 2016, 03:09 am »

Parts Express is the only US dealer for Jantzen that I know of. Check out their stock, if they don't have what you need you can custom order it and it will come in on the next shipment (could be over a month). Check the Jantzen site for values made.

Here is a place in Europe that seems to stock tons of them: https://www.audiohobby.eu/en/5539-jantzen-audio-wax-coil
You don't pay VAT or other tax. Never ordered from them. But if I needed Jantzens fast (and why would you want to listen to those veiled Erse's) then I would give them a try.

Captainhemo · « **Reply #26 on:** 1 Jun 2016, 03:58 am »

Quote from: mlundy57 on 1 Jun 2016, 02:36 am

You think the Clarity MR caps sound better than the Sonicaps by-passed by Sonicap Platinums?

Mike,
I was actually using the Clarity MR's as coupling caps in the Jolida, I haven't used them in any speaker YET but I do plan to at some point. I found them to be extremely neutral and very tranparent. When I installed them, it was like liftng a vail, I know, that's a cliche but it's how the overall presentation seemed to change. It didnt take overly long either, there wasn;t a huge burn in period.
"Upgrading" caps is always a bit of concernn, how much return do you actually get for your investment ? Yeah, in the case of my amp I installed the MR's into,, it did make a difference, but could I have attained the same results with a Gen 1 Soniccap for far less money ? Hard to say unless you do a back to back comparion.

I'd love to compare the MR's alone vs the Sonicap G1 bypassed with a SC Platinum as I'm a fan of the Platinum bypass caps, I use them on the dodd pre now and i've used them as bypass caps in the high pass filter feeding Neo3's a couple of times .. one of these days I'd like to do some comparisons including using the Jupiter coppers as bypass caps.

Ric, yes, I checked PE but they didn't have the value. Will check out the link you posted

jay

gab · « **Reply #27 on:** 1 Jun 2016, 09:41 pm »

Quote from: Ric Schultz on 1 Jun 2016, 03:09 am

Here is a place in Europe that seems to stock tons of them: https://www.audiohobby.eu/en/5539-jantzen-audio-wax-coil
You don't pay VAT or other tax. Never ordered from them. But if I needed Jantzens fast (and why would you want to listen to those veiled Erse's) then I would give them a try.

But don't believe their "in stock" status on a particular coil you want. I made an order today and later, after paying, they sent me an email saying they were back ordered. Who knows when I will get them. Probably NOT fast.........

gab

Ric Schultz · « **Reply #28 on:** 1 Jun 2016, 10:11 pm »

Of course, they don't stock the value YOU want. They say they have everything in stock....not possible. Anytime you see that you email first and ask if they have stock on the item you want.....and if not, how long before they get them. Just like Parts Express, they will probably just get them in with the next order. These coils are pretty much custom.....too bad. Danny should stock the ones used in his speakers (and Clarity Cap MRs).....then we would all win. He can make money selling updated xovers and we can get better xovers/sound without looking for exotic parts all over the world.

gab · « **Reply #29 on:** 1 Jun 2016, 10:23 pm »

At least Parts Express doesn't lead you on saying everything is in stock. Wish I had gone with them for a special order. Oh well live and learn

gab · « **Reply #30 on:** 1 Jun 2016, 10:35 pm »

Maybe everything will be okay with these folks. Here is a DIYaudio thread concerning them:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/parts/257989-audiohobby-eu-trustworthy.html

Danny Richie · « **Reply #31 on:** 2 Jun 2016, 02:31 am »

Quote from: Ric Schultz on 31 May 2016, 11:14 pm

Let these burn in for awhile and then put better xover parts in them......will blow your mind....a whole nuther level.....Ferrari level. You want the Jantzen Wax foil coils: 12 gauge for the midrange coil and 14 or 16 gauge for the tweeter coil and Clarity Cap MRs. See this link for info on two others who tried the Zantzens versus the stock Erse:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=141060.80

Tyson said on another thread that the fully burned in Clarity Cap MRs were definitely better than the Sonicaps.

Speaker drivers/open baffles this good demand the best xover parts.

No one in the US carries the Jantzen wax foil in that value.

I also have the guys at Erse looking into making some foil inductors with that film but with real Copper. We'll see.

The MR cap is their best cap, but a bit of a sideways move from the Sonicaps. Drop a Platinum by-pass cap in there and get a lot more difference. Better still (but real expensive) would be to use a Jupiter cap. Their Copper foil ones are really good.

Ric Schultz · « **Reply #32 on:** 2 Jun 2016, 03:48 am »

Danny
Please listen to these coils rather than repeating what Erse says about the copper purity. These coils deliver transparency way, way beyond your standard 16 Erse coils.

Tyson has the Super 7s....I believe they have the Platinum bypasses......I believe he prefers the Clarity Cap MR's.

gab · « **Reply #33 on:** 2 Jun 2016, 01:12 pm »

To wrap up my intrusion into this thread, this is the response I received this morning from the audiohobby.eu team regarding the Jantzen coils:

We expect to ship your order middle of next week.
All Jantzen coils are produced against an order - the number of different coils is so big, nether we no Jantzen keep them in stock.
Typical production time is 1-2 days and we get it with another 2-3 days with courier. We already added this morning your coils to nearest shipment, it should be shipped from factory thsi Friday +-day, and on Tuersday+-day we will get it and ship it for you.
Once we ship it, we will provide you tracking (you'll get mail notification). All our parcels are shipped as registered Airmail, it will be USPS on your side. Normally it takes 5-10 working days to arrive.
We have examples when customer in US get his parcel in 5 days and we also have customers who got it in 2 weeks, all depends on USPS - how fast they process parcels. All parcels we ship typically leave Estonia's border in 2 days,

Kind regards,
Audiohobby.eu Support Team

Danny Richie · « **Reply #34 on:** 2 Jun 2016, 03:13 pm »

Quote from: Ric Schultz on 2 Jun 2016, 03:48 am

Danny
Please listen to these coils rather than repeating what Erse says about the copper purity. These coils deliver transparency way, way beyond your standard 16 Erse coils.

Tyson has the Super 7s....I believe they have the Platinum bypasses......I believe he prefers the Clarity Cap MR's.

I'm not doubting what you say you hear. But if I can have the same wax film used and rolled here in the US with high purity Copper I would prefer it. So I am looking into it.

Tyson · « **Reply #35 on:** 2 Jun 2016, 03:55 pm »

Hmm, it seems I am being mentioned here re: parts. Let me just make a few things clear regarding my choices and preferences. The Sonicap Gen 1 with Platinum bypass is excellent. I was perfectly happy with it for a long time. But lately I've been chasing down 2 ideas.

First, I wanted to aggressively go after resonance, and caps & coils were 2 areas where I see at least 2 manufacturers had made serious attempts at just that issue. So I decided to try the Clarity Cap MRs and the Jantzen wax copper foil inductors.

Second, I wanted to get away from bypass caps completely and just have my main cap do all the work, so to speak. The Gen 1 was too warm and not detailed enough when I removed the platinum bypass cap. So the Clarity Cap MRs were put in place without bypass to see if they would be a good fit without a bypass on them. They were a great fit. But keep in mind that I also run a slightly warm sounding DAC and a warm sounding tube preamp (using RCA 6sn7 tubes warms things up nicely) and perhaps one of the smoothest and most musical sounding SS amp on the planet (the Pass designed Burning Amp 3). So for me the ultra clarity and ultra transparency were perfect. Lost the warmth of the Gen 1 caps, but in my system I didn't really need it.

Maybe one day I'll experiment again with bypass caps (perhaps some Jupiters), but for now I'll stick with the MRs alone.

And Danny is right - if we can get the same design but American made, I'm all for that. I think the main point with the Jantzen is the wax used for resonance control, that's what makes them special. If someone local can take that basic idea and make it even better (like better copper quality for example), then we all win. I know I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

OK, sorry for taking this thread even further off topic....

Vedder323 · « **Reply #36 on:** 2 Jun 2016, 05:48 pm »

No problem for the derail as its all relevant information. All to often I think we can get wrapped up in whats "best" and conveniently thats typically what we decided to go with. Being unbiased in different caps and inductors means you have tried them all, allowed them to burn them in and walked away with a better understanding of whats-what. Id like to believe that even the stock caps and inductors with the kit are going to knock most peoples socks off. When it comes to better components, sure they can make a difference. What I try to avoid is taking someones else experience as a gauge for the ultimate last word in what is truly better. I plan on experimenting myself with as many logical combos that I can. This leads me to mention, we should come up with a sticky for parts links and impressions that people are using for the Oticas. This would be a good resource for people purchasing the speakers and making decisions on what they should consider if they do want to tinker around.

gab · « **Reply #37 on:** 19 Jun 2016, 12:13 am »

Quote from: gab on 2 Jun 2016, 01:12 pm

To wrap up my intrusion into this thread, this is the response I received this morning from the audiohobby.eu team regarding the Jantzen coils:

We expect to ship your order middle of next week.
All Jantzen coils are produced against an order - the number of different coils is so big, nether we no Jantzen keep them in stock.
Typical production time is 1-2 days and we get it with another 2-3 days with courier. We already added this morning your coils to nearest shipment, it should be shipped from factory thsi Friday +-day, and on Tuersday+-day we will get it and ship it for you.
Once we ship it, we will provide you tracking (you'll get mail notification). All our parcels are shipped as registered Airmail, it will be USPS on your side. Normally it takes 5-10 working days to arrive.
We have examples when customer in US get his parcel in 5 days and we also have customers who got it in 2 weeks, all depends on USPS - how fast they process parcels. All parcels we ship typically leave Estonia's border in 2 days,

Kind regards,
Audiohobby.eu Support Team

Received my coils today. So about 2.5 weeks or so to get them. Well packaged and a good price. I would recommend the audiohobby.eu guys for the Jantzen wax coils.

gab

SoCalWJS · « **Reply #38 on:** 19 Jun 2016, 02:59 am »

Quote from: gab on 19 Jun 2016, 12:13 am

Received my coils today. So about 2.5 weeks or so to get them. Well packaged and a good price. I would recommend the audiohobby.eu guys for the Jantzen wax coils.

gab

Nice!

Looking forward to hearing about your listening impressions. Hope it goes well.

SoCalWJS · « **Reply #39 on:** 19 Jun 2016, 03:05 am »

Quote from: Vedder323 on 2 Jun 2016, 05:48 pm

No problem for the derail as its all relevant information. All to often I think we can get wrapped up in whats "best" and conveniently thats typically what we decided to go with. Being unbiased in different caps and inductors means you have tried them all, allowed them to burn them in and walked away with a better understanding of whats-what. Id like to believe that even the stock caps and inductors with the kit are going to knock most peoples socks off. When it comes to better components, sure they can make a difference. What I try to avoid is taking someones else experience as a gauge for the ultimate last word in what is truly better. I plan on experimenting myself with as many logical combos that I can. This leads me to mention, we should come up with a sticky for parts links and impressions that people are using for the Oticas. This would be a good resource for people purchasing the speakers and making decisions on what they should consider if they do want to tinker around.

Good idea - but why limit it to the X-Otica's? Maybe a "sub-forum" for all the different GR Models? (or each of them).

Every now and then, I think of a change for my Platinum Cap bypass setup for my LS6's. Right now, I'm unhappy with my room setup (doubt I would notice subtle changes), but my gracious Wife (SWMBO) is allowing me to rotate the setup in the room by 90 degrees - won't be as aesthetically pleasing, but should sound much better. Hope to have the changes complete by the end of the weekend - it's quite a bit of work.