Just wanted to make sure that this excellent company gets props in a
market full of overhyped junk. I live in Vermont, and heard of Nelgan
through a friend that knows Neil Brogan. I got a chance to hear his
speakers before his website was up and open for business. I asked to
have a listen and was invited to do so, and couldn't resist. Mr. Brogan
has an infectious personality, and I ended up staying for hours while he
switched back and forth between models, letting me figure out what I
heard without offering any advice or interruption. We chatted hifi and
music between changes and had a blast. I listened to the prototype
Supernova which was simply awesome, but my small room didn't require
a speaker that large, so I spent the rest of the time switching back and
forth between the Mars s and Mars si. One thing was abundantly clear,
that being that these things are gems. The standard Mars is a speaker I
could happily live with. Image specificity was very nice, and the
overall balance just seemed right.The top end is revealing and airy. But
in the end I had to make the jump to the i version. There was just more
of the good that the standard Mars did right, and then some. The top end
and midrange were slightly more refined, the bass from both seemed the
same. These won't plumb the depths or Organ recordings, but the bass is
still quite nice, very speedy and tuneful. With the right subwoofer they
will probably please alot of listeners.
I got a peek at the guts of one of the pairs he was working on, and I
have never seen crossovers this good at this price. I've opened some of
my speakers only to find electrolytic caps and other junky parts. No
such junk here. Nelgan speakers may be a little conservative
stylistically, but it looks like no expense has been spared where it counts.
I had a pair of 20 inch stands at home, but Neil explained that these
speakers do not sound better on axis, but rather, they should not be
toed in at all, just pointed straight ahead or only toed in very
slightly, and that they sound better on taller 26 or 28 inch stands
(which is what I heard them on at his home). Sure enough, on my short
stands they didn't sound as good. I bought a pair of 26 inch high stands
and the improvement was not subtle. The tweeter is above listening
height by a bit, but they sound better like this. Music just flows from
these babies. It did take some break in time to loosen them up, and I
think that process is still going on.
The one thing that wasn't quite right in my room was bass response,
which seemed a little off. I called Neil and spoke with him about it,
and he cut me a custom set of ports and had me swap them out. Instant
improvement, at least for my taste and system. I still have the other
ports to put back in for comparison later. Customer service is
excellent, these things are built to last (not cheap), and I'm a big
fan. By the way, I'd love to see a Nelgan circle added to the
manufacturers list. This is my first visit to Audiocrcle, and it seems
like a great resource for exchange of information and ideas.
