[mkrawcz]

That’s the real reason for the speakers being away from the wall. If they aren’t 3 feet, the reflection will create a nasty reverb.

[Chewbacca]

I don't think you have room for the full NX-Otica towers and the separate tower OB subs in that room.  Much better is the NX-Otica MTM because it actually doesn't take up much more floor space than your current speakers.

If you sell your Ascend speakers and your current sub, does that get you closer to being able to build the NX-Otica MTM?

Re: the NX-Studio Monitor, it's definitely a BIG step up in quality from the Ascend speakers, so that's a big plus.  But in a room like your's, box bass is always going to be problematic.  Best, IMO to bite the bullet and go full OB as soon as possible.  I promise you, once you are full OB, you will wonder what the hell you waited so long for!

You may be right about not having the room for them... So I saw a post on AC from 2016 about the MTM section being $1,229 with a flat pack. Then the (2) Servo Sub Kit 4 would be about $2,000. Which does not include the flat packs, which I believe are 600 for the pair.

So (unless prices have increased) I'd be looking at around $3,829 for the MTM kit?

The full NX-Oticas would be 3k + 2.6K, so $5,600 (upgraded)

Does anyone know about the frequency response of the MTM on its own, without a sub? Could I get the top section, put them on the stands, use my current sub (can play up to 120hz) until I can afford the $2600 for the dual pair of subs?

...and yes... selling my current equipment would help! Interested? 

[mkrawcz]

Perhaps Mike Lundy can chime in on the mtm response. I think they are a little higher than your sub. You may have a large dip in the response.

[Sonicjoy]

You don't have to use the flat pack kits. If you have woodworking capability you can buy the speaker and sub kits with plans and build them yourself. That's what I did when I built the Studio Monitors. Significantly less expensive.

[Chewbacca]

You don't have to use the flat pack kits. If you have woodworking capability you can buy the speaker and sub kits with plans and build them yourself. That's what I did when I built the Studio Monitors. Significantly less expensive.

I've been sitting here thinking about this for about the past hour. I used to work at a woodworking shop as an engineer that would make nearly exact similar parts. I could draw these up in SolidWorks have them programmed in alphacam in no time. We also had a nice paint booth that I'm sure I could commission someone with a pack of beer to spray them for me. The only issue I'd foresee is the front baffle of the speakers. It appears they're of 1-1/2" or 2" thick MDF so the tweeter can be time aligned. I'm not sure we'd have the exact tooling necessary for the chamfer/bevel/waveguide? - whatever it's called. The Sub section would be a no brainer. Yes.... Yes......

I guess I didn't think of this initially because I wasn't sure if they sold the plans or not. And honestly, I didn't want to try and figure it out on my own. I did (and kinda still do) that stuff for a living. Reverse engineering gets old. It's like the wife that comes home from her job of being a massage therapist; the last thing she'll want to do is give you a massage when she gets home... Won't comment on how I know that 

[mkrawcz]

The Oticas are a very specific design. The baffle, waveguide, side wings, and angles are critical to the performance of the speaker as designed by Danny and Jay, so I wouldn’t bother with that. The Studios come with the front baffle and you build the rest of the cabinet from the plans. Thats what Sonic Joy worked with. The Open baffles are a very different animal. For the subs, the plans are available on Danny’s site.

[Chewbacca]

The Oticas are a very specific design. The baffle, waveguide, side wings, and angles are critical to the performance of the speaker as designed by Danny and Jay, so I wouldn’t bother with that. The Studios come with the front baffle and you build the rest of the cabinet from the plans. Thats what Sonic Joy worked with. The Open baffles are a very different animal. For the subs, the plans are available on Danny’s site.

Makes sense to me! I certainly wasn't going to try and recreate any of the speakers without plans and consent to do so 

I see the plans for the subs.

Thanks again guys!

[Chewbacca]

Well friends... I just got off the phone with the man himself... and to summarize; my bank account got much smaller! 

NX-Oticas on order!! Sonicap and foil inductor upgrade for the mids, and copper by-pass cap for the tweeter circuit. Should be fully-ish upgraded?

To say the least, I am VERY excited... I will be using my Rythmik F15HP until I can afford the dual OB 12"s. I'll most likely build the cabinets for these right away so I can get everything finished at the same time. Then when another few bucks come my way, order the subs/amps and toss them in there.

Oh, and of course I had to pickup 16' of the 24 strand speaker cable, tube connectors both sides, and the tube connectors to retro-fit inside the Odyssey amps! Although after talking with Danny the Elekit TU-8600S 300B kit is looking quite tasty... But then again those little chip amps... I'd have a really hard time selling the Odysseys tho. I think they're quite fantastic, personally.

Oh, and for the room treatments; I'm planning on getting the PI Audio MR T's diffusion panels for behind the speakers, on top of the TV (most likely make a quick cleat system that I can take it on and off easily), second reflection points, and behind the sitting position - which I've also moved the couch 1' away from the back wall to help with this. Then absorption on the first reflection points (wall and ceiling). Then see what I need to do with getting the bass under control - which will be quite different than I'm experiencing now with the box sub.

I also may be doing a passive in-line cap to high pass the Oticas. But we'll see if that's needed or not. If I do I'll most likely solder it directly inside the amps since I'll be de-soldering the binding posts in there to replace it with tube connectors anyways.

Time to start practicing my soldering skills... It's been a few years... AKA high school 

I'll start a new thread once I get these rolling! Hope you guys will enjoy!

Thanks again for all the help and advice everyone has already given... And the biggest shoutout of all to Danny for making this all possible for the average Joe to be able to afford true high end audio!

More to come!!

[mkrawcz]

Congrats! You’re going to love the Oticas. They are literally up there with the best speakers in the world.

[Sonicjoy]

That's awesome! Sounds like fun. Looking forward to your build thread. I just recently got some PI Audio Group diffusers. Liking what they do so far. 

[Tyson]

Hell yeah!  You are doing it the right way ALL IN!  Haha, I love it.  The NX-Otica is an astonishingly great speaker.

Also, keep the Odyssey, that is a great amp.  The Elekit 300b is a nice alternative to have as a second amp but I don’t think the chip amp gains you anything over those two.  Just MHO.

[Chewbacca]

Congrats! You’re going to love the Oticas. They are literally up there with the best speakers in the world.

Thanks! I do have a strange feeling these speakers may actually live up to the hype. Curious how close I'll be able to get to the sound of that 6 figure system I listened to years back. I can't get it out of my head! I've been doomed since! 

That's awesome! Sounds like fun. Looking forward to your build thread. I just recently got some PI Audio Group diffusers. Liking what they do so far. 

Awesome! I'll definitely post feedback of how the diffusers do! But since I have little to no experience with room treatments I'm sure I'll say they're great since I have nothing to compare to lol.

Hell yeah!  You are doing it the right way ALL IN!  Haha, I love it.  The NX-Otica is an astonishingly great speaker.

Also, keep the Odyssey, that is a great amp.  The Elekit 300b is a nice alternative to have as a second amp but I don’t think the chip amp gains you anything over those two.  Just MHO.

Yeah... Definitely going all in! Especially since this is my first audio DIY type of deal I've done before. It's typical of me though... I always seem to jump in head first to the deep end before I can even confirm I swim. Just like a couple years ago when I finally decided to upgrade my bike. I went from a near stock engine to ditching the whole thing for an S&S 124. My mind is basically all or nothing in anything I do BUT the bike runs amazingly well, and I'm very happy to say I did it all myself (minus the EFI tuning).

You're probably right about the amps. I really don't want to get rid of the Odysseys, and I'm not sure how much of an upgrade (if it even would be) to go with the 300B. I really do like having all the overhead of that extra wattage. Being able to blast it without thinking of clipping. I haven't really been considering it too much... But an all tube system has always sounded appealing. I've been keeping my eyes open for a pair of Eastern Electric M156's. Doesn't seem like the most popular amp, but based on the builder, quality of parts, and construction, I really believe they would be great amps. The main thing that's held me back is I have a radio station literally across the street... I can sometimes pick it up through the system... Tubes aren't especially the best in this matter. It's a serious struggle as it is!

I do think I have a resolving enough front end that should give the speakers decent justice... Especially with my prized DODD preamp My room will be the most limiting factor, but I don't think there's anything close within this price range that could even compete... Minus maybe other options from Danny 

[mkrawcz]

Once you have the OB subs with them, it’s not hard for the system to be at a 6 figure level. One thing is they really reveal the shortcomings of the connected equipment. They keep sounding better and better when adding better amps, preamps, and DACs.

[Chewbacca]

Once you have the OB subs with them, it’s not hard for the system to be at a 6 figure level. One thing is they really reveal the shortcomings of the connected equipment. They keep sounding better and better when adding better amps, preamps, and DACs.

Perfect! That's certainly the sign of a good piece; exposes exactly what's given to it! I've always stood by the adage that something is only as good as its weakest link. My current weakest link is my speakers... not for long!

[Jaytor]

You won't be disappointed with these speakers. I've been an avid audiophile for more than 40 years and have owned some pretty high-end systems ($50K+) and I don't think any of the speakers I've owned have matched the NX-Oticas and servo subs in overall performance.

I went for the standard upgrades Danny offers for the crossovers, but given how resolving these speakers are, I kind of regret not going even further. But that's always something you can decide to do in the future if you so choose and Danny's recommended upgrades are probably the best bang for the buck.

As @mkrawcz notes, they will benefit from improvements in the rest of your system. I've made several upgrades to literally every other component in my system since building these speakers, and every change is readily apparent (despite my aging ears ) and appreciated.

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the club!

[Chewbacca]

You won't be disappointed with these speakers. I've been an avid audiophile for more than 40 years and have owned some pretty high-end systems ($50K+) and I don't think any of the speakers I've owned have matched the NX-Oticas and servo subs in overall performance.

I went for the standard upgrades Danny offers for the crossovers, but given how resolving these speakers are, I kind of regret not going even further. But that's always something you can decide to do in the future if you so choose and Danny's recommended upgrades are probably the best bang for the buck.

As @mkrawcz notes, they will benefit from improvements in the rest of your system. I've made several upgrades to literally every other component in my system since building these speakers, and every change is readily apparent (despite my aging ears ) and appreciated.

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the club!

Thanks for the kind words Jaytor! I’m sure these speakers are going to blow my expectations out of the water... especially once I get the OB subs mixed in as well.

I’m not too worried about assembling the cabinets. Some clamps, straps, titebond, and sandpaper. Jay’s flat packs look top notch! The crossovers I can try and get my soldering skills back up to snuff... I’m just most contemplating the finish. What I want to do, how far to take it. Veneer, high gloss, low gloss, duratex... the charcoal grey ones sledward did are some of the nicest speakers I’ve ever seen... I don’t have the pockets to support that level of finish, but that’s probably the color scheme I’ll go for if not for veneer. Maybe duratex the bases/tops of the subs since the subs look like a perfect little cat perch... probably should have something durable there lol.

I think the next thing on the agenda after the speakers/subs are built will be DIY interconnects... just waiting for Danny to release something