Or should I start looking at something like ....GR research, etc.?
I was at a friend's house a couple of weeks ago listening to a pair of
GR Research NX-Studio speakers. We all agreed the speakers (and sound) had potential. Let me explain....
The NX-Studio were moved out of the smaller vinyl room to the larger living room, this was an experiment to see how they would sound in a bigger space. We listened to CDs but don't know what DAC was used, the integrated amp was all tubes so the sound should have been warmer, but it wasn't. The bass got lost in the big room and setup was not ideal because the main speakers were too heavy to move out of the way. Sub integration was a problem too, the NX-Studios don't go down real low so the sub has to go higher up in the frequency range.
We spent the afternoon listening to all types of music, this was the first time listening to GR speakers. They are an excellent value, nothing at this price point can touch them for dynamics and clarity. But because they are studio speakers, setup and electronics will be critical to get them sounding their best. My impression is the NX-Studio are more forward and less forgiving than my Salk HT2-TL. The open baffle design adds spaciousness but with the tweeter set back in a shallow horn the upper mids and highs are more focused and close to what you would hear in the first row.
Definitely not a speaker I would enjoy listening to Metallica on, especially using cheap electronics cranked up to 11. Although this is probably what Metallica sounds like at a live concert, which I wouldn't enjoy either.
Servo controlled subs required.
