Hello everyone,
I've taken deep dives in this awesome forum (and elsewhere) to learn all I can about OB systems in general and the NX-Otica (O), NX-Treme (T) & OB Subs in particular. I live in a remote location in SW Colorado and highly doubt I'll be able to hear any of these prior to purchase so please help me settle on the right choices.
My dedicated home theater is 13x15.5x8 though 90% of the use is for 2 channel music. Genre's are rock, classic rock, new wave, reggae, a little country and a little jazz. My current active Linn system with dual REL Stadium III subs is very resolving but doesn't present natural vocals or provide punch from bass guitar or kick drums unless SPL's are very high or the subs are turned up too much. Speakers are along the 13' wall. The 5' entry to the room is adjacent to the left speaker and has sliding barn doors. Front baffle centers are 3' off the front wall (can go to 4') and 3.5' off the side walls. Ears are approximately 5' off the back wall. This configuration has the center of baffles 6.5' apart and 8.5' from my ears.
Due to the relatively small size of the room I've been leaning towards the O's with double OB subs. Scale-wise these seem the best choice. Subs inboard of the speakers would fit the setup better though there would only be a couple feet separating them. Subs outboard of the speakers would put one nearly up against the right wall and leave a very narrow (18") entry pathway. If inboard, the height of triple subs would require raising the screen 6-8", a compromise but doable.
I found the sound comparisons from Ron's video very informative (
https://youtu.be/i3SGjBL4Ffg). I found the bass and treble similar enough on both but the T's fleshed out the vocal midrange exquisitely and I can't let go of the difference. Danny said in the comments that "The NX-Oticas and NX-Tremes basically sound the same. They are really the same speaker in most ways. But in this case the NX-Otica had the base level crossover and the NX-Treme had crossover upgrades of Sonicaps in the mids high pass (big cap value), Copper foil inductors, and Miflex Copper by-pass caps on the tweeter circuit. Those crossover upgrades account for the difference that you are hearing. The higher end parts attribute to all of the differences that you noted."
So the questions I need to resolve are:1. Can I expect the O's with upgraded x-over to give the
exact same exquisite vocal midrange that I heard from the T's in the comparison video?
2. If so, then why even make the T? What do the extra 4 midrange drivers provide? I have to think they contribute as well, not only to vocals but to bass guitar and kick drum punch.
3. If I were to go with the T's would I be making a mistake in other ways given the size of my room? And if so, in what ways?
4. The comparison used triple subs. I'm still unclear if any OB system will provide the punch that I'm seeking from bass guitars and kick drums. I keep hearing they move air in a different way, back and forth instead of pressurizing. I want to feel it at loud but not concert level SPL's. Do they? And how important are the 4 extra mids and 2 extra 12's to get it? In other words would the O's and 2 dual OB subs suffice?
I'm willing to pack the T's with triple OB subs into this little theater if I have to in order to get what I seek; however the O's with double OB subs offer the best practicality and scale visually. Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge and experience.