It's been quite a few months since I received my Nightingales from Klaus, about three and a half months to be exact.
Largely due to fire on our back porch, I haven't been able to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish.
Understand that this is not a best scenario experience with the Nightingales and it is rather incomplete and limited. The gear I'm using is not ideal or my final choice to mate with the Nightingales, but it's not bad either.
JackStraw, I'll try to address some of your questions. At least the ones I know something about.
At best, this is just a some Preliminary observations of what I heard with this particular set up. I will do follow ups as time goes by and I get the gear in and set up the way I want it.
I'm not an expert, so be kind if this doesn't come off too professionally. I'll do my best.
The Nightingales are a Downfiring Bass port design. Not rear ported.
They seem to do nicely at least 6 inches from the backwall. But I haven't had time to experiment with getting closer or much further from the backwall. They are 18 inches from the sidewall.
The System:
NAD C542 CD Player
Hafler 101 Pre Amp (an oldie)
Parasound Halo A21 Amplifier (with Groneberg Power chord)
Groneberg Interconnects all around.
Cobalt Ultimate Speaker cables w/locking banana plugs.
First Day:
I left the whole system with the power in the "On" position overnight and then put a CD on repeat and let it play in the Living Room for about 3-4 hours , while I was busy with work in the morning hours. This really makes a difference for the NAD C542. It plays smoother with more playing time and the power left on...all the time.
I started with my " Paganini For Two-Gil Shaham/Goran Sollscher" CD.
I listened to about half of this CD.
Honestly, I thought it sounded nice from the beginning. The timbre/tone of the violin and classical guitar sounded almost...lush...rich. I was impressed. But I did notice the detail to be just slightly less evident. The soundstage not quite as open as other setups I've had.
It sounded very musical, but not quite as smooth as I'd like. Although, there was no harshness, brightness or other ear discomforts. There was smoothness, but it seemed like it could be better.
Overall an enjoyable listen.
Next CD: J.S. Bach: The Art Of Fugue- Emerson String Quartet
This has more going on with it's four instruments, than the previous CD. I started to get an idea of the bass response, but just the tip of the iceberg. I felt very much the same as I did in describing the first CD. Sounded very nice.
Now I switched gears and music styles (genra).
Mark Knopfler: Sailing To Philadelphia
The song "What It Is " kicked in real nice and I felt the need to boogie. Toes were tapping and I wanted to sing along (but I didn't....which I'm sure my cat appreciated ). The groove really grabbed me and made me want to boogie.
Through out the day I listened to various forms of music ranging from soft rock.....to hard rock...to New Age...to Jazz...to country. Then back to some classical.
Basically, I felt the Nightingales sounded musical, a little smooth and the timbre was to my liking. The soundstage still didn't seem that wide or deep, but it wasn't bad. But it seemed to me as if...they were still a bit suppressed or something.
I played them all night long...overnight, as the misses and my son were visting the mother-in-law for a few days.
2nd Day:
At this point the Nightingales had logged 32 hours of playing time.
It was around 5:30 PM when I went in for a listen. I took the CD I had on repeat all day, and started the same progression of CDs as the day before.
Imediately I noticed something.
The soundstage was wider, deeper and fuller. There was some imaging too. The timbre was a bit finer and even more realistic than the day before. Could this be after just 32 hours and with this set up?
Well, it certainly was true! . The detail was better and the smoothness was also improved. Wow!!
The bass was more articulate when the recording conveyed that element. Overall, I'm very pleased and surprised with the bass on the Nightingales. I keep wondering if Klaus may have snuck in an extra woofer.....somewhere.
I'm even smiling now as I type.
I listened till around 10:00 PM and then had somethings to do before bed. But the Nightingales just seemed to be getting better as the night rolled along.
Overall I'm very happy with these babies.
I don't know anything about tolerances, sensitivies or running sweeps.
The only sweeps I know about involve a broom or a halfback following his Center, Guard and Tackle to the right or left side of the field, and I doubt anyone is interested in that.
At this point all I know is, the Nightingales are sweet, musical speakers that inspire me to boogie, sing, and groove to the music. Even in this setup, the music is touching me. I want to keep listening and throw in every CD I own. It's a pleasure.
I don't know what else to say, at this point. I felt like calling up my friends and telling them about these speakers. And I did....the next day, though
I know they'll get better as I get the right pieces of gear to mate with them and as they break-in more. They sound wonderful right now.
The Parasound Halo A21 is relatively new and it is not even close to being broken-in.
The Nightingales sit on my medium thick carpet. They are steady and don't rock or tip on their own. But as with all floorstanders they are susceptible to tipping over if one is not careful. They have some good weight to them, and are heavier than one may think.
I've never heard the Circe or Nemesis, so I have no idea. But I suppose they could be. That's a question for Klaus.
Well, that's all I have right now. I hope it is helpful.
Sorry if it's not. I'm still relatively new to all this, and I'm probably not articulating the elements or information some of you may want.
Just ask.
Stay tuned for the next installment of " The Flight Of The Nightingale"
