NX-Otica Build - Ferrari Red

dougthebiker · « **on:** 22 Oct 2021, 03:03 pm »

Built a pair of GR-Research NX-Oticas after practicing on a pair of Mini's. Had never done DIY speakers before. Couldn't have done it without the help of my brother-in-law who is a retired circuit board designer.

They replace my Tekton 2-10 Perfect SET's. At first, I thought there would be a close contest as to which was better, but after 48 hours of break in, the NX-Oticas are already much better on detail and expanded soundstage.

Had Gardner Bodyshop in Colleyville TX do the paint job. They had painted a race car Ferrari Red before.

Doug

Tccaux · « **Reply #1 on:** 22 Oct 2021, 03:47 pm »

Nice!!!! I love it. Thanks for sharing!

Chewbacca · « **Reply #2 on:** 22 Oct 2021, 03:57 pm »

Wow... Those look absolutely stunning! I'm sure they sound just as good!

Running them full range with no subs?

Also - I believe you have the speakers flipped. The full wings should be to the inside of the speaker

Phil A · « **Reply #3 on:** 22 Oct 2021, 05:11 pm »

Looks great!

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #4 on:** 22 Oct 2021, 07:09 pm »

I will move this topic to the GR Research Circle.

Endo2112 · « **Reply #5 on:** 22 Oct 2021, 07:25 pm »

Chewbacca is correct, the absolutely gorgeous speakers are reversed,

Don

subsonic1050 · « **Reply #6 on:** 22 Oct 2021, 08:33 pm »

Looks great! They will sound even better once you get the left and right flipped. I just got my NX-Treme's running last night! They are breaking in now.

hawkeyejw · « **Reply #7 on:** 22 Oct 2021, 08:55 pm »

Quote from: subsonic1050 on 22 Oct 2021, 08:33 pm

Looks great! They will sound even better once you get the left and right flipped. I just got my NX-Treme's running last night! They are breaking in now.

Subsonic is right -looks like you have them set up with the left and right speakers reversed. Maybe you already fixed that after the photo but if not, you will be going to an even higher level of performance soon!

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #8 on:** 22 Oct 2021, 11:09 pm »

Man, those are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing them with the group!

Though for some reason I had the idea of the bottoms being that warm Ferrari Yellow I've seen on some of their newer cars... but that may make them just a little destracting.

nlitworld · « **Reply #9 on:** 23 Oct 2021, 01:07 am »

It's nice to see another set of speakers get the full tilt boogie paint job treatment! Rosso Corsa (Ferrari's main red) always looks good.

You know that a good paint job easily adds 3db and 10hp.

dougthebiker · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 Oct 2021, 01:02 pm »

Ooops! You're right of course. They are reversed.

I've got an old KEF sub in there while I'm building the OB 2-driver sub.

Doug

dougthebiker · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 Oct 2021, 02:55 pm »

Rest of the system:

Innuos Zen Mk III server streamer with one of Danny's power cords
Schiit Yggdrasil DAC with Danny's newest power cord.
Schiit Freya and Mani
Well Tempered Reference TT with rebuilt Lyra Clavis cartridge
Old Wadia CD Transport
Two Schiit Aegirs in mono mode
Danny's speaker cables. All the rest are Gryphon silver except the USB to the DAC which is AudioQuest Diamond

Sounding awesome with <100 hours burn in on the NX-Oticas and speaker cables.

Hats off to Subsonic 1050 for undertaking the NX-Tremes. That's a ton of soldering!

Doug

subsonic1050 · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Oct 2021, 08:10 pm »

Quote from: dougthebiker on 23 Oct 2021, 02:55 pm

Hats off to Subsonic 1050 for undertaking the NX-Tremes. That's a ton of soldering!

Doug

Haha, that it is! It took me about 2 full days to install the drivers, wire them up, build the crossover networks and get them installed. Now I just have to do the same thing all over again with the second pair! How are the NX-Otica's now that they are flipped and broken in?

gzeus · « **Reply #13 on:** 1 Nov 2021, 08:40 pm »

Those are gorgeous!

dougthebiker · « **Reply #14 on:** 2 Nov 2021, 04:18 pm »

They are incredibly good, especially now that I completed the OB servo sub. Painted it the same color.

Anyone with NX-Oticas want to share their settings on the Rythmic?

I’ve got the PEQ set to off. Crossover at 60, extension at 20 hz and Mid. Volume at 12 o’clock.

Sounds quite good but not sure if it needs tweaking.

Tyson · « **Reply #15 on:** 2 Nov 2021, 04:41 pm »

Yes, the NX-Otica is my favorite non-planar speaker that GR makes. Love those things.

I'd recommend measuring your frequency response and making adjustments to the subs based on what's happening in your specific room.

The beauty of the powered subs approach is that it is very powerful and very flexible for getting things dialed in to your specific setup. The downside is that there's no 'one size fits all' setting during setup.

dougthebiker · « **Reply #16 on:** 3 Nov 2021, 01:23 am »

What do you use to measure in-room frequency response?

Hobbsmeerkat · « **Reply #17 on:** 3 Nov 2021, 01:45 am »

Quote from: dougthebiker on 3 Nov 2021, 01:23 am

What do you use to measure in-room frequency response?

Most people use REW (Room EQ wizard) since it's free, and you can use a cheap Dayton iMM-6 which comes with a calibration profile you can download for your it.

https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-iMM-6-iDevice-Calibrated-Microphone-390-810

You can also find some nicer USB mics, but they are more expensive.

https://www.parts-express.com/miniDSP-UMIK-1-Omni-directional-USB-Measurement-Calibrated-Microphone-230-332

dougthebiker · « **Reply #18 on:** 4 Nov 2021, 01:03 pm »

Rythmic doesn't give a suggested starting point on the Delay knob for open baffle subs. What do you recommend for the 2-servo front facing sub? I can't really pinpoint any changes as I listen to the same piece of music and try different positions on the Delay knob.

corndog71 · « **Reply #19 on:** 4 Nov 2021, 03:48 pm »

I haven’t done any measurements because I’m cheap and in an apartment.

For phase I tried 0, 90, 180, while playing Tool and Rage Against the Machine. Songs with really dynamic bass and kick drums. 180 ended up being the tightest and most focused.

Crossover depends on your main speakers. I’ve tried it at various settings but prefer to have it all the way up.

Volume - Start low and while playing familiar music gradually raise it until you get a good balance.

Or you can go the measurements route for a probably more accurate blend. That’s a rabbit hole I just haven’t bothered with due to temporary living conditions.

Oh, and if you haven’t tried the LOTS method of speaker placement for your mains then do that first.