[BrandonB]

Nice! 

Mine is the Zen mod.  I ended up using it full time in my HT setup in the basement, driving the NX-Oticas, a perfect match.  Very clear, clean, dynamic and punchy, while still letting the emotion through.

Tyson what is the difference in the Aleph J and the Aleph J Zen?

[Jaytor]

I was watching a YouTube video and the son of the man that owned BG was working for PS Audio designing their new speakers.

Chris Brunhaver worked for BG for a while, but his dad was the owner of SpeakerLab. I’ve heard Chris on a few podcasts. He seems to really know his sh*t regarding speaker technology.

[Tyson]

Tyson what is the difference in the Aleph J and the Aleph J Zen?

Anand goes into the differences here - https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/nelson-pass-experimenters-platform-npxp.373417/page-3#post-6790487

[S Clark]

I've heard a bunch of them.  And owned a few as well. 

The GR Research Line Force is the best speaker I've ever heard.  By a lot.  If you have the space, and can source the drivers and can afford it, well it's the pinnacle of speakers today. 

After that, it really depends on room size and music preference.  If you have a very large room, the NX-Treme is the best bet.  Or if you can find one of the older line array models, they are also excellent for larger spaces.

Medium sized rooms are very well served by the Super 7 (again, if you can find the drivers) and the NX-Otica.  If you listen to pop/rock then the NX-Otica is the better speaker.  If you listen to Classical/Jazz, then the Super 7 is better. 

For smaller rooms, the NX-Studio is a no-brainer.  The 2nd best bookshelf speaker I've ever heard (after the TAD Reference Bookshelf).  The NX-Studios are especially good if you build out a pair of OB subs to act as stands for them.

Listen to this man.   This matches my experience exactly having heard every model listed.  Tyson has the 7's and I've got the older LS9.  They both are successful speakers in rather different ways.  And he's right about  which room determines which speaker.     

[BrandonB]

Listen to this man.   This matches my experience exactly having heard every model listed.  Tyson has the 7's and I've got the older LS9.  They both are successful speakers in rather different ways.  And he's right about  which room determines which speaker.   

Just curious are you able to get your LS9's to image and soundstage very good.  If so how far off the wall are they?  What size is your room?  They are so big and dominant I can only imagine how much SPL they put out.

[corndog71]

I haven't listened to them enough to assess this aspect of their performance. I wonder if this is because of the wider baffle compared to the NX-Otica and Line Forces, which I found to completely disappear in my room. Diffusors and a fair amount of space behind the speakers helps a lot.

Yep, diffusers are on the list.   

[jmimac351]

I have a lot of interest in the NX-Studio and initially thought I'd have interest in the "floor standing" version of that speaker which has been discussed before... the one with 2 woofers from the X-Statik bottom end.  Looking at the low end of the X-Statik (-3db down 48Hz), I would still need subs - which I already have. Running the "floor standing version" of the Studio passive, means more crossover parts / complexity.  I've expressed interest in the floor standing version and it sounds like it's something that is out there, but not necessarily a huge priority, and maybe I'm coming to realize why.  I've read Danny's comments about the floor standing Studio idea and it sounds like it's not necessarily a slam dunk / clearly better option than just adding quality subs to the the NX-Studio and incorporating a high pass filter - especially when you consider the tuning ability for the low end, which I'm not sure I'll ever be able to live without after experiencing it. The high pass filter I have is a pretty slick setup; although I've yet to put it in the system.  Ayre Acoustics offers a mod to incorporate the filter into some of their amps which have the space for it - in my case an Ayre VX-5 Twenty.  Evidently this is a common setup they provide for Vandersteen Audio speakers using Ayre amplification.  100Hz high pass / 6db slope.  Since the input impedance of the Ayre stuff is 2 Meelllion Ohms, the caps are tiny.

I am currently running a pair of SVS-SB16 Ultra subs with a pair of 2-ways that use an 8" woofer / soft dome tweeter.  Blending subs with quality 2-way speakers is a recipe that is really tough to beat.  One thing though... the 2 way speakers I'm using are 90db sensitivity and I've really come to prefer that level of sensitivity compared to some 86db speakers I had in the rig recently.  That brings me to the NX-Studio and the 87db rating, and it's something I've never thought of / don't know the answer to... 

If you run the NX-Studio with a 100hz 6db slope high pass filter, will that have a positive effect on the measured output sensitivity of the NX-Studio?  If so, how much?   I know the idea is that the HP filter will also allow them to play louder, which is great for dynamics every now and then, as my current 2 way speakers with 8" Scanspeak woofers can play BIG... REALLY FRIGGIN' BIG.  I'm enjoying the dynamics from them, so this is all a bit of a conundrum... life is so hard sometimes...

Ayre Acoustics High Pass filter (100Hz) for VX-5 Twenty amp:







 

[RonP]

Medium sized rooms are very well served by the Super 7 (again, if you can find the drivers) and the NX-Otica.  If you listen to pop/rock then the NX-Otica is the better speaker.  If you listen to Classical/Jazz, then the Super 7 is better. 

First time I've heard this regarding music styles.

Question for all, Has anyone compared the NX Studios to the Super Minis? The answer is folly to a degree since the Neo10s are discontinued. But I am curious if anyone could compare them.

[mkane]

Super Mini & Wedgies. We use the Super 7 with music without vocals. These do a fine job filling a 15x22x9 area.

Edit to say Super Mini. We have a flat pack waiting in the wings if the Neo 10's ever come back.

[Tyson]

First time I've heard this regarding music styles.

Question for all, Has anyone compared the NX Studios to the Super Minis? The answer is folly to a degree since the Neo10s are discontinued. But I am curious if anyone could compare them.

I haven't heard the Super Mini, but I think I can extrapolate from the Super 7's.  The Super 7's are already not hefty enough in the lower mids/upper bass.  That's with 4 Neo10 drivers working together, per speaker.  The Super Mini's only have 1, so they are going to be worse in this area.  For my money, I'd go with the NX-Studios.

[corndog71]

I heard the super minis at Axpona a few years ago and they were very impressive in HAL’s rig.  That said I only heard a track or two of simple female vocals with light music accompanying.  Nothing too complex so not sure how they would scale up.  I imagine they would be limited to some degree.

[Jaytor]

I haven't heard the Super Mini, but I think I can extrapolate from the Super 7's.  The Super 7's are already not hefty enough in the lower mids/upper bass.  That's with 4 Neo10 drivers working together, per speaker.  The Super Mini's only have 1, so they are going to be worse in this area.  For my money, I'd go with the NX-Studios.

I would think it would depend on your priorities. I haven't heard the Super Mini either, but I've been very impressed with the clarity and detail of the NEO10. I think the Super Mini is likely to have a more coherent sound (given the two drivers use the same technology) and be snappier than the NX-Studios, but the NX-Studios will have a fuller upper bass.

In other words, not dissimilar to the NX-Otica vs Super Seven comparison.

[NoahH]

@jmimac351 - I have NX-tremes + 12 driver OB subs, and I have an Ayre ax-5 Twenty in the house. I use it mostly with my Wilson speakers but have tried it on the NX-tremes and it is very good. I like it more than the BHK 250 I use normally, but that is not a fair comparison given the price delta.

And as for the conversation about needing space behind - I only felt like my placement was decent once I got the extremes 10 ft into the room. Granted the room is barely treated, but they really like space behind them.

[jmimac351]

@jmimac351 - I have NX-tremes + 12 driver OB subs, and I have an Ayre ax-5 Twenty in the house. I use it mostly with my Wilson speakers but have tried it on the NX-tremes and it is very good. I like it more than the BHK 250 I use normally, but that is not a fair comparison given the price delta.

And as for the conversation about needing space behind - I only felt like my placement was decent once I got the extremes 10 ft into the room. Granted the room is barely treated, but they really like space behind them.

Thank you for sharing that about the NX-Treme!  I don't have room for the NX-Treme in my current, available spot - but have plans for the back of the house.  Right now I'm eyeballing the NX-Studio / pairing with the SB16 Ultra subs, and had wavered a bit on waiting for the oft mentioned, floor standing version of the NX-Studio, with the additional lower woofers.  The one thing in my mind are the dynamics I've really come to appreciate from the Wilson speakers; however, I'm wondering how the 100Hz High Pass filter I have may help along those lines.  I think I understand the M165NQ wasn't designed to go after low end, but rather the magic in the midrange - which is fine with me and the main draw here. Perhaps with the HP filter on them I can get the midrange and relieve them from dynamic duty... have the cake and eat it too. 

The Wilson speakers I'm referring to are the Duette.  They are really something... perhaps one day there will be an "M180NQ" (8" driver with some grunt for a dynamic 2-way)  . (Nope, I don't want the Brute... I want the narrow baffle and coherent simplicity of a 2-way with subs I can fine tune for the room / speaker) The Duette are currently setup in a large room and I could pretty easily be happy with them without the subs.  The subs add just the last little bit... very little.

Thanks for the feedback.
 

[jn316]

I haven't heard the Super Mini, but I think I can extrapolate from the Super 7's.  The Super 7's are already not hefty enough in the lower mids/upper bass.  That's with 4 Neo10 drivers working together, per speaker.  The Super Mini's only have 1, so they are going to be worse in this area.  For my money, I'd go with the NX-Studios.

Uh, I didn't think I was imagining it.
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=167136.0

Gary 

[Tyson]

Uh, I didn't think I was imagining it.
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=167136.0

Gary 

Oh shit!  I totally forgot about that.  Well never mind then....

[Denton J]

Uh, I didn't think I was imagining it.
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=167136.0

Gary 

I believe the moral to all of this is we should all take the time to listen to Danny's speakers. 🤠

[mlundy57]

My favorites are also the OB designs with the specific model being room size dependent.

My favorite box speaker is the N3 transmission line. Though I haven't heard the Brute and from what I've read I'm sure I'd like it, I have a feeling the N3 would still be my favorite.

[BrandonB]

Just curious if anyone has anything to mention about the LS9 or the LS6. 

[Tyson]

Just curious if anyone has anything to mention about the LS9 or the LS6. 

The LS9 came in 2 variants.  Box and OB.  IMO the box version is on par with the NX-Treme.  The OB version (very rare) is better than the NX-Tremes but not quite as good as the Line Force speakers.