[tremrej65]

New here.
Living in Ottawa, Canada.
I've been a music lover since my young age. Not young anymore  .
I just built a pair of X-LS Encore with Sonicaps upgrade.
Wow. I love them.
I was looking for a pair of speaker for a B system to put in my hobby room. Something with more definition than my actual Paradigm Reference Studio/100 v.2. I've had them for over 20 year. I liked them a lot ...until I built the X-LS Encore. These little speakers exceed my expectation by far. I hear the music like never before. A bit soft on the high end, but the rest of the spectrum is excellent, super tight and controlled. Impressive. Good sound stage, very detailed. There's depth in the music.
The room where I have them is not perfect: they're sitting along with my 3D printers and other stuff. The next challenge is fine tuning the acoustic of the room. But as is (with few panels on the side walls) the sound is pretty good. I'll post few pictures of the build and the room tomorrow.
Enough for now.

[goggle1824]

Sounds awesome, thanks for the overview, including the ever imoortant listening area description. 👍🏼

And welcome! 👏🏼🙌🏼

[Tyson]

Welcome!

[Danny Richie]

Thanks for choosing to build them and for the feedback.

[tremrej65]

Here's some picture of the build. Nothing sophisticated. I build the cabinet from scratch using the plan on the web site. Minimal tooling: table saw, router and router table. I made rabbet on some panel to make the gluing easier. I made sure to keep the measurement identical to the plan.
I've used Bullseye 123 as primer, Wood Pro Filler and a water base Enamel from the hardware store for the top coat.
I learned the hard way that you should not use masking tape on MDF panel: it pulls out some fibers (microscopic) when you pull the tape which leave some mark that shows once painted (prime). All fixed with a little bit of filler.

Panels all ready to be glued:


Glued up:










Not sure it was necessary, but I put some noRez without the foam under the crossover:








Now the listening room. Why do I show such a messy room? Well. To show that you can enjoy music even if the room is not acoustically perfect. Small room: 11x15 feet. To be honest, the acoustic is not that bad. The sound stage is a little bit bias to the right. Now that I look at the picture, it might be caused by the few boxed behind the speaker on the right end side. I'll reshuffle these boxes to see if it fixes the issue.


That's it for now.

[corndog71]

Nicely done! 👍🏻

[Cut-Throat]

Very Nice ! - Neat and Tidy work!

  -- But man, maybe it's just me, but I don't see how you could spend any time in that room.

[tremrej65]

Very Nice ! - Neat and Tidy work!

  -- But man, maybe it's just me, but I don't see how you could spend any time in that room.

Pick an album, press play, close your eyes then the room disappears! With these speakers, the room literally disappears!

[Cut-Throat]

Pick an album, press play, close your eyes then the room disappears! With these speakers, the room literally disappears!

Yes, I'm also getting a pair. (Made for me, as I'm no craftsman)..... But I'm also a Neatnik. 

[tremrej65]

By the way, removing the boxes from behind the speaker on the right re-centered the sound stage. That's good.

I'd like to express my thanks to few peoples:
- Danni Richie, for the nice engineering he did on the X-LS Encore kit. As well as the build series he put on YouTube. That helped a lot.
- Ron from New Record Day YouTube channel: that's how I discovered these speakers. And lately he even put them at the top of his top 10 list of speakers.
- Jay's iyagi YouTube channel, for the good review he did of those speakers.
- Peter Rawlings, for the nice YouTube build series on the X-LS Encore.

Next: looking at changing the speaker on my A system.
I liked building the X-LS Encore, so the next one might be another GR Research product. Danni, get ready to receive more of my money .
But First, I'll try the X-LS Encore to see how well they integrate with my current servo sub (15" Paradigm). And I can use the high pass filter on the pre-amp (Parasound P6) to offload the low-frequency from the X-LS Encore. Now, the quality of the P6 might be limiting the sound quality of the final result: I bought the P6 few years ago for its versatility. It was good enough for my current speaker (Paradigm Reference Studio 100v2), but I suspect I'll see the limit of it with X-LS Encore. We'll see.
Here's the "cahier de charge" for the speaker of my A system:
- The sound needs to be as good as what I'm getting from the X-LS Encore
- Able to play loud. Yes we, my wife and I, like it loud some time, I mean around 100 dB. I know, I know. It is way too loud. But sometime it feels good! On that aspect, I'm not sure the X-LS Encore with the high pass filter will do the job. Side note: in my current setup of the X-LS Encore, I listen to them at around 70 dB and this is perfect.
- Not too big, like, the NX-Otica would be the size limit.
- The room is 12x20 feets with the speaker a bit more then 3 feet away along the long wall. Could go up to 4 feets.
- Open baffle or not. Not decided. I've never heard OB speaker. I'm a bit hesitant (by ignorance I guess).
- The TV you see on the picture below might go away with the new set of speaker. We'll see.

Here's my current setup:

Regards.
Rejean

[corndog71]

The X-MTM or X-Statiks will get you more output.  I would also strongly recommend Danny’s servo subs. 

[william2001]

NX-3 Bravo Towers, slim T/L cabinet

91dB sensitivity with bass extension down to 40 Hz.  Hobbs is supposed to be cranking a pair out soon for some show and tell...

[Tyson]

NX-3 Bravo Towers, slim T/L cabinet

91dB sensitivity with bass extension down to 40 Hz.  Hobbs is supposed to be cranking a pair out soon for some show and tell...

I heard a previous version of this speaker (the Carnegie Acoustic version) and it might be the best slim tower speaker I have ever heard.  Does pretty much everything right and absolutely nothing wrong. 

[tremrej65]

Thanks for your recommendations. I looked at them. Here's my take followed by a question:
- X-MTM: I like the idea that it might sound like the X-LS Encore, a sound that I know. And pretty affordable.
- X-Statiks: Might be a better choice than the X-MTM. I imagine the X-LS Encore sound with more extension on the bass. Not too sure what to think about the "smiley" frequency response...
- NX-3 Bravo tower: looks like a superior product. But I'm getting in unknown territory, i.e. not part of the X family.

Now the question: assuming money is no object (to some limit:)), would the NX-Otica be the "best" choice for me? For instance, what more would I get with NX-Otica vs NX-3 Bravo tower?

Let throw another parameter: between these 4 options, which one is a better choice without the usage of an open baffle sub-woofer? Ok. Let say I can't get away with no sub, can I use a single "Double Trouble" on its side between the two speakers? In the picture above, it would replace the piece of furniture under the tv (and no tv).
Another variation: if I go with a "Double Trouble", can I stick with an X-LS Encore, or maybe a X-MTM? Total price is still below NX-Otica alone.

The amp behind these speakers will be the one I use now, a Bryston 4B SST (300 watts).
Regards.

[Tyson]

If you can afford the NX-Otica, it is absolutely the way to go.  Dual OB subs are best, but if you have budget limitations a single OB sub can be used just place it between the speakers.  You can lay OB subs on their sides so they take up less vertical space. 

NX-Oticas have deep enough bass extension that you could get by with a sealed sub (servo would be best).  Still very good performance but not quite on the level of the OB subs.

[corndog71]

As good as the Encore tweeters are, the Neo3 tweeters are definitely a step up.  Sweet and detailed and not fatiguing.  One downside to the the NX-Oticas is the need for space around them.  Even the Statiks sound best at least a few feet from the front wall.  Another option would be the NX-3 Bravo towers.

I’ve had the XLS on top of the Double Troubles and they performed well.  Probably would’ve sounded better had I measured and properly placed them in the room back then but I didn’t figure out how to do that until just recently.    I almost think the DT’s are more worth getting for their performance and then choose your top. 

Alternatively the Bully might be more fitting for your needs with regards to output.  See, this is why Danny is the man!  He’s got almost all of the bases covered.
Choose your own adventure!

[tremrej65]

You guys, Tyson, corndog71 and william2001, made me work hard.
I flip-flop in my head with different configurations.
Thanks for your feedback.

This is where I stand at the moment. Let me know if I'm too annoying with my comments/questions.
For every config below, I would use it with my current sub (a sealed servo sub, 15" driver, Paradigm Reference). And would move to a single Double Trouble if need be.

The NX-Otica:
I like it. I saw a post where a guys was using it with a single "Double Trouble" on its side between the two speakers. That would be my configuration.
Question1: the setup in the room would put the front baffle about 40 inches from the front wall. It that enough for them to expressed themself properly? This is 3 millisecond (340 hz). Is that enough? I ask because I have zero experience with open baffle speaker.
Question2: do you use a high pass filter on the NX-Otica when used with a sub?

The NX-3 Bravo towers:
Kind of my second choice.
Question3: Would I get enough output from them? A high pass filter would help for sure.

Two NX-Bravo Center, vertical:
Question4: If using a sub, should I go with two vertical NX-Bravo Center instead instead of the NX-3 Bravo towers?

The NX-Studio:
Looks like a very nice speaker.
Question5: Would I get enough output even with a high pass filter? I don't think so because of the single woofer.

The X-Statik:
The Encore tweeter (that I know and like), with enough output for my needs.
Question5: Is 40 inches from the front wall enough? High pass filter required?

The X-MTM:
Question6: will I get enough output even with a high pass filter?

The X-LS Encore:
I'm going to try that this weekend with my servo sub, an a high pass filter. I suspect I'll be limited on the output. We'll see.

2 Double Trouble with any of these book shelf speaker:
The speaker would have to be mounted on top of the subwoofer: I don't have room otherwise. With floor standing speaker, I can only have a single DT sub on its side between the speakers.
Question7: will I get enough output with any of these book shelf speaker?

What do I mean by output? I mean around 100 dB SPL in a room 12x20 feet, 9 feet ceiling.

Sound I'm looking for:
Now that I've been using a pair of X-LS Encore for few weeks, I'm looking for that kind of sound: precise, controlled, good sound stage, etc. I think every speaker listed above would meet that baseline. Right? And I'm sure the NX-Otica would push the sound quality even further. Is it worth the price difference? It is double and triple the price of any other config listed above.

Right now my heart is for the NX-Otica...
Oh man these are a much bigger build project than the Encore. I built the Encore in 12 days, part time, from cutting the panel to final product. It looks like the Otica will be a multi month project!

Different topic: Last night I reached the limit of the X-LS Encore. And I can blame Ron (New Record Day) for that. While looking for info on the NX-Otica, I saw a video on YouTube where he plays "The Appeal" from Toadies. So I tried that piece on the X-LS Encore which I use without sub woofer and without high pass filter. The super deep bass maxed out the woofer even at low output (low 70 dB). That was sad to hear. That put an end to my love affair with these speakers, for few minutes. At that point I decided to try a high pass filter (80 Hz) and a sub (8 inch, no servo). Tuned with REW. Wow. In love gain. It opened up the image further, even with that sub. Yes I lost some precision on the bass, but the rest is better. Conclusion: I need a new sub for the X-LS Encore.

Sorry for the long post. That's it for now.
Rejean

[Tyson]

I will take a stab at answering.  I run th NX-Oticas in my HT and they get plenty loud and are very dynamic.  3 feet is the minimum for the front baffle from wall so you are fine with 40 inches.

They are  a pretty intense build withe all their curves and layers.  If you are an experienced builder then you should be fine.  The NX3 Bravo would be an easier build and should also sound very good and can go loud with their dual mids. 

Both speakers can be low passed to play louder.  I think the NX-Oticas are a good choice if you like it loud because they are 94db efficient so they will give you 94db with a single watt of power. 

[VinceT]

One thing I want to mention

Make sure you get enough hours in the Encores with the upgraded caps before final conclusion. Those take a ling while to burn in. Mine do go pretty low as well. I would think we'll below 70hz, could be wrong tho I never measured.

[tremrej65]

One thing I want to mention

Make sure you get enough hours in the Encores with the upgraded caps before final conclusion. Those take a ling while to burn in. Mine do go pretty low as well. I would think we'll below 70hz, could be wrong tho I never measured.

Thanks for the note. From day one, the sound was pretty good. They have around 50 hours of music in them. I changed other parameter in the equation, mainly room acoustic. So it's hard to say how much they improved over time. The acoustic made a significant improvement.