[Light-Echo]

I have purchased the N3's with all the goodies; better caps, better wire, etc. What about better speakers? I spent money to buy better speaker wire.... But the speaker itself is only $26 bucks. How about http://www.
planet10-hifi.com/   ?

I have yet to hear my N3's (The cabinets arrive tomorrow). But this question has begged the asking for some time.

Regards
Dave

[S Clark]

Don't fall into that old trap of "it doesn't cost enough, so it can't be good".  The M130-16 driver has an extremely smooth response, and is nearly universally acclaimed to have a very musical and natural midrange.  There are drivers that might handle higher bass volumes better, but any strain is overcome by the use of two woofers in a transmission line.  This driver was custom made for GR-Research and is the result of much design and redesign until they got it like Danny wanted it. 
As for the Neo3 tweeter, you would be hard pressed to better it for double the $.  Are there better speakers, probably so if you throw enough money at it, but these are good ones and at reasonable cost. Don't worry about not paying enough for the N3, but if it will help you sleep better, please send Danny and extra $150 or so and instruct Danny to put it toward a set of servo subs for S Clark 

[Outofthewoods]

I have yet to hear my N3's

You are in for a real treat!

Congrats!

Ruben

[patricksalter]

As a very proud owner of a pair of N3's and an N3S, I one piece of advice.  Take what you've bought, and give them a chance.  If you aren't blown away, you can always go with something else, and rest assured you didn't spend a ton on the drivers themselves.  Keep in mind that Danny spent a ton of time tweaking everything to work perfectly, adjusting the crossover networks to perfectly match the characteristics of the drivers in that specific kit.  To repeat S Clark: This is one of those cases where you just have to fight the urge to spend more money, you just won't need to.  My personal experience went something like this: Fire up the N3's and spent the next 12 hours, literally, rediscovering tons of music till at 5am, I just could not stay awake again.  Then as they "burn in" they just get better and better.  You may find yourself re-rediscovering that music all over again!  Thank god I have a very understanding girlfriend.  Because those first weeks would challenge most any relationship.  Start out with the one cd you've listened to more than any other.  That one you've heard hundreds of times.  Trust me, you'll love these things. 

[Ron]

 S Clark's  remarks about GR Research drivers are correct. Just because something cost more doesn't necessarily mean it's better. I presently have a pair of AV-3 TL's that use the M130-16 woofers. Their performance is amazingly good and to me they sound as good as or better than a lot of commercial systems selling for three times as much or more. Also, I have built a number of pairs of the Neo 2X and found the Neo 3 PDR tweeter to be an excellent performer. I think you will be pleasently surprised at just how good your N3's sound especially with all the optional performance goodies, but they will need 100 + hours of playing time to break them in and sound their best. In my opinion, all of Danny's designs offer outstanding performance and value.

[NeilT]

I have purchased the N3's with all the goodies; better caps, better wire, etc. What about better speakers? I spent money to buy better speaker wire.... But the speaker itself is only $26 bucks.

I was thinking the exact same thing, until I heard the demo N2X's.
I was blown away by the detail and tonal balance. It was like listening to all my music for the first time. Stuff that I had played a hundred times before sounded so much better.I have a real hard time listening to my overpriced commercial speakers now. I can't wait to get my OB7's up and running.

The price of Danny's kits almost eliminate the financial risk factor. It is hard to go wrong when we are only spending a fraction of what some hi end speakers go for.

Good luck and let us know what you think.
Neil

[ichillpill]

I agree with all of the positive comments. At the price points for Danny's different models, they are representative of quality sound. But just because someone says they are a good value because the parts are "cheaper" than comparable speakers or are not made by an established European company doesn't translate to a product that is inferior. Although I have only listened to the N2x and own the AV3's, I'm sure the N3 is a winner

If you were to look at the rate of diminishing returns curve, the GR kits would be at the optimum price to utility ratio. Spending more (a lot more) would get you a lower rate of return or a very small incremental quality increase imo.

[iskandam]

Would it be possible to use a pair of M130Xs in place of of the M130-16 woofers to get more output and bass out of the N3?  Or better yet, a bigger woofer like the M165X?

[HT cOz]

The N3 is remarkable. Solid sensitivity, great off axis response, output into the 40s, and an EASY 8ohm load to drive. It just begs for 50w of tube love. 

No let's talk about bettering it.  What will get you there?  OB 5 or 7, line source or a move into the V line. Those are big jumps in cost and complexity.  Granted the LS and V are eqaully big jumps in performance or they wouldn't exist.

Don't worry about the drivers. Danny has tried many of those expensive parts and keeps coming back to his own creations for good reasons.


My .5 cent. Lol