Cube Audio Nenuphar Single Driver Speaker (10 inch) TQWT Enclosure

@david_ten So did you just wrap the adhesive discs around the hemisphere threads and insert? I have the hemispheres but haven't installed and still using the stock rubber bumpers. Where did you get the discs? Thanks.

Received my Nenuphar Mini’s Friday night. Got them uncrated and hooked up but it was late once I did so I played a couple songs and waited until Saturday morning. Listened to some music Saturday morning at low volumes and left them playing all day at lower volumes to start breaking in. Last night my wife and I turned the up and listened for an couple hours. I’m reserving judgment as they only have about 15 hours on them but so far there’s no weakness. I’ve tried single driver speakers before and I never felt they got enough extension on the vocals and could sound a bit restricted or muffled. Not these. My previous speakers had Accuton ceramic drivers and before that I used Salks with the RAAL ribbon. These are more detailed but still natural and smooth. I thought the Accutons would be more detailed but nope. The sound also has more scale and is more realistic. I’m still playing with location as my room isn’t great but they do seem to like being closer to the back wall. Bass improves and when I had them pulled out a bit the imaging beamed a little. So far also seems better with no toe in. I’ll continue to break them in and follow up. Wish I could post photos here. I got them in walnut and the finish is fantastic.

I'm thinking about getting some GIK floorstanding panels to place at the reflection points along the wall with windows. Also last night I toed in the speakers heavily so they cross before the MLP. Made a big difference. Sound is very centered now and separated from the speakers, still very deep. Soundstage is smaller, but my speakers are about 8' apart so still pretty good. I'm guessing toeing in totally changed first reflection point.

David, did I read that you toe your speakers in to cross before the mlp?

I’m curious how other Nenuphar owners have their speakers set up? Distance apart, distance from walls, distance to mlp, toed in/not toed in, etc.? Also, are you sitting at ear height of the center of the driver? With the speaker titled back I think I am sitting slightly below the center of driver. When I lean up and my ear gets above middle it can sometimes make a shift in imaging. Anyone else experience this?
 

Do your speakers disappear in the listening space? I live the sound of the Nenuphar minis but i tend to get sound coming direct from the speakers. Not everything but often vocals seem to come from the left speaker. I’ve tried moving the speakers closer, further apart, forward, back, toed in, etc. I’ve also tried multiple amps, preamps, dacs, cables, etc. just to be clear the speakers sound great but I’m still trying to get that magic imaging where the speakers completely disappear. Maybe my room is too small for single drivers. Any tips?

 

Here's some images/layout of the space. I have some other furniture in the room and a large area rug. I can't reconfigure the space (WAF). I've moved the speakers as wide as possible and as close, forward and back. I get some different results on different tracks but vocals tend to always be left sided. Being this is technically a dining room there is a cut out for hutch, which is where my equipment cabinet is. It's about 8' wide and 1' recessed. I wonder if that is creating some issues in the room, as well as the window area.

 

FYI dimensions are approximate but pretty close. Picture also depicts two subs but I'm only using 1 right now.

I know the room is odd but this is the space I have. I spent a lot of time listening yesterday. I also hooked up my Clearwave audio standmount speakers. They use a 1" accuton ceramic tweeter and are one of the best imaging speakers I've heard. They performed a bit better with filling the image more to the center, but still had some of the same issue, which leads me to believe its the room. I also pulled the nenuphars out more into the room. I haven't measured but looks to be about 24" from the wall to the rear of the speaker. That has helped with image depth and the speakers "uncoupling" from the sound. The image is still towards the left but that also might just be how it is in the room. I'll continue to play with some positioning today.

Are there visuals on the process for swapping the drivers? Guessing you just remove some bolts for the existing driver, carefully remove it from the cabinet, unplug the wires (assuming its a plug and not soldered), then reverse the process for installing the new driver? Guessing the drivers are fairly heavy with all of those magnets.

Agreed, thanks for the help. I moved the speakers further back and apart and its sounding very good. Still toed in, almost crossing at MLP. Have to go out of town for work Monday so I'll continue to make adjustments when I get back. Still also looking in to some panels to help with reflection points.

I've also read through this thread and watched Youtube reviews and videos about the Nenuphar Mini's. What really got me interested is Peter Breuninger's reviews. Peter sometimes gushes on and on, but I know Peter has listened to almost everything and when he is as enthusiastic about something to the degree he has been about these it says something to me, and his enthusiasm did not seem like typical hyperbole. Not to mention all the glowing reviews from the comments here. I have been extremely fortunate this year, which is odd during such difficult times, but I decided to get a pair of Nenuphar Mini's because life is short and if I'm going to spend more time inside I better make the most of it. I had been wanting a pair of Spatial X5's, but I think they're too big for my space so I decided to get a pair of Nenuphar Mini's. Currently a pair finished in walnut are headed over and I'm putting a deposit on them. I can't wait to get them. I recently picked up a small Tektron EL-84 push pull integrated to start with the Cube's. I've been using it in my office this week and its a sweet little integrated. I plan on playing around with different tube amps and possible some First Watt models over the next couple years.

My only concern with the Cube's is how they handle voices. One of my favorite speakers uses a RAAL ribbon tweeter and I love the extension and air without harshness. I know the Nenuphar's won't get that extension, but I'm hoping the texture, tone, detail, imaging, dynamics, etc. all make up for it. Has anyone here compared the Nenuphar to a ribbon or berylium tweeter? Thank you all for your insights.

Wow, the grey looks great. Probably doesn't show fingerprints or dust as much as the black and not quite as flashy as the white, but still very sharp and modern looking.

Thanks everyone on the feedback earlier. I'm really excited about getting these speakers. Maybe I'll start another thread but I'm wondering what tube amp you'd recommend up to $5k with these speakers (used options totally ok).

@david_ten I guess I'm looking for something that's going to maximize the qualities of the speakers. Sounds like SET amps with zero feedback and great matches with these speakers. I've had Primaluna and Line Magentic tube amps in the past. I liked both. The LM was the LM-508 and it was the best sounding amp I've had. 48wpc Class A SET. However, it was a beast (hot and huge), had a bit of hum that never went away. The Primaluna was the older Dialogue One and it also sounded great, was really silent and was a bargain. I currently have a Tektron EL-84 that I could use. It's a push pull at about 10wpc and sounds really good. I know Tektron shows with Cube often. I also had an LTA Ultralinear and wish I hadn't sold it. It wasn't a good match with my speakers at the time but I wasn't planning on changing speakers so I sold it. Had I known I was going to be able to get these speakers I would've kept it. However, I would still like to try their REF40 amp. I guess I'm looking for anything that has that tube magic (texture, tone, imaging, dynamics), but also good control. Since these speakers are fairly efficient I'm open to whatever is going to deliver. I've also thought about looking for an Ayon Spitfire or Crossfire. I do have a Sachs tube preamp so I could just go with an amp, but if it's an integrated that could be ok too. A couple caveats... it has to look good as it's going in my living room and my wife needs to be happy too, and it can't be a huge monster that's nuclear hot (I have limited space). Some heat is to be expected but I want to be able to use it in the summer too. Anyway, any directions to point me in would be great. Thanks!

Thanks for the info, I'm open to all suggestions. In terms of damping factor, I've been reading that I should look for an amp with little to no damping and 0 negative feedback. One amp I am considering is the Canary Audio M-90. It's a push/pull 300b, 24 wpc (which seems like plenty), but the damping factor is rated at 10. Is that low enough for the Nenuphars? I'm definitely not set on this amp, or any, just trying to refine a list of options so trying to determine if this amp should go on the list. Thanks.

Yes, it is low enough. Quite good, actually.

Is there a number I should be considering as the max for damping? I don't really understand the damping rating in amps so if I had a threshold that you recommend I do not cross that would help.

I'm definitely going to start with the little EL-84 Tektron. It's around 10-15 watts and I'm using it right now with some 99db efficient speakers and it has no problem with output. I'm going to test it with some 85db standmounts that I have just to see how it handles them. Keep in mind I paid $1400 for this amp so I'm curious to see how it scales up with more expensive speakers. But it hits a lot of spots I like.... uses tubes, handmade, good quality parts, quiet (no hum or buzz), small footprint, good imaging and spacious sound, good dynamics and detail, smooth even sound (nothing sounds out of proportion), looks good (happy wife) in an artisan/eclectic kind of way. I plan on using this initially while I search for more a flagship amp and then putting this in my office. I'm curious to try a 300b amp, either SET or PP. But I'm pretty open as long as it has the tube magic I love, looks good, and fits in my space.

I acquired a Canary M90 push pull 300b amp that I’m going to try. It sounds great so far with some 85db 8ohm stand mounts that I have and that’s not an optimal pairing. Looking forward to how it sounds with the Nenuphar Mini’s. 

@david_ten The speakers are supposed to arrive early-mid December. At least to the distributor. So I'm hoping to have them mid-late December. I'm very excited. So far I'm using the amp with my 85db standmounts and it has zero issues driving them. It's a push pull 300b creating 26wpc/8ohm. It does help that I'm using a pair of REL T5i's for the bass, but this amp is far from wimpy. I was lucky that the unit I purchased came with some nice tubes already. Vocals are so lifelike with this amp. Midrange is gorgeous as well. Its pretty dead quiet and effortless. My wife said this combo I'm using sounds so good why do I need new speakers. It does sound really good, but can't wait for her to hear the Nenuphar Minis. I'm planning on starting out w/o the subs. I don't think I'll need them with the Minis, but I've been really impressed with these subs and I generally don't use subs with 2-channel.

@stephendunn... I'm a cable believer however I've noticed the least difference with power cables. I am using a PS Audio P5 regenerator so I think they might have less an impact in my system since the power is regenerated. I love the P5 and did notice a big difference once I put it in my system. Anyway, I'm wondering what cable you replaced and what happened when you put your original cable back in? Did you notice a drop off in performance?

@stephendunn Thanks for the reply. I'm like you where I've felt cables make a difference but also agree with the diminishing returns. Interesting to hear your experience, but for my wallet's sake I wish it weren't true.

I uploaded photos in the virtual system. 
https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9181

One issue I’m having is that when I turn the volume down I get a pop of distortion. I’m using a sachs preamp. I haven’t had this issue with any other speaker. It doesn’t happen every time but probably heard it 4-5 times. Mostly in the right channel but once in the left. Any thoughts?

I would describe the canary as “creamy” but with excellent detail. There’s a certain lit from within sound I’ve heard others describe but didn’t understand until I heard this amp. Voices are the best I’ve heard. Might be a touch polite but speakers are also new and need breaking in. The other speakers I used were 85db stand mounts while I was waiting for the Cubes so not a perfect match to judge but the Canary still sounded great with those. 
My room sucks with one speaker in a corner and the other open but the sound is centered. The cubes like being pushed back more then other speakers I’ve had and no toe in. I get better results pushing the speaker close to the side wall. Maybe better getting an early reflection point. Who knows, but the stage shrinks if I move it off the wall. When my wife and I both listen for extended time I move the open side speaker about 20” further out and the stage is lifelike in scale. We’re house hunting and I’m really hoping to get a better listening space whenever we find something. 

@david_ten I'm always open to suggestions but since this area is part of our main living room I have to balance the WAF in regards to placement. I'm also having a new cabinet built that will be about 3-4" wider than the current one. The listening spot is about 9-10' from the speakers. The sofa backs up to a 1/2wall that's part of a stairwell that goes downstairs. So there's not a full rear wall until about 6-8' behind the listening area. I'll take a better picture of the entire space this weekend.

@dspringham 

I have Nenuphar minis with a pair of REL S/510’s. Last subs I’ll probably ever buy. I used to think I’d never want subs with my 2-channel system but I originally got a pair of REL T5i’s to use with some standmount speakers and couldn’t go back. Loved how the little RELs integrated and disappeared. When I moved into a bigger room they were a bit too small. I initially went with a JL F110. It was also pretty nice sounding but I couldn’t quite get the integration as good as the RELs. I was looking to add a second JL but then a great deal on a pair of S/510’s came up and I went for it. My room is about 14x18 and open on one end. I have more headroom than I need and the subs sound great. I’d also recommend Rythmik and almost went with a pair of F12’s but the RELs were too good a deal to pass up. Highly recommended

Is there an endpoint in this "hobby"? 🙄

A few weeks ago I posted about setting up my Nenuphar Mini's in my new room and having trouble with imaging. Thought I'd follow up...

First, even though I love my house, acoustically my new room sucks. However, I was able to position the Cube's just so to get a nice centered image. I had more toe-in than normal and the speakers were almost pointed directly at the MLP. I had wanted to get some GIK Acoustic panels but my wife has other thoughts. With physical room correction off the table, for now, I went back to the drawing board. Then I remembered how much I liked my Emotiva XMC-1 with Dirac, which I sold when we moved. Dirac was the first room correction I tried that I felt made a real improvement. I remembered there being a standalone Dirac processer -- MiniDSP! Turns out they're now on Dirac 3 and MiniDSP sells a couple Dirac processors designed for 2-channel audio. So I purchased the DDRC-22. After spending way too many hours on a Saturday trying to figure out why I wasn't getting any sound out of it when doing the room sweeps (my bad, I had to turn the volume way way up and then realized there's a -10db attenuation setting as default) I finally got it going and ran my first curve last night. Now listening to Fabiano Do Nascimento's Tempos Dos Mestres album and I've never heard my system sound so good! Sound is layered, pin point, textured... beautiful. Still have some tweaking to do and going to run sweeps again this weekend and fine tune some. Anyway, I'm sure mentioning DSP will trigger some nerves, but I highly recommend checking this out. They also make a processor with analog inputs so if you spin vinyl or roll tape you can run your analog sound through the processor and get Dirac room correction -- pretty cool.

 

@cal3713 

I also like how it corrects subs. I forgot that Dirac tends to tame the bass so much. When I run it again I'm going to run my sub a little hot. BTW, I used to frown on using subs in 2-channel but once I got a pair of REL T5i's I quickly changed my mind. Now I'm using a JL F110 v1 and looking for another. I still have REL's, hard to get rid of such a great little sub. I'm thinking of trying all 3 in my room and seeing what Dirac does with them. I can run the REL's off my amp using the high pass filter. I place the subs right by my Cube's and they are in stereo so it's like my version of the Nenuphar Basis Mini. Then I can put the JL F110 in the back corner of my room and run it off the pre-amp's outs. Might just be worth trying for the fun of it.

@tkukielk I think its a great idea to have Jim Salk build the cabinets. I own 2 pairs of Salks and the build quality is first rate. I also think the oiled walnut finish on the Nenuphar Mini's is also outstanding. I've had my mini's for a little over a month now. These are special speakers. I'm not a good audiophile in the sense that I tend to make a bunch of changes in a relatively short time (I've also changed DACs, power cables, speaker cables, power conditioning, and messed with different tubes), but something really good has been happening the past couple weeks of listening. The speakers are opening up and the inner detail and depth is fantastic. Bass keeps getting better, but I'm still thinking my amp is just maybe a bit too polite. It's the Canary M90 (300b push pull). It sounds sublime in terms of that inner detail and micro harmonics. Voices are surreal. I would say it has a very creamy, smooth, layered sound. What I feel I'm missing is a touch of bite or slam, but it has plenty of power and can play extremely loud without strain. I also feel like the music is presented more in a deep tunnel of sound, which can definitely suck you in. I think it's a very refined sound, and maybe I'm not as refined as I thought :/  I'm going to try some different amps before making any more changes and see where I get. Maybe I will stay put after trying some different options, we'll see. I will say, after a week without power and staying in 4 different hotels in the past 6 nights it's wonderful to be back in my house listening to my system this morning -- I am very grateful for that and it is a privilege.

So been listening for a while today. Maybe this is a better way of describing the sound. With the Canary amp the sound is like peering into a deep funnel. It sucks you in and is very detailed and the tonality is so accurate and lifelike. It can be startling. The "funnel" starts at the plane of the speakers and descends back into the wall. It feels like falling into a blackhole.

With other amps I've had, the sound floats outward and around you. You feel as though you are in the music, not falling into it. I think this is why the current amp sounds "polite" to me or lacks a little punch. The sound seems a bit further way and even though its amazing, its not as tactile as some other amps I've enjoyed. A good example is the track Hello Night on  Zoë Keating's album Into the Trees. The very beginning of the track starts with sounds that quickly appear and disappear. With the Canary the sounds appear to be floating out ahead of you at various distances. With some other tube amps I've had (Primaluna, Line Magnetic, Linear Tube Audio) the sounds floated all around and almost behind you. The rest of the track, with the Canary, is tonally so accurate and powerful it is startling. With this amp it sounds like you're listening in an anechoic chamber because there's no reverb or haziness, but nothing is harsh or out of place. The detail of the bow's running across the strings is almost tangible. With the other amps you get a smoother sound here, but it is all over you like you're in a cloud of music. Wow, just a totally different presentation I guess, but maybe the way the Canary presents the music is why I'm feeling a slight lack of punch or bite.

@david_ten how did you install the rear brass bumpers on your Cubes? Did you have to install threaded inserts? Thanks 

@david_ten ok I get it. I bought the threaded ones, oops. Thanks. 

I just hooked up a pair of Sophia Electric 91-01 mono blocks to my Nenuphar minis. I really haven’t had time to listen much at all so too early to assess but in the brief time listening I am liking what I’m hearing. The reason I went for these amps is the owner was including an almost new pair of Takatsuki 300b’s. I started listening with a pair of included Shuguang black treasure series 300b’s. They were fine but a little lean sounding. I just put in the takatsuki’s and wow, huge difference. Tone is richer and soundstage wider and deeper. Everything just got bigger and more alive sounding. When I get more time with this combo I’ll report back. I’m also moving and will have a much better listening space but that won’t be until mid September. 
I’m also wondering if anyone is using a sub with their Nenuphars? I’m using a pair of REL T5i’s. I’ve been really impressed by these little subs. I don’t have them turned up much but they really blend well. 

Sounds like an awful experience but glad it’s just material damage and you’re able to be in the home. 
I’ve never heard a 2a3 tube. I’m using 300b SET monoblocks right now from Sophia Electric. Beautiful mids and highs but I’m not getting the bass I like. I have an Alan Eaton 45amp and I really like the sound it produces. Not quite as refined but the bass is more alive, punchy. Thinking about trying a Primaluna Evo300 amp as I really like my old Dialogue series and love the EL34. Not sure if anyone has tried Primaluna with Nenuphars. 

For Nenuphar (reg or mini) owners, how far apart are your speakers and do you tow them in? I have minis and I just moved. My new room is bigger than the one before. I’m working on setting up the speakers and they’re very “beamy” at this point where the sound seems to coming right from the drivers. I just moved them further apart with almost no toe in and it’s better but still a bit beamy. Maybe I’ll move a bit further still. Just wondering how everyone else is set up. Thanks. 

Thanks David, hope you’re well. 
I’m going to try and get the speakers further apart. I’m sitting 11’ away and they’re about 8.5’ apart. Then I’ll try toing in. I’ll report back as I experiment. 

They’re labeled as radiotron but that’s all I know. 

I actually don’t know. This is the amp I have:

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649763529-alan-eaton-45-set-amplifier-class-a-and-built-with-tam...

@david_ten glad to hear clean up is going well. Can’t wait to hear impressions on the FM 2a3’s. 

@dspringham I love the finish on your cube’s. I have mini’s in matte walnut and my wife says I can’t get new speakers anymore because she loves the look, and sound. Like that you’re using a relatively inexpensive amp with very (IMO) speakers and front end. I’m currently using an Alan Eaton 45 amp that I got for around $900 with my Nenuphar Mini’s. I also have a pair of 300b SET monoblocks. The mono’s paint a more vivid, clear and detailed picture but the 45 amp is just more engaging to listen. I get stuck listening to it whereas I don’t get as drawn in with the mono’s. It’s also only about 1.5 wpc but it never seems flat or not enough. Rest of the chain is an Auralic G1 streamer to Berkeley Alpha Reference DAC1 to Don Sachs preamp to amp, all powered by a psaudio p12 regenerator. Guess it goes to show how versatile these speakers can be that you can pair them with inexpensive tube amps and still sound great. 

@splundersCurious to hear your thoughts on the SIT3 vs Decware. I’ve been on a tube journey but if I try solid state the SIT3 is at the top of my list. 
I have the Mini’s and I concur with stephendunn about how these just sound so natural. I also love how they can sound big and dynamic at low volumes. That works well for me because I’m often awake early and like to listen to music but don’t want to wake the house. I augment the bass with subs. Had been using REL T5I’S and was really impressed how well they integrated and didn’t draw attention to themselves. I recently have been playing with a JL Audio F110 and while it certainly digs much deeper I’m still unsure if I prefer it to the pair of RELs. I’m going to take my time in figuring it out but for years I refused the idea of adding a sub to my 2-channel but now I think I couldn’t go without. Not only does it help with bass but it really helps create depth in the soundstage. 

I used sophia electric 91-01 monoblock 300b SETs with my Nenuphar Mini’s. Sounded fantastic. Plenty of output. Great detail, texture and very controlled, nuanced bass. I’m actually selling the amps however not because they were lacking in any way. Just that we moved and have some house projects to take care of and I need to sell some gear. I also have some hardly used Takatsuki 300b’s that take everything up a few notches. 

@david_ten 

I'm using an Alan Eaton 45 amp and a Primaluna Dialogue Premium. These are much less expensive amps, especially purchased used, but I love their sound. The 300B amps I tried definitely had more microdynamic detail and texture. They played a more vivid tone and did sound more "real." However, I felt the sound a touch dry and just not as engaging. The 45 and PL amps keep me glued to listening area. For some reason when using the 300B amps I had a hard time getting the sound to separate from the speakers compared to EL-34 based amps. The PL excels at imaging for me, and I love the versatility of being able to use so many tubes. EL-34's probably being my favorite but the other night listened to KT-150 in triode mode and it was gorgeous. Right now listening to Shuguang WE6CA7's (EL-34) with Radiotechnique NOS 12au7's and it's sounding great. It does gloss over some fine detail but the music is just so enjoyable through it. Same with the 45 amp. That amp just has some "bounce to the bass" that is just so enjoyable. Midrange texture just feels great. Again, not as detailed or crystal clear as the 300b amps (I tried Canary and Sophia Electric), but just fun to listen to. I feel some people would prefer the 300B amps and I can see why. The microdynamics were startling. Especially with intimate vocals recordings and string instruments. Part of my decision was economics as well. Promised my wife I'd sell some stuff so we can do some projects on the house, so I might still sell one of these amps and go with 1 for now, we'll see. I am also interested in modifying the PL and upgrading the caps to V-Cap ODAMs. I know some people don't love PL but I think its a quality amp with a lot of versatility.

@stephendunn those Boressen speakers seem like some sort of voodoo magic. Seems like anyone who hears them is amazed. They are probably at the top of my list of speakers I'd love to live with for awhile at some point. Enjoy!

Post your thoughts on the Nenuphar mini’s once you get a listen. I’m intrigued by the semi OB design of the qualio iq’s. I love my Nenuphar mini’s but I’d love to listen to the qualios one day. 

I’ve seen this amp and was also intrigued by the switchable damping factor. How did it sound with the DF set at 250?

Anyone try any of the Luxman Class A integrateds with Nenuphars? I am curious to try the L590axII integrated and just simplify to that and a dac/streamer.

@whitestix @charles1dad

I had a similar experience with my Nenuphar Mini’s. Bsically, the first year I owned them it was a love/hate experience. Often, I was enamored with the sound and loved the transparency without harshness. However, as my previous posts mention, I struggled with imaging and often the speakers would "beam" especially with vocals, and/or the soundstage would be tilted to the left side of the listening area, which I attributed to my room. However, I moved houses and have a bigger room and still had the issue.

I upgraded the drivers, tried different components, cables, power conditioners, amps, even Dirac room correction. And I tried positioning speakers all over and adjusted toe in. I even reoriented the entire room which helped but eventually my wife veto’d (to her credit she let me get away with it for a few months). Some changes made improvements but couldn’t quite get it to consistently sound the way I wanted.. One day earlier this year I was getting a little frustrated and went to a local store to demo some Sonus Faber’s which they had hooked up to a Luxman integrated (liked the speakers, but more impressed with the integrated). The imaging was excellent and I noticed the speakers were closer together than I had tried and toe’d in. I had tried putting mine close together but didn’t really try toing in. I went home and started with the speakers really close together (about 5’) and toed in so they "connected" at the MLP. It was an improvement. I started pulling the speakers further apart a few inches at a time and keeping toe in towards the MLP. Eventually I got to the spot they’re at now. I took measurements and made a diagram, just in case they get moved accidentally! Now, I’m getting amazing imaging, detail, depth depth depth (which I think is the hardest attribute to achieve) and tone. Speakers completely disappear. What’s interesting is that I’m pretty sure I’ve had the speakers in about the same spot as I ended up with, but maybe they’re toed in a little more and they’re a couple inches narrower. Just shows a couple inches can make a big difference. I also think it really did take a while for the drivers to break in. If some people say 100 hours, that’s listening for about 2 hours each week. Well, some weeks I don’t listen at all as I travel for work or am too busy. And, when I do listen I would say most of the time is at low volume as I’m working or it’s early in the morning and I don’t want to wake the house. So, it may have just taken a long time to break in the drivers. Either way, I’m loving these speakers at this point. I just acquired a Line Magnetic 845 Premium and I’m blown away by how much better it sounds vs the 518. This is the best sound I’ve ever had and I really don’t think I’m making any changes for awhile. But, I have been following the Sachs 300b thread and might be interested in those down the road potentially, maybe. Once I sell the LM 518 and my Primaluna Evo300 amp (both are excellent but the 845P is in another league) I’ll probably get a solid state amp (thinking Atmasphere GaNFET) to use in the warmer months since the 845P is a heater as well as an amp. But, other than that I am sticking with the Nenuphar Mini’s.

The Enleum is also an amp that I'd consider, as well as LTA amps, which are tube based but don't get that hot.

I know the Cubes are supposed to sound better with low damped amps. I've tried a bunch of amps and have found these speakers sound great with all types. I tried a SIT-3 that everyone says pairs great and while I liked it I didn't find it that engaging and wound up selling it. I also tried an LSA GaNFET (with a tube pre) that was really inexpensive and I really liked it. It was a touch dry but also very detailed and transparent. I think what I've learned is some amps that on paper may not seem like a great match can sound excellent. One thing I love about these speakers is that they're transparent enough that it is fairly easy to hear almost any change in the system. That can be fun but also a little dangerous 😉