This must be my place. Like someone said before, I asked on other forums about this speakers and few answers and enthusiasm…
I’m really interested in this speakers. Good comments from all around. Srajan and Peter talked about something really special (Mr. Breuninger said that the importance of this speaker it’s equal to the famous Quad’s… That’s a lot!!!).
I have not been able to listen yet to the Nenuphars. Some questions. Let’s hope you can help me:
1) I hear a lot of rock. Do the Nenuphar’s rock?? It is said that if you place the Nenuphar’s near the wall there is a bass improvement but it’s enough?? Are they capable with rock music??
2) Sorry to the OP if I stray from the main topic but I must ask it. Magico A5 (“giant killer”), Von Schweikert Endeavor SE, Rockport Atria II… I know that they are a different designs, but is the Nenuphar at the level??
3) I’m a little bit confused between the new Audio Cube Jazzon and the Nenuphar. Aren’t they both 10” drivers??
4) I’m also worried about the performance of the new Nenuphar V2. Is less efficient than the V1??
5) What about the launch of the new Cube Audio F15 Neo with 15”. Any information?? What we can expect??
Sorry for my horrible english. Thanks so much and sorry to the OP if I stray a little bit.
I bet that configuration sounds utterly fantastic! Tonal/musical finesse and emotionally engagement achievable at lower listening levels? Not easy to do. I’d choose this attribute by a factor of 10 compared to loud volume and bass "slam" abilities.
For me, the two week downtime (which is mainly due to shipping the drivers back and forth) is about as reasonable as it gets.
@david_tenyes, I agree. It’s quiet a reasonable time give the situation we are all in. However, since Covid many of us are WFH and enjoys listening more than ever :-)
The 'downtime' is about two weeks. Jon Ver Halen / Refined Audio will send a box for the V1 drivers to be shipped to him; he replaces the front of the driver and ships the now V2 driver back to you with a sticker labelling it as V2 and additional stickers for the owner to place on the outside (e.g. by the binding posts) of each speaker to signify the speakers are V2s.
@david_tenthanks for the details. I did not enquire about the downtime since I wanted to get his opinions on the v2 before upgrading and he was still expecting the shipment of the assembly. The 2 weeks downtime seems a lot, especially if you don’t have a back up speaker and you listen almost everyday. I can’t seem to think I will be out of music for 2 weeks. Cube should have figured a better plan :-)
I spoke with the US distributor and it looks like the v2 driver upgrade is changing out the cone and assembly on the same frame/magnet of the v1 drivers.
The 'downtime' is about two weeks. Jon Ver Halen / Refined Audio will send a box for the V1 drivers to be shipped to him; he replaces the front of the driver and ships the now V2 driver back to you with a sticker labelling it as V2 and additional stickers for the owner to place on the outside (e.g. by the binding posts) of each speaker to signify the speakers are V2s.
What a creative concept! They do resemble flowers. Single-driver designs fascinate me, but there aren't any to try out around here. However, I appreciate hearing about other people's experiences. These are particularly fascinating.
Btw, that reminds me - I spoke with the US distributor and it looks like the v2 driver upgrade is changing out the cone and assembly on the same frame/magnet of the v1 drivers. So there is a down time in sending the v1 drivers, replacing them and then getting it back :-( You can off-coarse buy a new pair of v2 drivers and then sell the v1 driver in the used market but that will be a costly proposition.
I was very interested to try the Enleum but my modded LM sounds so good with the Nenuphars that I have no interest of upgrading the amp. If I like the Enleum more than the LM, it will great win for me since, apart from the uptick in sound, I can also significantly reduce the power consumption of my system.
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* Frequency response may vary and depends on room size and accompanying electronic equipment.
[Note: Reposting the specs for the V2 Nenuphars so folks can easily compare with the original / opening post V1 Nenuphar specs (at least for the duration of this forum page)]
I will be auditioning a Playback Designs MPD-8 Dream DAC in March.
And sometime April/May I will audition the Magnepan LRS speakers driven by the VR L2iSE.
I’ll also be adding some room treatments in incremental stages.
And I’ll continue to work with the Decware Zen Triode 25th Anniversary Edition, rolling a few more tubes and experimenting with it’s various settings.
And, as mentioned, I will probably add a Cube Audio 10" woofer.
But mostly, as always, discover new music. Such as Jan Lisiecki’s Chopin’s Nocturnes (DG) reviewed by Alex Ross in this week’s New Yorker. Listening now through the Enleum 23R. Delicious.
Yes, I think the Cube Audio sub is the next step, although I'm thinking of the 10" since my room is slightly smaller than yours. Right now I'm using a KEF KC62--a mini sub that does a credible job.
I prefer both the Enleum and the Zen Triode without a pre.
I'm not tempted to try mono block Zen Triodes since 1) I don't feel the single Zen needs more head room--although the monos might offer other benefits as well, just twice as many tubes to maintain 2) I think the Enleum may end up in the system the lion's share of the time. It plays better at lower volumes than the Zen, although that might have more to do with controlling volume through the TotalDAC instead of the Zen dual volume controls. I'll have to experiment.
I sent the iFi Pro iDSD back--a great a value but fell short of the TotalDAC D-1 Dual.
A typo indeed. V2 covers a wider frequency range (lower & higher with a slightly more balanced mid-range if you ask me). I don’t have a lot of direct experience of the new bass extension as I use Cube’s V2 10’’ monitors and complement with their Sub12’’
@mikeg Mike, the same questions came to mind when I saw the specs over at Cube Audio.
First thought was a typo (i.e 28 Hz)..I would have minimally expected 30 Hz (6dB)...a slight gain in LF. This is especially puzzling given what Cube highlighted regarding the V2 version:
"You can expect it now to be have even more bass"
@vinpic Any thoughts, given you have the V2 Nenuphars?
I have sent Grzegorz an email requesting clarification.
Interesting... The bass response is now 38Hz (6 dB). It was 30 Hz (6 dB). Why did the V2 lose the lowest bass response? Should be easier to drive as an 8 ohm impedance. What is the minimum impedance? We know replacing the foam surround decreases the efficiency but extends the life of the driver. Losing the lowest bass would be a non started for some. I wonder why the decreased bass response wasn't noted in the 6 Moons review. Not everybody uses the Nenuphars with subwoofers.
Are you using your Decware Super Zen 25th Anniversary Edition without a preamp? Given how well it has performed for you, any thoughts on going for the monoblock version and it’s 6 watt output? Is the iFi Pro iDSD still in your chain?
Compared to the cost of your Vinnie Rossi L2iSE integrated, both the Enleum and Decware also take honors on price.
Good man, welcome to Enleum. Stunning amp and extraordinary pairing with the Nenuphars. Your next move should be to try the cube audio Sub 12’’ (I use one only in a 36sqm room, positioned ~80cm closer to the listening position to offset the DSP time lag, connected via the high line inputs to the Enleum. This is probably the most significant upgrade I have experienced in a long while, more than any changes in streamer/dac (I am a happy owner of Grimm MU1 and Mola Mola Tambaqui)… deeper/cleaner bass, increased soundstage and transparency, more realistic timbres. Simply gorgeous.
For the past several weeks I've been listening to two extraordinary amplifiers, the Enleum 23R and the Decware Super Zen 25th Anniversary Edition, both achieving the most engaging synergy with the the Nenuphars I've experienced yet. These amps elevate the Nen's performance to a new level, surpassing even the VR L2iSE (whose Achilles heel is it's output impedance which creates a relatively high damping factor) which bested (to my ears) the First Watt SIT 1, SIT 3, Pass Labs INT-25 and a Triode Labs 2A3 Classic. dspringham has called the Zen Triode "unearthly good" and vinpic has enthused over the Enleum 23R driving his Nen's with the new version of the 10 inch drivers and toetapaudio has posted how well the Bakoon 13R (precursor to the Enleum 23R) drives the Nens, so I can't claim I've summited any new peaks, but I have had the privilege of comparing these two amps side by side. And you know what? I find it very hard to tell them apart, especially their uncanny portrayal of "ensemble" music--small jazz groups, chamber music, "girl and guitar", etc. It is only when you go large, orchestra or rock say, that you might hear the Enleum 23R have slightly better bass definition, slightly better separation, slightly faster speed overall. But the two share engrossing detail, tonal accuracy, harmonic richness, holographic imaging, immense dynamics and life-like ambient air that I have never heard from any other amplifiers. Considering the two very different technologies of the these amps, this surprises me. What they do share, technically, are three things we know the Nens love: zero feedback, damping factor of 1 and pure signal path--although the Enleum's purity is achieved not through minimal circuitry as is the case with the Zen Triode but through a proprietary biasing arrangement that Soo In Chae calls JET2, which converts the analog signal to digital then back to analog again. The difference in output--the Zen at 2.3 watts per channel, the Enleum at 35 watts into 8 ohms--never manifest itself in my listening. At high levels they maintained their control, openness and air. Even pushing beyond tolerable levels I could hear no compression and the Zen never showed signs of clipping.
So which one will I live with? Tough question. Wouldn't have to change tubes with the Enleum, but then again I might enjoy rolling a few tubes in the Zen (I did replace the stock rectifier with the Sophia Electric Aqua 247b to nice effect). I do like to listen to big music, so I'm leaning towards the Enleum, but maybe the Zen is a little more present with voices? I go back and forth and sometimes I have to look up and see which one I've got playing to know for sure.
BTW, I vastly prefer both amps without the VR L2iSE as DHT pre (with Takatsuki tubes). Running through the pre seems to add a smoothing veil which detracts from the wonderful detail and texture these two amps have in spades.
Also, I've listened to the Enleum 23R headphone output. It is every bit as exciting as listening to the beautiful little beast drive the Nens.
Everything seems straightforward, except I wonder if the Nenuphar with the new v2 driver's efficiency has, in fact, decreased to 90 DB. That's the spec they are shooting for with the new Jazzon speaker and F10 select driver ("Driver efficiency had to be cut back a little bit").
Dogma is for people who prefer thoughts of superiority over experimentation and subjective experience, and what is music enjoyment if not the latter? We've all got different rooms, systems, ears, and brains.
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.
@abd1If it works it works. I had a bad experience with system wide room correction (Lyngdorf), but still use it on my subs (miniDSP). In the end you have to trust your ears. Dogma is for people who prefer thoughts of superiority over experimentation and subjective experience, and what is music enjoyment if not the latter? We've all got different rooms, systems, ears, and brains.
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.
perfect. I was thinking about 5 to 7 feet. Nearfield could be closer in a small room or a desktop type setting, but not for speakers design for 20-40m² rooms. 5 feet is as close as I would want to get. I bet your Imaging and depth of field are out of this world (I assume they are out of the room).
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