2. speakers
  3. 181608-89924

I have NOVA V's and I am not happy

I have a Mark Levinson 585 and a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica Nova V's and although I admittedly have some room acoustic issues that I am working on I am not happy with the sound. 

I listen to music LOUD. This Pairing thru a pair of Kimber Cable 8TC's gets bright in what I think is the 2 to 4 khz range and the sonus faber nova's seem to mute the lower end of female vocals, artist like Macy Gray or Tina Turner dont seem to have the same drive in the lower octaves. At the same time the upper end of vocals like Sheryl Crow can get too bright and cause fatigue (I am assuming this is in the 2 to 4khz range) I have tried every speaker placement you can think of, toe in, toe out. distance from front wall and I am adding acoustic treatments as fast as they can be shipped. 

Here is my question, I had Mark Levinson 436 Mono Blocks in the past connected to a pair of B&W Nautilus 802's thru a pair of MIT Shotgun bi-wire speaker cables and I never noticed that system to be bright. Granted that system was in a different room in a different house. Everyone is telling me that B&W is a brighter sounding  speaker by far over Sonus Faber. If I decide after all my room treatments that I am not a fan of the Sonus Faber sound where should I turn for my replacement speaker? Or is it Mark Levinson's Fault? I want Rich Lush Loud Musical sound. I like a decent sound stage, I also really love it when when you hear decay from the instruments. I don't really care if that's what is neutral or not that's what I like :) 

Where did I go wrong and what can I do to fix it?

Thanks Lee

rlross3

Showing 10 responses by samzx12

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

Cheers Grisley 🍻 😜

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

The Nova 5s are fantastic speakers. Just a quick glance at this thread I'm thinking the ML isn't the best match.  Also I would upgrade the Kimber 8TC and look into warmer interconnects. The Luxman, McIntosh or consider Audio Research amps. I have the Olympica 3 and they are a tad warmer than the Nova series. McIntosh are great amps however,  I found a MC402 & MC452 didn't have enough low level detail. I then trusted my gut and purchased a ARC REF75SE. Perfect match for the 03. The newer McIntosh amps also seem to be a great match for the Nova series. 

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

@ieales your assessment of the Nova 5 is about the most inaccurate statement or reference. Nothing will make it sound good? Why would a company make a product that doesn't sound good or match well with various electronics? 

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

Just noticed the OP has these speakers for sale on Audiomart.  From what I can see his room isn't damped well plus the speakers aren't even set-up properly.  Seems like a waste of time helping this guy. 

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

Jerryg123 the pictures in the ad show 2 different rooms or setups.  Clearly he has no idea what he's dealing with.  Steve Guttenberg did a review on these speakers and loved them. 

$18K speakers don't horrible unless you're room sucks or the rest of the system doesn't measure up or match well. I'm thinking Best Buy is the best choice for the OP HAHA.  

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

A dealer I went to about a year ago was using Sim Audio with Sonus Faber. Sounded very nice. The Nova 3 were what I went to audition but they didn't have the Nova 5. They did let me listen to the Cremonese.  Oh lord I was salivating lol. 

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

@wlutke  he should be working with his room first and also change amps. Obviously the Levinson isn't a good match plus it's much easier to change amps than speakers. If I were buying speakers and liked my amp,  I definitely would be trying to match which speakers sound best with Levinson.  

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

@ieales It’s the nature of the business. Many components are designed for looks / SPL and not accurate sound reproduction.

And this is your opinion of Sonus Faber?

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

Grisleybutter you need a drink or 4 🍸 

samzx12
1,232 posts
 

FYI his speakers are for sale on Audiomart so doubtful he'll take any advice.  I'd say his mind is made up and not taking any advice.  Hopefully whatever he does in the near future, better decisions are made and learns from his mistakes.  

More to discover