Major innovative break through: The new NSMT Loudspeakers reference speaker

I confirm 100% everything Teajay said in his review. I walked into his house when he had Janet Monheit's Honey Suckle Rose track playing and I have never heard that level of 3d holographic sound.  That tone was crystal with full bass and this was the small subwoofers as the larger ones hadn't arrived.  I would recommend these.  Absolutely the best sound I ever heard and I have heard the NSMT 100's at Teajay's/

John Hoffman

Terry, but I thought you considered the Tekton speakers to be the greatest?

How would these compare to them?

ozzy

Hey Ozzy,

I never stated that my Tekton design Ulberth speakers were the "greatest", but that they were superlative speakers at a very reasonable price. They were finally replaced after four years with the NSMT Loudspeaker Model 100 speakers because they out preformed the much large Ulberth speakers on all sonic parameters.

It took Erol Ricketts (designer) of NSMT another four years to design and build a new reference model, the System Two that qualitatively is better then my Model 100s to an amazing degree. This does not make either the NSMT Model 100 or the Tekton Ulberths null and void, both are still very high-level excellent transducers. It just proves that time and technology marches on leading to higher levels of performance. As I shared please look at the review for all the details of why I'm excited to share what the NSMT System Two speakers have to offer sonicly, and while not inexpensive they compete with anything on the market today, regardless of price.

Teajay 

One issue with the NSMT speakers is the lack of availability to audition them.  I called Erol (very nice). He said NSMT no longer has a listening room at their location (!).  He added that there used to be quite a few places across the US where their speakers were available to listen, but not anymore.  I was actually considering detouring by N.C. in the coming weeks on an upcoming road trip to visit NSMT and have a listen, but he made it clear it is no longer an option.  After a lengthy conversation, he did say that he was willing to ship me the upper (primary) module so that I could listen to it and decide if it is what I'm looking for.  I'll add that it is nice that you can buy the modules separately and build up to what you want. As of this writing, I haven't committed to having him send it but will weigh it. The website and phone call have left me a bit hesitant.  

Hey gregjacob,

Erol is a real gentlemen to work with. I hope you decide to choose to have a pair of Monitors shipped to you. I believe you will never send them back. By the way I live 30 miles outside of Chicago, if you ever want to visit to audition the System Two you are more then welcome. This goes for all GON members. 

Teajay (Terry London) 

Vandersteen has had a powered sub integrated with his speakers for many years

Hey Stringreen,

You are correct Vandersteen has models with built-in active subwoofers. Many other companies build their own subwoofers to integrate with their own speakers. 

However, one of the innovative factors in the new NSMT System Two speaker is that Erol is one of the few designers who is brilliant at designing band-pass active subwoofers, instead of port loaded or acoustic suspension that has to be controlled electrically with either the cross-over or digital shaping. I get into a lengthy explanation of why band-pass designs are rare and sound significantly sound superior in many ways to the normal designs mentioned above in the review. 

I get into a lengthy explanation of why band-pass designs are rare and sound significantly sound superior in many ways to the normal designs mentioned above in the review.

 

@teajay  please do.
I am attracted to BP designs, but thought that the transient response was generally considered to be a bit slow? (Maybe I am thinking of the higher order ones?)
And the group delay is rolled up in all that as well.

Hey Holmz,

Actually, the transient response is quite quick/accurate with Erol's band pass design. Don't quite know were you got the assumption that a band pass would be slow at all. I'm sure when the review comes out you will enjoy the extensive information on Band Pass technology.

Teajay (Terry London)

@teajay i was pretty sure that as the order goes up the group delay went up, and the things that went along with slowness, muddies, and the other subjective things.

And why people like transmission lines, infinite baffle and sealed boxes.

WinSD does give group delay for a variety of boxes and used the driver’s Theil-Small parameters.

Hey holmz,

I'm pretty knowledgeable, but first to admit I am not a designer or electrical/acoustic engineer. With your concerns/questions about band pass active subwoofer design I recommend you give a call to Erol to discuss. I'll also ask him if he would want to put something on this thread addressing your questions.

Based on my experience, ported, acoustic suspension, or infinite baffle subwoofers (have had highly regarded and very expensive models in-house for review) come no where close to the natural pressureization of my room delivering a spatial presentation that is a more accurate illusion of live music. Secondly, the blending of the upper bass frequencies with the lower midrange is more seem-less giving the "power range" foundation that allows a system to have a sense of authority/control.   

Teajay (Terry London)

The review on the NSMT System Two speakers earlier today was posted on the Stereo Times website. There is a slight glitch for now, I'm sure it will be corrected shortly by the owner Clement Perry, that the review appears in the archives section under speakers, instead of on the front list of current reviews. So, you have to click on the archives section under speakers to assess it.

I hope you all enjoy the review, I explain as clearly as I could why this is a terrific speaker in so many superlative ways. You can start with the monitor and add on later the two different band pass subwoofers as your budget allows. If your shopping in this price bracket, between $7500 to $15,000, you owe to your self to audition this design before you make your next purchase.

Thanks, Teajay (Terry London)

Hey everybody,

The glitch was quickly fixed, so the review appears on the current list of new reviews.

Many thanks to Terry London and Stereo Times for Terry's thorough and insightful review of our Clairvoyant loudspeaker systems. Here is the link to the review: https://stereotimes.com/post/nsmt-loudspeakers-the-system-two-clairvoyant-monitor-and-sub-duo-active-bandpass-subwoofer-by-terry-london/

@holmz,

Our bandpass subwoofers are single reflex designs.

Terry London, it is fascinating to me that every audio webzine seems to have its own "house character". I would characterize you and your brethren at Stereotimes as having a tendency to heap hyperbole upon the ordinary.

For example, this review; https://v2.stereotimes.com/post/the-acoustic-zen-adagio-loudspeaker/

In the above review, the author stated;

"The cabinetry is furniture grade and the finish on both, the figured maple and mappa burl, is highlighted with a high gloss lacquer. Aesthetically they’ll make an excellent addition to any listening room and if you can place them in the vicinity of a window that receives the early morning sun, visually you’ll be in for a special treat. After admiring the craftsmanship for an extended amount of time, I plugged them in the system."

Well, I owned these speakers and the cabinets were not furniture grade, they were instead mass produced cheaply constructed cabinets from China that had some form of inferior chip board that easily crumbled with stress (for example, at the base where spikes could be inserted) disguised with a high tech paint job.

And in the above review one was lead to believe that the drivers were made in-house when anyone with half a brain would know such to false-I knew that going in.

So now let's come to the review sub judice. Where are the drivers sourced from? Where are the cabinets manufactured? How are the drivers secured to the cabinet (nice to know since drivers do come loose from time to time and/or need to be replaced)? These things DO matter. And I am sorry, Sir, but a competent loudspeaker review imho involves rotating at least one and preferably two different amplifier designs into the review so the reader can anticipate how their own amp will pair with speaker under review.

Guys, here is the link to NSMT website.  You can read about cabinets, drivers and anything you want to know about NSMT speaker parts and construction just follow this link.

https://nsmt-loudspeakers.com/

That sounds like a huge, mega, gigantic breakthrough......how do they sound. 

@johnah5 

I looked at the website before posting. All that diatribe about green eco-building tells one nothing about the real construction of the cabinets. And there is nothing-at least that I found-as to where and from whom the drivers are sourced. I don't really care. My post was to point out Stereotimes' penchant for hype, hyperbole, and exaggeration.

Every magazine and webzine is guilty of it to a degree. I do think this particular webzine stands at the extreme end of the spectrum. Obviously Terry London puts sound above craftsmanship-otherwise he would not tout the Tekton product. If components are routinely being replaced to the point of "disposable product", it is not an issue. If longevity matters, quality craftsmanship does matter.

Mr. London CHOSE to come onto this forum and promote his forum and his review. I find that practice a bit off-putting. Particularly combined with an attempt to grab attention by with a title "Major innovative break through". Reminds me of Kenjit but Kenjit thank goodness does not claim to be a professional reviewer (or maybe he does). C'mon. There is neither a major innovation or a major break-through to be seen here.

Hey fsonicsmith 1,

Excellent points/concerns regarding the review of your Zen Acoustic speakers by Fitzpatrick. So let's get to the "case at hand". For you to apply your overall perspective to my review I believe is disingenuous for the following reasons:

1) As stated all NSMT speaker cabinets are hand crafted in-house by Erol and he uses different hard woods depending on the model. 

2) Never made a statement, or implied, that the drivers are built in-house. Erol uses very high grade drivers from different sources. He will test scores of different transducers until he gets the measurement and sound he is looking for. If you contact Erol he will discuss with you were he scores his drivers and answer your other questions too.

3) I do not believe I use either hyperbole (exaggeration) or misinformation in this review or any of my reviews. My readers know what my personal taste is and what I'm looking for in the performance of a speaker. If you have a similar tastes you will probably immensely enjoy the speaker, if not you won't. 

4) You are correct in pointing out my omission of not sharing what other amplifiers I used to evaluate the NSMT System Two speakers. If you look at the end of the review you will see a list of all my in-house equipment. I have other terrific solid state amplifiers along with a great SET 300B amplifier and the System Two sounded superlative with all of them. The monitor's sensitivity is 94 dB so even low watt SET amps drive it with ease. Add on the band pass active subwoofers you got a very easy load for any amplification that you want to use.

Thanks, Teajay (Terry London)

Hey Sounds_Real_Audio,

I'm a little mystified about your question, " how do they sound". I believe I get into great details trying to explain what this speaker sonicly produces specifically in my review.

Did you read the review?

Thanks, Teajay

Hey fsonicsmith1,

I did not see your post about my review before because I was writing my response to it. I'm still glad I responded and answered your concerns. However, with your last post I now see where you really are coming from. Here's my rebuttal.

1) With your statement that I put "sound above craftmanship" because I written very positive reviews historically about  Tekton Design speakers, own a pair of Ulberth speakers, shows your negative bias that many have towards this brand.

2) I started writing reviews for fun and sharing here with members on the GON which lead to being offered a professional reviewing position. I consider the GON my "home" and have many great friends here. If I find a product that I think is superlative during the reviewing process I share it here. I get many Emails that give me feedback that this information is very helpful to fellow members who share my taste and believe in my honesty. 

3) Thank you very much for comparing me to one of the greatest "screwballs" of all time on the Gon. Coming from you this is a compliment. If you liked my writing I would be concerned I had lost my way.

Thanks, Teajay

While I appreciate teejay’s time and efforts in reviewing gear, reviews are nothing more than one’s perception of a particular gear performance within the context of their system. Their commentary or hyperbole should be taken with grain of salt :-)

This is John, Teajay is using my logon because his account has an issue. I heard these speakers at his place. I can tell you I have never heard a better sound ever.  I can also say from personal experience that Erol is a stand up guy, and understated if anything. He tries to build green because he cares not as a marketing gimic. Actually if you talk to Erol you will quickly understand he is the opposite of hyperbole.  He is a craftsman making the speakers in the US and he is honest. 

Best
JH

@lalitk   Yes-ish. Reviewers bring information about products they are excited about. That is a good thing. I know certain reviewers prefer a sound that I don't. I have heard Wilson speakers and it is not for my ear. So all of this is for entertainment/education and the assumption for all is you have to hear them yourself.  And have fun!

Best

jh

Teajay reviews are spot on, When I visited and listen to the ps 12 Tekton in his system , the review match what I heard. As a reviewer I trust Him.My friend benefited from the product He reviews. Only those gear we can afford.

@teajay  - Terry, did you listen to the Stenheim's in your system or another?  I haven't heard the Stenheim or the NSMT so I am just curious if there were other components involved which may or may not have impacted your opinion.

Hey Facten,

I did not hear the Stenheim speakers in my system. I was very familiar with all the upstream equipment. Great speaker, I mention it my NSMT System Two review for two reasons. First, they have overall similar sound signatures. However, the NSMT has a better bass foundation because of the active band pass subwoofers. Secondly, the amazing price difference of $55,000, in favor of the NSMT System Two, which costs $15,945.00!

Teajay

1) With your statement that I put "sound above craftmanship" because I written very positive reviews historically about  Tekton Design speakers, own a pair of Ulberth speakers, shows your negative bias that many have towards this brand.

Obviously we don't know each other and in this world of exchanging viewpoints in the faceless meta-verse, assumptions are made about each other. Of course I am biased. We are all biased. But my bias is not against Tekton per se, but only against companies who put out cheaply made products. My BIAS is that a cheaply made product is no bargain at any price. 

You may or may not be aware of the many threads on multiple fora regarding the build quality and misleading published specs of the Carver Crimson tube amp. It "featured" a total piece of junk transformer. It was poorly designed so as to present a significant shock hazard. 

Quality is quality. We know it when we see it, feel it, use it. Just one example of quality is Luxman. I only have one Luxman product so I don't  think my opinion is rooted in ownership-bias. It is their head amp, the 750u. It is not even in my system at the moment (an equally quality product, an Ampandsound Nautilus head amp is in its place). 

You seem to be an intelligent fellow so I don't need to belabor the no-name digital watch vs. Swiss handmade analogue watch analogy. The former may keep better time but it is disposable junk. The latter can be easily corrected for accurate time and can be passed on for generations. 

And by the way, why do you repeatedly misspell the name of your own beloved Tekton, the "Ulfberht"? Are you sure you have a pair? 

Hey fsonicsmith1,

You to seem like an intelligent fellow. However, your tired and often used analogies seem like cliches  that still misrepresent  my personal and professional positions. There are many high-end speaker companies that charge ridiculous sums of money and build speakers with mundane/average internal parts housed in very pretty enclosures. Some of these come from countries known for high manufacturing standards (Switzerland/Germany) so part of the propaganda is that if its origin is one of these countries it must have amazing built quality. It ain't necessarily so! In all my reviews, with a few exceptions, I'm looking for small artisan companies that design, hand build and use high-grade materials that lead to superlative performance. (examples-AricAudio-Linear Tube Design) Not just great for the money charged, but shockingly good and performs at levels that would cost thousands of dollars more. The "Big Boys" often charge and get obscene amounts of money. But this is based not on heirloom quality or performance, it's often based on payola to certain reviewers, enough capital to fund large advertising campaigns, and finally appeals to the audiophiles who have to have the latest and greatest " flavor of the month". I apologize for miss spelling my Tekton speakers, but nobody perfect you know. So that's my position or what you called a BAIS, not cheaply made junk, but reporting on high grade products from small boutique companies, not the so-called "Swiss Made Level" companies that build average products, and for the reasons I stated above, charge bogus prices and laugh all the way to the bank.

I apologize for miss spelling my Tekton speakers, but nobody perfect you know.

I am beginning to feel bad. You managed to misspell the word "misspell", combine bad syntax (should be "misspelling the name of my Tekton speakers") and leave out the word "is" before "perfect". A perfect trifecta.

I did not join this discussion to engage in irrelevant written sparring. Perhaps these loudspeakers are in fact quality products that will last and endure. Again, what prompted me to post is the reputation of your webzine, your sensationalist post title, and promoting yourself as a reviewer here.

Hey fsonicsmith1,

I did what you refer to as the "a perfect trifecta" with sarcastic intent to see if you would laugh or act like a condescending individual. Guess I found out.

I'm very happy and proud to be a reviewer on Clement Perry's Stereo Time website. Find it to be a much better fit for me then Six Moons or hometheaterreview ever was. I like how I named this thread because of the amazing performance vs cost ratio and the difference in regular subwoofers vs. band pass technology. Lastly, I'm amused  at your accusation of my self promotion as a reviewer. I have been an active GON member for over 15 years, and have reviewed professionally for over 10 years now. I have many friends on the Gon who appreciate my heads-up about reviews on great products that they might be interested in. Brands like Coda, SPL, Audio Mirror, Philharmonic Audio, Krolo Designs, etc. that helped the members get the performance they were seeking at reasonable prices.

Teajay

I did not join this discussion to engage in irrelevant written sparring

@fsonicsmith1 Then why the hell are you doing it?  IMHO, and as a former reviewer myself (in recovery), Terry wrote a review describing as best he could what he heard, and then he made the highest recommendation a reviewer can make and bought the review sample.  Who are you to criticize him or his perspective?  What’s your experience in audio, and how much equipment have you reviewed or gotten to listen to in your room and system to gain any level of perspective?   If you think the review is hyperbole then that’s you’re opinion, but don’t come in here throwing flames at a well-respected member and reviewer and say you didn’t join the discussion for “irrelevant sparring,” because that’s exactly what you did and have provided precisely zero to the value of this thread.  Terry has clued many participants here to equipment they may have otherwise never heard of or would’ve explored, which adds value here.  What value have you provided here, cause I ain’t seen it.  Jeez.

 ( @soix ....lurking for illumination.... )

@soix  Down boy.

@soix +1.  FWIW I take all reviews with a grain of salt, but see no need at all for personal attacks.  That smacks of trolling to me: being insulting precisely to obtain a defensive response.  Teajay, thank you for your review and your participation on Agon. 

If I am guilty of trolling (and arguably am), I apologize. While I have not been active on this site for fifteen years like Teajay, I have been on it for a while now and was a regular on the AA Board for many years. I don't believe-until now-that I had ever been labeled as one who trolls. 

I further apologize for not just ignoring the entire matter since I have no direct knowledge of the product or producer. That is what I should have done. 

I just had two music lovers, and seasoned audiophiles, come over to listen to the NSMT System Two speakers. They brought their own music which covered the gambit of many genres of music. They listened for over four hours. They have heard my system over the years with different speakers, including my last reference of four years the NSMT 100 speakers. 

To say they were patently shocked with the performance of the System Two speakers would be an understatement! Across the sonic spectrum - dynamics- micro-details- tonality/timbres - amazing sound-staging with 3D imaging - powerful extended bass frequencies, they thought the System Two performed at a higher level in all these areas. 

Remember, if any of you live in the Chicagoland area and would want to visit to hear them, just let me know.

Teajay (Terry London) 

Will they be demoed at upcoming Capital Audiofest? I always like to give products I have heard something good about a listen at shows like that.  

Hey mapman,

Just saw your post. I'll inquire with Erol to see if he has any plans of showing there or other audio shows. When I find out I will let you know.

Teajay

In the next two weeks my Stereo Times review on the new NSMT Loudspeakers reference System Two will be posted. I wanted to give a heads-up to the GON members because I consider the System Two, which is composed of the Clairvoyant Monitor and SUB-DUO active band-pass subwoofer platforms to be a revolutionary break through both in performance and retail price $15,985. For example I compare the NSMT System Two to a great speaker, the Stenheim Alumine Five SE Dynamic Loudspeaker, and found the NSMT System Two to be superior in it's performance. Punch line- The Stenheim Alumine retails for $72,000! For all the details of why I came to the above conclusions take a look at the review when it is posted. 

@teejay  What is the "major innovative breakthrough" here exactly? Can you spell it out a bit?

Hey deep-333,

There are two "breakthrough", in my opinion:

1) The development of a two driver band pass active subwoofer. If you read the review I make an attempt to explain the great benefits of band pass designs compared to other regular subwoofer designs. In my NSMT 100 model and the Bass Foundation platforms Erol used one 10 driver. However, to use two 10 woofers and get the pair to function properly is the technological breakthrough.

2) The other breakthrough is financial. For $15,945.00 you get a four piece reference speaker. Not chicken feed by any means. However, as a spoiled reviewer I have had in-house speakers up to $70,000 that came no were close to the performance of the System Two. So, the performance to cost ratio is a major breakthrough in my opinion.

Teajay (Terry London)

Hey Mapman,

Erol just informed me he will be showing at the next Capital Audiofest. I hope those of you attending the show who have read the review and are interested in hearing the NSMT System Two will visit his room.

Teajay (Terry London)

Last Saturday, my friend Christopher Stanley, from New York, and I, flew out to Midway airport, rented a car and drove to Terry London's house to hear his reference NSMT Clairvoyant System Two system. Christopher owns the NSMT Model 100 speakers and wanted to hear if the NSMT Clairvoyant System Two topped his NSMT Model 100 system and, if so, to what extent.

Over the last few years,Terry invited me out, several times, to hear his previous reference system based on the NSMT Model 100s. This was the first time I was meeting Terry and he proved to be an incredibly gracious host.

His listening room is vast with a loft off to the left side. The ceiling is almost three stories high. One would not believe that such a large space would be so acoustically inert. So he has a great venue and a reference system comprised of the NSMT Clairvoyant System Two speaker system, Mark Levinson 31.5 transport, Reimyo TUKO DAC, SPL Elector preamplifier, SPL M1200 amplifier, Black Cat 3202 wires, Kirmuss Audio Adrenaline speaker wire, and Audio Archon power cords.

Simply put, his system is the best system I have heard. I am not talking just about my speakers but the overall system, in terms of dynamics, tonality, imaging etc. You name it.

On Sunday we went up to his loft to hear his Musician Audio Knight Loudspeaker 1 system comprised of a pair of NSMT Bass Foundation active Band-Pass subwoofers, Pro-Ject reference CD transport and Linear Tube Audio power supply, Pass Labs DAC-1, Threshold 550e amplifier, Black Cat 3202 wires, Kirmuss Audio Adrenaline speaker wire and Audio Archon power cords. Both systems are grounded with Puritan Labs conditioner and circuit grounding system.

The soudstage is huge, dynamic, and transparent. We asked him to turn off the Bass Foundation subwoofers. It was pretty dramatic how the soundstage lowered and collapsed towards the space between the speakers which showed the effects of the Bass Foundation subs.

We had a wonderful time visiting Terry. He extends an open invitation to anyone who is in the Chicago area to come to listen to his Reference NSMT Clairvoyant System Two system. I hope one of the skeptics here will take him up on his offer and write an objective post as to what he/she heard. If you are not in the Chicago area, a Saturday round trip to Chicago can be quite reasonable.

Hey Erol,

Thank you for the kind words towards me regarding being a good host. I'm really glad you finally were able to hear your System 2 speaker in the context of my system and acoustic space. 

So, if any of you Gon members who live in the Chicagoland area and would want to come hear the NSMT System 2 speakers, please let me know and I'll arrange it for you.

Teajay (Terry London)