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Novum PMR - I am impressed

Novum PMR

Audiogon has done some threads on this eccentric device before. I took a chance on buying one for my system and am impressed. It truly is like having a sort of center speaker when placed between the main speakers. Since my entirely vertical rack sits between the main speakers, and the placement suggestion for the Novum advocates for the "singing bowl" to be placed between and somewhat behind the speakers it took some doing to place the bowl correctly. The rack shelving had to be adjusted a bit closer to the components so that the novum could be perched on the vacant top rack about 5 feet high. This is not "ear level" relative to my listening chair but by tilting the bell forward somewhat I feel that much of the sonic interaction is reaching me correctly.

This sort of device reminds me how much of the audiophile journey is about exploring the more abstruse elements of sound and acoustic theory because this thing is hard to grok. It is not really a "singing bowl" in the classic sense because most of the tone emanates from the thin leading rim. The body of the thing is much thicker than the traditional singing bowl shape and rises in stages or steps rather abruptly from the base. There is some acoustic theory about resonance going on here that I would like to be more privy to.

What it does for sound is obviously beneficial for my set up. There is a slight gain in loudness at any given knob position, but the gain is not unpleasant. The treble is somehow restrained but gains in detail. Decay is extended but not unnaturally - there is no adverse "feedback" or "ringing." The mids and bass seem somehow boosted but with no distortion which was an apprehension I initially had when first unboxing it and just looking at it. Notes "seem" to linger longer but there is no sense of undue embellishment. A lot of the music I favor such as Deuter already has echo in spades, but the Novum does not just tack on extra echo - it seems to simply grab what is there and stabilizes it so that it "behaves" with more composure.

Very strange and delightfully so.

bolong
andynotadam's avatar
andynotadam
166 posts
 

I have a used MkII arriving tomorrow...

bolong OP
585 posts
 

Have fun

andynotadam's avatar
andynotadam
166 posts
 

Hi all. My review just posted in the PS Audio Forums...

It’s a beast: Fourteen inches in diameter and over seventeen pounds of sand-cast bronze alloy. I’ve had it for five days now, no break-in required!

The instructions say that it can be placed anywhere in the listening room, preferably at ear level. Most folks put them between and behind the plane of their speakers, but that doesn’t work for me with my present setup. An alternate setup location noted in the instructions is behind and to one side of the listening position, and that’s where mine is located, sitting on my dining table.

The manufacturer’s measurements show that it adds harmonics to the sound of your speakers in the room. That should be a bad thing, right? Well, not in my particular system, and not in my room.

This oversized bronze frisbee (imagine the damage that Oddjob could do with one of these!) is doing some amazing things at Casa AndynotAdam. Right off the bat, the music seemed louder by one or two clicks. The soundstage has been utterly transformed and expanded in every direction. Clarity and image focus are greatly enhanced, everything seems tidier, better-organized and more, well… real. Organic even. Bass notes are firmer and more forceful and extended. At the same time, the sound seems somehow more relaxed, meaning that I can listen at realistic levels without any hint of fatigue (sorry neighbors!).

I was extremely lucky to find one used. It took six months of daily searching until I found one from a guy who was downsizing his system. Mine is a MkII model; they currently offer a revised MkIII version.

It clearly isn’t the first thing you should add to a system, but in my case, after a number of significant recent major upgrades to cabling and amplification, and some tweaks like Pink Fuses for my amps and an SR Black Box bass resonator (recommended BTW) my system was really singing. I couldn’t think of a ‘my next upgrade’ that wouldn’t have cost in the five figures. Used, this one was in the very low fours. $1400 to be exact. New MkIIIs are $2990. There is a smaller model in the line–the Initium MkII–which is currently $1590. I am seriously considering buying one of those because I could much easier place it between my speakers, but I am clearly getting ahead of myself.

I’m my room, and in my system, this thing amounts to a major component-level upgrade and it seems to greatly complement my suite of SR HFTs and Black Box resonators.

I’m a very happy boy…

 

 

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