The Great Speaker decision Is NOW within reach.

[John Ashman]

About the transiants response, i agree and thats another huge strongpoint of the ribbons and the fact they they are all the same and the huge magnetic field that this lightweight membrane moves in.

Yes, but this can also be a strongpoint of a cone driver with good motor structure, proper box and rigid cone. Remember, the mass of the driver is appropriate to the FR it is trying to do. In a perfect world, there would be no mass at all, but that isn't possible. Ribbons have their own issues and are far from perfect. The proof is in the resolution and I have to say, Xd, thanks to the "Excel-ent" SEAS driver has achieved ribbon level resolution, but without some of their problems. YMMV. Again, there are means to ends, if planar was superior in every way, most everyone would use it.

About the dispersion, the big linesources in my room do not fake height dispersion, but the NHT's have to do this.

I'm not sure how you can say a wide dispersion speaker is "faking" height, but a speaker that is 6' tall is not. How many instruments are 6' tall? I'm not following your logic on this, but I do sense your bias, which is fine. I just think it is not appropriate to claim one way is correct, the other "fake". Again, simply a different perspective, one that you might not enjoy as much, or maybe you will and won't want to admit it

This is another strong point why i never liked box speakers. I need close to the real height i cant stand anything else. Soundstage size is extremely important to me. Then you have the lack of coloration, incredibly good transiant repsonse. No problem with the chassy at all and no problem with subwoofer integration. No hassle with different drivers and its easy to drive and can play over 115db in a 40m2 room measured 4m away. Why on earth would i change that ?

No reason to change! And no one is trying to convince you otherwise. Just wanted to clear up a few things and put a little counterpoint on the subject. Digital is a *very* powerful tool that can be used for good or evil. It addresses a LOT of what you don't like about "box" speakers. Coloration can be lowered or avoided. Soundstage size is increased. Transient response is simply choosing the proper driver for the job and using a sealed enclosure. Subwoofer/driver integration is massively improved to the point of true seamlessness because you can get an essentially perfect crossover between the drivers over a very small area. And the high order crossovers allow all metal, pistonic drivers that blend more seemlessly, removing "hassle" as you state. Should you change? Not if you're happy, just realize that something like Xd is in a different league as compared to normal, analog monopoles. Entirely different animal with entirely different properties and sound.

[topspeed]

You need to hear the new NHT Xd system, with an open mind, before you categorically dismiss prudent use of DSP. These are amazing speakers...

J

Allow me to clarify: DSP for room (or the interior of the car) correction is good. DSP for "recreating" the acoustics of the 3rd stall in the men's restroom of Yankee Stadium is bad.

Capeesh?

[Florian]

The Apogees are great speakers, no doubt. But they, too, fake image height, width and depth, unless you can pack a jazz quartet, a rock band, or a 107 member sympony orchestra into the space that the Divas occupy. The whole purpose of your stereo setup is to create the illusion of something that isn't there. I'm pretty sure your listening room doesn't seat 2300 people ;-)

J

They still come a lot closer to reality than the small cute boxes

[Florian]

To John Ashman:

I am sure you like the NHT's and consider this technology to be groundbreaking. To be honest when you say you helped many people go back from planar and they are happy, i had to laugh. This is a response typical for a discussion like this and means absolutly nothing. I can go ahead and say the same thing about all the people who heard my system and said they consider amongst the best 5 in the world and trashed their colored boxes because not even DEQX could fix the bad sound.

I personaly believe that the ribbon planar technology comes much closer to the ideal than a tiny box speaker targeted to a commercial audience with a complete set of computers to fix the initial problems inherritet in its design quite frankly. Also the Apogees wont fake image height, if you stand on top of a chair and try to get your ears above the system you will a huge dropoff in sound, because they simply dont radiate above their height.

The narrow baffle is amazing for users who come from no transparency. In my room is a system with the size 31x73x3 and these are 100% transparent and you wont ever hear them or a single driver sticking out. About the image depth you say that Apogees fake image depth. Quite the opposite actually, it depends on the recording. If there is no depth they simply wont have it. It depends on the Apogee models and they all have their own strength.

To drive a speaker actively with the DEQX technology is not a problem at all. I can buy the DEQX device and run the ribbons directly. But not all newer technology is better and it has to prove itself.

Last but not least, a closing statment. Please dont say "Apogees" do this and that, because they all do things a bit differently. I heard the Duetta, Stage and Caliper. I owned the Scintilla and have the DIVA now. There is no way to make a statment like that at all. The NHT's are a cute little speaker that with the help of DEQX etc.. can overcome room problems and fix its own shortcomings and has a big wife acceptor factor which is great for the guy.

I will stick with my big Planar, because i know that the generalisations are false and that for me it comes much closer to the ideal and if i find it good than i can run the DEQX infront of it and drive them fully active, no problem at all.

-Flo

PS: I come from a server IT background and know that in 1 year they will have a new DEQX out and it will be even better than the one know. The new 1's and 0's will sound better then. I am sure they are great, but too me this technology is not so fascinating then for you.

[GMichael]

So Bose is out huh?

[Florian]

So Bose is out huh?

Yup, BOSE is out and NHT is in. The NHT's look sexy, are not all that expensive and i am sure sound great. If you have a WAF problem or simply want a small speaker that can deliver the goods than i am sure its a very cool thing to have. Just not for a biased planar freak who cant be taught better

[GMichael]

Yup, BOSE is out and NHT is in. The NHT's look sexy, are not all that expensive and i am sure sound great. If you have a WAF problem or simply want a small speaker that can deliver the goods than i am sure its a very cool thing to have. Just not for a biased planar freak who cant be taught better

Kinda likin' those KEF's from the other day. The Q series looks cool. The reference series would be better, but hey, what can I say? The lotto hasn't come in yet. Those blonde colored ones would match our bedroom furniture so well. 5 of the Q1's and a center would be great. I have a Yamaha HTIB in there now. It's not bad except for the speakers.
Actually the wife like the planners for the living room when the money tree starts growing.

[Florian]

Kinda likin' those KEF's from the other day. The Q series looks cool. The reference series would be better, but hey, what can I say? The lotto hasn't come in yet. Those blonde colored ones would match our bedroom furniture so well. 5 of the Q1's and a center would be great. I have a Yamaha HTIB in there now. It's not bad except for the speakers.
Actually the wife like the planners for the living room when the money tree starts growing.

The big Planars look very good and actually all my friends wifes have no problem with them. They look sexy and like sculptures, well the Aps and Maggies

[MrClean]

Allow me to clarify: DSP for room (or the interior of the car) correction is good. DSP for "recreating" the acoustics of the 3rd stall in the men's restroom of Yankee Stadium is bad.

Capeesh?

No argument here, although you shouldn't judge the 3rd stall in the men's room of Yankee Stadium until you've heard the Divas set up in there.

[Florian]

No argument here, although you shouldn't judge the 3rd stall in the men's room of Yankee Stadium until you've heard the Divas set up in there.

Not that i get that comment

[Florian]

Kinda likin' those KEF's from the other day. The Q series looks cool. The reference series would be better, but hey, what can I say? The lotto hasn't come in yet. Those blonde colored ones would match our bedroom furniture so well. 5 of the Q1's and a center would be great. I have a Yamaha HTIB in there now. It's not bad except for the speakers.
Actually the wife like the planners for the living room when the money tree starts growing.

The big Planars look very good and actually all my friends wifes have no problem with them. They look sexy and like sculptures, well the Aps and Maggies

[MrClean]

Not that i get that comment

Just a quick joke.

You own some very nice speakers - I am sure I would really like the way they sound. They would not work in my house, but that does not take away from what the Divas can do when set up properly...

J

[Florian]

And i really like the NHT's. I think its a great bundle of technology and i bet it sounds bloddy good too. I am just a planar ribbon freak.

Got a pic of the great stuff in your house?

-Flo