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NSR Sonic Research D3 Sonata Loudspeaker
New Technology Gets Results!
Page 2
Prologue:
I want to preface my listening impressions
by saying that I found the D3s to be
extremely revealing yet extremely musical
speakers. I used 3 different preamplifiers
during my evaluation, two solid-state and
one tube unit, and found much greater
differences in their sonic signatures than I
had previously noticed. The same held true
for interconnects, and amplifiers, which
again, sounded very different from one
another when using the D3s.
The VMPS RM30 ribbon hybrid speakers have
been my reference for about 3 years now and
I have always been very pleased by their
enormous detailed and lifelike presentation.
In my 14’ x 30’ listening room (with high
vaulted ceiling) they provide an expansive
and dimensional soundstage. In addition,
they are very dynamic and are able to fill
the whole room with sound at healthy (though
not ridiculous) volume levels.
In many ways the D3 Sonatas have similar
attributes. They are every bit as dynamic,
throw a huge stereo image, and will fill the
large room with sound at a healthy level,
provided you feed them enough clean power.
This is not difficult to accomplish because
at 93.7dB/watt, they are nearly 3dB more
efficient than my RM30s. This means the D3s
can play just as loud using about half the
power.
For the sake of consistency, I mainly used
the Rega Apollo CD player as a source,
though I also tried some vinyl on the
Michell TecnoDec with the Benz-Micro
Reference 3 Copper low-output MC cartridge.
The preamps I liked best were the B&K Pro 10
in its buffered-passive mode and my
custom-built, dual-mono, transformer coupled
(single tube) 6SN7 tube line stage.
For most of my evaluation I used the Nuforce
Reference 9V2 SE monoblock amps; although,
for a brief time, I tried PrimaLuna Dialogue
Two tube amp (using EL-34 output tubes) to
see how it would handle larger speakers in a
big room.
For my tests, the speakers were positioned
along the shorter wall. The inside rear of
the speaker cabinets was roughly 42” from
the front wall; the apex at the mid top
point of the speakers was 40” from the side
wall, and the spread between the speakers
was about 72” midpoint to midpoint. A
moderate toe-in was applied and my seat was
back around 9’ from the frontal plane of the
speakers. This is the minimum distance I’d
recommend and at times I found myself
sitting a few feet further back in a
moveable chair and really liking the
presentation. A fair amount of toe-in
results in more extended high frequencies,
so you’ll want to experiment.
The
Pith:
One of the first things I noted about the
Sonata D3 is that its overall balance is a
bit different than that of the VMPS RM30.
However, bear in mind that the RM30 has both
a tweeter level and a midrange level control
that allow a broader range of adjustment to
the upper midrange and treble. The main
thing that vexed me about the Sonata D3s,
was that I found it difficult to adjust the
tweeter level control to provide enough
high-frequency extension without causing the
lower treble to sound somewhat forward and
bright.
This did improve over time with judicious
break-in. Also, substituting my previously
described tube line stage for the B&K Pro 10
helped to provide the best lower to upper
high frequency balance. The D3s treble-level
control also helps to fine tune the treble.
Setting the dial between 1 and 2 o’clock
worked best for me. At times changing cables
or equipment necessitated having to reset
the level control to restore the best
balance.
The D3s are extremely sensitive when it
comes to minor positional tweaking. Like a
dipolar or electrostatic speaker moving the
speakers and/or changing the angle of toe-in
results in dramatically different sound
(involving bass quality, frequency balance,
imaging, and focus). If you don’t like your
results, just keep moving them.
 Once
set, things began sounding very good. The
D3’s more present (more linear, no doubt)
lower treble served to highlight detail both
in instruments and in vocals. Vocals in
particular had immediacy to die for. I
listened to many male and female performers
on the D3s and I have to say that not only
do voices sound natural, they sound
hauntingly real as if the singers are in the
room right in front of you. An example of
this came on CD #2 of Regina Spektor’s
Begin to Hope album [Sire 44315-2]. On
“Music Box,” the intonation and naturalness
of Spektor’s voice is beyond impressive. The
quirky expression and dynamic variations in
Regina’s unique voice were vividly
portrayed. Spektor physically singing right
in front of me could not have sounded any
more real.
Delving into the D3’s midrange, things begin
to get interesting. Whether it’s due to the
driver selection, the inner cabinet’s
anechoic panels, or the premium crossover
components (including the new Clarity
capacitors) I don’t pretend to know, but the
D3s simply grab hold of instruments and make
them their own. From the piano to the
brasses and the strings, the D3’s will
provide more crystal clear harmonic
information and texture than any other
speaker I’ve heard to date.
 Moreover,
imagery of each individual instrument in
space is captured and clarified to an
unprecedented degree, especially with
channel-to-channel effects. I found an
excellent example of this on the Rodrigo
y Gabriela CD of the same title [ATO
records 88088-21557-2]. I can’t recall the
exact track, but there was a vivid sequence
where Gabriela (stage left) y Rodrigo (stage
right), were furiously playing on their
acoustic guitars. I could hear the
individual plucked strings alternate back
and forth between the left and right
channels in rapid succession. Not only was
this great musicianship, it was an effect
that had eluded my attention when I had
played it on other speakers. This was only
one of many recordings where I was able to
notice greater inter-channel coherence and
detail. I remember it mainly because of the
skill and artistry it demanded of the
talented musicians.
I have to say that the bass of the D3s is
fantastic. It is powerful, nimble and
extended. Instruments like drums, double
bass, and bass guitar are articulate and
well defined; plus, their exact placement on
the multi-layered soundstage can be clearly
discerned. When I tell you that the D3s are
the best imaging speakers top-to-bottom,
that I have personally heard, I am dead
serious.
 I’d
be remiss if I failed to mention my
experience with Cake’s Fashion Nugget
CD [Capricorn P2 32867]. The pounding on the
drums was extremely lifelike on cuts like
“The Distance,” and the electric bass so
powerful that it gave the feeling of being
at a live concert. The midrange was
extremely dynamic and almost creamy sounding
as the horns and guitars launched themselves
at me. My ears told me I was listening at a
level a bit louder than I should, but the
quality of the sound was so mesmerizing I
was like a deer in the headlights and
couldn’t manage to budge from my seat to
turn it down.
Turning to my vinyl collection, I pulled out
one of my favorites. Spinning Stravinsky’s
L’ Historire du Soldat from
Stravinsky Conducts 1961 [Columbia MS
6272], I recall that the violins sounded
oh-so-sweet. I could easily hear the rosin
on the bow as the fiddle told its tale and
it never sounded strident as it sometimes
does through other speakers. The woodwinds
entered vividly, and the brasses had body
texture and bite. All of a sudden a blast of
drums clobbered me with their apt tonality
and holographic presence, which uncannily
materialized behind the plane of the
speakers. I had never heard those drums
sound so well defined and palpable.
Perhaps the best characteristic of the D3
Sonata’s imaging capability is their
surprisingly wide and non-critical sweet
spot. Once you get back more than 10 feet
from the speaker’s frontal plane, you can
sit or stand virtually anywhere between the
speaker boundaries and hear a credible,
well-balanced stereo image. This is a great
quality to have, especially when you have
your friends over, and you’ll want to do
that.
During my early evaluation, I noticed that
compositions rife in very high-frequency
content did not produce quite the same level
of air and shimmer as the RM30s or other
reference quality speakers that I had heard.
This was evident on known hot tracks such as
the Ray Brown Trio’s “The Real Blues,” from
Live at the Loa/Summer Wind [Concord
Jazz CCD-4426].
As mentioned, I had tried different preamps,
amps, and interconnects in an effort to
achieve the best possible treble
performance. Still, it wasn’t happening for
me.
Late in my evaluation, I repositioned the
speakers slightly wider apart with a greater
amount of toe-in, which helped a bit. But
then I stumbled upon a tweak that worked
like magic. On a whim, I put all my original
cables back in the system, then I went to my
big box-o’-cables and dug out two Stealth
Audio power cords and plugged them into my
NuForce amplifiers.
 All
I can say is Viola! Suddenly the D3s
uppermost octave came to life producing the
proper amount of air and shimmer from
cymbals, percussive instruments and even
synthesizers. At last the treble sounded
clear, natural, and proportionally correct;
and I’m very glad to have made that
discovery. Listening to the tonality of the
drum kit and the cymbals shimmering on
Branford Marsalis’ Trio Jeepy
[Columbia CK 44199] sent shivers down my
spine, and the crazy percussive effects on a
popular Fat Boy Slim CD never sounded so
fast, detailed, and distinct. The fact that
NSR designer John Tabernacki had been using
Stealth cables all along should have tipped
me off sooner, I guess.
Curiously, when I switched from my CD source
back to my turntable, I found the sound was
actually dull with the Peterson Emerald
interconnects. So I tried the Signal Cable
Analog Two cables and the presentation
improved considerably. Switching to the SC
Silver Resolution cables produced a sound
that was too sibilant and bright in the
lower highs. So I shifted back to the Analog
Twos for the best recording-to-recording
balance. Note that the SC Silver Resolutions
proved the best match on the CD player. The
differences between these interconnects in
situ was very clearly revealed by the Sonata
D3s.
Amp
compatibility and more:
For those who are curious about the
comparison the D3s provided between the
Nuforce Ref 9V2 SE amps and the PrimaLuna
Dialogue Two, let me add this about that.
The Dialogue Two sounded quite lovely. In
fact, the Dialogue Two was powering the
system when I made my earlier comments about
how strikingly realistic Regina Spektor’s
voice was portrayed.
The Dialogue Two is noticeably less forward
in the lower treble. It sounds softer and
silky smooth as it reaches into its airy
upper highs. As expected, the NuForce amps
had more dynamic clout, can play much
louder, and have tighter, better-defined
bass. Methinks the low-power Dialogue Two
was running out of gas on dynamic power
peaks. The midrange of each amp is gorgeous,
and too close to call a clear winner.
I would not recommend using the D3 Sonatas
with a low powered tube amp unless you have
a smaller listening room or prefer moderate
to low listening levels. Bear in mind that
your room can’t be too small because the D3s
will want to be a fair distance from the
front and side walls. Additionally, the
recommended minimum distance from speaker to
listener is 9 to 10 feet. Farther back in my
long listening room the imaging was
excellent and the sweet spot extended even
beyond the speaker boundaries.
My listening room does not support ultra-low
bass, yet the D3 Sonatas were able to
provide strong output down to 30Hz. I have
no reason to doubt the designer’s claim that
in rooms capable of supporting ultra low
bass, the D3s will provide laudable
reproduction down to 20Hz. More importantly,
the quality of the bass is superb. And when
putting my ear right up to the APL during
loud, low bass passages, I did not hear any
chuffing or extraneous noises.
The
Scoop:
NSR’s designer, John Tabernacki, has
painstakingly developed novel and effective
technologies, which blend together to create
a speaker system that transcends many of the
shortfalls of competing speaker systems. The
D3 Sonata’s broad dynamic range and
mind-blowing resolution will not be easily
equaled, while its captivating full-range
imagery and superb bass articulation are
unsurpassed in my experience.
Since the D3s are hand made a pair at a
time, the paint and workmanship are
excellent; and I find the modern, sculpted
look of the speaker to be very appealing.
Tabernacki has gone out of his way to use
the finest quality internal wiring and
electronic parts available, and the proof is
in the listening experience.
Those who have large rooms and want to use
the D3 Sonatas with a tube amplifier will
likely need an amp rated at 60 watts or
higher into 4 ohms. High-quality solid-state
amps work very well, and preceding it with a
sweet sounding tube preamplifier produced
deliciously engaging sound during my
evaluation.
Be advised that while the D3 Sonatas proved
to be fantastic sound reproducers, they are
not for the faint of heart or those who lack
patience. Every component in your
electronics chain will become critical in
your search to find just the right synergy.
Expect that it will take some time and
experimentation to sort out the best blend
of cables and components as well as the
optimal speaker placement.
On a fair number of occasions, I’ve heard
audiophiles proclaim that in the last 30 or
40 years there have not been any true
advances, only refinements, in speaker
design. In my view, John Tabernacki’s
development of the patented Acoustic
Projection Lens along with his
implementation of the proprietary internal
Acoustic-Comb panels represent a significant
step forward in speaker design and
performance. They are among the most
revealing and musically compelling speakers
that I’ve encountered in my many years as an
audiophile and reviewer.
Specifications:
Frequency response: 20Hz – 40kHz
Low pass crossover: 6dB/octave at 226Hz
High pass crossover: Custom Linkwitz-based
design, 12dB/octave at 3,200Hz
Sensitivity: 93.7dB @ 1 watt/1meter
Impedance: 5 Ohms nominal
Dimensions:
48”H x 11.5”W x 16.5”D
Net weight: 100 pounds each
Shipping weight: 117 pounds each
Price: $5,995 for
the standard model, $6,995 for model with
Reference Crossover
Manufacturer:
NSR Sonic Research
8616 Sheffield Ave
Dyer, IN 46311-2757
Phone: 219-308-4980
e-mail:
:info@nsrsonicresearch.com
Web:
www.nsrsonic.com/index.htm
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