I have NOVA V's and I am not happy

I'm not an SS guy, but I don't think its the ML. And I'll probably get some SF blowback here, but the post-Franco tweeters have not been hot per se, but they ain't shy either. 

If you want to keep the SF's, look to stick a Cardas Golden Ref IC in the chain somewhere.

If you dump the SF's and want to listen, er, loud, then I'd talk to the guys at Zu for a new speaker, get their dedicated spkr cable too, then get a level 2 Graceline IC after the ML - that will pin your ears back.

I agree with Stereo5.

 

https://www.audioasylum.com/audio/cables/messages/17/173108.html

 

 

All hardware and cable recommendations are system and user specific and thus irrelevant.

The speaker has some very low impedance points possibly making the ML unhappy, a horrifically wrong frequency spectrum and it's ported. Nothing will make it sound any good. See Sonus faber Olympica Nova V Loudspeaker Lab Report | Hi-Fi News (hifinews.com) 

Found this VERY funny, The Joys of buying Italian! Buying a pair of Sonus Faber is a lot like buying a Ducati! 

 

Consider me another vote for the "Sheryl Crow (or any 90's recording) is generally not where you want to judge a speaker" crowd.

@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? 

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. 

Clearly and he knows nothing about motorcycles either.

Some folks should just stick with buying their gear at Best Buy. No?

Looks great! But can’t possibly sound any good. 

No hope.

 

Sam is correct, setup & room look horrible.

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.  

we took a 585 in trade it was okay sounding not great

 

the krell k300i is far more musical

 

another great choice unison research unico 150 which is a hybrid amplifier

 

Dave and Troy

audio intellect NJ

krell and unison research dealer

I had the prior generation and had them in a system with the Simaudio 340i just loved them. Then I went back to tubes and bought more efficient QLN speakers.

Think the OP is clueless on setup and could make them work if he tried. 

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. 

The price is wrong too.  So he has plenty of time to work with room and speaker placement since these aren’t going to sell any time soon.

Something as simple as a thick area rug and a few diffusor/absorption panels from GIK Acoustics matching the decor, as well as pulling the speakers out from the wall at least a foot will transform the listening experience.

Total cost to improve room acoustics will be less than the loss he’ll take selling these speakers and starting the endless merry-go-round.

seems like giant speakers for a small room. But I would go easy on him, he is here for advice not ridiculing

Why would a company make a product that doesn’t sound good or match well with various electronics?

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

I’ve lost count of the number times I heard 15 foot wide vocals or a kick that sounds like a pillow hit with a tennis racket or strings that would cut glass. Forget about sound stage and phase coherence.

The last time I went to a high end shop, the salesman was quite incensed that I thought the [$250k?] system was awful and asked "How would you know what it’s supposed to sound like?" Because I recorded it. And yes, the room was well appointed.

NOT ALL COMPONENTS [cables included] work well together.

@rlross3

Lee

Seems like you are more committed to the amp, rather then the speakers. You might want to do this the other way and get the right amp and some room treatment.

If you cannot, then your best bet is to get an amp that has room correction. Lyndorf is a good choice IMO. If you are not going to remove the reflections in your room and provide good amplification, what should you expect from any speaker that is made well? Just sayin

“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. “  “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?”

It doesn’t sound like he’s not got a clue to me.  His old speakers were ok, his new ones are not.  He’s asking about room, speakers and amp.  WTF else should he be asking?  Good work,I say.

 

 

@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?

All this talk of changing speaker wires and amps is interesting (and somewhat comical) while @audiotroy  asked the question that possibly could lead to a simple and effective solution to the OP's problem, and he never got an answer. 

What is your source?

If your source is digital, you might very well be able to use your playback software, or a product like Dirac Live to EQ the system to your liking.  Another reasonable approach has already been mentioned and that's to place some rugs on the floor between the speakers and your listening position.

@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.  

Keep your amp and speakers.

Ditch the Kimber 8TC.

Get some MIT Matrix 38 or 60 (HD or Rev) speaker cables.

Retain/improve the detail, add just a tiny bit of warmth, and lose the glare.

@danoroo 

Why is the OP not telling us more about his system? If his source was the problem why wouldn't he fix it with the software himself? He obviously has experience with other types of equipment. Who would pay $18k for a set of speakers and not plan accordingly.

Judging by the OP's answers it doesn't appear he wants any help and by placing the speakers on USAM seals the deal. This is why Audiogon forums is a waste of time...why post if your NOT going to show any effort to fix the issue from recommendations. Very comical indeed .

I have never seen more passive aggressive parenting on a forum. The OP can do whatever he wants with the advice, he is not your kid or slave to follow through with it and do exactly as you say. It's his ear, his equipment, his happiness.

I saw the asking price on usaudiomart. Not sure who would pay this much for a used pair of speakers. My local dealer will give a better price for brand new, and install it for me as well. But you never know … there’s a sucker born every minute. 

@arafiq it doesn't make a big difference what the asking price is, Half the people will offer 6K and half of them will try to resell it. If he's lucky, someone will be in the market for this exact model, and happily pay 13K

@rlross3 No one beeching about your placement is really offering you any advice as to how to remedy it. Send me a DM on A’gon and I can direct you to some DSP solutions that will get you excellent sound and you will want to keep your speakers in the exact spot you have them now.

That TV in the back is a big problem though a lot of people do it that way. My buddy has a projection TV in his office (projector cost about $2000). I forgot the tech that was used but he projects the picture to the wall and the projector sits on the floor about 1 foot away from the wall. That is what I would use if I had to have a TV in the middle like that. The picture was very good, or good enough for me.

 

@yyzsantabarbara probably the most incoherent rambling about projectors I ever read, I will never get those brain cells back

 

@grisslehamn I understand some of us start from a deficit on those brain cells, so here is a link to what I am talking about. My buddy had some other model, but the projector tech is "Laser" something. There is this new thing called the internet that can help you dig deeper into this tech if you are so inclined.

LG HF85JA Full HD Laser DLP Home Theater Projector HF85JA B&H (bhphotovideo.com)

 

I know enough about projectors, had them for 20 years but thank you. I started downloading the internet, I will explore it when it completes.

Grisleybutter you need a drink or 4 🍸 

@samzx12  dang, why did I stop at 3???

 

That TV in the back is a big problem though a lot of people do it that way.

Easy to resolve with a quilt.

 

I tried a quilt and then bought an acoustic panel. I also tried both. I ended up throwing the TV out. 

In that photo above those books must really help. It helped my setup when I put a bookshelf behind the speakers.

 

I bought the house because of the room. [The realtor asked the missus "Why does he go around clapping everywhere we look?"]

Then I designed the diffusers, err, bookcases and put down hard as blaze strand bamboo then covered about 60% of it with wool rugs. Not visible are CD & DVD racks behind the seating area which extends back about as far as the front distance.

I could have put the TV at the other end and the sofa on a turntable, but there are limits... 😎

I am 65 and also still enjoy louder listening levels than what many seem to enjoy. I have had a terribly difficult time finding speakers that will allow me to listen louder, without the upper midrange/treble region becoming fatiguing and troublesome to my listening.

I had sold highend audio on and off from the late 70’s until the early 2010's. Maybe it is my age/ears, but I think it has more to do with changing attitudes towards sound reproduction. I think that maybe my wants are not willing to embrace what is now the more accepted way for better music systems to sound.

@mckinneymike I tend to listen to music in the high 70s and low 80s db. 
 

I think there’s significantly better equipment at lower relative prices in comparison to the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. And there’s more options with equipment with different characteristics. 
 

I have SF Nova Vs and they sound different using different amps (I have owned McIntosh and Moon). They sound different than other speakers include B&W, Proac, Wilson DeVore, etc. 

Different tastes for different folks. And use of a sub may be worth considering 

@overthemoon 

It's not just SF, it's a lot of modern speakers. I hope that I can find something that is new and modern that leans toward my still of listening!  Just not as easy as it used to be to find many options which I could then really compare and let them grow on me.  

Couple thoughts you may want to add into your equation.  What source/s are you experiencing these issues with….Dac, phono?  OR is everything equally less than acceptable in sound?  Do you have any other speakers that you could hook up to provide some type of comparison?  Has this combination ever sounded good to you?  You may want to try some type of sound demo tracks and see how they sound on your system.  Do you have a dealer where you could demo another integrated to see if that improves your sound?  How old are your speakers, and do you have subwoofers?  I would start with all the basics first, straight from the power cord, to interconnects and speaker wire.  If all that checks out then you may just have two components that are not a good match.  I had a similar situation with my system where I was running McIntosh mono blocks with Martin Logan electro stats and the Martin Logan’s needed an power supply that went down to 0 ohms but the McIntosh was not capable of delivering that so I never got the full experience of my system. 

Hope this helps and let us know how you make out!  

Good Luck rlross3!!

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.  

Lol, Sheryl Crow at high volumes?  There's your problem. 

Well those speakers aren’t selling at that price. I’d be asking how much he wants for those ten thousand dollar speakers. 

Taunting the guy for selling isn’t helpful. Sounds like a bad match of amp and speakers to the room. 

@romanesq exactly. He will be doing what he thinks is best for him, there is no need for calling him hopeless.

Cheers Grisley 🍻 😜

Looking at the response they measured below I get the impression that could be a very bright speaker depending on the room you are in and how it is set up. I can’t imagine how a speaker with a more flat on-axis response could be so bright unless it had side or back firing tweeters. They recommend listening off axis. I’d recommend also a very large or well damped room. What I think you could do to fix it is get an equalizer!

 

@asctim 

 

I think before I would go with a band aid solution, I would just replace the speakers.