Can NOLA's "Boxer" compete with big floorstanders?

I have listened on a number of occasions to the Nola Boxers, including at a local dealer's with our audio club and for a week in my 18 by 20 foot room in my system (amps are Lamm ML 1.1s). The Boxers are beautifully finished (get the cherry, the black gloss is too hard to keep clean) and are well-designed and cannily balanced to give a pretty satisfying, if perhaps a little warm, bass response while doing an excellent job of reproducing the rest of the frequency range. Jgwilson is right, though, for full-range bass you'll need a subwoofer. The Boxers do an excellent job imaging and at retrieval of detail, and it is only in comparison with Nola's far more expensive speakers utilizing an open baffle and ribbon tweeter (such as the Baby Grand References) that they can sound just a little "boxy" or lacking the last word in airiness and delicacy in the high frequencies (if this characteristic is high on your priorities, the Martin Logans (which I heard just briefly) are very good in this respect). They did a nice job filling my room with music; they can deliver good spls, too, but if pushed too hard they can get a little congested on full range complex orchestral works. Depending on your listening biases, they may be just what you're looking for; I think, though, that if you can afford them and you had planned on having the Boxers on stands out in the room anyway, the Nola Contenders offer the pluses of the Boxers in addition to a little better bass extension and smoother response in that region, and have a more relaxed presentation at higher spls. IMHO, of course.

IF you are auditioning the OHMS, be sure to allow adequate break-in time. Giving them some volume with a suitably beefy SS amp will help expedite that. Setup relative to walls is also important for the best imaging and soundstage.

OHMs set up well will never sound like a box design in regards to imaging and soundstage in most rooms. Its a different kind of presentation that one will either take to or not. VEry competitive with the better big floorstanders I have heard though and I have no envy there.

MLs I have heard are quite different as well but in their own unique way as well.

I have owned the Totem Hawks. It is a good speaker but bass shy. I now use Nola's Contenders which take everything the Nola Boxer does and adds an extra dose of bass.

However, the selection of an appropriate speaker is interdependent on your amplifier and your room. Don't try and select a speaker in isolation

I want to thank everyone who has answer this thread.

To KIWI, the NOLA Contender is about $2000 more than Boxer. I only briefly heard the Contenders in a very small room, and so could not reach any conclusion about their performance. Unless the Boxer's bass response is really anemic, it seems like the better value, and choice for my application.

To MAPMAN, YES, you are right, I have read that break in time is long with the Ohms. Whatever speaker I choose, it will only be used to change up the sound from my speakers, BUT also as a "possible" replacement for the Acoustic Zen Adagios which are very heavy, large, and dominate the room. However, they are excellent speakers

I may have mentioned previously that my concern with Ohm speakers OR ANY OMNIDIRECTIONAL IS THAT THE SOUND seems/is GIMMICKY, that is, too large and wide to be realistic, and which sacrifice accuracy and transparency to create this effect of sound "just being in the room" The question could be asked...."but where in the room??"

A omnidirectional and holographic soundstage reminds me too much of the old quadraphonic effect of the early 1970's, which was carried forward by Bob Carver Holographic Generator pre-amp pf the 1980's,... and today's surround sound obsession. Obviously, a soundstage beyond the boundaries of a speaker does give more of the sense of being there, instead of being outside the musical performance. There is or "was" a pair of Ohm-Walsh M-1000 for sale. They look nice and are definitely small enough to move around or tuck in a corner when not in use. Thanks again. Jim