Following are my impressions of my audition of Cube Nenuphars:
Please note only digital source was used to keep everything simple and quick switching of tracks. My dealer had all the Cube models on the floor but I only focused on the Nenuphars.
Gear used for audition at dealer:
Preamp: Miyajima EC-5 Full function preamp
Amp: Pass Labs XA25, Bakoon 13R (used as an amp)
Sources: 432 Evo server streaming Tidal / DAC: Aqua La Voce
Cables: Swiss Cables
As soon as I entered some background music was being played at very low levels to warm up the system. I settled down in the seating chair and thought some music was played maybe in the room using some other small speakers (radio or something?)
I jumped and put my ears close to the speakers and was surprised that the Cubes were on. So initial impressions were, wow, even at very low levels the speakers completely disappeared!
First the the XA25 amp was used. My dealer suggested he play few tracks of his own and then I can suggest any songs I like. He played 3-4 songs and it was very good. Speakers disappearing act, black background, good instrument separation, great midrange. After 3-4 tracks my dealer played, I was like “damn, do I pull my wallet out now or what?”
Then…
I started requesting songs I know inside out and have been listening for few days in preparation for the audition. Before I get into that, my current system is as follows:
Speaker: Coincident Super Victory III (introduced as mk3 from mk 2 just over a year back)
Preamp: EAR Yoshino 868PL
Amp: Simaudio 330A
Sources: Acoustic Solid Metal 111 TT with Jelco TK-850S tonearm, Hana SL Cart; Chord Qutest DAC with Sbooter LPS.
Cabling: OCC Silver and Copper full loom from the same brand. I use a power conditioner and run dedicated 15A lines.
Various room treatment and isolation tweaks..such as Nordost Kones, Vibrapods etc.
I found the Cubes were very good. However, I found that (leaving different room and different gear aside) my current Coincident to have more bass slam and the high were a tad bit “airier”. Maybe due to the 12’ woofer and the ribbon tweeter? Overall, very similar to my current gear’s presentation but without the bass slam and tad bit less air. The Cubes were superior in instrument separation though but that could be due to my current amp. I think the Coincident deserve better amplification, maybe Class A or tubes.
Next dealer switched to Bakoon amp. Wow! I am VERY impressed with this amp. Small footprint and it can be run as an intergrated. No idea how they did it in such a small unit! While I enjoyed the Pass XA25 presentation, the Bakoon was cleaner and faster. I thought the bass would have slam, the bass was more or less like that of the XA25 presentation. I mentioned it to my dealer and he said it might be achieved putting the speakers closer to the wall (like Peter Bruninger has it in his listening room). At the dealer, the speakers were pulled front (maybe 3 feet?) from the front wall.
The cubes over all had good soundstage (between the speakers, the soundstage did not extend beyond the speakers), good front to back depth, VERY good instrument separation, GREAT “disappearing” act. I didn’t find the bass slam that I currently get with my Coincidents. I am not a bass freak and more of a midrange person..but…bass is important :)
After the audition, my dealer and I spoke about amplification. Bakoon is a bit out of my reach financially (more so if I go for the Cubes). He suggested a few good options (all tubes). I may consider those amp options first to try out with my Coincidents first...
Apologies, I don’t think I went into details but if anyone has any questions I would be happy to answer if I can.
