David--I have spent most of the day listening to my Nens with and without the Townshend speaker platforms. Here are my notes:
With platforms:
Greater sense of ambient space, definitely more soundstage depth and air.
Highs a little rolled off and/or sweeter
greater presence
Without platforms
Better instrument location and definition
Bass tighter and less need of sub woofer (turned it down but it still added a lot)
Highs a little harder
Sounds more like hifi than the sense of "being there" with the platforms
Overall impression: Sounds more exciting with platforms, more accurate without
I can see how some would prefer the "without" list of attributes and some the "with" list. It does seem that the platforms are additive or colored. (Which surprises me because their technological seems to be based on being subtractive, reducing smearing and distortion.) I prefer them but I can definitely see how others might prefer the cleaner more accurate sound without. If I put a SET tube amp in front of the Nens, that might change.
With platforms:
Greater sense of ambient space, definitely more soundstage depth and air.
Highs a little rolled off and/or sweeter
greater presence
Without platforms
Better instrument location and definition
Bass tighter and less need of sub woofer (turned it down but it still added a lot)
Highs a little harder
Sounds more like hifi than the sense of "being there" with the platforms
Overall impression: Sounds more exciting with platforms, more accurate without
I can see how some would prefer the "without" list of attributes and some the "with" list. It does seem that the platforms are additive or colored. (Which surprises me because their technological seems to be based on being subtractive, reducing smearing and distortion.) I prefer them but I can definitely see how others might prefer the cleaner more accurate sound without. If I put a SET tube amp in front of the Nens, that might change.