Cube Audio Nenuphar Single Driver Speaker (10 inch) TQWT Enclosure

@abd1 

What a marvelous (Delayed 😊) outcome for you. Very interesting and glad you shared this experience. I’m not at all surprised that the higher level/tier amplifier has made such an improvement. I happen to be one of those who believe strongly that amplifiers most definitely matter.

No doubt that your latest amplifier has better transformers/power supply/parts overall. It simply matters a lot. Your speakers are of such high quality that they will easily reveal any differences among amplifiers. Yours is a very good example of patience and diligence paying off in the end.

Charles

Hey guys. It’s good to be back. Charles has been encouraging and nudging me to do so. I had the privilege to finally meet him in person last month.

I chose to take a break from audio and pursue other hobbies, etc., over the past nine months. I’m still into all things audio (including Cube / Nenuphar) and have been recently exploring the world of higher end wireless / Bluetooth headphones.

Great to hear some of you, based on the recent posts, have been learning about and enjoying your Nenuphars / Jazzons.

There are private messages I need to respond to. I’ll get to them over the next day or two.

@david_ten Welcome back David! You were missed.

@abd1 It’s good to hear that your Nenuphar Mini’s have “come on voice”. I too experienced a VERY extended break-in period with my Nenuphar V2’s and sometimes doubted my choice during that time, but once the Nenuphars settled in I could not be happier.

Re: the Atma-Sphere GaNFET as a potential “warmer months” amplifier choice with your Nenuphar Minis; based on the published output impedance spec of ~0.010 ohms, their damping factor into an 8 ohm load would be very high, making them a poor compatibility choice with your Minis. As @whitestix ​​​​@charles1dad state above, amplifier choice is very critical to achieving balanced tonality with the Cube full-range drivers, so choose an amplifier with higher output impedance (think ~ 0.8 ohms optimally) and thus a low damping factor (think 10 or so optimally). The Enleum 23R is said by many to work very well.

The Enleum is also an amp that I'd consider, as well as LTA amps, which are tube based but don't get that hot.

I know the Cubes are supposed to sound better with low damped amps. I've tried a bunch of amps and have found these speakers sound great with all types. I tried a SIT-3 that everyone says pairs great and while I liked it I didn't find it that engaging and wound up selling it. I also tried an LSA GaNFET (with a tube pre) that was really inexpensive and I really liked it. It was a touch dry but also very detailed and transparent. I think what I've learned is some amps that on paper may not seem like a great match can sound excellent. One thing I love about these speakers is that they're transparent enough that it is fairly easy to hear almost any change in the system. That can be fun but also a little dangerous 😉

@dlcockrum

amplifier choice is very critical to achieving balanced tonality with the Cube full-range drivers, so choose an amplifier with higher output impedance (think ~ 0.8 ohms optimally) and thus a low damping factor (think 10 or so optimally). The Enleum 23R is said by many to work very well.

Absolutely right. Cube Audio very explicitly has made this point concerning low output impedance amplifiers ( High damping factor). Too much DF with their driver will be excessively damped, not good. I’d heed the guidance of the actual developers of this excellent speaker.

Charles