@shkong78 I do not have anything to record my system with.
When I was looking to get the NS5000 it was the worst demo I ever had, but I thought the speaker had potential as I listened to it in near-field almost like headphones. It was not ideal, but I could sense the musicality and coherence of this speaker. I had the worst headache from that demo because the room was terrible. No respect for Yamaha.
I emailed some reviewers that had heard the NS5000 and asked them to compare it with some other speakers that I also knew. Even though I had heard it I was not sure if it was great. One reviewer loved it but said they would take the Vivid Kaya 90 over it (a close call). Hearing what I have now with the #16 and AHB2, there is no chance I take the Vivid (which I have heard). Some people told me that the speaker needs to be far from the front wall. A lot of things that I now feel are not correct based on my room’s dimensions.
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Last year, I sold the best amp for the RAAL SR1a, the RAAL VM-1a. I needed the cash to buy an amp for my Magnepan LRS+ speaker, the Sanders Magtech. It was the right choice to make at that time since I listen more to the LRS+ while I work during the day. This upcoming Sat I get delivery of a replacement VM-1a, this amp is likely the last new RAAL VM-1a available. RAAL will no longer brand it since they are only doing headphones.
If you have not done so already buy the RAAL Star8 headphone cable and the Tl-1b or Tl-1c amp interface box. The old box is left in the dust by the new box.
The person delivering the VM-1a has an incredible ear and is a former musician and now audio hardware designer. He had come over a few years back and heard my office gear when I had the KRELL i300 integrated amp (the first Duo XD amp), the CODA #8, and AHB2 monos. He hated the AHB2 and loved the KRELL. He was not that enthusiastic about the CODA after hearing the KRELL. We were listening with the SR1a and the old RAAL interface box. The AHB2 are awful with the old box, which is interesting since the Alex the designer in Serbia used the AHB2 to design the SR1a.
The KRELL was the best sounding amp I had for the SR1a until the VM-1a came out, then all 2-channel amps were left behind. The new amp interface box I mentioned can bring the 2-channel amps to almost VM-1a levels, which is an amazing achievement. I currently use a $800 Schitt Aegir Class A amp that is 20-watts. The new box allows low wattage amps to work with the SR1a unlike the old interface box that required at least 100 watts and 200-watts being my standard. The CODA #16 is also great with the new interface box, though still not VM-1a level.
I have an open offer with a dealer to trade in my CODA #16 for the new KRELL KSA i400 amp + $20k. Now that I have made peace with the AHB2 I am not going to do that.
I should add that the SR1a and the NS5000 had some similarity for me. The coherence of the 3 drivers on the NS5000 sounds very much like the SR1a. However, the NS5000 is a bass monster that allows you to physically feel the sound waves hit you. The famous Maxwell poster comes to life in my room.
