Sweet Home Audio LLC
Since 1997
(Formerly, St. Cecilia Sound Gallery)
1581 Main Street • Dunedin, FL 34698
(727) 446-2505
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Sweet Home Audio Newsletter August 2010
Inside This Issue NEWS New Giant Killer from Nola More from Nola Jazz, Man Updated Consignment Department STORE STANDARDS Don't forget, we have NEW Store Hours (Click here to go to our main web site)
Nola is now shipping the critically acclaimed stand-mount speaker: The Boxer!
The Boxer - A small loudspeaker that sounds
big and expensive - but it's neither. "The physical profile of the Boxer may be working class, but, oh my, does this baby play uptown. Its overall sonic character is unerringly musical, midrange-ripe with a fine balance of warmth and detail and the propulsive energy of a finely-honed athlete. Its presentation is not shy or recessed; its treble isn't brittle or fatiguing. There's substance to every octave with no energy suck outs. The result is a wide-range dynamic transducer that is always musically truthful. The soundstage is very large and open, yet has excellent focus. The Boxer also exhibits the moves you'd expect of a smart two-way -- vivid images, quick transient responses, and the kind of resolution I encountered on Lyle Lovett's "North Dakota" from Joshua Judges Roth [Curb], where the soft vocal harmonics and parallel melodic lines snapped into focus at even the lowest levels. But what makes the Boxer so special is the extent to which Marchisotto has transported the qualities of his large-scale, open-baffle designs into such a petite box. There's much the same characteristic air and openness without any boxiness -- not surprising given Marchisotto's history of designing iconic dipole speakers for the likes of Dahlquist and Alon. For much of the Boxer's sonic excellence, the credit must go to its exemplary mid/upper bass, which was solid and tight and extended in my room. Unlike many compacts that can't punch their way out of paper bags, the Boxer has enough drive to recreate orchestral-style weight, soundstage cues, and concert-hall immersiveness. During the opening segment of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major with Anne Sophie-Mutter [DG], the Boxer immediately conveyed the way the orchestra wakes up the hall's acoustic. And during Jen Chapin's rendition of "Renewable" from ReVisions [Chesky], the Boxer punched outside of its weight class, reproducing the dueling baritone sax and standup bass with dynamic authenticity." - Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound
Dean Seislove wrote for Positive Feedback Online...
If you've read Michael Mercer's excellent review in these pages
(http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue46/nola_boxer.htm), you know that he
touted the Boxers' exceptional tonal balance, sound staging, and imaging, and
all I can do is echo that he is absolutely dead on in his appraisal. No need to
rehash what's been said better than I could say it, so I'm not about to try. But
my experience with the Boxers was novel in that I paired them with a range of
eclectic amplification of the decent-but-not-divine type that could easily be
found in the listening rooms of the readers of this column. The results told me
a great deal about the Boxers, and the Boxers are a great deal." - Dean
Seislove, Positive Feedback Online As these reviewers found, these little speakers are serious over-achievers. For their affordable price, you get a pair of beautiful loudspeakers that will play with a sense of naturalness and rightness that are simply miles beyond what you usually find in speakers of this size and price. They're very easy to drive (8 ohm, 90 dB sensitivity) and work very well with modest power tube or solid state amps. And, they play deep - all the way down to 44 Hz. You won't miss a beat with these. Come on in and audition them or call us with your order (must be in an acceptable territory for us). We have our demo pair on the way to us now. The Boxer, just $1,500.00.
Pictured above are the original Viper Reference Loudspeakers from Nola. As you see, they come with outboard crossovers and Nordost cables to connect them to the main speaker cabinets. These speakers play big and produce an incredibly real sense of air and space. We have them here in our listening room for you to audition. New, they sold for $12,000. These consignment units are just $5,450.
We also have on consignment, the Lotus Elite speakers
from Nola. This is another great deal.
They, too, are tube friendly and they'll take your solid state amp to new heights as well. They're finished in the beautiful natural cherry wood veneer.
Of course, we have the new Viper IIa
speakers here in our listening room for you to enjoy as well. These
are finished in an eye-popping piano gloss cherry veneer. They are the
evolutionary result of the Nola open-baffle design that the above consignment
units enjoy.
Here's a bit of information about these wonders from the Nola website: "The Viper IIA uses two newly designed 220mm cast-frame bass drivers with aluminum cones. These bass drivers operate in perfect piston mode over their whole operating range. The first breakup mode is at 5000 Hz while in the system; the woofer is operated to only 500 Hz. This performance greatly reduces distortion and coloration throughout the full range. Each bass driver is mounted in a separate sealed chamber. Each chamber is a different size in order to provide an improved speed-bandwidth product and a smoother room LF response. The dual woofers provide improved room loading throughout the lower midrange and mid-bass with increased power handling. Both woofers are run in parallel for maximum amplifier control. These bass drivers are "trickle down" versions of the cast magnesium units used in the Nola Grand Reference." Nolaspeakers.com Give yourself a real treat! Come on in and audition these amazing Nola open-baffle loudspeakers. You'll thank me later.
Jazz Artists, Out of Bounds
Here's Ed Sapiega's latest edition of "Jazz, Man" for your edification and reading pleasure.Jazz Artists Crossing to Another Side
There really is no shortage of
artists’ crossing over to different bands or across genres. Recently, I
purchased a couple of CDs that had some interesting combinations of jazz artists
playing with other, non-jazz people, and then that triggered a bit of research. Ornette Coleman was featured in Joe Henry’s album “Scar” on the first cut, "Richard Pryor Addresses A Tearful Nation." When queried, Joe stated that he always wanted to play with Ornette, so he called him up, extended an invitation, and it was accepted. Joe went on to produce Allen Toussaint’s “The Bright Mississippi” in 2009.
Saxophonist Wayne Shorter
contributed his saxophone playing to Don Henley’s song “The End of the
Innocence”. His solo on the Steely Dan’s “Aja” from the album of the same name
has aged well. Steely Dan periodically worked various jazz licks into their
songs throughout their career. In the latter portion of their career, the Sonny Rollins, a relatively well known saxophonist, was tapped by the Rolling Stones to play on the album “Tattoo You” and is featured on three tracks: “Waiting on a Friend”, "Slave", and "Neighbors." The solo on the first track is well worth re-listening to. And, the CD that planted the seed for this column was Harold Budd’s “The Pavilion of Dreams.” Its first cut, "Bismillahi 'Rrahman 'Rrahim", was written for and featured saxophonist Marion Brown playing very sensitive alto. Brown had asked Budd to consider composing something for him, and this beauty resulted. As an aside, this album includes a vocalization of part of a section of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” which is quite striking. - Ed Sapiega
The Price is Right
Sell your old gear on consignment and turn it into cash—money for you to spend. If you are in the market for home audio or home video gear and you're on a budget, buy from our Consignment Department. We've got quality used A/V products on consignment at very attractive prices. Consignment makes sense. Buying or selling—either way you save. Every month we add new items to the consignment list (see it at the end of this newsletter). We even have music on consignment—CD's, LP's and even Laser Discs. Here, at the home of beautiful sound, we make it easy. Click HERE to go to our NEW Demo, Used and Consignment page!
We are frequently out of the shop helping customers at their homes and businesses. So, please call before you come over. Monday through Fridays, we do our best to keep regular hours here (see below times). We are now available on Saturday and Sundays by appointment only. We are usually able to accommodate your schedule, so give us a call and let's set up a time for you to come over and check out our shop and gear. Our official schedule:
Monday thru Friday—10:30 AM to 5:30 PM Saturday & Sunday by Appointment
Thank you for reading our newsletter and visiting our web site. Call us at (727) 446-2505 if you have any questions. If you can, come in and check out our shop. You'll be glad you did. ~ Brian & Peggy Rovinsky
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Copyright © 2023 Sweet Home AudioLast modified: December 16, 2023
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New,
they sold for $4,500. You can have
these units in your home for just $1,999. I defy you to find a pair of floor
standing speaker for under $2000 that even
come close to these babies.
