An 8 Port Single Driver Loudspeaker that Will Blow Your Mind

I was recently invited to a neighbors house to listen to his new DIY loudspeakers. They were built from plans from Decware DIY audio projects with the help of another neighbor who is very good at woodworking.

Our friend Miguel is an electrical engineer who built all the components in his system including his turntable, which I'll share in another post soon. He's a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the source and delivery of his music.

When he mentioned he had new speakers, we pretty much dropped everything and headed on over for a listen.

The Speaker plans

Miguel's new do it yourself speakers were built from Model NFX  plans.

The Driver

The driver is a single full range 8" full range crossover-less loudspeaker. The spec sheet claims a minimum power requirement of 2 watts. OK then. I like it.

The Cabinet

The cabinet, which as mentioned was built by Brian, another neighbor from plans from Decware DYI plans was nothing short of stunning. I don't often use that word to describe the physical form of a loudspeaker but in this case it held true.

Yes the cabinet was carefully hand crafted with beautiful matched fronts, but the baffles, oh the baffles!

The cabinet sits at a 20 degree angle and there are eight (8) baffles, 4 on each side. And oh, what they do is nothing short of amazing.

The dimensions

The cabinet is 12.5" wide, 17" deep and 42.5" high. The Decware website calls this the Nibbelin Ultraflex that has no parallel surfaces.

You can read all their marketing stuff here.

The Sound

The most amazing trick this speaker accomplishes is to almost totally disappear. I've heard a lot of speakers and these are one of the most transparent speakers I've ever heard. The sound stage was immense and seamless. Sound was everywhere and very balanced and comparable to good electrostatic panels. A beautiful mixture of mids, highs and cultured bass that simply filled the room with music and incredibly natural vocals.

The one thing though...

Jazz, acoustic music, symphonic music sounded amazing with just the right amount of bass, for me at least. Where the Decware's fell short was rock or anything requiring more booming bass. The soundstage remained impressive but the bass was just not delivered in a satisfying way. Nothing a good sub could not and did solve.

But the reproduction of jazz and vocal musics along with the immense soundstage makes me want them just for those genre's alone.

Bottom line

Would I buy these? Well, all tolled with labor these came out to about $2,000. A reasonable price for these incredible sounding and looking speakers. Of course you build cost could vary. That said, I want one of Miguel's turntables before a new set of speakers, of which I already have quite a collection.

Here are some of the specs from Decware's site.

SPECIFICATIONS

• 99 dB with 1 watt at 1 meter
• 58Hz ~ 20kHz flat
• 48Hz ~ 25kHz -3dB
• 8 ohm nominal impedance
• Crossoverless
• 2 ~ 60 watts
• Max SPL 115 dB
• Size 12.5" wide, 17" deep, 42.5" high
• Ultraflex cabinet

How to Choose a Floorstanding Speaker

Floorstanding speakers are big and some times bulky. That said there is no denying that the more drivers you have the more likely it is that the sound will be more open than say a bookshelf speaker. This article will not deal directly with what sounds better in floorstanding, sometimes called tower speakers, as it will with the different features you can find on different models.

2 Way vs. 3 Way

Tower speakers come in 2 way and 3 way configurations. (See difference between 2 way and 3 way speakers) One will not necessarily sound better than the other but in general a 3 way speaker has a better chance of sounding more natural because it offers 3 speakers, each tuned to provide for a specific frequency range. Specifically, adding a mid-range speaker of 3-5.25" may make vocals sound more natural. 

Number of Drivers
Because of their size floorstanding speakers usually have more room for multiple drivers and usually the more drivers the more "open" the sound-field the speaker will produce. It is not unusual to see floorstanding speakers have 3 bass drivers, 1 mid driver and a tweeter. Sometimes this goes even higher.

Size and Position of Bass speakers 
Front firing - Some towers will rely on multiple smaller bass drivers facing forward with a well tuned port (or more than one port) on the back or front of the speaker to add more bass. This allows for a smaller cabinet.

Side Firing - Others will use larger 6, 8 or 10" bass speakers that are located on the side of the speaker. These speakers must be purchased in matched pairs since they are distinctly left and right.

Feet
Many tower/floorstanding speakers will include feet or carpet spikes to lift the speaker off the floor to reduce any resonance the speaker might conduct through the floor therebpossibly distorting the sound from the designers intent.

Bi-Amped

Many high end floorstanding speakers will offer bi-amping, the ability to use multiple power sources to power different speakers within the speaker. This is accomplished by using more than one set of binding posts on the back of the speaker. Depending on your ability to purchase separate amps and your level of listening involvement you may notice a difference with this approach.

Safety issues
Tower speakers sound great and can look even cooler but they are usually heavy and tall. Given this you should always be careful to anchor your towers to a wall if you have small children as tipping them over could cause injury. If you are not sure please consult a professional for advice on how to do this.

Search Amazon.com for tower speakers

Thats all for today. If you have questions please email us at thespeakerguy@gmail.com 

THe Absolute Tower Speaker Review

This is a really nice looking tower at a reasonable price 10 Coat High Gloss Finish.  The price is right and the nice wide stance means harder to tip over which is a big benefit for a floorstanding speaker

NHT Absolute Tower Speaker (Piano Black Gloss, $499 Each)

Home Theater Review pretty much sums it up
The Absolute Tower is a sleek, floor-standing three-way speaker that joins the Absolute Zero's 1" aluminum dome tweeter and 5.25" polypropylene cone midrange with two (2) 5.25" woofers. Its acoustic suspension design presents music and movie soundtracks with the clarity, neutrality and substantial power-handling that are typical of the brand's most revered models. Like all NHT Classic Models, the Absolute Tower features NHT's luxurious 10-coat gloss-black finish.

Stereophile says
"This is a speaker you can take home to meet Mother." That description perfectly fits NHT's Classic Absolute Tower. I found it a smooth, liquid, detailed, dynamic performer with a wide range of program material, both music and films. It did nothing wrong, and was sufficiently revealing to let well-recorded music shine while making lesser recordings quite listenable.
Other speakers may do more in a particular area, but this one does it all in a naturally balanced fashion. Overall, in fact, the Classic Absolute Tower has impressed me more than any other NHT model I've heard. Stereophile readers should find it a truly "universal" speaker: Every reader of this magazine will enjoy listening to music through the Absolute Towers, and I am sure that no reader's spouse will object to their presence in the house. For $1000/pair, what more can you ask?

Reviews on Amazon
--I was worried about the company transition (as with most companies selling their name, lowering the quality, and increasing profit margins, until they go out of business), and they are made in China...but I am pleasantly surpised to see that NHT has maintained their quality. It appears that they are back in mainstream business again. You do need slightly more amplifier power to drive these speakers, and if you really need rumbling low frequencies of many action movies, it is better to buy a sub-woofer than distort the overall sound. I normally don't take the time to write review, but I like to support high quality/value whenever I can.

--The glossy black finish helps the speakers blend into the background and the job is finished by the excellent sound stage produced by the speakers. Imaging is very precise and the sound is crisp and natural.

Technical Details

• Compact and stylish design - takes up less than 1 square foot
• High Output - Drive easily with a noremal receiver but can handle 150 watts
• Matches perfectly with other NHT Absolute Models - Center and Zeros for complete Home Theater
• Usable bass to 40Hz. Pleanty of bass for stand alone music systems. Use NHT subwoofers for high output home theater
• For small to medium size room up to 4000 cu ft.

These are available on Amazon or Direct from NHT's site. With Amazon you may have an easier time with a return if you are not satisified but that is just speculation.

NHT Absolute Tower Speaker (Piano Black Gloss, $499 Each)

Other NHT Speakers

NHT Classic Absolute Center (Black, Each) Use to create a center channel for your Home Theater with your Towers
NHT N-3B Classic Three Speaker (Black, Each) Use for you Home Theater Surround sounds