Arnel Enero
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- May 2, 2002
- Messages
- 106
I just did my final comparison (before the big decision) between the Nautilus 804 and CDM 9NT. Some of you might remember that I posted a thread asking for suggestion what to listen for during comparison, and I thank everyone who participated in that thread.
I just figured maybe some other people here are in the same situation as mine, so sharing the result of my comparisons might give 'em some ideas. So here goes:
The 9NT seemed a bit brighter in the treble, somewhat "splashy" at higher volumes, in comparison to the N804. I wouldn't call it "spitty" because the relative brightness was not at all aggresive nor irritating, just some obvious peaks in the otherwise "sweet" balance. The N804, on the other hand, seemed to have less midbass. But this gave me the feeling that the bass on the N804 was more articulate and well-defined. And this character is btw a good match for my room (underdamped). The midrange sounded the same on both speakers, to my ears at least.
Although I noticed no difference in imaging (both are good), there was no contest when it came to soundstage depth and width. The N804's soundfield expanded better than that of the 9NT, giving a feeling of grandeur on full-scale orchestral works.
I think both speakers did good during my comparisons, but I've finally convinced myself that the difference in sound is well worth the extra $900. I also proved to myself that I wasn't paying enough attention to differences during my previous auditions that I didn't notice such differences. Or maybe one tends to find differences more easily when the mind is pre-set into detecting it.
So my new N804 in natural cherry finish will be delivered within the next three weeks (they ran out of this color, they only had the red cherry). I regret that the red cherry won't match my furniture... that color looks much more elegant, don't you think so?
I just figured maybe some other people here are in the same situation as mine, so sharing the result of my comparisons might give 'em some ideas. So here goes:
The 9NT seemed a bit brighter in the treble, somewhat "splashy" at higher volumes, in comparison to the N804. I wouldn't call it "spitty" because the relative brightness was not at all aggresive nor irritating, just some obvious peaks in the otherwise "sweet" balance. The N804, on the other hand, seemed to have less midbass. But this gave me the feeling that the bass on the N804 was more articulate and well-defined. And this character is btw a good match for my room (underdamped). The midrange sounded the same on both speakers, to my ears at least.
Although I noticed no difference in imaging (both are good), there was no contest when it came to soundstage depth and width. The N804's soundfield expanded better than that of the 9NT, giving a feeling of grandeur on full-scale orchestral works.
I think both speakers did good during my comparisons, but I've finally convinced myself that the difference in sound is well worth the extra $900. I also proved to myself that I wasn't paying enough attention to differences during my previous auditions that I didn't notice such differences. Or maybe one tends to find differences more easily when the mind is pre-set into detecting it.
So my new N804 in natural cherry finish will be delivered within the next three weeks (they ran out of this color, they only had the red cherry). I regret that the red cherry won't match my furniture... that color looks much more elegant, don't you think so?
