NAD 7130 Receiver

Another NAD receiver arrived yesterday, this 7130 model runs at 30WPC and has both a MM (Moving Marnet) and a MC (Moving Coil) phono input, something you rarely see in a model of this power level.

I did clean out the inside and all the pots and switches.

I have yet to mate this with either the NAD Model 20's or the NAD Model 30's but will do so in the near future.

Most reviews seem pretty positive on this unit and  have always liked  NAD's stuff. Clean and simple.

Clements 300SI Redeux

Another pair of Clements 300SI or Spacial Image came my way today, my first experience was from a reader of this blog that had a pair and wanted to see how they sounded versus the NAD Model 30's.

His pair of speakers are in this write up here.

This is the pair I picked up today which look like an earlier version than his.

These are a little pair of speakers has a huge sound from a little 6 1/2 inch woofer that uses a transmission line enclosure. Bass is really deep for such a diminutive size.

The imaging is pretty impressive with a large spacial sound stage.

These need to be run with a solid state amp and I have them hooked up to a Harmon Kardon HK 395i 35WPC receiver. Both the SE tube amp and push/pull do not run enough power to get the best out of these little speakers.

These are nice Canadian audiophile speakers that really fly under the radar except for those in the know.

NAD Model 20 Speakers

Following up on the NAD Model 30 featured back in March 15, 2015, this pair of NAD Model 20's showed up this week.

NAD made two pairs of speakers (Model 20 and Model 30) and the philosophy was to produce the best speaker possible to rival the best audiophile speakers at their price point.

The Model 20 uses an 8 inch Braun woofer connected to a brilliant Braun dome tweeter.

These speakers punch well above their size with amazing bass response and fantastic imaging, not quite as good the Model 30 with the large mid range dome.

NAD only made the these speakers for a couple of years with Braun drivers, so these speakers are pretty rare.

Hooked up to a tube amp these speakers really shine over a solid state amp.

Electrohome Kalmar 120 push/pull tube amp with Phase Linear Model 3300 pre amplifier

I have been lucky enough to be listening to a Electrohome Kalmar 120 push/pull slave tube amp connected to a wonderfully clean Phase Linear Model 3300 pre amplifier.

The Electrohome Kalmar 120 is probably rated around 25 watts per channel and does an incredible job at powering any of my speakers to their best.

The sound is deep and powerful in the bass region, coupled with an incredibly open and transparent mid range topped with silky smooth treble that is crisp and clean.

There is a huge difference between the sound of tubes versus the sound of solid state gear that when comparing A/B between the both I find myself returning to the tubes.

So far this amp/pre amp combo sounds best with the Tannoy Oxford Golds, then the NAD Model 30's, it makes my Mission 770 Freedom IV's really come alive and with a bit of equalization, powers the University RRL-12 to new heights. Not saying that this combo does not do any other speakers in my collection justice, I just find myself coming back to the speakers noted above.


How does a Single Ended tube amp compare to a Push/Pull?

To my ears the single ended tube amp is not a clear in the bass region but far more open and forward in the upper mid range/treble region. The push/pull has much more punch and control in the bass along with stronger lower mid range. The upper mid range is a little more laid back and the treble region is not quite as hot/sizzling.

Both are amps are a true window into music with proper and I mean in the room with the musicians sound, the imaging is transparent, clean and true.

Once bitten by the tub amp sound one has a hard time plugging the solid state back into the wall.

Clements 300si Speakers

A friend of the blog was kind enough to stop by one evening with his pair of Clements 300si speakers. He was originally interested in the NAD Model 30's and felt that the Clements infinite baffle design had just as much bass as the NAD's. The Clements had pretty solid bass right down to the 40hz level from a 61/2 inch woofer, pretty impressive for its' size. The Clement's gave the NAD"s a run for the money in the bottom end.

We ran the speakers through the Creek 4040s2 which did not match well with these speakers. We switched up to the Yamaha CR-400 and the sound was night and day. The Yamaha opened up these speakers, the detail in sound with the Clements and Yamaha was a better pairing..

We finally switched to the tube amp and these sounded good at first with the speakers near the wall I knew they could sound better if we brought them in to within 4 feet.

Now we were enveloped with sound, Clements are not the most efficient at 88db's so we had to push the tube amp a little herder.

All I can say is WoW! for such a small speaker these had an incredible smoothness, from solid clear bass into the luscious mid range and sparkling highs that were never harsh or shrill.

Up close the speakers enveloped you into their sound stage, left right, front and back it was like being in the room with the musicians. We listened to about 4 hours worth of music and my friend has just reached out for some tube amp advice, he was taken aback with the silky sound of the tubes, they paired very well with the Clements although they do not go earth shaking  loud, which is perfect when kepping other happy.

This speaker reminds me of the sound of the Paradigm Control Monitors I had at one time, incredibly polite, smooth, a very nice speaker and worth seeking out when they come up for sale.

TubeCube 7 tube amplifier

I picked up this little desktop tube amp for my son's Christmas present this year, replacing the Realistic System 11.

This fully assembled unit was well packaged and the fit and finish is really nice. It feels like a solid little amp in your hands.

I am just listening to my Electrohome Marseilles tube amp for the past few months as my only source of amplification. I was pretty excited to see what this 3.5 watt would sound like in a comparison. I burnt the amp in for 12 hours before giving it a serious listen.The Tube Cube 7 can be found on the Tube Depot site and runs for $179.95 with free delivery in the USA.

I first had a listen with the stock Chinese Sino EL84's with the Sino 12AX7B connect to a pair of Tannoy Oxford Gold's. The Tannoy's are very efficient so it was best suited to the 3.5 watts per channel.

The sound was very clear and transparent in the mid range and high's. The midrange and highs were not warm even having a bit of shrill at times. Although imaging side to side was excellent, back and for depth of the sound stage was not as deep as the Electrohome.

I also tested the TubeCube 7 with the Sound Dynamics Concert 500's, these are another efficient horn loaded speaker that pairs really well with tube amps. The sound was a bit better in the bass along with the same traits in sound as with the Tannoy's. Last up were the NAD Model 30's of which this little unit was striving to drive with clarity, the bottom end was very muddy.

I opted to replace the Sino tubes over to J/J EL84's and a J/J 12AX7B

The change over in tubes had an instant impact on the sound this little amplifier could achieve, it was like a veil was removed from the sound. Back where the sweet luscious mid's and high's with the bottom end filling out. The Tannoy's had their shine back, the warmth was there along with the depth of sound, next was the Sound Dynamics, where the bass was clearer and much more refined. Any shrill associated with the original Sino tubes was gone.

Overall this is a pretty cool entry into tube amps for a small space, we still have them hooked up to the Minimus 11 speakers. When trying to fill a larger room with bigger speakers this little amp tries and does a surprising good job, I found this amp best suited for a smaller office or bedroom. The output transformers are obviously not as robust as you would find in higher power units, I found it shy on the bottom end.

My wish list that I had for this amp is a headphone jack being a priority, it would be great to listen to through headphones. Two inputs would be nice too, but I would take the headphone jack first.

I would recommend one of these units as a starter into the tube world. I had mine shipped to a US address which help keep the cost down with the exchange rate.

The TubeDepot will also supply better tubes for this amp which I would step up to the J/J tubes all around.

The TubeCube 7 can be found here and the tube upgrades here.

Tube: Shuguang EL84 2pcs, 12AX7B 1pc

Power Output: 3.5W+3.5W @ 8 ohms

Frequency Response: 30-40Khz (+-1db)

Input Sensitivity: 500mV

Signal-to-Noise Ratio: -80dB / 3.5W

Residual Noise < 1mVac

Input AC Voltage: 100-250Vac

Power Consumption: 38W

Input Impedance: 50K ohms

Output Impedance: 8/6/4 ohms (Japan Z11-EI48*24 Output Transformers)

Dimensions: 130mm (w) x 130mm (d) x 130mm (h)

Weight: 2.6KG

Input: RCA Jacks

Output: Banana Jacks

AC: Standard IEC Jack with Fuse protection (2A Fuse)

Color: Black

 

Creek 4040s2 with NAD Model 30 speakers.

So I have had some time to run through the speaker line up with the recently purchased Creek 4040s2 amp.

These two were meant to play together, the Creek 4040s2 has incredible detail and sound stage and the clarity of the NAD Model 30 pinpoints the music perfectly.

Due to the fact that the NAD Model 30 runs at 4 ohms it pulls 40WPC out of the Creek and fills the bottom end better than an 8 ohm speaker.

The Creek 4040s2 has been compared in many ways to the A&R A60 amp that I almost bought in the 80's but I opted for the Rotel RA840BX instead.

I spent hours running the Creek with Mission 770 Freedom IV's, the Tannoy Oxford Gold's, B&W D5's and by far the best pairing is the NAD Model 30's.

Wow!!!

Current Bliss

NAD Model 30, Braun L1030, Braun L830, Dual CL390, Visonik Euro 7, Braun L830's.

Never will I see a collection like this again, so it must be documented.

Current Collection

Left to right
 NAD Model 30
Mission 700 Leading Edge
Mission 770 Freedom IV
Camber 2.5
B&W D5
Dual CL390
B&W DM100
Visonik Euro 7's
Angstrom Radix 300

All great speakers......Wow!! What a pleasure.

NAD Model 30 Speakers

I just picked up a pair of NAD Model 30 speakers that had been lingering to long on a local classified site.

NAD made these speakers in Germany probably under contract with Braun/ADS/Canton/Magnet/Dual as they use the very familiar large dome mid range and tweeter, in fact the woofer is similar to the speakers mentioned above.

I am pretty excited to have these in the house and look forward to updating the listening sessions.

Update:

The sound of the NAD Model 30 speakers is very close to my reference speakers the Dual CL390's. They differ in two areas. The bass is much fuller due to the larger cabinet size, which I like and the mid range is not as forward but only slightly recessed.

Although I paid a premium for these speakers it was worth every dollar.