Doug, How would you compare the Nimbus to the better Legacy speakers like the Aeris or Whisper? Generally, how does each speaker stand out?

aldavis March 10, 2014 02:32

Lawrence, thanks for asking your questions, as they are good ones. Readers of my answer should keep in mind that I wrote a review of the Nimbus White for Dagogo.com.

Not having the two speakers side by side in my room my impressions are not absolute. However, I would suggest that one could legitimately compare the Nimbus White to the Alexia as well as the Sasha W/P. I would go so far as to say the most likely parallel in the Wilson line would be the Alexia. I am well aware of the sizable price differential between the two speakers. I would like to say quite a bit more, but I believe it would be inappropriate given that the review is pending and I purchased the speakers. I believe my perspective on the capabilities of the Nimbus White will be clear once the review is published.

As to the software used to rip Redbook discs, I have an interesting perspective. I attempted to use XLD initially, but was having so many hangups that after discussing it with some individuals in the industry and finding no consensus I simply ditched it. I ripped the discs in AIFF format using iTunes. Expecting there to be perhaps serious consequences for skipping the online matching of bits to get "bit perfect," copies, I was surprised to realize that it seems to have had zero effect on the sound quality. Indeed, the discs ripped without all the comparison afforded by XLD seem every bit as superb, and it took a lot less time!

My conclusion is that the primary benefit of the ripping software may be in the particular metadata format one selects. XLD seemingly did nothing to enhance the playback. Further, it also seemed to do nothing to eliminate dropouts on CD's which have a serious defect in the surface. My conclusion? I'm just as well off without XLD. I simply use iTunes, putting the CD into AIFF format and check the error correction option. I treat all discs prior to ripping, and I believe this may have more efficacy in terms of file playback than the software used to rip.

I was hoping for at least Redbook quality, but have achieved better already, even without upgrading USB cable, DAC or aftermarket file playback software. I have been using Amarra and find that it is preferable with certain systems/music.

douglas_schroeder March 09, 2014 20:38

HI Doug,

How would you compare the sound of the Nimbus White to Wilson Sasha?

And would like to know what software you used to rip the CD to your mini?

THANKS

lawence_carpio March 09, 2014 13:22

System edited: I have added the Mac Mini as "Transport" to the system listing. I find it incredible that there is no option for a computer-based source in the system listing given the popularity of file playback. The Mini is performing at a high level; it has an aftermarket PS Audio power cord with C-7 plug and I'm using a Furutech GT-2 USB cable (1M) currently. The humble overachieving Musical Fidelity V-90 DAC (reviewed for Dagogo.com) rounds out this introductory file playback system. I envision cable, software and DAC experimentation as time goes by. With the Vapor Audio Nimbus White speakers (also reviewed, but not yet published) the system clearly outperforms previous efforts with more costly front end, namely Redbook, and I have not yet pushed it to any great degree.

douglas_schroeder March 05, 2014 01:46

Doug...thank you very much!

zephyr24069 February 27, 2014 10:09

Zephyr, that's a good question, and the nomenclature does not distinguish between finishes or aesthetics, besides the color of the Midrange drivers.

Primarily the designation "Black" or "White" denotes the particular Midrange drivers used in the speaker. The black midranges are the 6" Wavecor with paper cones (technically, I believe it is paper impregnated with synthetic fibers), versus the Nimbus White's 6" Accuton Ceramic coned drivers.

The difference in sound is that the Black version is more laid back, with less absolute definition. I have not heard the Black version. However, the Accuton is more defined and in my estimation has quickness and cleanness comparable to an electrostatic speaker, only more focused, of course. My opinion is that there is no such thing as too much definition in a high end audio system, so I welcome the super-revealing/refined sound of the Nimbus White.

I believe the other models of Vapor speakers in Black version use a 6" Audio Technology driver.

douglas_schroeder February 24, 2014 21:45

Hey Doug...hope you have been well! What is the difference between tne Nimbus Black and White Models? Same question for the Cirrus Black and White models from Vapor?

zephyr24069 February 24, 2014 13:19

Needfreestuff, thanks for the comments; I am very blessed and try not to take it for granted!

Yes, those are Pass Labs X600.5 monos and they are excellent at presenting an easy, effortless sense of power and dynamics.

As to the variety of speakers I use, I lost the willpower to continue scouring the Earth for the One, the perfect speaker. ;)

douglas_schroeder February 19, 2014 18:10

Those look like Pass Lab amps with the Nimbus speakers if so which ones are they? As you know its a difficult task to widen those speakers and not bring any unwanted colorations to the mix hope all goes well. Good luck on your journey and make sure and keep us posted on the results, you are very fortunate to have such excellent equipment and speakers to enjoy. Three great systems your a lucky guy.

needfreestuff February 19, 2014 04:09

Ryan, I have been working through four permutations of speakers with an integrated under review, so no tubes currently. However, I'm on the last pair of speakers (Including the Nimbus White). This has given me a broad understanding of the performance of the integrated with different speakers.

In a few more days it will be the Nimbus's turn to again be in the spotlight, and I was planning to run a rig with tubes somewhere in the signal path, likely the VAC Phi 200 amps. It will be fun to hear how the different output taps influence the speaker. In the past speakers have responded readily to the selection of the output posts' differing impedance but I expect the Nimbus White to be even more revealing in that regard than the Daedalus Ulysses or King III esl.

The move to file playback has been rewarding and I'm comparing iTunes to Amarra with different speakers. I had some concern that the file playback might not be up to my requirement for review purposes, but all worries have evaporated; the file playback is superior to the Redbook, and this is noted especially in the timing; Redbook seems more lethargic, less energetic than file playback. Comparing the two Redbook seems more constrained, less vivid and zippy. I'm very pleased with the vibrancy of the file playback and feel nothing has been sacrificed in any respect of audiophile-grade sound.

Amarra seems to work exquisitely well with the omnidirectional King Sound King Tower. I also have widened the placement of the omni speakers by about 10" for each speaker; that's quite a large change, and the result is preferable.

That is something I have to do with the Nimbus White yet. All my exemplary results with the speaker were while using my "old" positioning scheme. Now that I'm widening the stance of the speakers I expect another level of perceived scale and depth to be discovered. I know you felt the positioning was a bit too close together at the time of the review, and now that I'm widening it for other speakers with superb results I'm sure it will be sensational with the Nimbus White as well. I was concerned about the interaction of the side walls of the room, but this has thankfully been a non-issue, likely because of my overbuilding the room such that the walls are less reactive compared to typical room construction.

douglas_schroeder February 18, 2014 18:12

So Doug, with all your nice electronics options there ... was just wondering what you're running right now? Also wondering if you've tried those tube amps on the Nimbus?

vapor1 February 18, 2014 15:45

A short drive for the ardent audiophile is anything less than two days. :) I recall driving a few times up to five hours one way for audio appointments either with dealers, manufacturers or private parties who were selling gear.

If you are interested in discussing a visit, Roscoeiii, feel free to contact me via the Agon message system.

douglas_schroeder February 10, 2014 14:21

Hey Roscoe, you should talk to Doug about making the short drive up the street to hear the Whites in his room. Doug really knows how to put a system together, you'd be in for a treat!

vapor1 February 10, 2014 04:20

Look forward to reading that review. The less-expensive Nimbus Blacks sounded fabulous when I heard them at Ryan's when I was in St Louis. Very impressive speakers.

roscoeiii February 09, 2014 21:17

Ryan, thank you for the kind words! Without giving too much away prior to publication of the review of the Nimbus White, you are correct that my continued use of it is validation of the efforts of Vapor Audio.

I was impressed by the ease and sound quality obtained from your laptop setup when we were setting up the Nimbus White for the review. This prompted me to finally take the plunge and go with file playback. The result has been glorious, better sound quality than I anticipated and convenience off the charts! I have been hearing rumors of specialty servers, such as Linux-based ones as the Antipodes, besting the Mac Mini setups. So, I would welcome the comparison.

douglas_schroeder February 09, 2014 13:31

Hey Doug, it's an honor for our design to be featured in your exceptional room and system! You have a very finely tuned ear, and the Nimbus finding a permanent home with you serves as significant validation of our work. Especially since you have so many other top flight speakers from which to choose.

I'll look forward to my next visit so we can compare your Mac with the Antipodes music server. That should fun, and the results will I'm sure be of interest to many others.

vapor1 February 08, 2014 03:38

Doug....very excited to see the latest round of changes and experimentation in your system! I owe you a call that's overdue to catch up as well. Cast one more vote on Mac for Audivarna Plus on top of iTunes; it's quite special. Through what I must admit is limited testing over the last year or so I am finding I am most happy with files ripped in Apple Lossless format (.m4a file extension/format). When I share them with people or even convert them to other formats, the trueness to the original source material is extremely good and a couple of friends have commented about how well they seem to come over.

zephyr24069 January 21, 2014 10:40

Awww, man, Elescher, you're killin' me! I'm putting in inordinate amounts of time, etc. to set this up, and now you're saying it gets "blown away" by a box! This is exactly what I was afraid of - that after all the work some box would render it useless.

I would suspect that a large portion of the differential in sound would be due to the DAC which is used. I have had enough experiences with components that I believe the selection of the cables and DAC can tip the scale in my favor in terms of achieving the sound I want. (Time will tell if that is borne out) I am going to proceed under the assumption that as long as I have good files (lossless AIFF) I can assemble a USB DAC and Mini combo which will be exceptionally good. I have heard stunning demos at shows which use this method, or with PC laptop, so I know it can be done. There is always another avenue, another method.

Frankly, I'm not thrilled about all the investment of time in setting up the music database, but it's a necessary event if I want to even consider a server. If the Mac Mini gets trounced by some server box I'll use it as a regular computer somewhere else. But I'm a long way from that point right now... :)

douglas_schroeder January 20, 2014 19:33

I would go one step further and look into acquiring on of the many new music servers on the market. I ended up with the Bryston BDP-2 and it blows away the Mac Mini with upgraded SOTA power supply I had previously. I tried nearly all the media server software with the Mac and liked Audivarna the most.

elescher January 20, 2014 16:52

I've had the pleasure of hearing the Vapor in Doug's room. They are special. They are very "fast" and in addition have an appealing organic musical presentation. Soundstage and imaging are exceptional. Very nice.

papermill January 20, 2014 14:09

Peter, that's good advice; thanks! I would suspect that different software packages will react uniquely with different file formats. I am ripping the discs to AIFF, and it seems there is some difference of opinion in the community whether this is the worse/same/better than WAV.

I know one thing, I do not wish to spend inordinate hours inputting metadata for discs, thus AIFF is the choice for now. Whether I convert to WAV later remains to be seen. My guess is that some software will mesh with AIFF better than others, so it makes sense to try a few. I don't know that I would conduct a full blown report on it (there's only so much time), but I'm quite sure I'll be experimenting. :)

douglas_schroeder January 19, 2014 18:20

Doug, Since you are using a Mac for playback I can only encourage you to try Audionirvana Plus too, its a free trail for two weeks so there's nothing to loose, would be interested in hearing your opinion on it compared to the Amarra.

Good Listening

Peter

pbnaudio January 19, 2014 16:42

System edited: Some significant changes recently, another set of speakers added. The Vapor Audio Nimbus White review was just finalized. They are a statement product and a real shocker performance-wise in the under $10K sector of speakers. I'm making the move to file playback via Mac Mini and Amarra; library being imported currently. The goal is to have this far exceed the Redbook playback. That may take some time, but I anticipate it will happen. I have been adjusting my positioning of the speakers in terms of width and believe I will keep the wider stance ongoing as this has been beneficial to the soundstage and imaging. Toe in is similar to the past but I'm getting better depth and definition to the images by moving speakers approx. 10" out from each other. This has been true of all dynamic speakers and the ESL. I have not tried the omnidirectional speakers in that wider position yet, but that will happen eventually.

douglas_schroeder January 18, 2014 18:17

Doug....FYI, the Audiogon picture-post function on Virtual Systems seems to be working again.

zephyr24069 December 04, 2013 14:15

AERIS are here having arrived today, are setup and making great music! It's amazing to me how good this sounds on day 1; it's the most amazing OOTB (out of the box) day I've ever had with any piece of audio gear!!! They are drop dead gorgeous to boot!!! Sapelle Pommele Cabernet with Black Pearl front baffle is "THE" way to go :-) !!!

zephyr24069 November 26, 2013 21:38