Nola Concert Grands

Elliot G.

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Jul 22, 2010
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Good point Frantz,

However, more than who is who, the interesting debate will be the why's.

IMHO, this happens because at some moment audiophiles feel they can trust a brand. And in this aspect a proper distribution and dealership is needed. Marketing is a crucial part of it - people like to know who is building their products, what was the success of their previous products and who will take care of them when something goes wrong. Although we have exceptions, products that are revered to an astonishing fashion usually have flighted for it and deserve it. Yes, I know I am an optimist concerning high-end ... ;)

Designing and manufacturing a great product is not enough. You have to show it to people, persuade others of its quality, as people say, go in the fields. Or find some one who goes in the fields for you ...

I very much agree however the economic climate and the reality of having a dealer or dealers that can afford both the money and the space to show all of these products is today almost non existent. Think of the capital outlay required to show any single high end speaker line and the space it would require as well as the associated gear required. This is a very big problem
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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I think its actually good for a change for a manufacturer to take a stance on product to use with their products that will provide an excellent result.
I am sure that other products can give a good result as well but for many this is a great thing to have as a starting point.
I think that perhaps all of you place too much at the feet of reviewers. I dont want o bash anyone but their may be other factors involved in what gets reviewed by who m and when. This whole process has gotten way out of hand and out of control and it seems that all the press wants is whats new, not whats great.
The Industry as a whole suffers when there are very few opportunites for music lovers to actually hear what a great product is capable of. This is very hard to solve since shows and most showrooms are not the answer for a state of the art product that deserves to be in a room of its own under close to ideal situations.

Not to mention the boomerang effect. When you do have the room and the ancillary equipment you often get asked if they could get the same level of performance should they buy and bring these large speakers home. It's not like you can give a definitive answer as that would depend on what lengths the buyer is willing to go to actually achieve that. When they are willing then that is when the real pressure comes in. Suddenly you're asking for floor plans, construction details, electrical drawings, furniture layouts, combing through specs of their current equipment lists. All so you can spot any and all potential hurdles but still being unable to guarantee the same level of success. Well, that's what we get paid to do, so I'm not complaining. I just wanted to point out that it isn't as easy as it looks.
 

ddk

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May 18, 2013
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I remember HP hosting the former NOLA top dog years ago (4 towers) and HP driving them with ASL Hurricanes some years back. Does TAS have anybody on their writing staff that can actually accommodate really big speakers (or want to for that matter) at home?

If you ever visited Sea Cliff you'd know that HP didn't have the space for large speakers either. Actually the entire house had wiring problems with hum and buzz galore and no decent listening space anywhere. The man's been full of it for years and years!

I don't like to change my posts but please allow me to rephrase it this time without stepping on anyone's toes.

"HP reviewed many large speakers in his compromised space which among other things also suffered from electrical problems. A smaller space shouldn't be a deterrent to others to pick the speakers up if they wanted to. In fact there are quite a few reviewers who do that."
 
Last edited:

Elliot G.

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Jul 22, 2010
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If you ever visited Sea Cliff you'd know that HP didn't have the space for large speakers either. Actually the entire house had wiring problems with hum and buzz galore and no decent listening space anywhere. The man's been full of it for years and years!

I have been there many many times and in fact Sir you are very wrong particularly in the house after the fire. The main room is plenty large for a full range full size speaker system and in fact has great sound.

The Nola which I started the thread is a one speaker per side, large but not enormous speaker system that produces an huge, amazing, coherent sound field. I believe this speaker can work in a NORMAL size room without much issue as long as it can be placed away from immediate boundaries.
It is among the very best speakers being made and should be listened to seriously before one buys a mega-buck home system. the nice part is they are really efficient and need a great amp and not necessarily a HUGE great amp which are few and really expensive as well.
 

ddk

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May 18, 2013
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I have been there many many times and in fact Sir you are very wrong particularly in the house after the fire. The main room is plenty large for a full range full size speaker system and in fact has great sound.

The Nola which I started the thread is a one speaker per side, large but not enormous speaker system that produces an huge, amazing, coherent sound field. I believe this speaker can work in a NORMAL size room without much issue as long as it can be placed away from immediate boundaries.
It is among the very best speakers being made and should be listened to seriously before one buys a mega-buck home system. the nice part is they are really efficient and need a great amp and not necessarily a HUGE great amp which are few and really expensive as well.

I believe we have different standards for what constitutes good sound and my comment had nothing to do with the Nolas or any other piece of equipment.

david
 

caesar

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May 30, 2010
4,290
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Carl got a lot of work in terms of marketing his PHENOMENAL speakers and generating PR. Actually, he should copy some of Alon Wolf's actions in terms of getting the PR. One of the reasons Magico has grown so fast is because they are constantly talked about. As a result, a lot of people have heard Magicos. Many are crazy about them, many hate them, and many are indifferent – but at least people have heard them. Unfortunately, it's not so for Nola.

The following random thoughts will assure that more people will hear the Nolas:

He should also clearly identify the value proposition: with his speakers, you just hear the music - You turn them on and get lost. Screw the audiophile vocabulary; it’s only the music. Other than well set up MBLs and Scaenas, this is not an exaggeration, and is truly unique in high end. He doesn't need to talk about enclosures and measurements like magico or about adjustability like Wilson. Let the other schmocks talk about costs of parts, which only cheapen the brand value and have the customer focus on the markup and then seek a discount when purchasing. Instead, he should specifically target those audiophiles who want to get lost in the music vs. are interested in the technical aspects and measurements. This musicality, which comes across in his cheapest $1500 speakers to the most expensive, is what makes his gear unique, and he should pound this message harder than a young Mike Tyson working the heavy bag.

He also needs to let the voice of his fans out more into the ether. Just like the crazed Martin Logan fan club guys and Magico fan-boys, Carl needs to encourage the owners to talk about their experiences all over the web, and post more quotes on his site.

He must very carefully target reviewers. HP is his main go to guy for big price tag speakers. But HP is getting older and has only written 2 250 word reviews in the last year or so. Selecting a fair reviewer is very tricky. Robert Harley says that Magico is the best product he has heard in 23 years (whether you believe him or not is another story). Valin has previously slammed Nola and has called Carl's designs "old". Jacob Heilbrunn is a Wilson man. So is Fremer. He should be very careful trusting these guys who have entrenched tastes and loyalty to specific brands.

Instead, he should court new blood, the talented up and coming reviewers who can review the different sized and priced products in his lineup. He should stay constantly in touch with the reviewers to help them better experience the products so they can talk about it, as well as to create suspense about new products in the pipeline.

He should also do a better job of staggering in his reviews among the publications so his gear is always in the public eye. When his gear is not being reviewed, he (or his surrogates) should be attending shows and doing dealer visits to plug in the gaps. He also should post banner ads on the audiophile sites that would take the potential customer to beautiful, professional pictures of his speakers and testimonials from fans that discuss makes people’s mouths salivate.

All these should start a virtuous cycle of more people hearing the speakers, extolling their musicality, buying speakers, upgrading, sharing their passion with others, etc....

These are just a few random thoughts. In the end, using all media, fan comments, and shows, he must constantly communicate that his speakers convey emotions that music lovers yearn for and that owners of his speakers actually get those hairs on the back of their neck to stand up as they reach that nirvana. It will take hard work, but should be easier to do when you actually deliver on those promises as Nola speakers do.
 

rbbert

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Dec 12, 2010
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I believe we have different standards for what constitutes good sound and my comment had nothing to do with the Nolas or any other piece of equipment.

david

There have been derogatory comments about HP's listening areas for decades, yet the man continues to have large speaker systems in his home and give pretty accurate descriptions of their sound.
 

Elliot G.

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Jul 22, 2010
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I believe we have different standards for what constitutes good sound and my comment had nothing to do with the Nolas or any other piece of equipment.

david

Really what the heck does that mean?
Have you been to Harry's home? When and what did you hear there Sir?
 

Elliot G.

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Jul 22, 2010
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I wonder whether those comments come from anyone that has ever been there.
I think if you asked the people that have you wouldn't find many comments about the sound being bad.
 

ddk

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May 18, 2013
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There have been derogatory comments about HP's listening areas for decades, yet the man continues to have large speaker systems in his home and give pretty accurate descriptions of their sound.

The comments aren't derogatory. And he will continue to have large speakers in his space and so what.
 

ddk

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May 18, 2013
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Really what the heck does that mean?
Have you been to Harry's home? When and what did you hear there Sir?

It just means what I said and now I believe that we have a different view of the man too.

Yes, I was there twice. The equipment has no relevance to my comment which was aimed at the listening space and the man.
 

Peter Breuninger

[Industry Expert] Member Sponsor
Jul 20, 2010
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Just a reminder... the Nolas will be coming to AVShowrooms this summer. And yes, I am going to do the honors.
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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It just means what I said and obviously we share a different view of the man too.

Yes, I was there twice. The equipment has no relevance to my comment which was aimed at the listening space and the man.

IMHO we should remember now the wise and often referred comment by James Moir ‘…in my view, if a room requires extensive treatment for stereophonic listening there is something wrong with the stereophonic equipment or recording. The better the reproduction system, the less trouble we have with room acoustics.’
 

rbbert

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Dec 12, 2010
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The comments aren't derogatory. And he will continue to have large speakers in his space and so what.
Perhaps you should reread what you posted in post #23? In any case, whether or not you in particular were being critical of his listening area, others have been. My point was that whatever the characterisitcs of his room(s) he manages to give accurate descriptions of the sound of large speakers, whether he likes them or not.
 

ddk

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May 18, 2013
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Perhaps you should reread what you posted in post #23? In any case, whether or not you in particular were being critical of his listening area, others have been. My point was that whatever the characterisitcs of his room(s) he manages to give accurate descriptions of the sound of large speakers, whether he likes them or not.

He gives a view of things in his own context targeted for a particular type of readership, accuracy is very relative in this case.

Actually in my initial reply to Jack, what I was alluding to is that if HP reviewed large speakers in his compromised space so can others. It is possible to setup large speakers in a smaller space and get them to work reasonably well. In retrospect I shouldn't have made the comment about HP, its pointing the conversation to a different direction, my bad.
 

Elliot G.

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Jul 22, 2010
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It just means what I said and now I believe that we have a different view of the man too.

Yes, I was there twice. The equipment has no relevance to my comment which was aimed at the listening space and the man.

OF course a typical BS internet comment . No facts please it might influence the decision.
INNUENDO...the Italian suppository
 

mep

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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I agree with Elliot that if you don't want to provide any specifics about when you were at HPs and what you were listening to that caused you to make denigrating remarks about his system, it really would have been best to keep the comments to yourself.
 

Priaptor

Member Sponsor
Jan 28, 2012
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Carl got a lot of work in terms of marketing his PHENOMENAL speakers and generating PR. Actually, he should copy some of Alon Wolf's actions in terms of getting the PR. One of the reasons Magico has grown so fast is because they are constantly talked about. As a result, a lot of people have heard Magicos. Many are crazy about them, many hate them, and many are indifferent – but at least people have heard them. Unfortunately, it's not so for Nola.

The following random thoughts will assure that more people will hear the Nolas:

He should also clearly identify the value proposition: with his speakers, you just hear the music - You turn them on and get lost. Screw the audiophile vocabulary; it’s only the music. Other than well set up MBLs and Scaenas, this is not an exaggeration, and is truly unique in high end. He doesn't need to talk about enclosures and measurements like magico or about adjustability like Wilson. Let the other schmocks talk about costs of parts, which only cheapen the brand value and have the customer focus on the markup and then seek a discount when purchasing. Instead, he should specifically target those audiophiles who want to get lost in the music vs. are interested in the technical aspects and measurements. This musicality, which comes across in his cheapest $1500 speakers to the most expensive, is what makes his gear unique, and he should pound this message harder than a young Mike Tyson working the heavy bag.

He also needs to let the voice of his fans out more into the ether. Just like the crazed Martin Logan fan club guys and Magico fan-boys, Carl needs to encourage the owners to talk about their experiences all over the web, and post more quotes on his site.

He must very carefully target reviewers. HP is his main go to guy for big price tag speakers. But HP is getting older and has only written 2 250 word reviews in the last year or so. Selecting a fair reviewer is very tricky. Robert Harley says that Magico is the best product he has heard in 23 years (whether you believe him or not is another story). Valin has previously slammed Nola and has called Carl's designs "old". Jacob Heilbrunn is a Wilson man. So is Fremer. He should be very careful trusting these guys who have entrenched tastes and loyalty to specific brands.

Instead, he should court new blood, the talented up and coming reviewers who can review the different sized and priced products in his lineup. He should stay constantly in touch with the reviewers to help them better experience the products so they can talk about it, as well as to create suspense about new products in the pipeline.

He should also do a better job of staggering in his reviews among the publications so his gear is always in the public eye. When his gear is not being reviewed, he (or his surrogates) should be attending shows and doing dealer visits to plug in the gaps. He also should post banner ads on the audiophile sites that would take the potential customer to beautiful, professional pictures of his speakers and testimonials from fans that discuss makes people’s mouths salivate.

All these should start a virtuous cycle of more people hearing the speakers, extolling their musicality, buying speakers, upgrading, sharing their passion with others, etc....

These are just a few random thoughts. In the end, using all media, fan comments, and shows, he must constantly communicate that his speakers convey emotions that music lovers yearn for and that owners of his speakers actually get those hairs on the back of their neck to stand up as they reach that nirvana. It will take hard work, but should be easier to do when you actually deliver on those promises as Nola speakers do.

Caesar

How right you are.

I have owned many speakers and none, IMO are as engaging as the NOLAS. They are fabulous.

I recently had Q1s with Constellation amp at the same time I had the Baby Grands. I had the Q1s for 4 months tried them with my REF250s and tried the Baby Grands with the Constellation. Long and short for me there was no comparison. The BBG ARC combination couldn't be beat.

The Baby Grands was an upgrade from my Micro Grands and now my Concert Grand Golds are an upgrade from the Baby Grands. As seamless as I thought his smaller speakers were these are more seamless still.

And you are dead on regarding the marketing or the lack of it. Carl is an old fashioned type who is out to please those who enjoy music not the technophile.
 

ddk

Well-Known Member
May 18, 2013
6,261
4,040
995
Utah
OF course a typical BS internet comment . No facts please it might influence the decision.

The equipment have nothing to do with the fact that the space sucked as a listening room and listing them serves no good purpose here. Everything including the smaller systems thrown together in piles on the floor in the larger L shaped area were humming and buzzing both times I was there, your experience is yours not mine. There's also contents of his reviews...

INNUENDO...the Italian suppository

LOL! :rolleyes: You mean like this?

OF course a typical BS internet comment
 
Last edited:

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
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New York City
Caesar

How right you are.

I have owned many speakers and none, IMO are as engaging as the NOLAS. They are fabulous.

I recently had Q1s with Constellation amp at the same time I had the Baby Grands. I had the Q1s for 4 months tried them with my REF250s and tried the Baby Grands with the Constellation. Long and short for me there was no comparison. The BBG ARC combination couldn't be beat.

The Baby Grands was an upgrade from my Micro Grands and now my Concert Grand Golds are an upgrade from the Baby Grands. As seamless as I thought his smaller speakers were these are more seamless still.

And you are dead on regarding the marketing or the lack of it. Carl is an old fashioned type who is out to please those who enjoy music not the technophile.

Actually, Carl has given out his speaker to many reviewers over they many years. http://www.nolaspeakers.com/reviews_b.php

But people need to bear in mind that many established high-end audio companies, whether it be NOLA, etc., basically want reviewers with some credibility reviewing their products. Their position is that a review by a newbie does them no good. That's in contrast say to a new company who's eager to get their name on the map and will on the whole, lend their gear out anyone who will review their equipment. And HP and Carl go way, way back and obviously Carl still feels that a good review by HP will really help him sell his speakers.

Many years ago, I reviewed his first "mini" speaker, the Alon Adriannas, a real honey of a product, with a drop dead finish. The only problem with the Adrianna was they were ahead of their time; no one wanted to pay 10K mini speaker back in the late '90s IIRC.
 

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