NOLA Speakers

I also had Alon V MkII's that had every possible upgrade, including the same Alnico bass drivers and tweeters as in the Circe, and finally outboard Circe crossovers with upgraded capacitors made by Alon/Nola. In the end, I just couldn't get them to sound the way I wanted for my listening preferences. On some music, they were outstanding, but on too much of the rest of my collection they sounded sort of dry and uninvolving, with somewhat of a disconnect between the bass and mid/treble. For whatever reason, these suffered a mid-bass suckout in the two rooms I used them in. However, based on some trial and error using tubed preamps, I found them to sound better when used with tubed electronics. I will say, the sound is very open and clear, and you do not get the impression you are listening to boxes. They are also very fast, but you already know that from using your Alon II's. If you are serious about purchasing a used pair, my recommendation would be to plan on tubed electronics, or at a minimum a good tube preamp, provide plenty of power (150wpc and up), and look at the newer Lotus Elite or Viper models. Current posted A'gon prices range from the Lotus Elite II at $1300 to the Viper Signatures at $3995, either would be an excellent deal if you like the sound, and the dual woofers in these models are said to integrate better especially since they are crossed over at slightly different frequencies. If you stay in the Alon line, I would recommend at least waiting for a good pair of Circes. As you move up the lines, you get Alnico magnets in the drivers, better bass drivers, and outboard crossovers, all of which improve performance.

I owned Circes for about 4 years and loved everything about them except their looks. They took a long time to place correctly (closer together than other speakers) but they sounded great in my room with a wide range of music. Maybe they are more forgiving than other speakers, but they were always a pleasure to listen to, from early Bix to Nat Cole, to Charlie Parker, to Coltrane. They did sound somewhat boxless, but due to the close placement, the soundstage was not quite as wide as you might be used to. Bass was very solid but not as powerful as you might expect with those big 10 inch woofers. I drove mine with 110 watts per channel of tube power and that was more than enough.

Randy

Greatings All,

I have acquired my dream speakers: a pair of Nola Baby Grands.  Does anyone have the manual for this, or any of the speakers that use the IP-1 Isolation technology?  I think I am missing some parts, but I am not sure.  Does the base ride directly on the bearings without a plate or race?  There are drillouts for what looks like either feet or another isolation mechanism but they are not directly above the platform ball bearings.  Help!  Thanks.

Not sure what you have here.  Looking at the picture on the website, and based on my Micro References, there is a small base that goes on the floor that should have some cutouts in it for ball bearings to be placed; the speaker's base goes on that.  Do you have that separate base?

I just rebuilt the Alon IIs that I got for pennies at an estate sale. They actually are a good speakers considering cost as well as age. My only complaint is the open midrange. Had to deal with the rear reflection. I have heard some of the NOLAs at shows and in these venues they sounded very good. Expensive but think I would audition if were I looking for new speakers. When I took my Alons apart I saw some good ideas being utilized. Carl says the new tweeter makes a great addition to the older Alons. I think they were about $ 800.00 each but dont quote me.