When Grzegorz from Cube Audio inquired about the review of the Nenuphar speakers, I immediately rewind back almost three decades. Back then I was totally into single speakers with full-range drivers and all the trappings like SET amplifiers etc. I owned or built quite a few proven designs or conceptual speakers with full-range drivers. The results varied and were not always close to what I expected or what was promised.
Nonetheless, in all of the full-range speakers I have either owned, listened to, or reviewed, the silver lining was usually memorable coherence across the complete frequency range. And as the icing on the cake, human voices were always portrayed with uncanny credibility in most cases. The positive effect of properly designed full-range speakers always lasts a long time. And many of us have had the pleasure of experiencing this unique listening impression at some point in our audiophile journey.
Despite my always busy schedule, I’ve happily committed to the review of the Nenuphar speakers.
Cube Audio combines the rich heritage of this particular loudspeaker concept with 21st-century technology solutions and, as you’ll read in this review, an impressive array of positive attributes.
NENUPHAR
The original Cube Audio 8″ drivers were satisfactorily received by many customers, got positive feedback from the press, etc. But the manufacturer was pushed to do more, and the original goal to make a driver that covers a wider frequency range that can act as a single driver. There were many technical challenges to overcome, but after a lot of research and development, the new 10″ driver was designed and manufactured.
The Cube Audio Nenuphar single driver speaker was developed from the ground up with the F10 Neo drivers, resulting in a well thought out combination of TQWT speakers chassis and F10 Neo drivers.
Nenuphar was designed to be a minimalist, stylish, contemporary full range speaker available with a wide choice of finishes including high quality black or white piano lacquer finishes or the recently introduced matte or high gloss veneer options.
F10 NEO FULL-RANGE DRIVER
As the Nenuphar speakers are designed around the Cube Audio F10 Neo 10″ full-range driver, it’s more than worthy to take a bit closer look at this driver with the ultra-powerful neodymium magnet motor.
Magnetic motor
The research and development process of the 10″ driver took over a year. The goal was to develop something completely new that would surpass the 8″ drivers in almost every way. To achieve the wanted dream performance, a stronger motor design was necessary due to the increased moving mass. To that end, two new motors were developed. One is a mixed construction of ferrite and neodymium magnets and the second is constructed entirely of neodymium magnets. The motor composed entirely of neodymium magnets contains 81 magnets with a total weight of 1480 grams and is capable of delivering 2.4 Tesla into the 9 mm high magnetic gap.
The voice coil is fully spring-loaded with +- 3 mm excursion at 100% magnetic field strength. The maximum excursion is +- 6 mm. Since the voice coil virtually never leaves the magnetic gap, raw power, linearity and distortion reduction are best with uniform field strength across the gap height. To maintain a tolerance of 0.01 mm on all elements, the magnet motor components are manufactured on computer-controlled CNC lathes.
Cones and whizzer
With the motor ready and able to control the heavier moving cones and suspension mass, it was time to make the cones. That’s where the experience of experimenting with 8″ drivers came in handy. The team at Cube Audio knew what to start with. But that was about it. 10″ is a completely different creature. The sonic result was not satisfactory for a long time.
The final design consists of 4 cones. One of them is the main cone and 3 whizzer cones. The smallest cone is responsible for the highest frequency range. A standard whizzer was never enough to reach 18 kHz with a driver that reaches the 30 Hz region in the right cabinet.
An additional, small whizzer, solved one of the problems. But there were many more of them. Adding a whizzer to the diaphragm causes additional interference between the diaphragm and the whizzer. The mini high-frequency whizzer and the main whizzer matched very well and the sound was much better than without it. However, there was still a geometry problem. The diameter, height, surface area, geometry, stiffness, damping, and coating are all part of the final sound equation.
To achieve the right amount of sound pressure in the desired frequency range, geometry is the most important of all. One particular geometry provided an amazingly rich, colorful midrange, but on the other hand, interfere with the main cone in such a way that the mods pumped up the midrange.
Since “screeching” voices were not desired, some modifications were necessary. This is where the third whizzer came in. It has proven to be a very elegant solution to change the interference modes of the whizzer and cone. By changing the geometry and spacing, the amplitude of the modes decreased. This made the overall sound sweeter, richer, and more natural. And that was the final swing.
The Spider
Another unique solution is a lower suspension commonly referred to as a “spider”. After listening to prototypes with a wide variety of even very advanced spiders from diferrent speaker manufacturers, Cube Audio team agreed on the need to develop their own solution. The problem with the spider is that it acts as a damper to dissipate the energy that would otherwise be transferred into the speaker cone. It makes the speaker sound weak and dull, and Cube Audio knew this was an unacceptable way to go. They wanted a material that did not absorb energy but only transferred it.
After much testing, the solution was found and it proved to be even better than expected. It is 100% linear within the maximum excursion of the speakers ( + – 6mm). It behaves like a spring. It does not consume the energy by damping, but only positions the voice coil in the magnetic gap. The disadvantage of such a technology is that each spider has to be milled with a precise CNC machine. However, the advantages are obvious and worth it for the Cube Audio.
To measure the actual compliance (excursion at a known force) of the suspensions, they had to design and have a special device made for the measurements. Below is the graph showing the measurement comparison between the suspension from Cube Audio and the classic (resin-soaked cloth) spider.
THE MUSIC
With all the tracks I’ve listened to in my review, the music came as one, with the Cube Audio Nenuphar speakers. A harmonic entity with lots of unfoldings. And the Nenuphars never drew attention to themselves, the drivers, or the cabinet.
I am sure this is due to the entirely in-house voicing and optimization of the speaker enclosure with the drivers. The seamless playback of music was continuous with all of the music, but I was really smitten by how invitingly my favorite vocal and guitar reference tracks sounded.
The unflustered quality of the Nenuphar quickly became apparent during listening to Paul Motian’s album Tribute. Especially when it comes to vertical and horizontal extension, many speakers can lose their compass too early. Yet with Nenuphar speakers “Song for Ché” filled the room impressively on both axes.
The tempo of the slowly unfolding music was captivating and when the interplay of Charlie Haden, Motian, and Paul Metzke kicked in, none of the lyrical insistence was lost.
In “Song for Ché”, the individual notes are often squeezed out of the spectrum of sound, sounding unreal and out of their given durations. Not with Cube Audio!
Nenuphar offered an effortless and natural portrayal with a great holographic backdrop. It was not overloaded with fake 3D scenery trapped in the limited scope but expanded dimensionally beyond the speaker positions.
Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You are Near)” from the If That’s What It Takes always comes in handy when checking the rhythm & pace. Nenuphar easily followed what you might call an early R&B bloomingly, focused, and hearth shivering.
On Rémy Yulzari, Nadav Lev Musiques d’amour juives “Bésame Mucho” there was no tonal dissection or lesser skill of note stacking discovered, but a tangible, soft and narrative replay, simply capturing what is being served.
The Nenuphar may not be a speaker designed to delight the ear with any oversweetness, but it can certainly live up to its airs and graces, as it did with Mistérios do Chamamé.
It’s not easy to get fully or even partially engaged with the Lucio Yanel guitar playing on Mistérios do Chamamé. Once again, Nenuphar has proven that it is a different kind of performer. The “La Cáu” movement was embodied without leaving out the playfulness and sense of elation.
I could really appreciate how Cube Audio flagship speakers let Andra Kouyaté and Sèkè Chi’s “N’goké” from Saro unfolded. No-fuss, no sonic additives. A gentle pulsation with an expert storytelling capability.
The corresponding quality continued with a wonderful “Téranga” from Ablaye Cissoko from the album Saint Louis. Nenuphars created a comprehensive climate. There were no logical mind amusements, no clinical cross-examinations. “Téranga” shone with full momentum, expansiveness, and interlinked musical connexion.
“Téranga” can all too quickly become an aural kaleidoscope, mimicking the sonic markings rather than the notes. Many speakers are preoccupied with punctuated density and fail to paint a full spectrum. For Nenuphar speakers the sonic diversity was no strange affair. Neither were notes’ core, nor their durations got lost in the translation.
Each speaker needs to carry some level of the cinematic weight to be worthy of high-end designation. I really like how well Nenuphar speakers exhibited Michele Villetti “Sex Players” and unstacked layers and layers of carefully crafted soundtracks for real life. This mysterious journey lurks back to early ambient electronic music and entraps the senses with sublime potency when all the stars align. And they did to a great extend with Cube Audio full rangers.
I am never too fond of the sleuthing qualities of a high-end audio component. The speaker is both the first contact with our auditory perception system and the last in the chain of the high-end audio system. The remarkable quality that should stimulate or spur the emotion. An oppose opposed quality to pinpoint analysis.
“Pro Heraldo” by Silvia Goes, Thiago Espirito Santo from the album Intuitivo evoked all Nenuphar qualities by fully uniting the “Pro Heraldo” holistic-harmonious nature as consolidated and articulated effort.
Never changing the sound of the overall system, Nenuphars followed the attributes of what was served. The full-range speakers can color the instruments too easily like lovingly adopted saturation of some Japanese tube amplifiers.
In distinction, Cube Audio Nenuphars were able to spawn a complex tonal cluster without going into dismemberment mode. The ability to portray individual instruments without coloring or atomizing them is a real standout.
Most importantly, Cube Audio does not reproduce the music as it could or should be, but as it is. Genuinely beautiful.
CONCLUSION
Cube Audio follows the rich tradition and heritage of single-driver speakers, but with quite a few 21st-century twists of its own. Nenuphar’s top-of-the-line speakers do not just feature contemporary full-range drivers for the sake of it.
They sound just right. Period! And unlike many other speakers on the market, the Nenuphars do not shy away from measurements.
One of the greatest qualities of full-range speakers is the believability factor and the unprecedented illusion of being there. Due to the complex arrangement of crossovers of different orders, many multi-way speakers struggle to reproduce music as a harmonious whole.
In contrast, the Cube Audio Nenuphar speakers provide an intoxicating midrange, an expansive soundstage, and holographic three-dimensionality. On top, it delivers a unique emotional connection and interaction with the music.
All Cube Audio speakers, diaphragms, and voice coils are handmade and assembled by hand in Poland. Cube Audio takes great pride in this and strives for the best quality at every turn and down to the last production step.
Cube Audio Nenuphar was designed from the ground up to provide the best possible matching partner for a low power Class A (minimum 3 watts) tube-based and solid-state amplifiers. For tube amplifiers, Cube Audio recommends such designs based on 2A3, Px4, 45 tubes. I can see many of SET connoisseurs and afficionados’ eyes illuminating.
The Nenuphar speakers were designed to work best in a listening room of 20 to 40 square feet. My reference listening room spans almost 50 m2, but there was no problem filling the room with the rich musical content and all the fundamentals were presented with pinpoint accuracy.
Interestingly, I had no problem using the Nenuphar speakers both near the back wall and in my preferred spot, which spans nearly a third of the room. In each position, the toe-in helped provide a more direct and focused sound and it was close to the manufacturer’s recommended setting of 5-10 degrees.
Nenuphar speakers are all about pure emotional connection, and it does not take long to connect with favorite music and lock with the rhythm and pace. And all this in the absence of familiar and unwanted audiophile pre-recognition patterns.
Cube Audio Nenuphar speakers were undoubtedly designed by music lovers for music lovers. When it comes to high-end audio qualities that are at the top level, music reproduction always comes first. And the Cube Audio Nenuphar delivers the music with undisputed purism and immediacy.
The way the Nenuphar presents the different layers of music is easy to grasp, even for the untrained ear. Instruments sound like instruments and human performers captivate with a greater level of realism when the Nenuphars are paired with the competent and potent audio companions.
Do all roads lead to Rome!? Not really. But different roads lead to different ways of enjoying and experiencing sonic heaven. Rarely can a multi-way speaker provide or even come close to the coherence of a full-range single speaker, and Nenuphar is living proof of this proven fact.
Nenuphar does not compete with multi-way speakers, sealed boxes, etc. It goes the way it is meant to go, unapologetically and boldly. It’s all thumbs up from me for doing it so. Many manufacturers are lost in finding their designated path and raison d’etre. Cube Audio knows exactly their place in the industry and what their qualities are.
It was great to review and reignite my appreciation and passion for this particular type of speaker. All the positive qualities that have always attracted me to the full range speaker concept were easily verified. In addition, the Nenuphar has an impressive set of qualities I’ve touched upon and reflected in the previous section throughout the music references.
For what they represent sonically and how well they present music without adding or subtracting the essentials from it, I am happy to award the Cube Audio Nenuphar Mono and Stereo 2021 Highly Recommended Product Award. ⧉
Matej Isak
PRICE
- 16.900 Euro / pair
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Max power: 40 W
- Efficiency: 92 dB
- Frequency response: 30 Hz – 18kHz ( 6db)*
- Dimensions: 30 x 50 x 105 cm
- Weight: 40 Kg
CONTACT
Cube Audio
ul. Kopanina 2
61-215, Poznan
Web: www.cubeaudio.eu
Email: info@cubeaudio.eu
Tel: +48 507 576 410