The Nola and VAC system with an ARC source and Nordost cables at RMAF this past weekend is an example of the “Big Ticket and Big Sound” systems you see only at shows and maybe occasionally at a high-end dealership with deep pockets. A price tag north of $350,000 is out of reach for most people, but I guess if you could afford the price you might also be able to afford to have space for it.
But don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to have heard this system had we made it to the show. In a big room, even with the challenges of a hotel room, I’m sure it sounded great.
About the Speakers
RMAF was the world debut for the Concert Grand Reference Gold 2 Loudspeakers, and they were primarily responsible for the “Big Ticket and Big Sound”. Carl and Marilyn Marchisotto founded Accent Speaker Technology Ltd. in 2004 and created the Nola product line. Carl had worked for notable speaker companies before forming Accent Speakers.
There are a number of key technologies in Nola loudspeakers including baffle-less dipole drivers, Alnico magnets, and Unison Crossover technology that optimally blend the performance of multiple speaker drivers, and many other refinements that give Nola speakers their sound.
The Concert Grand Reference Gold 2 speakers are designed to deliver extraordinary musical accuracy and have a number of key features that give them their unique look including:
- A 12-inch-long true ribbon tweeter, which has been upgraded to deliver even lower distortion and greater clarity.
- The 4-1/2-inch midrange drivers that are housed in a line source open dipole array, which is a classic Nola configuration that eliminates “box” enclosure colorations and contributes to the speaker’s open, spacious soundstage.
- The speaker’s four 4-1/2-inch magnesium-cone bass drivers that have an ultralight 7 grams of moving mass each — only one-quarter of the mass of typical woofers — to deliver exceptional articulation and transient response.
- The loudspeakers’ 12-inch subwoofers, each housed in a separate chamber and deliver bass down to 18 Hz.
These speakers are currently available in a True Piano Rosewood finish with a True Piano Black base. True Piano Black and other finishes are available on special order.
Amplification, Source, and Cables
Taking a photo with the late afternoon sun coming through the window made it impossible to get a good picture of the amplification and source. The 225-watt/channel VAC Statement 450S is a smaller-scale version of their Statement 450. In addition to the 450S, the system also contained a VAC Master Line Stage and a VAC DAC MK II. An ARC REF CD 8 was used as the source. All cables were Nordost Odin 2.
