NEWS RELEASE 5/04/08 – NSR Sonic Research Releases the Production Model D3 Sonata - by Greg Weaver

I am writing this from my laptop as I sit in front of the newly finished production models of the NSR Sonic Research D3 Sonata's at the home and shop of NSR's CEO John Tabernacki, in Dyer, Indiana. The specific D3s I am listening to are destined to go to The Stereo Time's Frank Alles for a full review there, and employ the premium crossover option.

Having successfully executed all the refinements he wanted to do since the prototypes were shown at both last year's RMAF in October and this year's CES in January, the production D3 Sonata is now available, and with two different crossover options. The base version, using what is referred to as the Remarkable Crossover, will retail for $5995, while the D3s employing the upgraded version, the Reference Crossover will sell for $1000 more, at $6995. I'll let you explore the NSR site for the comparisons.

The D3s with the Reference Crossover option employ Goertz foil inductors on the upper proportion drivers, use all Duelund caps and resistors, and boast an Erse perfect lay coil (crossed over at 220 Hz/6 dB per octave) on the Usher 8 inch in the lower APL. They use Audience Auric cable on the tweeter and a custom made, hand-polished, multi-strand copper wire on the other drivers; 14 gauge on the 6 inch drivers and 12 gauge on the 8" APL woofer. High purity, lead free silver solder is used throughout.

You will be happy to learn that the production model is much more musical than the prototypes—by some large margin—and the protos managed to capture virtually everyone's attention. They now have significantly more transparency and air, yet are still full of vivid detail, yet in a more sophisticated, layered and engaging way.

Bottom end reproduction, one of the most compelling attributes of the D3 even in its prototypical version, is even more articulate, with improved definition and even slightly greater depth. This was no small feat, especially in light of the fact that the bass performance of the original proto models was consistently accepted as remarkable.

This production model exhibited no blurring or homogenization of complex bass lines. In fact, listen to the "The Invasion," track six on the Seven Years In Tibet Soundtrack. At roughly 2:30 or so into the cut, there are a series of genuinely thunderous drum whacks. This D3 not only captures and accurately recreates their tone and pitch; they kick you in the chest with the pressure… VERY impressive for such a small footprint, and in fact, unrivaled in my experience at this price and size.

Lower mids have taken on an ever so slightly more detail, with notably creamer texture. This band is rendered with a more refined, less hi-fi sounding, more musical manifestation overall. Texture and tonal color present them no problem whatsoever, revealing them to be one of the more musically engaging products I have had the privilege of hearing at this price point.

Treble has no vestige of glare, yet the topmost octave is full of detail and texture. No, it's not a ScanSpeak Revelator, but to be completely honest, I don't really miss it here. This tweeter is a wonderfully synergistic match for the rest of the driver complement.

Overall, the production model represents a significant step toward musicality over the protos. But don't think this newfound "sophistication" has taken anything away from their ability to "rock!" They do that even better than ever. Can you say "impact?" Well, even if you can't, the D3 sure as hell can!

I'm VERY taken with them. Keep your ears and eyes on this company and its products. You WILL be hearing more about both, I'll wager on it.