The Fuxtor
Addicted Member
My local ads seem to have quite a few Nuance brand speakers, i have not read one review good or bad since being on AK?? They look to be of better then white van quality but...???
Nuance speakers?
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The Fuxtor
Addicted Member
I've never wanted a set, but just more curious if anyone has actually owned a pair
HiFi in WYO
The universe is a big place, perhaps the biggest.
From some other site:
"Apparently a Canadian brand in the mid 90s to perhaps the mid 2000s that was sold as a push line in Canadian HiFi/Mall stores. Push line meaning the high profit margins and sales commissions motivated salespeople to push the product over better known brands. High listed retail price...offered to customers at half price if they did not want to pay full retail. It appears the company trained retail salespeople to demo them using "Q-Sound" recordings that contained out of phase information that made the stereo image much wider.
That said, those who remember them say that although the sales techniques were suspect...the speakers were not bad...with decent crossovers, drivers, and cabinets. A good value if you negotiated well. Locally popular as friends told friends they were getting a "deal".
Given the where they were headquartered (Markham Ont) I am almost certain they were manufactured by API (Audio Products International)...based in Toronto. API was one of the largest speaker manufacturers who made name brand speakers (Like Mirage & Energy) and private brand speakers. I used to sell the API made Db Plus speakers in the 80s. One source said they shut down in about 2008...which was about the time Klipsch bought and shut down API."
"Apparently a Canadian brand in the mid 90s to perhaps the mid 2000s that was sold as a push line in Canadian HiFi/Mall stores. Push line meaning the high profit margins and sales commissions motivated salespeople to push the product over better known brands. High listed retail price...offered to customers at half price if they did not want to pay full retail. It appears the company trained retail salespeople to demo them using "Q-Sound" recordings that contained out of phase information that made the stereo image much wider.
That said, those who remember them say that although the sales techniques were suspect...the speakers were not bad...with decent crossovers, drivers, and cabinets. A good value if you negotiated well. Locally popular as friends told friends they were getting a "deal".
Given the where they were headquartered (Markham Ont) I am almost certain they were manufactured by API (Audio Products International)...based in Toronto. API was one of the largest speaker manufacturers who made name brand speakers (Like Mirage & Energy) and private brand speakers. I used to sell the API made Db Plus speakers in the 80s. One source said they shut down in about 2008...which was about the time Klipsch bought and shut down API."
orsen
Jukebox Hero
pretty sure their sale tactic cost them a law suite
and nor were they good, the peeps on line selling them for big money are the same ones who fell for the sales mens,pitch
and still think they are great cause they were told so.
i have flipped a bunch
there are no specs of any kind on any of them and very hard to find the info on line
i have one of thier 10" subs in the basement .... i will give them credit for the fact that as old as it is .... it works fine
and nor were they good, the peeps on line selling them for big money are the same ones who fell for the sales mens,pitch
and still think they are great cause they were told so.
i have flipped a bunch
there are no specs of any kind on any of them and very hard to find the info on line
i have one of thier 10" subs in the basement .... i will give them credit for the fact that as old as it is .... it works fine
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mikeybc
Listener
I still have a pair of their old first generation towers...Star 3 or something like that. Very cheap quality drivers. I heard the woofers cost less than 15 bucks, but the cabinets were half ways decent, MDF and actually quite heavy. and have a large brace inside just below the woofer, cabinets are built better than a lot of what you see today at Best Buy. As stated above they were designed by George Baker of API in 1989. The same George Baker who founded Sound Dynamics in the 70's and API. Unfortunately it seems they were designed solely for a high profit margin using very quality cheap parts. They didn't sound horrible but a similarly priced Paradigm or Axiom etc. sounded better. Still, better than white van.
.
The sales pitch however was very shady. I knew one of the special "sales reps". I've witnessed the pitch involving Q-sound discs (don't bring your own music !) and actually turning the speakers around backwards during the demo.
.
The sales pitch however was very shady. I knew one of the special "sales reps". I've witnessed the pitch involving Q-sound discs (don't bring your own music !) and actually turning the speakers around backwards during the demo.
orsen
Jukebox Hero
have you
looked up the connection between cv and sd?
lots of shady shite here
ever opened an axiom? most i've seen are a single cap xover
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orsen
Jukebox Hero
mikeybc like my sig says
even your 8 hours away
even your 8 hours away
Reminds me of sales tactic of the pair of headphones every nfl coach wears haha.
Nice boxes but cheap drivers , ehhh a very tricky product to R.I.P. off people.
Had to create an account just for this discovery. I'd heard of nuance for couple decades almost, last weekend I found a pair of tower speakers on kijijii. I've moved a lot of speakers, and I mean a lot. When I picked one of the towers, I knew there was something wrong. These towers were heavier than the Audiosphere Research 18l loudspeakers with 18" woofers, 14 drivers total, massive box. This nuance box was absolute dead weight, the cabinet made from normal 1/2" MDF particle board was almost 4' high, only had two drivers. I pulled the drivers out, they were tiny, couldn't have an actual rating over 50w if that. I then noticed this very odd oxidization of the magnet, something i'd never seen before. That's when I put the gloves and mask on before going any further. The interior of the tower was packed with grey poly filler. There was baffles criss crossing the interior so you couldn't reach your arm inside to easily feel around. I pulled out my endoscope and went looking around where my arms couldnt go. I notice each baffle was caked in silicone, oozing down the sides on the box. The interior looked too uniformly square. Pulled the scope grabbed the tape measure checked from the woofer opening, plus pulled out the portal, measured across there,
Inside the cabinet I discovered there is two sealed hidden compartments, one along the front, one along the rear. By the amount of silicone I'm seeing, and the corrosion on the magnets, I would have to say both compartments are full to the brim with cement, adding an additional 30-40lbs weight to the cabinet. One of the comments I've seen since these nuance speakers appeared was how heavy they were, no one thought about taking a peak inside to find out why? Had someone discovered this a couple decades ago, these guys would have been bankrupted. A story like that would have made national news back then even if just for the humor, they'd never have sold another after, probably on the run from the RCMP. I cant believe what I'm sitting here seeing, and reading about the last couple decades these poor saps have been paying a fortune for a couple slabs of concrete. How many people over the years blew out their backs lugging them from house to house. Attached photos. from the side, measures 16" deep, interior depth only 10-11" so along the front and rear, there is 1-2" of cement. shot an interior view towards the rear xover and connectors, can see where the sealed compartment starts just below the "baffle" and the xover is clearly much further in. Was wondering why all the wasted space, could have put a couple more woofers in. Took a photo of the corrosion on the magnet caused by the exposure to the cement over the years. amazing
Inside the cabinet I discovered there is two sealed hidden compartments, one along the front, one along the rear. By the amount of silicone I'm seeing, and the corrosion on the magnets, I would have to say both compartments are full to the brim with cement, adding an additional 30-40lbs weight to the cabinet. One of the comments I've seen since these nuance speakers appeared was how heavy they were, no one thought about taking a peak inside to find out why? Had someone discovered this a couple decades ago, these guys would have been bankrupted. A story like that would have made national news back then even if just for the humor, they'd never have sold another after, probably on the run from the RCMP. I cant believe what I'm sitting here seeing, and reading about the last couple decades these poor saps have been paying a fortune for a couple slabs of concrete. How many people over the years blew out their backs lugging them from house to house. Attached photos. from the side, measures 16" deep, interior depth only 10-11" so along the front and rear, there is 1-2" of cement. shot an interior view towards the rear xover and connectors, can see where the sealed compartment starts just below the "baffle" and the xover is clearly much further in. Was wondering why all the wasted space, could have put a couple more woofers in. Took a photo of the corrosion on the magnet caused by the exposure to the cement over the years. amazing
Attachments
Listening right now to my "bookshelf" Nuance speakers on stands. They look the same as the OP just shorter. Purchased new almost 30 years ago when I was a struggling medical trainee. Used as my only speakers ever since. They sound OK to me but obviously I don't know any better. Always amazed by how heavy they were. Now I finally know why. With retirement on the horizon, I guess it's time for an upgrade.
Robin Murray
New Member
I call BS on the concrete story. These speakers have been around for 30 years, thousands of speakers and nobody else has ever discovered concrete?
"1/2 MDF particle board" Nuance were manufactured using 3/4" MDF..Not 1/2" particle board..maybe somebody home made those cabinets?
Claims to need an endoscope to inspect the interior due to space confinements yet gets in there to take measurements and pictures?
I own (bought new) several pairs of Nuance and find them quite pleasing..I use them in my theater and they work amazing for this purpose..
Before anyone goes off on the "suckered into buying so tries to justify" or "doesnt know better"..I have been into audio for 40 years, currently own one Klipch/Cambridge system and one Focal/Bryston system, I think I know a quality speaker and sound. Nuance does not compare to Focal at all but still a decent speaker..
Nuance falls into the group of.."if enough people talk bad about it, then people start to believe it" category.
The brand got a bad name due to its marketing and BS sales tactics..they used Q sound discs for demos (I brought my owm demo discs) but alot of other manufacturers of the time also supplied Qsound or proccessed equipment. The sticker price was inflated so they could slash the price and give the customer a "great deal"..if you take one of these apart you will find the makings of a decent speaker..solid constructed cabinet made from 3/4" MDF not 1/2" chip board like many others, internal bracing unlike many others, flare ports unlike most others, ports sealed and firmly attached not flimbsy push in pieces like others, quality crossover components, good tweeters, woofers could be better a component but still decent..
Early Nuance speakers were amazing speakers but over time the company ran into difficulties and started to cut corners and it showed in thier product.
Some people (probably many who have never owned or heard a Nuance product) will just hate no matter what..if you listen to any audio and enjoy it then that should be good enough.
"1/2 MDF particle board" Nuance were manufactured using 3/4" MDF..Not 1/2" particle board..maybe somebody home made those cabinets?
Claims to need an endoscope to inspect the interior due to space confinements yet gets in there to take measurements and pictures?
I own (bought new) several pairs of Nuance and find them quite pleasing..I use them in my theater and they work amazing for this purpose..
Before anyone goes off on the "suckered into buying so tries to justify" or "doesnt know better"..I have been into audio for 40 years, currently own one Klipch/Cambridge system and one Focal/Bryston system, I think I know a quality speaker and sound. Nuance does not compare to Focal at all but still a decent speaker..
Nuance falls into the group of.."if enough people talk bad about it, then people start to believe it" category.
The brand got a bad name due to its marketing and BS sales tactics..they used Q sound discs for demos (I brought my owm demo discs) but alot of other manufacturers of the time also supplied Qsound or proccessed equipment. The sticker price was inflated so they could slash the price and give the customer a "great deal"..if you take one of these apart you will find the makings of a decent speaker..solid constructed cabinet made from 3/4" MDF not 1/2" chip board like many others, internal bracing unlike many others, flare ports unlike most others, ports sealed and firmly attached not flimbsy push in pieces like others, quality crossover components, good tweeters, woofers could be better a component but still decent..
Early Nuance speakers were amazing speakers but over time the company ran into difficulties and started to cut corners and it showed in thier product.
Some people (probably many who have never owned or heard a Nuance product) will just hate no matter what..if you listen to any audio and enjoy it then that should be good enough.
maxhifi
Addicted Member
Nuance was sold at International Stereo here in Alberta, who were known for (and eventually taken to court for) their extremely predatory sales tactics. The Nuance speakers were made to look impressive and dramatically over priced, so the store could offer good pricing on the electronics, and make their profit on the speakers.
They were very controversial when originally sold, because people who were stereo enthusiasts realized what a bad value they were, and those who bought them usually would become defensive about their investment.
So how are they 20 years later, bought at scrap value on the used market? Meh, they're alright, but I wouldn't buy them just based on the history of the brand and how they were sold. Plus the monolithic black tower look has aged poorly.
They were very controversial when originally sold, because people who were stereo enthusiasts realized what a bad value they were, and those who bought them usually would become defensive about their investment.
So how are they 20 years later, bought at scrap value on the used market? Meh, they're alright, but I wouldn't buy them just based on the history of the brand and how they were sold. Plus the monolithic black tower look has aged poorly.
A house clearance resulted in me getting a pair of Nuance Model 220 speakers that are still in their original boxes, although they look used and they were in storage for many years. I have not yet connected them to any amplifier so I don't yet know if they still work.
My question is whether anyone has (or can find) any specification document or end-user documentation for this 220 model, from this defunct Canadian supplier?
From the box, the labels indicate they were imported from Canada into the UK via BA-cargo and box is stamped "Use these speakers with TS stand" (although no such stands are present now).
I wonder how many Nuance speakers were imported to the UK?
I read various posts on here, one of which mentioned the excessive weight being due to cement (concrete) inside which sounds amusing if true, but see the weight below. I did not yet open these speakers however, I will post the dimensions and the weight below:
There is a single tweeter and a single woofer.
Each speaker has Bi-wiring terminals on the topmost driver.
Dimensions (in metric)
Height = 635mm, Depth= 315mm, Width=270mm
Each speaker weighs 13.8 kilos (when out of the box) which seems excessive.
My question is whether anyone has (or can find) any specification document or end-user documentation for this 220 model, from this defunct Canadian supplier?
From the box, the labels indicate they were imported from Canada into the UK via BA-cargo and box is stamped "Use these speakers with TS stand" (although no such stands are present now).
I wonder how many Nuance speakers were imported to the UK?
I read various posts on here, one of which mentioned the excessive weight being due to cement (concrete) inside which sounds amusing if true, but see the weight below. I did not yet open these speakers however, I will post the dimensions and the weight below:
There is a single tweeter and a single woofer.
Each speaker has Bi-wiring terminals on the topmost driver.
Dimensions (in metric)
Height = 635mm, Depth= 315mm, Width=270mm
Each speaker weighs 13.8 kilos (when out of the box) which seems excessive.
