Country of Origin
This review first appeared in June 2021 on HifiKnights.com. By request of the manufacturer and permission of the author, it is hereby syndicated to reach a broader audience. All images contained in this piece are the property of Dawid Grzyb – Ed.
Reviewer: Dawid Grzyb
Sources: Innuos Statement, LampizaOr Pacific with KR T-100 or LV 300B and KR 5U4G
USB components: iFi Audio iGalvanic3.0, micro iUSB3.0, 3 x Mercury3.0, iPower 9V
Preamplifier: Trilogy 915R
Power amplifier: Trilogy 995R
Speakers: sound|kaos Vox 3awf
Interconnects: Boenicke Audio IE3 CG
Speaker cables: Boenicke Auduo S3, LessLoss C-MARC
Power components: GigaWatt PC-3 SE EVO+ w. LC-3 EVO cord, LessLoss C-MARC, Boenicke Audio Power Gate, IOSL-8 Prometheus
Rack: Franc Audio Accessories wood block rack
Network: Fidelizer EtherStream, Linksys WRT160N
Retail price of components as reviewed: €12'900/pr
Cube Audio's Nenuphar reviewed in December 2019 was the very best no-crossover widebander I'd ever heard. Today we inspect smaller Nenuphar Mini. By now Grzegorz Rulka and Marek Kostrzynski are no strangers to our readers and their accomplishments under domestic brand Cube Audio widely established. Although the catalogue includes two active subwoofers, purist full-range speakers without filters are its backbone. This unusual speaker breed exists far outside the mainstream to be quite the conversation starter. There aren't many speaker houses which make such products. More importantly, our two Polish engineers have minted their own drivers, then tuned them for linearity and extended bandwidth not exploded sensitivity. This led to spectacular results and fame well deserved.
My track record with them isn't extensive yet but certainly has been memorable and enlightening already. Prior to my first review I considered widebanders finicky and just for listeners of peculiar tastes. Magus then swiftly liberated my thinking by scoring high on domesticated appeal, ancillary happiness and sounding grand enough to please a very broad audience. Its full-range sophistication wrapped into a very accessible package stood defiantly against its far more elitist competitors. Although that had been quite the mind bender, Cube Audio's next Nenuphar loaner emerged as one of the very best speakers I'd heard regardless of type. I've been thinking of it ever since publishing the review more than two years ago. Lack of space is the only reason why I haven't committed.
Given my previous Cube Audio history, I naturally looked forward to pretty much anything else from them. I initially thought about investigating their monitors augmented by active subs but a more compact Nenuphar version suggested by Grzegorz appealed even more. A lot happened since the original's departure. My entire analog end was new now, the sound|kaos Vox 3afw loaner still at my disposal, memories about the recently reviewed Camerton Binom-1 fresh and my understanding of the widebander breed more informed than two springs ago. How would Nenuphar Mini register now: impress as much as its larger sibling, fall short or perhaps pull something unexpected?
Two massive chipboard boxes strapped to a pallet made for a 100kg job for two grown-ups. Each coffin prepped to easily survive several trips featured steel handles and an unpacking guide on the outside. Movement and extraction were fairly convenient and straightforward. Each speaker sleeved inside a cloth bag between two thick foam liners. A Ply insert protected each exposed driver. Petite pockets stored spikes and hex keys to remove the covers and torque down the transducers afterwards.
