The nuPro A-600 from Nubert is an active speaker in a daring format. Convince the box in the test and is thus in the success series?
Nubert would be called “nuComer”. But this would make the company wrong. The active box portfolio is now quite comprehensive and ranges from soundboards for crisp film enjoyment through small desktop monitors to extended floor boxes like the A-700. The success of the series and the relatively good test results by the bank also do not suggest that someone is trying.
Design: Nubert nuPro A-600
And so the nuPro A-600 has nothing of an attempt but convinced on the whole line from the beginning. But done! After the joy of the unusual format, which reminds us so wonderfully of the old times with its huge three-way “compact boxes”, a question arises: Where to go with the thing?
The 60 centimeters of height present the owner with difficulties, because here, too, the tweeters belong to the ear. Otherwise, the picture threatens to become dull. Difficult to implement when loudspeaker stands usually only start at 60 cm height (remedy, however, provides, for example, Liedtke metal design, for example with the Quattro II stand).
If one has clarified the stand question and thus the installation requirements (perhaps with a low board?), One can also deal with the intrinsic values of the nuPro A-600. The active three-way speaker has three drivers and three digital amplifiers per channel (90 watts are available for treble and mids, 250 for the bass). On the rear side, three digital inputs including USB-B as well as an analog input appear.
Nubert nuPro A-600: Specifications
Analog RCA inputs and three digital interfaces are available. Electrically and optically, the A-600 accepts HiRes up to 96 kHz / 24 bits, via USB maximum 48 kHz / 16 bits.
The drivers are partly new, partly proven. The 25mm silk dome tweeter has been specially developed for the nu- Pro series. It plays on a specially damped back chamber which is cooled with a ferrofluid. This allows the tweeter to sustain even higher levels. The front plate, which surrounds the calotte, ensures a uniformly uniform round-jet behavior.
A separate midrange driver is rare in compact boxes. The 12 cm polypropylene chassis used here has an inverse dust protection dome and a flow-optimized basket made of die-cast aluminum. Again, measures were taken in the form of a ventilated centering spider in order to avoid distortions and heat build-up. The depth of the 22 cm bass (also with a polypropylene membrane) is official: our test lab measures an amazing 33 Hz at minus 3 dB!
Everything digital: Nubert nuPro A-600
The signal processing inside the box takes place as far as possible at the digital level. This also means that incoming analog signals are immediately converted digitally. A DSP then takes over the further processing and divides the frequencies. Then the 1s and zeros are sent to the output stages.
The remote control is good in the hand and is quite compact. However, you must aim precisely at the loudspeaker.
Master and slave: Nubert nuPro A-600
Despite political imprecision, the terms “master and slave” are widespread in technical fields. So here too. The left speaker is the master box. Here you close the sources. A connection cable from the link output of the master box is now routed to the slave and plugged into the S / PDIF input. Consequently, the S / PDIF input must also be set via the menu on the slave box, otherwise it remains mute.
Speaking of the menu: this can be reached via the front of the Masterbox. Here you can make various settings, such as mono- operation, input selection or sound control. The functions which are important for daily operation can also be comfortably handled via the wonderful remote control. This is not much bigger than a credit card, is well in the hand and provides proper pressure points. However, you have to point it exactly at the display of the Masterbox, so that the signals arrive. Luck: All necessary cables are included in the box. These are a TOSLINK, a USBA / B, a jack / RCA as well as a 5 mS / PDIF coax cable for the connection between master and slave.
One advantage of active loudspeakers is that they can be operated quite simply wirelessly. Nubert himself has interesting solutions in the program. We tested together with the A-600 the transmitter modules S-2 and SU-1 as well as the receiver EU-1. On the transmitter S-2 (229 euro, see the picture in the middle) devices such as CD or network player, TV or preamplifier can be found analog via RCA or digital via coax cable connection.
Since the signals are transmitted by digital radio to the receiver module, the S-2 must first convert analog signals to digital. He has high-quality chips from Burr Brown and Wolfson. The receiver EU-1 (69 euros) is plugged into the USB-A socket on the back of the master box and thus energized. The enclosed short RCA and/or coax cable is then connected to the loudspeaker. In order to connect the transmitter and the receiver (to pair), press the pair button on both devices within ten seconds, and they will establish a self-contained connection.
The same applies to the USB transmitter SU-1 (79 euros). This is used to integrate a computer into the HiFi system. So it’s a kind of external sound card. You can operate up to four transmitters in parallel, but a receiver can only be controlled by one transmitter at a time. We were thrilled about how simple and reliable the radio system worked in the test. It is set up within a minute. This system should convince any skeptic in no time! The only catch is that more than 44.1 kHz / 16 bits are not radio-controlled.
In the listening room, we operated the A-600 on stands as well as on our rack. A little surprising: with the tweeters on ear it sounded best, slight deviations spoiled the sound but not immediately. Nubert also recommends use as studios. And we could agree with this quite spontaneously: the first impression is characterized by neutrality, accuracy and a very clean sound. Alanis Morissette’s “That I Would Be Good” from the album “Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie” sounded bell-clean and exceptionally clean, emphasized S-lute did not exist, also space knew immediately to convince.
Conclusion: Nubert nuPro A-600
Particularly striking characteristics of the loudspeaker are lucky in vain. The Nubert nuPro A-600 simply plays at a very high level, nothing is conspicuous, except perhaps its hand for fine-dynamic shading. The Nubert is suitable for classical as well as for jazz, pop or metal. Yes, the Nubert nuPro A-600 is reminiscent of a studio monitor. But not to a neutral, sober, but to a neutral musical, to one that goes with playfulness to the work.
It's OK for home TV system compatible for home use
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