Sony SS-NA5ES Bookshelf Speaker Review

SUBWOOFERS WITH THE NA5ES

Monitors and bookshelf speakers bring their own particularities to bear upon combination speaker systems with subwoofers. There are a number of variables in operation and sound characteristics relating to subwoofers, not to mention physical size and frequency response parameters. Therefore, these comments should be taken as a starting point for consideration of matching the NA5ES to subwoofers.

If possible always mate the main bookshelf speakers to a pair of subwoofers. If money and space limit, then work with one subwoofer. Though lower frequency sounds are less directionally detectable by the ears, I have always been able to discern the duality of two subs versus the monaural nature of one sub. The bass is simply more evenly distributed typically and creates a more solid foundation for the music.

The subwoofers I have been using since their review are the Legacy Audio XTREME XD active subwoofers with controls for level, phase, frequency (cutoff) and “Blend,” which allows emphasis at variable frequencies. With such controls I was able to integrate the NA5ES seamlessly. When subs properly support bookshelf speakers the character of the small speaker’s bass is very easily discernible, yet fortified. If the audiophile switches bookshelf speakers and the bookshelf speaker’s bass seems indistinct, then the subs may be interfering with the main speakers!

When I used the Lenehan LM-1 with the XTREME HD subs their bass melded so much with the subs that it was indistinguishable; that is, I could hear the Midrange and Treble of the LM-1 distinctly but could not distinguish well the bass coming from the small speaker. This was not primarily a setup issue but more a characteristic of the sound of the bass of this sealed box design with deep but less defined low end. Conversely, the nature of the livelier concert hall bass of the NA5ES kept it pleasantly isolated enough to contextualize the entirety of the speaker. It had the effect of keeping the NA5ES intact through the frequency spectrum versus seeming disembodied from the low end, as with the LM-1. Some may prefer the disappearing act of the Lenehan’s bass, but I enjoyed the vitality of the Sony’s bass with the barely discernible underpinning of the XTREME HD Subs.

A setup comprising bookshelf speakers with subs is not going to get results perfectly mimicking a higher end floor standing speaker, but the NA5ES comes as close as I have heard in my room. Because of its extreme extension and depth, refinement through the midrange on up into the treble it is quite commendable as a $10-$20K floor standing speaker replacement. This stands to reason as it was designed with the same principles in mind as its larger siblings. This is what gives me joy in thinking about the future; I would be giving up not too much in comparison with some lofty brand tower speakers should I decide to turn to the NA5ES!

THE FUTURE FOR SONY’S TOP OF THE LINE SPEAKERS

Though I have not heard the AR series and NA series in direct comparison, my ear tells me that the I-Array System is the future for Sony’s best efforts. However, there are many audiophiles who are driven crazy by multiple drivers, as they don’t hear enough coherency in multiple drivers to suit them. Consequently, it remains to be seen if Kaku and Sony will have the willpower to push the NA series to the next level. Based on my experience with the NA5ES the speaker certainly deserves to be developed to its fullest extent.

As to the personal decision of the reader whether a $6K Sony bookshelf speaker makes sense for them, having heard dozens upon dozens of “that’s nice” designs over the years, the SS-NA5ES strikes me more as a “that’s highly unusual” product. I find the unusual designs executed superbly tend to outperform; I refer once gain to the King Sound King III ESL as a prime example. Sony seems focused, motivated to be preferred by audiophiles’ with passion but not unlimited funds, and have proven it with this speaker. It is a speaker that you will not tire of hearing, even to the point that you could retire with it. I still have a few good years left in my body to haul hefty speakers to and fro, but when that’s all over, I might dig up my notes on the Sony speakers with the I-Array System to see what kind of small footprint mongo sounding rig I can transition into. If you are done with the fridge-sized speakers or are in a space-compromised position and long for a no-compromise sound – without bleeding you dry financially – you would do well to make the SS-NA5ES your speaker.