DBLs Cherry or Beech - a toughie

…that Jawed's are beech. There are some pics available from Joel B's site, the address of which I can't remember, but a quick search should turn it up as it's in his profile.

The DBLs at Bristol last year were beech, and the lighter colour definitely makes them seem smaller. The black (or piano black) would probably be very 2001 – fine in the right room, but oh dear me the dust… Of course, you'd have to play them very loud just to clean them, say every night.

I'm very envious of your problem!

Best;

Mark

(an imperfect
forum environment is
better than none)

Hi Martin,

If you go to Joel's site, he has some pics of his ebony DBL's and his friends (Jawed?) beech DBL's.
Haven't seen the cherry, but the beech looks fantastic. Piano black, as shown in the naim brochure is stunning, but the price increase is not small! SBL's look great in Cherry, NBL's look better in beech IMHO.

Still. its a nice position to be in, pondering over which finish of DBL's to buy.

Post your pics when you get them!

Best Wishes,

Mick

Forgot to post Joels addy.
http://joel.users.netlink.co.uk/hifi/

I went to the factory to have a look at the various finishes. I had initially thought that I would go for either Beech or Cherry from the samples I had seen. The Cherry seems to vary quite a bit from speaker to speaker, especially in something as big as the DBL. In the end I didn't think it looked as 'woody' as the Beech. I thought that the Cherry had a tendancy to looked a bit washed out sometimes. So I went for the Beech in the end, and I think they end up looking more like furniture than speakers. The contrast between the black grilles and the light wood works very well. Most vistors who see them for the first time, always seem to comment on how nice they look (well the female ones anyway) after they've got over the size.

Have a look at my profile to have an idea of what they look like.

Andy

but, I believe that would be Rosewood which is ferociously pricey on DBLs. I have a pair of rosewood SBLs and they are noticeable smoother than my old walnut pair. The rears and tops of the cabinets are veneered tooon the newer SBLs which can only improve things too.

Thanks for the input guys. I believe Beech is the outcome. I'll put some piccys up when I get 'em.

Cherry wood as well as beach, rosewood, and walnut will darken over time. I have a pair of cherry NBLs, and they have darkened considerably over the last year. This is normal with all woods as they are exposed to daylight. My dealer has a new pair of cherry DBLs on display and I was amazed how light they were compared to my NBLs. The cherry warms up and darkens very nicely over a year or so.

What are you running your DBLs with? I just added a black burndy to my SNAXO and the results were incredible! Also, I found pulling my NBLs out 3-4" from the wall made a nice improvement in the overall sound.

Chris Bell
CDS2/52/Snaxo/Supercap/135x6/NBL

I just got a pair of DBLs in cherrywood and must say that it looks awesome. It will definitely be a topic of conversation when friends and relatives drop by. I simply love the looks and I'm sure you will. Just go for it!

Martin, you could try Piano Black, although the cost will mount...

I just visited Idris' place to see and hear his Cherry DBLs - awesome sounding scale, and the Cherry complemented his home decor.

But it's a very personal choice; I for one have always liked the classic black, although some will say it looks boring, but you could also try Ebony with piano finish, although I believe Naim have had some trouble with that veneer - check with Mark...

Good listening; the music's still groovin'.

Regards

Philip

naimniac for life

Thanks.

I must say, Singapore must have the highest concentration of DBLs outside Wiltshire! I guess they are cheap compared to a house or a car.

Also, Singapore is the only place I've found with a Frank Zappa tribute bar. Hated the bar, loved Singapore.

I like the sound of this. Do they play "Dancing Fool" on the Jukebox and "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing" in the toilets? For the Zappa fans among you, there is a 4 hour video (maybe DVD) of the 1973 Roxy Shows. You can find a trailer for it on the www.zappa.com site. It looks superb.
Back to DBL's, I personally would go for the piano black. It's beautiful and will never really date. Haven't seen the cherry close up (oooh err).
Basically, they all look fine to me apart from maybe walnut.

Best wishes,

Mickey Dale

That's what I was hoping when I saw this place! Or even 'Don't eat the yellow snow' or 'Why does it hurt when I pee?' in the toilets. Sadly it wasn't to be, they were playing Bon Jovi. I had one drink and left.

Th video sounds fantastic I'll go check it out.
Ha.

Just checked the video out. Looks great. Can't find out how to buy the damned thing though. Any ideas?

I hate to imagine how much Piano Black is. I was toying with Rosewood or Yew, but it cost almost £2000 extra and I can't justify the cost.

[This message was edited by Martin M on MONDAY 22 January 2001 at 11:14.]

Hi Martin,

I couldn't find out how to buy it either, so I phoned Spencer at G&S Music. They are specialists in Frank Wonderment. He was told to check back in three months! Typical! This has been going on for bloody years with the other Zappa movies such as Baby Snakes. It's gotta be worth the wait though. It's funny cos I was saying to a friend only last week "It's a shame you can't get footage of the Roxy And Elsewhere album". A few days later and it's almost a reality!

I have black ash DBL's which look great. They don't look dated at all, which is more than can be said for most black ash furniture. I think it's cos the shape is so unique that it works with just about any finish. I'd happily have beech, cherry, black ash or piano black. Nicest pair of SBL's I ever saw was piano black.

If you hear more on the Zappa film, let me know. I'll do the same.

Best wishes,

Mickey Dale

I've e-mailed Barfko Swill asking the same question. I await their reply with both baited breath and DVD player. It might give me the excuse to borrow work's data projector and plumb the DVD player's digital output through my D/A convertor and on through the DBLs. Sounds like total and complete bliss.

I don't actually know anyone who has received a reply from Barfko, so good luck there!

I like the sound of your Roxy Premiere, with projection TV and DBL's! Did you see the bit on the download where he's singing Cheepnis... "bullets can't stop it..." and it shows the inverted ice-cream cone in true 50's style cheepnis? If I have to wait 3 months for this movie I might go mad!

I'll have to make do with Uncle Meat instead.

Mickey Dale

Uncle Meat is not much of a compromise! We'll see about Barfko. Unfortunately, my PC doesn't have sound card and so while I've seen the ice-cream thing and I didn't know it was the Cheepnis thing. I'm looking forward to the premiere. Just need to get a few friends togther, go to the bar for an hour beforehand, comeback have the premiere at full tilt and drink plenty of take-out for the true concert experience.

Thanks Joel. Concise answer.

Don't they look huge in Ebony?

Martin

Glad you like Singapore. Just that it gets so bloody hot and humid here - that's when you appreciate Europe's cooler weather (save winter's dreariness).

Yes, we seem to have a pool of loyalists here who swear by their DBLs, and also have many who aspire to own them. They are comparitively more affordable than houses or cars here, but still would not really be considered short change...

DBLs are gorgeous in piano black (my dealer has owned a pair for over 10 years), but apart from the cost, Idris brought up another pertinent point about the dust, which seems to have an alarming propensity for varnished surfaces... Then there's also the issue of hairline scratches that will come in time from swiping all the dust off, even carefully. Painful experience if you ask me, especially after the money's been worked for, or begged, stolen or borrowed... if you can get over those niggles, what's to keep you from having the piano blacks? As for the cost, I'll shoot myself in the foot here - just close the eyes and pay - you can always earn it back (careful with the wife though...) But at the rate Naim keep increasing their prices each year, it almost seems as if they are forcing us afficionados to cough up our upgrade purchases quicker than is usual - bloody clever marketing, if you ask me... Mark, where are you??? Defend yourself! (He'll probably say, "You can always choose NOT to buy," and then smile gleefully from ear to ear because he knows that Naim to us is precisely what nicotine is to the smoker: an irreversible, potent sonic death drug.) Sigh...

Well, it seems that the veneered finishes are a more appropriate practical choice for longer term concerns. Here's to your choice, and to a much happier and more contented (I hope) listen!

Good listening; the music still groovin'.

Regards

Philip

naimniac for life

Thank you Philip. Thanks for the advice. I guess I could pick 4 secondhand 135s for the additional cost of Piano Black. Having seen big speakers in Piano Black, I really didn't like it (I never said I had good taste). Anyway, I think Beech is for me although my Cherrywood LP-12 looks great. I think the way ahead will be trip to Salisbury and check over the cabs and say yes to the one I like at the time.

Re Zappa DVD. I got a reply from Barfko Swill! A world first I believe. Anyway here it is:

'The Roxy video is currently not available and we do not have a release date yet'

It was well worth the wait, yes?

[This message was edited by Martin M on TUESDAY 23 January 2001 at 08:48.]