Contender

The Nola Contender is a slim floor-standing tower loudspeaker that is the step up from the very popular Nola Boxer bookshelf. Compared to the Boxer, the Contender offers sonic improvements in the areas of depth reproduction, dynamic range, low level resolution and bass extension. The low frequency response has been extended to a conservative 35 Hz with usable response to 25 Hz. The bass quality of the Contender, however, maintains the quick and nimble characteristic of the Boxer.

The driver complement consists of two low mass 6½ inch bass drivers and one high resolution silk soft dome tweeter in a vertical array. Each bass driver is housed in a separate chamber and is individually ported. This technique, while costly, eliminates driver interference and provides increased clarity. The upper driver is ported to the rear, while the lower driver is loaded by a downward firing port. The chambers are tuned to different frequencies to provide the smoothest and most extended inroom bass response.

The Contender is a true 3-way system with the benefit of increased mid-range clarity, yet it maintains the coherency of a good 2-way. We feel this approach, while more costly, is superior to a 2½-way design where both the bass and bass/midrange drivers have to cope with deep bass reproduction.

The Contender maintains the smooth 8-ohm impedance characteristic and high 90dB sensitivity of the Boxer so that use with amplifiers of 30 watts or more is feasible. The Contender footprint is the same as the Boxer.