Nectar Sound - "Ambrosia" - an electrodynamic

A new headphone from Nectar called "Ambrosia" - an electrodynamic.



Not so intriguing because unlike Hive and Bee this driver doesnt appear to have any unique specs and actually looks like the common Peerless Tymphany 50mm that's been around on multiple tours in multiple iterations on SBAF. I've tried the Peerless in a couple diy projects (example) so I personally am not keen on trying again unless others felt Nectar unlocked their true potential final-form. Maybe I'm wrong and its not the Peerless but it looks like the Peerless. Ill update post with correct info asap.

Sajeev @ Nectar is interested in receiving feedback on his newest release. If you guys are interested in hearing or helping Sajeev in the pursuit of audio then please click 'yes' otherwise click 'no'. I will refrain from voting until we know what's the deal on the driver.

https://nectarsound.net/
https://nectarsound.net/about-the-headphones/

 

Peerless drivers confirmed. While they are a good alternative to Sennhesier 6X0 I dont have much interest at that price since I can diy. Bee and Hive are valuable because there is nothing like them in their respective markets. Ambrosia would be just another styling of Peerless... as seen by Aurorus, Kennerton, Hyland, ETA, etc. Victor Finesse might be the cheapest by far at $250. Maybe Nectar does it better. I guess some of us might find out on the loaner tour. @ChaChaRealSmooth if you don't mind organizing the tour if you think participation is sufficient? I sent you a Philips 9600-P(eerless) awhile back as donation for SBAF loaner library, maybe you would compare?

I still have some extra Peerless drivers around waiting to install into some Grado style supraaurals eventually. I personally am not interested in another Peerless circumaural but Nectar is asking us for feedback so Ill reluctantly add myself to the loaner tour. SBAF, would you lend Nectar your ears (and time)? You don't have to write an essay, a paragraph is perfectly fine.

 

Peerless driver is quite good, I have no doubt Sajeev worked magic on this one.

 

Peerless driver is quite good, but I dont think there is much else to squeeze out of it. Im guessing Ambrosia will just be a slightly different tuning from other's offerings. The only drastically different interpretation on the same old driver would be a supraaural. I advised ETA to do the same thing but they are using their graphene driver which ime is much more capable than the Peerless... So I dont see a big market for the Ambrosia unless it were supraaural and/or much cheaper. Not a big turnout on votes so Im guessing Im not alone on this perception of Ambrosia. I voted 'no' on loaner tour but would participate since Sajeev is asking for our feedback.

What I'd really like to see Nectar do is take the Bee but beef it up to have bass competitive with the legendary out of production HE-6 OG. drool

ETA O2 I expect will have the best electrodynamic bass I've heard (including planar as well i bet) + supraaural so Im very excited for that.

 

I did some prototyping with the driver in smaller form factors and my take is that it needs a quite bit of space to 'breathe', otherwise the treble rolls off and the sound gets mushy and indistinct. A workable supra-aural design would require ample venting and a deep driver recession in the ear-side chamber, not impossible by any means but would probably make a slightly bigger / taller headphone than the form factor would suggest!

 

He did.

I’m three weeks in so it’s still early. But no denying it’s tone and timbre. Bass is there, goes down, no boom or overhang. Top extends out but on an even keel, not a hint of bright. Slight V. You know when your listening to some phones and when a louder part or crescendo hits, the sound changes or “jumps” forward, with a kind of glare? Doesn’t happen here. You feel a natural surge but not the usual added distortion or effort. If you change cables/source/amp you hear the differences immediately ( I stuck with the Topping A30Pro and MF M1 DAC). I substituted the stock cable for the Meze copper and it jumped a notch.

I think the mojo here is the driver housing is solid, inert, and the back is wide open. It’s heavy (460 grams is a bit of weight for a non-planar) and I think that keeps the drivers from misbehaving. But who knows.

A Bee-lite with treble? Perhaps. A "grown up", more refined 650? Maybe. I bring that possibility up because it's the mids that really impress. Dynamics and prat will be in the ear of the beholder so I think it is imperative that they be auditioned. I hope they get a tour though here.

I there's anything on the negative side, it's that bulky creaky plastiky headband/frame. Same as on the other Nectars and I'm not a big fan. I think Sajeev should come up with a proprietary one. Keep the driver housings but come up with a less massive and more solid frame.

PS the driver is the same as the Borealis.

 

I own the Bee's and have done a full 180 on them. They will be staying in my collection.
Not only that, but I ordered the Ambrosia's today. Apparently I can't get enough of that Nectar Sound. He will build them next week.

I put my iBasso SR2's up for sale tonight, but I don't think these will be filling that niche. That niche being big bass, big mids and soft treble. I will miss them.
Maybe these will find a new niche.

 

Does this mean recessed upper mids?

 

It's been a couple of months and I was wondering if you had any more thoughts or comments on these?

What are their strengths/weaknesses? What music do you enjoy them most with? Or are they just an all rounder?

Mine are slowly working their way to me, so I am bursting with curiousity.

 

Thanks for asking. I feel pretty much the same regarding their overall sound but I do feel that there is a warmth, a bit of a soft character through the middle to the upper mid. I almost want to say there is a Nectar sound in that they remind me of the Bee, in that they have a strong (but not boomy) bass and an almost planar mid to upper mid and treble, which is much more present than it was with the Bee, not difficult to achieve really. The Bee was just too rolled off for me, although it stayed musical and powerful. So think of the Ambrosia as a "smaller" sounding Bee with treble, maintaining the smoothness.

Listening levels will make a difference. I tend to listen at lower level so the mid/upper mid can seem more scooped that it actually is. But I listen to these a little louder, since there's no risk of treble screech and sibilant trouble because it is very smooth and even up top, so all is well.

I'm keeping these for sure. And they seem fine with pretty much any music I throw at them. Again, that midrange!

 

Sounds good! Mine are in town and scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.
I will definitely be spending several straight days on them. AND I am really curious to compare them to the Bee's.

My favourite parts of the music are mids, followed closely by the bass. I am also a quiet listener. I rarely go above 70Db's (peaks only).
I just used my HD660S2's today and yesterday. It takes me several hours to adjust to them and start enjoying the sound. Now tomorrow will be a new reset.

My two favourites are Grado GH2's and OG Focal Clear's. I hope these can fit into the top five.

I am debating on never selling any more headphones and just building a huge pile!

 

Got these today and I am impressed right out of the box. Great mids, very good bass and enough treble to fill out the high end.
I started off with Valhalla 2 and it sounded pretty good. Moved on to the Little Dot MK9 and they sound a little bassier.

I think these will sound even better as I move up amps. Different sound than the Bee's. Less bass and the mids are more prominent. I think these would be Much more popular with most headphone users. I am curious to run them against the Bee's.

Much more of an all rounder than the Bee's or the Hive's (I am guessing on the Hives).

After about two hours, I say nice work Sajeev!

Update: Wow, are these bassy and full on the Violectric V220 and iFi Pro iCAN (with no bass boost or 3D sound effects).

These are VERY entertaining headphones. Still in the shiny new toy stage, but Man am I enjoying these!

 

Just to follow up, I ran these for a week and they sounded good on every amp and in every genre. The last day or two I compared them to the Bee planars. The Bee's need a stronger amp to really stretch their legs. The Ambrosia's were good off any of my amps.

The Bee's have a very thick bass, hit or miss mids and recessed treble, IMO. With certain music, they are excellent, but with a minority of my music, they sound wrong or wonky. Some almost sounds distorted, others sound like the song is being played out of a fishbowl. I have never heard any other headphone do this.

The Ambrosia's sound more open and brighter than the Bee's. But with certain blues and rock music, the Ambrosia's seems light or bright compared to the Bee's.

The Ambrosia's have sharper, cleaner bass. It is not dominant, but great when called upon.
The mids are lots of fun! Not Grado mids, but I would compare them to iBasso SR2's. They both have great bass, great mids and recessed treble, IMO.

I think the vast majority of buyers would prefer the Ambrosia's. I am maybe going to sell the Bee's. But with the right music...

I would highly recommend the Bee's as a used buy, if you like bass. I just had a guy ask about how they do with Electronica. The closest I have, I think, is Bob Moses and DWIG. They sounded Really good to me.

I like the Ambrosia's and would recommend them as an all rounder. They are not Great at any one thing and also not Horrible at any one thing. A nice buy at $499.00US. I will be keeping mine.

And, as a former small business owner, I Love supporting a small business!

A snapshot of my tastes, from a best of 2000's playlist (Bee's running off iFi Pro iCAN and Ambrosia running off Violectric V220).:

1) Nothing Compares to you. Sucked on Bee's, but great on Ambrosia.
2) Hard Sun. Bee's really ground it out with Eddy Vedder.
3) Fade Into You. Bee's were just too dark for this song.
4) Everybody hurts. Ambrosia's sounded cleaner and wider.
5) What It's Like. Bee's were digging deep and rockin'!
6) White Flag. Dido's voice sounded good on the Bees, but I preferred the Ambrosia overall.
7) Who Will Save your Soul? Barely hear the vocals on the Bee's.

Just some opinions on my experience.

 

I think pretty much anything sounds light or bright compared to the Bee.

 

Anyone got measurements on them? They sure look quite comfy

 

After a few months I like these even more. Very good bass, but take to some bass boost nicely. Mids are very present and pleasant. Treble is fine.

I wanted to write this post for three reasons and all are comparative.

1) Several weeks ago I had been riding these for at least a week and Really enjoying myself. Wasn't looking to change, but it was time. I happily grabbed my HiFiman HE6se V2's and plugged them into their magic partner, the iFi Pro iCAN (with bass boost and 3D activated). However things did NOT go well. The V2's sounded bright and thin. I was shocked. I had to up the volume a bit and add more bass boost to make them listenable. It took one to two hours to like the V2's again. Eventually, I lowered the volume and cut back the bass boost. Weird beyond words. It has been a Long time since I have not LOVED these headphones!

2) Next up I have to start with the fact that I have learned that I do not like closed backs. I have gone through many closed backs and am now down to two pairs, the Focal Radiance's and CFA Cascades. I don't play the closed backs enough so I put the Radiance's on last Monday. A little closed in feeling, but I adjusted to them. Enjoyed the week, but by the weekend I felt I was not enjoying my music as much. I pushed through anyway. Then yesterday I put on my Ambrosia's and Wow, what a difference!
It was like someone had opened a window in a stuffy room or turned on the light in a dim room. Soundstage felt huge, clarity was through the roof, everything just opened up wonderfully! And I was just playing a 70's pop playlist on a Valhalla 2 amp. It felt like a I had gone from a $500.00 set-up to a $3,000 set-up.

3) The third thing is more of a direct comparison. I bought a set of used Meze 109's a few weeks ago. I received them and started using them. This was prior to the Radiance's. I wore them for ten straight days. I liked them, but didn't love them. Adequate bass, Great mids and lots of treble which can run hot. Need much more time to get a complete idea about them. Today on one of the forums a guy asked me to compare the Ambrosia's and the Meze 109's.

First off, the Ambrosia's are exactly have the price of the Meze's and the 109's are drop dead beautiful.

The Ambrosia's didn't blow me away at first, much like the 109's, but I now really like them. Maybe I will warm up to the Meze 'phones.

But right now, on Oct. 2, 2023, I like the Ambrosia's much more than the 109's and they are literally half the price. My opinion may change in a month or two, but right they are the no-brainer pick for me.

If you had told me several months ago that some cheap headphones from a guy named Sajeev (that had disappointed me with the Bee's), would be preferable to my Focal Radiance's, the HiFiman HE6se V2's and the fancy new Meze headphones, I would have called BS!

I do Love hanging out in Entry Level/Mid-Fi for finds like this.