From MRK7421@aol.com Mon Jun 27 18:32:38 2011
Subject:Getting results with a Numa

Maybe I have covered some of this stuff before....

If you want your Numa to sound good, EQ ing is absolutely mandatory.

I think Elvio alluded to this when he mentioned that the Numa and Key B
preamps were different.

The Numa bass EQ knob does one thing well. It adds a LOT of bass to the
lower manual, which can work well in place of a second set of drawbars.

However for some reason, I does not add a lot of bass to the middle
register of the organ. Also, the treble knob affects mostly the higher
frequencies.

In order to compensate for this, I am using a fairly simple home stereo (
Onkyo) EQ before the power amp in my set up. There is no preamp in the
signal chain for simplicity of operation. I am also using a Roland SRA 540 power
amp and a mismatched pair of speakers - one EV S12-2 speaker and one
Yamaha S12 Me speaker.

This little system really kicks. There is plenty of bass from the EV, and
the Yamaha is a good light weight compliment to that.

The overdrive really growls, and there is nothing not to like about the
leslie sim.

Speaker selection and adding low end EQ can make a night and day difference
in the Numa. This system is running nowhere near flat, which could be an
issue if I were using additional keyboards with the way this is EQed.

As I have mentioned, the Numa sounds about right when run through a B-3
preamp and a leslie speaker with a 15 inch woofer. Through powered, flat
response type PA speakers like Mackie, JBL Eon and QSC, I have heard far less
than ideal results. So much so that I can imagine people demoing a Numa
through this gear might walk away with a less than favorable impression.

Much of the Hammond sound as we know it depends on its amplification
source. I think that the leslie woofer ( or a Hammond tone cabinet 15 inch
woofer) is a big factor. Somehow this punchy effect needs to be recreated, as
well as the correct blend between high and low frequencies.

I am not noticing that anything seems to be missing by not having tubes in
the signal chain. If anything, a good hi powered solid state power amp can
help deliver a nice transient punch, and an absence of undesirable
distortion.

I am starting to see that something like a Numa can have an advantage to
even a tonewheel Hammond when the right amp and speakers are added to the
mix.


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