Floorstanding loudspeakers — Nola Metro Grand Reference Gold 3

The Metro Grand Reference Gold 3 is a compact floorstanding loudspeaker within the catalogue of Nola, or Accent Speaker Technology, designed for small to medium rooms and occupying only about 0.09 m2 of floor space. According to the maker, ideas from the Grand Reference VII and the Concert Grand Reference were passed down into this smaller cabinet. The Gold 3 label marks the series 3 revision of the original Metro Grand Reference Gold, and a Gold 5 version later followed.

Key specs that matter

Nola lists a frequency range of 25 Hz to 100 kHz, a sensitivity of 87 dB, and an impedance of 8 ohm nominal with a 4 ohm minimum. Overall dimensions including the bases are 114 cm high, 29 cm wide and 34 cm deep, and a single speaker comes to about 43 kg net. The standard finish is real Santos Rosewood gloss with black gloss bases, while black gloss and further colours can be built on special request.

Engineering and use context

The bass section uses twin 160 mm magnesium cone bass drivers with large Alnico magnets. For series 3 Nola reworked them to reduce electrical and magnetic distortion below that of the first Gold model and to cut electrical drag, so that the woofers react to very low signal levels. The true ribbon tweeter was also revised, now using components the company builds in-house. The crossovers received newer parts that were not available when the original version was designed, and extra Nordost silver wire was added to the internal wiring. Each speaker stands on a two-tier platform with ball bearings, supplied as standard, that reduces the transfer of floor-borne vibration into the cabinet. The small footprint lets the Metro fit where the larger Grand Reference towers would not, and Nola also offers smaller Studio Grand and Micro Grand Reference Gold designs below it.

Pairing

Its sensitivity is the lowest of the Grand Reference Gold 3 models, and its load dips well below nominal, so a transistor amplifier able to deliver ample current or a strong valve design is the logical partner rather than a small single-ended amplifier. The compact size suits a room of around 20 m2, and it needs 4 dB more amplifier output than the Baby Grand and Concert Grand models for the same level.

Alternatives

Within the same Grand Reference line, the Nola Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 offers a bigger cabinet with two 220 mm magnesium woofers and four midrange drivers on an open baffle.