Friday afternoon speaker quiz

[NJB]

I am off to audition the following tomorrow:

Focal Aria 906

Sonus Faber Venere 1.5

B&W 685S2

Dynaudio Excite X12

I am quite looking forward to this as these should be quite different, but all good in their own way. Would anybody like to rate them in order and say which they would pick, and why. Oh, Naim amplification by the way, but at the low end of their range.

 

[Al ears]

I'd have to say 1 for the Sonus Faber and 2 for the B&W's because they are the only 2 I've heard... and not on the end of Naim gear either so this may be a completely irrelevent post. It doesn't really matter though because if you are going to listen then whatever people answer here is going to make little sense.

My that was a short thread wasn't it?? 🙂

 

[chebby]

Dynaudios with Naim.

 

[rainsoothe]

I'll put my money on Sonus Faber 🙂

 

[Al ears]

I bow to chebby's better knowledge when it comes to Naim kit. I know there is a general feeling that Brand A speakers always goes well with Brand B's amp (like Bryston and PMC) but I'd advise a cautious approach if using this method as, ultimately, the speakers have to suit the room / position you want to use them in.

 

[davedotco]

I bow to chebby's better knowledge when it comes to Naim kit. I know there is a general feeling that Brand A speakers always goes well with Brand B's amp (like Bryston and PMC) but I'd advise a cautious approach if using this method as, ultimately, the speakers have to suit the room / position you want to use them in.

Rather like the Rotel/B&W partnership, the Bryston/PMC setup is just another self serving marketing ploy by the importers/owners of the brands in question.

There is absolutely nothing that makes these combinations special that I can see, good product no doubt but thats pretty much it. Like Naim and Focal, nobody would dream of pairing them before Focal bought Naim.

 

[Al ears]

I bow to chebby's better knowledge when it comes to Naim kit. I know there is a general feeling that Brand A speakers always goes well with Brand B's amp (like Bryston and PMC) but I'd advise a cautious approach if using this method as, ultimately, the speakers have to suit the room / position you want to use them in.

Rather like the Rotel/B&W partnership, the Bryston/PMC setup is just another self serving marketing ploy by the importers/owners of the brands in question.

There is absolutely nothing that makes these combinations special that I can see, good product no doubt but thats pretty much it. Like Naim and Focal, nobody would dream of pairing them before Focal bought Naim.

This is very true, Brit amp and French speakers whatever next??

Better to buy a speaker that really suits you listening room always provided it is actually efficient enough for your amp to drive it adequately.

 

[peterpiper]

I bow to chebby's better knowledge when it comes to Naim kit. I know there is a general feeling that Brand A speakers always goes well with Brand B's amp (like Bryston and PMC) but I'd advise a cautious approach if using this method as, ultimately, the speakers have to suit the room / position you want to use them in.

it is a marketing plot imo, I wanted to replace my 20 odd year old acoustic energy compact floorstanders and had in mind the bw 684 s2 to match the amp , although very good, after hearing a few different models I ended up with the Q500 from kef , not a combination I thought would have worked with the rotel sound, but it does to me, not clincal as I had feared, the sealed cabinets sound even better at home. remember the marantz/tannoy relationship?

 

[Al ears]

I bow to chebby's better knowledge when it comes to Naim kit. I know there is a general feeling that Brand A speakers always goes well with Brand B's amp (like Bryston and PMC) but I'd advise a cautious approach if using this method as, ultimately, the speakers have to suit the room / position you want to use them in.

it is a marketing plot imo, I wanted to replace my 20 odd year old acoustic energy compact floorstanders and had in mind the bw 684 s2 to match the amp , although very good, after hearing a few different models I ended up with the Q500 from kef , not a combination I thought would have worked with the rotel sound, but it does to me, not clincal as I had feared, the sealed cabinets sound even better at home. remember the marantz/tannoy relationship?

I don't think its a marketing ploy as such. With the large audio groups of today you naturally assume they will develope their amplifiers by listening through something they actually produce as part of the speakers 'division'. When word gets out that they used speakers B to help develope amp A then the general public assume they are always going to be a good pairing.

 

[NJB]

Dealer 1: straight to the 'what's your budget'. Dismissed B&W as 'toys', had sold the Sonus Faber Venere 1.5 (so a no show). Tried to sell me some truly beautifully made German speakers (by ASW) I think, but they did not sound as good as they looked. Ended up showing me some Triangle bookshelf speakers that were very transparent, but also quite bright. This was on the end of some high spec T&A electronics, that I was unfamiliar with. Overall: pretty useless for my purposes.

Dealer 2: very clever demo setup. All the electronics in the showroom hooked through to a listening room with 37 speakers to select. He picked electronics to be close to my Naim, sat me in the demo room and showed me how to hot swap speakers. So Cool. He pointed to the Dynaudio Excite X14 and explained why the X12 sounds woolly to me. Basically, my NAP 150x is not up to them, they need lots of power to control the bass, and I cannot provide this. Of those I tested, on Marantz amplification, the X14s were not in it. I liked some KEFs, Q500, R100, but the B&W 685S2 were pick of the bunch.

Dealer 3: A bit disinterested. Set up the Focal 906 on a Naim XS and left me alone with one cd. This dispelled my concerns about them being overly bright. However, no point of reference with the previous demo.

So, shame the Sonus Fabers missed out as local dealers are discounting them and they look good value. I would be interested to hear the 685 vs Focals as I suspect they are close. Therefore, with a significant price difference, the 685S2 looks to be in prime position.

 

[rainsoothe]

As much as I like my Aria 906, I didn't think they went that well at the end of a Nait 5si. The XS is a completely different beast imo, so if you have the 5si or 5i or whatever, I urge you to try the combination before purchasing based on an audition with another amp - it sounded pretty unrefined to my ears (the 5si + Aria 906). Maybe you could wait till your Sonus Faber dealer restocks - or find a different one. Sonus Faber Toy (or Toy Tower if you want floorstander) might also be worth investigating. Also, give Martin Logan Motion XT35 a whirl (if it's not out of your budget). Also, XTZ 93.23 MK II.

 

[NJB]

I cannot believe how difficult it is to find new speakers. There is system synergy, room effects plus I do suffer from a bit of brand snobbery.

I cannot truly commit to the B&W 685S2 as part of my brain is yelling that my Naim gear needs something higher up the price range. However, my Naim exerting total control over a lower priced speaker is probably better than spending more only to find that I am underdriving it. I have also concluded that price is not everything and modern production methods mean that you can get good results at every price point, if you are prepared to forego the real wood veneered cabinets.

i need to plan for next weekend and a further round of viewings. I want to compare the 685S2 to the 684S2 and something at the higher price point to see what doubling or tripling the cost will get me. This would be easier if I was in the UK and had a car! I could take my electronics to a friendly dealer and try things out!