spiny norman

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Yeah.this could be a touchy subject to some people.Just saw a pair on the well known auction site and thought I might give them a go but it's a bit of an upheaval to get rid of the amp speakers etc get a pre amp and possibly need to change the room around,so think I'll give it a miss just now but do intend to go this route at some point.
 

davedotco

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As a bit of a fan of the '9RS I will see if I can give this a go.

Firstly it is important to understand that you do not need a pre-amp, the '9RS has two toslink plus one line analog input (for your vinyl player) and remote control of volume and input switching, this makes a lot of your Naim gear irrelevant, unless you want to use more than 3 sources.

Soundwise I like them a lot, compared to a lot of hi-fi they sound slightly lean, though to my mind this is very positive as there is no hint of the boom or woofle that blights many conventional speakers at this level. Obviously a 6.5 in drive is not going to plumb the depths bass wise but if you need more extension it pairs very well with its matching sub and the mid range models from BK Electronics.

The clincher for me is their outstanding clarity and consistency across the volume range, the music does not collapse back into the boxes at lower levels yet the music remains clear and smooth even at quite high levels.

What they will not do is sound 'like a better Naim', this is a change that takes some getting aclimatised to and the transition is either positive or it is not, that will be personal to you.

You could post on the AVI forum, there are a fair few owners prepared to let you have a listen to their setups, there might be someone closeby...*unknw*
 
Cheers dave for the neutral perspective and I think I would need the pre amp as the naim cd5i italic has no digital output (meanies)so I'd need two analogue inputs or maybe three if I wanted to keep the arcam ir dac in the loop.The avi's actually sound the way you describe not to dissimilar to my pmc's,I'd love to get a listen.
 

davedotco

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The lack of extra inputs can be resolved but is inelegant. The concept (that some seem to have a real hard time with) is that the '9RSs are designed to replace 'legacy' hi-fi, largely with Cloud based services and it is this that often leaves more conventional enthusiasts somewhat confused.

Had I not found my Artist 6s that I am writing about elsewhere on here, these would probably have been my speaker of choice with a suitably equiped streamer (Spotifi Connect, Airplay etc) as my only serious source. I would probably play the TV through the other digital input, primarily for Glastonbury and the other festivals.

Tying to integrate the '9RSs into a conventional system is to kind of miss the point I think, probably not what I would do in your position.

If I wanted a much better version of what you have now, I would look at replacing the Naim amplifiers with a pre-amp and a pair of PMC TwoTwo5 or TwoTwo6 active setups,
 
I think I might need to wait until I retire or someone dies to get a pair of active pmc's.lol.So I'll probably just be enjoying what I've got for the minute then.thanks for the input Dave it's much appreciated and I have been reading your thread about the artist 6's with interest.
 

CnoEvil

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If you like what Naim does, little else will do....if you you don't, almost anything sounds better. This makes your question very hard to answer.

DDC is right...it will sound very different....probably more accurate.
 
I'm very open minded when it comes to hi-fi and wouldn't dismiss any (well regarded)brand,it seems most people are very stereotypical of the naim brand when actually most....if not all all they're amps don't really have the same sound.I find the xs very natural sounding....definitely not as coloured as my previous arcams,marantz and Cambridge audio kit I've owned in the past,this naim /pmc combo is about as accurate as I've ever owned.One day I'll give the actives a try though,but as I mentioned earlier it's just a bit too much upheaval at the moment and I just very nearly hit the bin button on those avi dm9r's.another day perhaps.
 

record_spot

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Go active. I simply haven't heard anything else sound quite so "right". Accuracy is often mistaken for cold, harsh, or neutral and therefore not suitable for domestic audio. This is not the case.

I use Acoustic Energy AE22 actives and they were terrific right out the box. Wouldn't swap them in a hurry and with my source and a passive preamp, the sound quality if way, way beyond the amount paid.
 
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I'm interested in venturing down this path too, Mark. There's a pair of used twotwo.5's on the bay that I've been looking at, shame I don't have the cash at the mo as I would love to give them a try. Very happy with my current set-up so I've got time on my side.... as long as impatience doesn't get the better of me.
 
I probably would wait until I have the funds for the pmc's also...but not sure I want a studio sound in my living room,I love what I've got at the moment and have basically just finished it off with the psu's,so no rush to change anything,I just get a bit excited when something comes up on THAT site that you don't see too often.lol.
 

davedotco

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The AVI ADM9/10 series are interesting speakers but they really are designed to come at music reproduction in the home in a very different way. Whilst they can be integrated into a component system, this is rather to miss the point, they are ideal for people who want a very capable playback system without any of the conventional hi-fi hassles.

Real studio monitors are something else, big 'main' monitors, designed to handle 'live' instruments while tracking are monstrous things, about as practical for home use as a Formular 1 racecar is for commuting or doing the shopping.

The smaller, more sophisticated monitors used for mixing, are a different matter altogether. If you have any desire whatsoever (and I accept that many hi-fi enthusiasts don't) to really hear how the music you are listening to is played and put together, then a serious set of such speakers really should be given a try.

Truly professional speakers of this type are not cheap, entry level is about £1500-2000 and they go way up, if you want an idea of what I am talking about, check out Event Opals, Unity Audio 'The Rock' and the PMC TwoTwo series.
 
Yep.seen some of those pmc active monsters . I'm on their mailing list and when they've completed an install in a studio they send you the pics....wow.but they all have as I understand it very good and expensive bryston amplification,so you know you get a quality amp inside those active badboys.oh and pretty things they are not,definitely a design for function over form.
 

davedotco

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Mark Rose-Smith said:
Yep.seen some of those pmc active monsters . I'm on their mailing list and when they've completed an install in a studio they send you the pics....wow.but they all have as I understand it very good and expensive bryston amplification,so you know you get a quality amp inside those active badboys.oh and pretty things they are not,definitely a design for function over form.

If you want monitors with 'funky' amplification, these have custom built amplification designed by Tim de Paravicini. I have worked with these in a studio environment and they are as transparent as anything I have heard remotely close to their price (£2.5k-ish)

This is the latest Mk2...

unity-audio-the-rock-970-80.jpg
 

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