Naim Nait 5si for Dynaudio - Should I?

[roland150]

Hello everyone,

I am considering buying a Naim Nait 5si to drive my pair of Dynaudio DM 2/7 (4-ohm, 150W, 86dB/W/m). In my experience this pair is not hard to drive, my lastest amplifier had only 55W into 4-ohm and the combo did sound decent. However, many people told me that the Dyns will sound much better when coupled with more powerful amplifier, so I went out and tried some 'stronger' amps: Musical Fidelity M3i, Exposure 2010S2, NAD 375BEE, Rotel 1520.

Interestingly, the Naim was not on my list in the beginning (well, it is expensive) but later it became the best option. For each amp I tried, I turned the volume up (quite loud, but still listenable) to see if it showed anything harsh or constrained, and Naim did maintain good sound.

So now my only question left: Is there any other amp that I should try? Any amp being in the same budget and can pair well with the Dyns?

Guys, thanks and waiting for your suggestions.

 

[emperor's new clothes]

Hi Roland,

I have DM2/7s paired with Marantz SA & PM8005. Would recommend adding to your list for audition. At £650 it is a steal IMHO. I agree that the Dyns work best with some "grunt". Previous elderly Meridian pre/power did a good job in that respect, but lacked the detail of the Marantz. A Creek 50A was not up to the job to my ears. Have not heard the NAIM so cannot comment.

 

[rainsoothe]

Hi. Haven't heard them Dyns, but afaik they're warm-ish speakers, so they should partner the Nait 5si pretty well. As long as you can give them some space to breathe so bass won't overpower, I think they'll make a great partnering (i personally love Naim). Other amps to try would be the abovementioned Marantz pm8005 for a more relaxed sound, or Roksan K3 (even though it's more expensive then the Naim).

 

[CnoEvil]

Here are some suggestions around, and slightly above your price point.

Hegel

Peachtree

Electrocompaniet

Creek

Croft

Abrahamsen

 

[rainsoothe]

oh ye, +1 for Hegel H80, Creek 50A and Abrahamsen - try audition those as well

 

[plastic penguin]

Hello everyone,

I am considering buying a Naim Nait 5si to drive my pair of Dynaudio DM 2/7 (4-ohm, 150W, 86dB/W/m). In my experience this pair is not hard to drive, my lastest amplifier had only 55W into 4-ohm and the combo did sound decent. However, many people told me that the Dyns will sound much better when coupled with more powerful amplifier, so I went out and tried some 'stronger' amps: Musical Fidelity M3i, Exposure 2010S2, NAD 375BEE, Rotel 1520.

Interestingly, the Naim was not on my list in the beginning (well, it is expensive) but later it became the best option. For each amp I tried, I turned the volume up (quite loud, but still listenable) to see if it showed anything harsh or constrained, and Naim did maintain good sound.

So now my only question left: Is there any other amp that I should try? Any amp being in the same budget and can pair well with the Dyns?

Guys, thanks and waiting for your suggestions.

The answer is YES. I heard the Naim XS with Dyns Contour S1.4 and they sounded terrific.

The best matches (IMHO) for Dyns are Cyrus, Leema and Naim. You could also look at Roksan K2, which work well also.

 

[plastic penguin]

Here are some suggestions around, and slightly above your price point.

Hegel

Peachtree

Electrocompaniet

Creek

Croft

Abrahamsen

Hope you're feeling better Cno? The wife had a minor op on Thursday too. She's okay but uncomfortable. Life has a habit of throwing up the unexpected.

NB: Apologies to the OP for slightly derailing the thread.

 

[CnoEvil]

Hope you're feeling better Cno? The wife had a minor op on Thursday too. She's okay but uncomfortable. Life has a habit of throwing up the unexpected.

NB: Apologies to the OP for slightly derailing the thread.

Thank you PP....things are looking better.

Best regards to Mrs. PP

 

[radiorog]

Roksan k2bt and k3 should be on your audition list. My dyns definitely appreciated the extra power and move from a rega brio r.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Why dont you save money and go for a k2 or k2bt as they offer 95% performance of the k3 for a third of the cost for the k2 and half for the k2bt(k2bt is same as k3)

 

[radiorog]

Why dont you save money and go for a k2 or k2bt as they offer 95% performance of the k3 for a third of the cost for the k2 and half for the k2bt(k2bt is same as k3)

The k2bt is not the same as the k3, they sound very different. The k3 has more detail and completely different sounding higher frequencies. The BT is mellower, and maybe better value at £700 .

 

[Andrewjvt]

I doubt they sound very different
Check the specs and internal design. Its the same: k2bt and k3

 

[radiorog]

I doubt they sound very different Check the specs and internal design. Its the same: k2bt and k3

You may doubt, but you are very wrong.

I know all about the specs and some of the internals. Most of the components are identical yes, and I'm not sure which components have changed to make the treble and detail different, but something has. The transformer has added a little more power and weight, but something has harnessed this power and made the sound tighter, with a new sounding treble, more detail, and improved clarity for want of a better word. I'm sure they do sound similar, but they are different in sound. I can see how someone may like the sound of one, and not the other, that is how much different they are.

 

[bluebrazil]

like some have said cyrus and dynaudio sound great together.

a cheaper solution, if your amp has pre outs, would be sourcing either an 8 power or x power off fleabay or similar. one of those will transform your speakers.

 

[roland150]

Here are some suggestions around, and slightly above your price point.

Hegel

Peachtree

Electrocompaniet

Creek

Croft

Abrahamsen

Hi. I did some research and here where I live there are only Peachtree and Electrocompaniet (the other 3 can only be bought used). But Electrocompaniet is definitely pricey stuff, way over my budget. For Peachtree, there is a Nova 125SE, it looks very modern and neat (I guess it's class D isn't it?). Did you listen to this one?

 

[roland150]

Why dont you save money and go for a k2 or k2bt as they offer 95% performance of the k3 for a third of the cost for the k2 and half for the k2bt(k2bt is same as k3)

The k2bt is not the same as the k3, they sound very different. The k3 has more detail and completely different sounding higher frequencies. The BT is mellower, and maybe better value at £700 .

Hey radiorog, you are pairing 2/7 with K3 right? How is the sound and what genre of music do they suit? Here the K3 is nearly $2,000 so I will need to do some thinking (that's about double the cost of speakers)

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi. I did some research and here where I live there are only Peachtree and Electrocompaniet (the other 3 can only be bought used). But Electrocompaniet is definitely pricey stuff, way over my budget. For Peachtree, there is a Nova 125SE, it looks very modern and neat (I guess it's class D isn't it?). Did you listen to this one?

Not long enough to get proper insight.....check the reviews on the Net.

The Peachtree is Class D, but has a valve that can be switched in and out.

The cheapest Electro is the PI-1, which ex-dem can be found for around your price (about £1350 new)

 

[radiorog]

Why dont you save money and go for a k2 or k2bt as they offer 95% performance of the k3 for a third of the cost for the k2 and half for the k2bt(k2bt is same as k3)

The k2bt is not the same as the k3, they sound very different. The k3 has more detail and completely different sounding higher frequencies. The BT is mellower, and maybe better value at £700 .

Hey radiorog, you are pairing 2/7 with K3 right? How is the sound and what genre of music do they suit? Here the K3 is nearly $2,000 so I will need to do some thinking (that's about double the cost of speakers)

Hey Roland, yeah that's my pairing. They sound great! As did the k2bt as well. The k3 has more detail, and tonality, but can be brighter on some recordings. ACDC's back in black album does not sound great on the k3, its too bright and just soesnt soynd rocky, but the k2bt played everything I threw at it. The k3 however plays most CDs better. I listen to most all genres, electro jazz, pop, rock, classical, ambient, hip hop, dance.....etc etc... The pairing is very good, although I haven't heard the k3 with many other speakers. The detail is a step up from the brio r and the k2bt (you can really hear things like reverb added to instruments and vocals that I had never noticed before), and tonality is great, and the bass goes deep is large, but tight at the same time. I am very happy with the set up. I think the dyns are great speakers and I'm not left wanting. The handle all genres well for me. Great treble, and bass extension. Never remotely boomy with the k3 or the BT. If you can audition both the k3 and k2bt I would.

 

[roland150]

Hey guys,

It's getting quite interesting and I really want to seek your advice. One guy lent me an AVR 745 (a receiver from Harman Kardon) and although I was very skeptical about it, I took a chance. So I have been listening to this for a couple of days, with various genres of music and at various volume. The result is weird: this 5.1 receiver is really serious in playing music, and the sound characteristics are quite similar to the NAD 375BEE.

So the question now is: Am I missing something? Is this receiver supposed to do that well for traditional stereo music? I am not so sure even after listening to it, because 5.1 receivers are mostly for movies, games... and I just want a good stereo system.