Naim Ovator range?

admin_exported

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Just wondering if anyone has demo'd the Naim Ovator range in either passive or active modes?

Was considering it but the nearest demo of them from me is about a two or three hour drive.

Thanks in advance for any input,

Darren
 

True Blue

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I was lucky enough to be in my local Audio t (now Sevenoaks) when the guys from Naim were in setting up an NDX , 202, 200 , Hicap, napsc with the ovator S600's. Sat around had a coffee, looked at the coffin sized boxes, did a lot of drooling while the Naim guys were tweaking the speakers in the room. Then listened to Tracey Chapman's self titled album (on CD, through the shops dem CDX2, as they couldsnt get the prototype NDX to work!!).

Bearing in mind that other than the speakers, CDP and listening room I have the same amplification so know that quite well, when the ovatars were up and running I was gobsmacked. I know I dont like the sound of the CDX2 (hence why I have a REGA saturn) as its a bit too exact / analytical for my tastes, so removing that from the equation, the speakers just delivered, everything in spades. Depth, texture, bassssss but very controlled. Tracey's voice was incredible natural and it was one of the shivers down my spine moments in a good way.

I remember saying to the Naim guys not to take this the wrong way but the speakers simply dissapeared, they may as well not have been there and you could have been listening live. That was with a moderate (in the Naim Heirarchy) level of Pre/Power.

Are they worth 6K, yes, if your system is at least the level above and you have a LARGE listening room. Have not managed to dem the S400's yet.
 

jockey.wilson

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Craig M. said:
i've heard the s600 on some pretty high end naim. great mid - awful bass. at least in the room i heard it in.

Reading between the lines on the Naim forum, the Ovators (both 400 and 600's) are very sensitive to positioning. That said once set up correctly, after much experimentation, are capable of a captivating sound from all accounts.

I hope to hear for myself in a few weeks and see what I am missing.
 

CnoEvil

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Heard them at a HiFi show in a Naim demo and didn't like them (or the set up). Wooly bass and rolled off treble.....it was early in the morning of the first day, so warm up may have been an issue. As well as that, the acoustics of the hotel room were far from ideal, so I don't know how much validity this assessment holds.

Cno
 

noogle

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Wow! Wooly bass and rolled-off treble. That's diametrically opposite to my experience. But I do think they're "Marmite" speakers.
 

CnoEvil

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noogle said:
Wow! Wooly bass and rolled-off treble. That's diametrically opposite to my experience. But I do think they're "Marmite" speakers.

I don't think HiFi shows in hotel rooms are necessarily the ideal environment for showcasing a product - though saying that, others managed better.

Apparently most rooms sounded better on the second day, so things may have improved.
 

Singslinger

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Have managed to listen - albeit briefly - to the larger Ovators in passive mode driven by a Naim pre-power combo (sorry, not sure which one) . Was not impressed - the sound was OK but it didn't have the "wow'' factor for me. And I'm not too sure about the shape and quality of the cabinet work...

For that price, I think the ProAc Response D40 is well worth considering instead...
 

djh1697

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I'd do a comparison with offering from Kudos and Neat before making your mind up, having listened to all three, I'd be wise about just reading reviews. It is worth driving to have a proper demo of these products.
 

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