Naim Uniti 2 - Speakers for Bass/Full sound

Paulq

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I auditioned a Naim Uniti 2 today with a couple of sets of speakers and would welcome some input on speaker recommendations:

B&W 685

PMC DB1i

Kudos X2

ProAc Response D18

Of all of them the ProAc came the closest to replicating the sound I like for the rock music I listen to - the detail in the Naim is incredible but I didn't feel that, through any of the above, I got that nice rich and deep sound that I am looking for with emphasis on bass (without it being muddy if that makes sense).

I currently use a Linn and B&W setup but my system is a few years old and I am looking to upgrade and haven't yet ruled out another Linn set of components however I do like the one box solution of the Naim.

In WHF's review of the ProAcs (which were the best of the lot) it states that it's bass is bettered vby other speakers - can anyone suggest what these may be? The ProAcs are undoubtedly excellent but I still missed the really warm rich sound that my Linn/B&W's currently give me. Standmounts are preferred but I suspect I may need floorstanders within a budget of about £2k.

Any help or recommendations greatly appreciated - thanks.
 

Shanka

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Hi,

I was looking at the D18 and thought they didn't have the bass at low volumes I was looking for, I went for the Studio 140 Mk2 which have a lot more bass, but not the tonal quality of the D18's which were much smoother, I was willing to take the compromise.

Other floorstanders I have heard and would consider would be
KEF 700- these are superb but not done any comparisons as yet
PMC 23- lovely balanced sound, I believe work well with Naim, but may also lack in bass, worth a listen tho'
Spendor A6- Good bass at slightly higher volumes again very even sound, also quite warm.

I have little experience of Naim amps and sure someone can advise which may work better.
I also have zero Linn experience so if that is the sound you like maybe that is the way to go.

Good Luck,Have fun, some good listening to be done.
 

Frank Harvey

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Paulq said:
In WHF's review of the ProAcs (which were the best of the lot) it states that it's bass is bettered vby other speakers - can anyone suggest what these may be? The ProAcs are undoubtedly excellent but I still missed the really warm rich sound that my Linn/B&W's currently give me. Standmounts are preferred but I suspect I may need floorstanders within a budget of about £2k.

I can't speak for WHF, but the KEF R700's will most certainly be one the/the models they may be referring to. There depth is just stunning for the size of the box (as are the R500's), and you should find the bass more even too.
 

CnoEvil

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I would suggest Kef R700 (as has been suggested) and Dynaudio X32/Contour 1.4.

I have heard the R700 with Linn, and even though it's not my favorite amplification, I thought it sounded good....I think a Majik DSM would work well for you with this speaker.

The Contour 1.4 produces a lot of bass for a standmount, and has a slightly dark presentation, which might be a touch smooth for Rock, but again could be a good match for the slightly cool presentation of the Linn (haven't heard it though).

A long shot which I've also heard (and would need to be purchased used) would be the Linn Majik Isobariks. They are probably a bit pricey, but have a fuller sound than other Linn speakers around that price:
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/130701934887?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&cbt=y

I haven't mentioned the Naim as I'm less familiar with it, but feel the R Series would work well with it also.
 
Paulq said:
I auditioned a Naim Uniti 2 today with a couple of sets of speakers and would welcome some input on speaker recommendations:

but I still missed the really warm rich sound that my Linn/B&W's currently give me. Standmounts are preferred but I suspect I may need floorstanders within a budget of about £2k.

Any help or recommendations greatly appreciated - thanks.

Hi Paulq

Dynaudio's Excite X32's, Focus 160's and Contour S 1.4's are also worth considering. Naim electronics pair very well with Dynaudio speakers and this is a combination which you should find will give a warm but detailed, fast, weighty and dynamic presentation.

http://www.dynaudio.com/int/home_loudspeaker_systems/excite/excite_x32.php

http://www.dynaudio.com/int/home_loudspeaker_systems/focus/focus_160.php

http://www.dynaudio.com/int/home_loudspeaker_systems/contour/contour_s14.php

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

Paulq

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John, I tried these today (granted not at home as you suggest) and whilst they are impressive indeed for their size they just didn't do it for me. That said I am particularly fussy with the sound I like but when spending that amount of money I can be :).

I just 'know' when the sound hits the sweet spot I like and of course ot's dificult to express in words. The 685's I have used for the past few years are the best example of the fullness I mean but, if anything, they are actually the weak link in the system and am sure they would be if I go for either the Uniti 2 or the Majik DSM. It's tough to find Linn dealers that stock other, non Linn, brands of speaker where I live.
 
Paulq said:
I auditioned a Naim Uniti 2 today with a couple of sets of speakers and would welcome some input on speaker recommendations:

B&W 685

PMC DB1i

Kudos X2

ProAc Response D18

Of all of them the ProAc came the closest to replicating the sound I like for the rock music I listen to - the detail in the Naim is incredible but I didn't feel that, through any of the above, I got that nice rich and deep sound that I am looking for with emphasis on bass (without it being muddy if that makes sense).

I currently use a Linn and B&W setup but my system is a few years old and I am looking to upgrade and haven't yet ruled out another Linn set of components however I do like the one box solution of the Naim.

In WHF's review of the ProAcs (which were the best of the lot) it states that it's bass is bettered vby other speakers - can anyone suggest what these may be? The ProAcs are undoubtedly excellent but I still missed the really warm rich sound that my Linn/B&W's currently give me. Standmounts are preferred but I suspect I may need floorstanders within a budget of about £2k.

Any help or recommendations greatly appreciated - thanks.

Regard the Uniti certainly PMCs are probably the best synergy match. Having noticed floorstander as well smalls, well worth trying, if you can locate any, MonoPulse 32S. They sounded fantastic with Naim gear, albeit slightly odd looking.
 

Paulq

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Thanks for the replies guys that's really helpful and has given me something to ponder. I'd actually prefer Standmounts if at all possible so the Dynaudios look an option if i can get a listen to them but are there any more offerings that you feel would be worth considering?

If I decide to go down the Linn route again (and that may include sticking with what I have if I can't pair a Uniti or Majik DSM with something I like), are there any particular brands that pair well with Linn that would be an improvement over the 685's? The Isobariks look stunning but I gotta draw the line on cost somewhere :beer:.

Thanks again for the help - much appreciated as gives me some options.
 

Paulq

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John Duncan said:
Fair enough. Haven't heard anything else recently that I can recommend but those pesky KEFs keep getting rave reviews, must try and get a hold of some...

The R700's? I actually asked about the Q300's today but the guy in the shop reckoned they wouldn't be much of a step up from the 685'S.
 

CnoEvil

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John Duncan said:
Fair enough. Haven't heard anything else recently that I can recommend but those pesky KEFs keep getting rave reviews, must try and get a hold of some...

...good idea, as at your age it's all too easy to get stuck in a rut! >)
 

bigblue235

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I think that I like the sort of sound you're referring to and I've considered some of the speakers mentioned, but I just don't think I can get the sort of depth I like with standmounts.

I'm trying to stick to around £1000, so I'm looking at XTZ 99.36, Dali Ikon 6 and a few standmount & sub combinations. Have you considered the sub route?
 

CnoEvil

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plastic penguin said:
John Duncan said:
Fair enough. Haven't heard anything else recently that I can recommend but those pesky KEFs keep getting rave reviews, must try and get a hold of some...

Ono* - if you do I fear the bunting will unravel in Ireland and Coventry. :boohoo:

*Deliberate.***

If JD does it shortly, we can just leave the bunting up (from the 12th).

***Heavy Grooaan!
 

Paulq

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bigblue235 said:
I think that I like the sort of sound you're referring to and I've considered some of the speakers mentioned, but I just don't think I can get the sort of depth I like with standmounts.

I'm trying to stick to around £1000, so I'm looking at XTZ 99.36, Dali Ikon 6 and a few standmount & sub combinations. Have you considered the sub route?

I talked about that today actually but I am not really mad on the idea as it adds another component. It's funny as the 685's give me the exact 'sound depth' that I like but have some limitations when it comes to detail. I guess I want it all really :).

Any views on speakers for Linn syatems guys?
 

oldric_naubhoff

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Paulq said:
it's funny as the 685's give me the exact 'sound depth' that I like but have some limitations when it comes to detail.

sounds to me like excessive harmonic distortion in mid bass region from your 685s... bassy sound from a small speaker coupled to lack of fidelity in that region. in other words "one note bass" as other member of this forum tends to call such sound.

if you want to get deep bass that is also clear you should be looking at 8" drivers at least, or a sub+sat combo and cut the sats off at around 100Hz. sorry, that's just the laws of physics. also, quality of xover components matter, especially of the coil, as this is the piece which is responsible for low pass filtering.
 

Paulq

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oldric_naubhoff said:
sounds to me like excessive harmonic distortion in mid bass region from your 685s... bassy sound from a small speaker coupled to lack of fidelity in that region. in other words "one note bass" as other member of this forum tends to call such sound.

if you want to get deep bass that is also clear you should be looking at 8" drivers at least, or a sub+sat combo and cut the sats off at around 100Hz. sorry, that's just the laws of physics. also, quality of xover components matter, especially of the coil, as this is the piece which is responsible for low pass filtering.

Hmm I think the point is that I quite like the sound from the 685's but am just conscious that pairing a £3k+ system with pair of £400 speakers is probably going to expose them as a weak link. It did today with the Uniti 2 demo.

I don't really understand the rest of your post apart from the 8" drivers - what I'm actually looking for is some recmmenndations that I can listen to for myself.
 

oldric_naubhoff

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Paulq said:
oldric_naubhoff said:
sounds to me like excessive harmonic distortion in mid bass region from your 685s... bassy sound from a small speaker coupled to lack of fidelity in that region. in other words "one note bass" as other member of this forum tends to call such sound.

if you want to get deep bass that is also clear you should be looking at 8" drivers at least, or a sub+sat combo and cut the sats off at around 100Hz. sorry, that's just the laws of physics. also, quality of xover components matter, especially of the coil, as this is the piece which is responsible for low pass filtering.

Hmm I think the point is that I quite like the sound from the 685's but am just conscious that pairing a £3k+ system with pair of £400 speakers is probably going to expose them as a weak link. It did today with the Uniti 2 demo.

I don't really understand the rest of your post apart from the 8" drivers - what I'm actually looking for is some recmmenndations that I can listen to for myself.

what I meant is that all small speakers with small woofers distort bass output. to avoid it you need large bass drivers or long array of smaller drivers (in this case combined output gives desirable SPL and excursion is still only small - it's long driver excursion main reason for high levels of THD). sorry, can't describe it easier and equally short.

as for a recommendation. in light of what I just wrote it's hard for me to recommend anything in that budget. but if I were forced to buy smaller standmounted speakers I'd most likely went for Dynaudios. within your budget I'd be looking at Focus 160. or if you could stretch your budget more I'd go for Countours S1.4.
 

Paulq

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Yep I understand that floorstanders are going to have some limitiations but, to be honest, my 685's seem to have been the exception so unless I can discover something which replicates/betters the sound I'll probably stick with them.

I demo'd the Uniti 2 on Saturday and with the choice of speakers I was a tad disappointed so plan to have another listen with some Dynaudios and probably Kefs as well.

I also have a demo lined up with the Linn Majik DSM on Saturday with an array of cabinets from Kef, B&W, Neat and Linn's own so am very much looking forward to that. This one is going to take some time to decide methinks.
 

kungula

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I hope you will give us your impressions about the Majik DSM with the speakers you will audition.

Neat and B&W have the reputation to perform well with Naim and Linn.

It would also be interesting if you could tell us something about the performance of the amp of the Uniti 2 compared to MDSM.

many greetings
 

CnoEvil

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Paulq said:
Yep I understand that floorstanders are going to have some limitiations but, to be honest, my 685's seem to have been the exception so unless I can discover something which replicates/betters the sound I'll probably stick with them.

I demo'd the Uniti 2 on Saturday and with the choice of speakers I was a tad disappointed so plan to have another listen with some Dynaudios and probably Kefs as well.

I also have a demo lined up with the Linn Majik DSM on Saturday with an array of cabinets from Kef, B&W, Neat and Linn's own so am very much looking forward to that. This one is going to take some time to decide methinks.

I wouldn't bet against you sticking with Linn, as you've proved that it suits you.

Linn has always worked as complete system, including cables.....but as I said earlier, it also goes very well with the Kef R Series, and should go very well with Dynaudio.

Looking forward to how you get on

Cno
 

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