Hi all -
Following my previous post I thought I'd report hiow things went on Saturday at my demo. Mrs. Naxos and I spent a very pleasurable two and a half hours at P J Hi Fi in Guildford, where Andy did an exemplary demo, hand-holding us through various speaker choices, always listening, never patronising or forcing things. Just to remind you, budget was £2k and the speakers being demo'd were:
Spendor A5 and A6
Neat Elite SX
PMC FB1i
Wilson Benesch Square 2
Audiovector S3
- plus my trusty Keilidhs. Front end was as per my Cyrus CD8 SE and Supernait. CDs used were:
Diana Krall - From this moment on
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
Dave Matthews - Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
Verdi Requiem (Pappano/EMI)
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata, 3rd Movement (Lewis/HM)
Bombarde! (Organ Music from Liverpool Cathedral/Tracy/Chandos)
Gladiator soundtrack
First up we got the Keilidhs going as a yardstick, and then it was straight into the Spendor A6's. Immediately we were on another plane of music reproduction. Nice as the Keilidhs were, now each piano key had weight with the Diana Krall, orchestral pieces had fabulous soundstage and you just forgot the speakers, so convincing was the overall soundstage. And yet...something didn't quite connect on an emotional level for me, although I certainly could have lived happily with them. Next we moved onto to A5's, and we both felt (as 6th Rep) that these even surpassed the 6's for rock and jazz, the mid-range really excelling and more seductive. These ended up being my wife's fave speakers actually, but I just felt that for most of my classical listening they were a bit lacking in the scale the A6's delivered. As for the PMC's, these also sounded wonderful, more so in classical, but I was a bit worried about the sheer amount of bass in my living room, and the mid-range just didn't seem as defined as the A6.
We then tried the Audiovectors and WBs - fabulous speakers, fast and visceral - the Dave Matthews really slammed out, but we both felt in classical that they were a tad unrelenting, so we then moved on to the Neats. Wow - these stole my heart! While maybe giving away a little of the A6's obvious technical proficiency, the Neats added a warmth, which is obviously something I was looking for. These were the ones that gave me goosebumps, a perfect halfway house between the mellowness of the A5s and the sheer transparency of the A6's. The massive chromatic brass scales at the end of the Verdi Requiem 'Sanctus' were thrilling, yet clearly defined against the huge choir and orchestra behind them. 'Gladiator' also delivered all the thrills. Visually the speakers are also very impressive, with classy matching oak veneers.
We finished up by going back to the Linns - although they certainly didn't disgrace themselves, the huge distance we had come during the session was clearly evident.
The demo pair of Neats were available to purchase less 10%, and I was offered a good deal on my Linns so I decided to buy them then and there. One other advantage over the A6's was that, as I'm bi-wired, I could simply 'plug and play ' the Neats! I now have them set up and running and they sound simply superb, although Andy mentioned I have a month where, if I'm not entirely happy, I can exchange them.
I never even got to try the ProAc D18's as I'd have had to travel to Oxford to dem them against the A6's, and they don't stock Neat, so I risked the fact they may or may not be more appealing than the Neats. You know how it is though when something just 'clicks', and the Neats certainly did that for me - although my wife still slightly prefers the A5's..!
I hope this helps anyone looking at this price point - needless to say, all these speakers are fantastic, but (especially if you're a Naim user) I urge you to listen to the Neats.
Following my previous post I thought I'd report hiow things went on Saturday at my demo. Mrs. Naxos and I spent a very pleasurable two and a half hours at P J Hi Fi in Guildford, where Andy did an exemplary demo, hand-holding us through various speaker choices, always listening, never patronising or forcing things. Just to remind you, budget was £2k and the speakers being demo'd were:
Spendor A5 and A6
Neat Elite SX
PMC FB1i
Wilson Benesch Square 2
Audiovector S3
- plus my trusty Keilidhs. Front end was as per my Cyrus CD8 SE and Supernait. CDs used were:
Diana Krall - From this moment on
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
Dave Matthews - Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
Verdi Requiem (Pappano/EMI)
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata, 3rd Movement (Lewis/HM)
Bombarde! (Organ Music from Liverpool Cathedral/Tracy/Chandos)
Gladiator soundtrack
First up we got the Keilidhs going as a yardstick, and then it was straight into the Spendor A6's. Immediately we were on another plane of music reproduction. Nice as the Keilidhs were, now each piano key had weight with the Diana Krall, orchestral pieces had fabulous soundstage and you just forgot the speakers, so convincing was the overall soundstage. And yet...something didn't quite connect on an emotional level for me, although I certainly could have lived happily with them. Next we moved onto to A5's, and we both felt (as 6th Rep) that these even surpassed the 6's for rock and jazz, the mid-range really excelling and more seductive. These ended up being my wife's fave speakers actually, but I just felt that for most of my classical listening they were a bit lacking in the scale the A6's delivered. As for the PMC's, these also sounded wonderful, more so in classical, but I was a bit worried about the sheer amount of bass in my living room, and the mid-range just didn't seem as defined as the A6.
We then tried the Audiovectors and WBs - fabulous speakers, fast and visceral - the Dave Matthews really slammed out, but we both felt in classical that they were a tad unrelenting, so we then moved on to the Neats. Wow - these stole my heart! While maybe giving away a little of the A6's obvious technical proficiency, the Neats added a warmth, which is obviously something I was looking for. These were the ones that gave me goosebumps, a perfect halfway house between the mellowness of the A5s and the sheer transparency of the A6's. The massive chromatic brass scales at the end of the Verdi Requiem 'Sanctus' were thrilling, yet clearly defined against the huge choir and orchestra behind them. 'Gladiator' also delivered all the thrills. Visually the speakers are also very impressive, with classy matching oak veneers.
We finished up by going back to the Linns - although they certainly didn't disgrace themselves, the huge distance we had come during the session was clearly evident.
The demo pair of Neats were available to purchase less 10%, and I was offered a good deal on my Linns so I decided to buy them then and there. One other advantage over the A6's was that, as I'm bi-wired, I could simply 'plug and play ' the Neats! I now have them set up and running and they sound simply superb, although Andy mentioned I have a month where, if I'm not entirely happy, I can exchange them.
I never even got to try the ProAc D18's as I'd have had to travel to Oxford to dem them against the A6's, and they don't stock Neat, so I risked the fact they may or may not be more appealing than the Neats. You know how it is though when something just 'clicks', and the Neats certainly did that for me - although my wife still slightly prefers the A5's..!
I hope this helps anyone looking at this price point - needless to say, all these speakers are fantastic, but (especially if you're a Naim user) I urge you to listen to the Neats.