Speaker recommendation for SuperUniti in a large room

[admin_exported]

I'm looking for speaker recommendations in a large room to go with a SuperUniti I'm thinking of getting.

The room is about 12m * 5m but the listening area will be around 5m * 4m.

The speakers will fire across the width of the room and will have to back up to a window.

I'm thinking of the Rega RS5s or the Neat Motive SEs. Which one would be better suited? Any other recommendations in the same price range?

There's not much point in going up the ladder to a bigger speaker because I suspect the room's acostics are compromised anyway.

I've moved my TT system to a small room.

(Edit: updated room size).

 

[stevebrock]

This question gets asked so many times!

They are both great speakers and I really think you need to demo both in your room at home, it's ok listening to them at you hifi delaers demo room but they probably won't sound the same - saying that Neat & Rega speakers match very well with Naim amplification!

I fell in love with some Neat motive 3 at my dealer, got them home and was gutted as they were just too boomy - they just were not compatible with my rooms acoustics! Got the Regas home and fell in love all over again.....they are a remarkable musical speaker, I can't imagine you would be disappointed with either IMHO.

What I would say I think the Regas are less fussy with placement and you can experiment with the bass drivers facing inwards or outwards.

good luck

 

[philipjohnwright]

I hear good things about Naim and the Kef R series being paired together. It's a bit over budget but how about the R500's?

The alternative if you are concerned about room matching would be to go the sub route, with smaller main speakers. Say KEF LS50's or even Neat Iota's, together with a (whacking great!) BK sub (they used to make REL's, extremely good value). That way you can adjust the bass to suit.

I have to say that personally I'd go the used or ex-dem route. You'd get some very nice Proac's for that money, better Neat's, etc etc. In fact maybe even some Harbeth's, which I use (and are supposed to be very good with Naim). Shop sensibly and if they really don't work just sell on.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on. The SuperUniti looks very interesting

 

[CnoEvil]

My only advice is to try the speakers in the room before buying, as you may need to go for a more substantial floorstander (RS7 / R700 etc)

 

[stevebrock]

My only advice is to try the speakers in the room before buying, as you may need to go for a more substantial floorstander (RS7 / R700 etc)

yep that's what i said!

 

[DIB]

Blimey, 19m x 7m is one hell of a room.

I think thats bigger than my entire house.

.

 

[CnoEvil]

yep that's what i said!

Being a little pedantic, I'm not saying quite the same thing......I was emphasizing the need to make sure the speakers weren't overwhelmed by that size of room. Most suggestions mentioned so far might struggle.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Magnepan.

 

[Covenanter]

My whole apartment isn't that big! With a room that size acoustics are going to be very important and you just have to audition things in situ. Have fun!

Chris

 

[iceman16]

I agree with Cno..And as a previous Naim owner(not the Superuniti),80w/c can produce more than whats on paper.But with the size of your room imo the superuniti might struggle if you want to listen at higher volume.Yes it can play loud but may loose its composure or stability when push hard.

 

[Anonymous]

Oops.

Sorry, did the math wrong.

It's actually 12m * 5m, with a listening area of 5m * 4m. Listening mostly at moderate to low levels only.

 

[Anonymous]

Harbeth P3ESRs paired with a sub?

 

[CnoEvil]

Oops.

Sorry, did the math wrong.

It's actually 12m * 5m, with a listening area of 5m * 4m. Listening mostly at moderate to low levels only.

Is the area open plan, or can the listening area be closed off?

 

[CnoEvil]

Harbeth P3ESRs paired with a sub?

Depending on the sub and room, it might be hard to integrate. For the cost of the Harbeths plus a capable sub with EQ, you could be looking at a very decent pair of speakers.

 

[plastic penguin]

Agree this question gets asked so often about speakers for Naim stuff.

PMC GB1is would be my pick, and to throw a couple of 'fur balls' your way, try and get hold of a pair of MonoPulse 32S and worth listening to Totem Arros.

As others have mentioned you need to hear at home, ultimately.

 

[Electro]

What about a pair of PMC FBIi's, they work well with Naim and are very efficient at 90db 1w 1m and an easy 8 ohm load .

They sound the same at all listening levels only louder or quieter , the bass does not disappear at low levels like so many other speakers and they can be used reasonably close to the wall because they have a front firing transmission line exit ( port ) .

They will fill a large sized room easily with the power available from the SuperUniti and sound brilliant IMO and can be found second hand within your budget .

I believe Paul at HiFi lounge has a pair for sale on ebay for £1500 and might do you a good deal

Worth a try

 

[chebby]

The OP wants speakers around the same price as Rega RS5s and Neat Motive SE2s. I think that's about £995 and £1495 respectively.

Harbeth P3ESRs would be at the limit of the budget given their £1499 price tag. (And the £2700 Super HL5s or £2200 Spendor SP2/3R2s would be more appropriate in a larger room but so much more expensive.)

PMC GB1is maybe. (Also sound great from my experience of a Naim company demo with their original Uniti and GB1is.) But they are now almost £1700.

I think the OP has got it about right with his own suggestions.

 

[plastic penguin]

The OP wants speakers around the same price as Rega RS5s and Neat Motive SE2s. I think that's about £995 and £1495 respectively.

Harbeth P3ESRs would be at the limit of the budget given their £1499 price tag. (And the £2700 Super HL5s or £2200 Spendor SP2/3R2s would be more appropriate in a larger room but so much more expensive.)

PMC GB1is maybe. (Also sound great from my experience of a Naim company demo with their original Uniti and GB1is.) But they are now almost £1700.

I think the OP has got it about right with his own suggestions.

Yeah, when the GB1i series first introduced (approx 4 years ago) they were selling just shy of £1300. They have undergone a couple of hefty price hikes since then. Don't look too deeply into this, just an observation.

 

[Paul@HiFi-Lounge]

I've installed quite a few SuperUniti's and the Rega RS5's / RS7's are fantastic speakers to pair with the SuperUniti but for me the PMC 23's just edge the RS7's but the best combination that is a real winner, almost as if they were made to go together, the SuperUniti with PMC twenty.24, amazing soundstage, detail and above all pure musicality, a pairing that gets my vote everytime and they would work in the OP's room no problem

 

[CnoEvil]

I've installed quite a few SuperUniti's and the Rega RS5's / RS7's are fantastic speakers to pair with the SuperUniti but for me the PMC 23's just edge the RS7's but the best combination that is a real winner, almost as if they were made to go together, the SuperUniti with PMC twenty.24, amazing soundstage, detail and above all pure musicality, a pairing that gets my vote everytime and they would work in the OP's room no problem

Agreed.

The problem is the speakers that do justice to the amp and the room size, may not do the same for his wallet.

 

[chebby]

I've installed quite a few SuperUniti's and the Rega RS5's / RS7's are fantastic speakers to pair with the SuperUniti but for me the PMC 23's just edge the RS7's but the best combination that is a real winner, almost as if they were made to go together, the SuperUniti with PMC twenty.24, amazing soundstage, detail and above all pure musicality, a pairing that gets my vote everytime and they would work in the OP's room no problem

Agreed.

The problem is the speakers that do justice to the amp and the room size, may not do the same for his wallet.

Paul's a dealer. What else would you expect?

'Having a budget' is a meaningless concept to these guys.

 

[CnoEvil]

Paul's a dealer. What else would you expect? 'Budget' has no meaning to these guys.

I wasn't really intending to have a go, as sometimes budgets can become (very) flexible.....and when this happens, it's worth knowing what the possible dream combinations are.

I was hinting at the start of the thread that the "right" speakers might get expensive.

 

[chebby]

I wasn't really intending to have a go.

Nor was I.

Paul is just doing his job. He is a salesman. He has to test how far your resolve (and credit cards) will flex beyond what you say your budget is.

He will hear 'budget' as 'starting point' just like his builders probably did when converting and fitting out his Hifi Lounge

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi MoData

If you're happy to also consider used/discontinued speakers then Dynaudio's Focus 220 MK2 and KEF Reference Model 2.2's are also worth bearing in mind as i've found both models to pair well with the SuperUniti.

Btw, i just want to be clear that we don't deal with used components.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[gregvet]

Paul's a dealer. What else would you expect?

'Having a budget' is a meaningless concept to these guys.

I think thats really unfair Chebby. Theres a pair of PMC twenty.24's on ebay for £1995 'Buy It Now' currently, so you could no doubt get your friendly dealer's ex demo pair for less than that. Thats not a million miles from the budget suggested (although at no point has the OP actually given a fixed budget anyway as far as I can see).

In my experience the dealers on here want to advise you as to the best equipment to pair together, which admittedly may not always fit within budget or various other constraints that are of differeing importance to different people. In my opinion lots of people here expect the earth from unrealistic budgets, and it can often be much better to spend more once than get into a costly upgrade cycle.

Alternatively a more expensive new option can be a within budget second hand option. While the dealers on here would love us all to buy everything new from them, they are offering advice to people that in many cases they will never meet or sell anything to.

To effectively brand them all money grabbing bastards when they are simply offering advice based on first hand experience of lots of different speaker/amp/source combinations seems mean, even for you