Speakers to go with a new Naim system

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

Appreciate some advice - following this month's single brand hifi system review in WHF magazine I am going to get myself a Naim CD5X coupled with a Nait XS amp. I had already identified it as my favourite at that price band and just needed some reassurance!

I have a small dedicated listening room and I was a bit worried about the suggested floorstander speakers overpowering the place (It is about 3m x 3.8m with a low 2m ceiling).

I play a wide range of music from electro pop, rock, acoustic to symphonic & opera, not too much thrash metal though!

PMC TB2i's have been highly recommended to me by my dealer and I wondered what else I should put on my shortlist for audition. I think I can go up to 2k for the speakers.

If I got the PMCs then I would probably blow the remainder on the power supply for the Naim gear (or would I get better results from going for the CD2X? Or maybe even the NAC122x/NAP150x pre/power combo?)

Thanks for all your kind answers...

 

[batonwielder]

Before you take the plunge, I would suggest that you go and listen to as much gear as possible.

System shootouts and reviews in WHF are all interesting and fun to read, but there's absolutely no substitute for listening in person.

Last year, I was determined to buy Rega/Naim gear, just because of their rave reviews in a variety of magazines. Even when I heard them in person and auditioned at home I had already convinced myself that they were what I wanted to buy.

However, when I started to listen to a wide range of equipments just so I can feel good about my choice I realized that there were so many great sounding systems that were able to do more of what I like and at a much cheaper price.

After going through mostly the best reviewed pieces, what I ended up with was a surprise even to myself and I couldn't be happier.

I'm still in need of better cable, but to think of how much better it would get with each successive upgrade!

Based on the kind of music you like I can recommend the following:

Exposure 3010S - similar to Naim but with good soundstage

Roksan Kandy K2 - very clean and smooth

ATC SCM11 - as neutral as it gets

Proac Response D2 - images like no other

Hope this helps.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Hi madripunch

That is a fairly small room, so choose your speakers carefully, and if you do audition some, see if you can find a similar sized room to try them in. I am quite familiar with your size room, not too dissimilar to my AV room.

Don't worry about the Naim power supplies - yes they will improve things, but they can be added at a later date for an easy upgrade.

Most of the speakers at your price point are going to produce a fair amount of bass, so getting the best system you can to control it will be a good idea. The last thing you need is an amplifier that isn't doing it's job properly, giving you lots of flabby bass that your room isn't going to like. You may be better off going for a good standmount speaker which will usually suit smaller rooms.

We have plenty of speakers at or around that price point, so I'll mention these options and how well they may suit your situation:

The ATC SCM40's are good for smaller rooms as they're a sealed cabinet and work very well close to a rear wall, but they do need something like their own integrated amplifier to begin to get the best from them - they're a very different beast with the SIA2-150 when compared to other, cheaper amplifiers. But they are quite neutral, so you're not swamped with over exaggerated bass, which many manufacturers try to achieve. As an alternative, try their standmount SCM19's, which will ease up a little on the depth.

B&W, Dynaudio, Monitor Audio, and PMC tend to produce quite a bit of bass, even their standmount speakers, so if you do audition them, do it carefully as they usually need of plenty of room to breathe.

KEF XQ30's are quite a compact floorstander, and due to KEF's leaner presentation and the fact they're front ported, make them very room friendly. Their UniQ driver arrangement give them a sound all of their own, and they tend to dig out the mixed up layers of compressed music better than many at a similar price. Great midrange. The bigger XQ40's can also be considered.

Spendor A5's and A6's work quite well in smaller rooms even though they're rear ported - their slot port arrangement doesn't seem to be as sensitive as other manufacturer's more conventional round ports. Quite smooth speakers when compared to anything else, especially the A5's, so an audition is a must to make sure they're lively enough for you. Their SA1's are also an option, but you'd need to try them to see if they're gutsy enough for your room - they have a nice bass for a small standmount, but it's not the deepest or most potent at the price.

While ProAc's floorstanders need a little room to get the best from them, the Response D2's are a little less fussy. Their front port helps positioning, and they're livelier and punchier than the little Spendors, if that suits you, but then again, they are a bit bigger.

The Naim pre/power will drive all of the above mentioned speakers, as we've sold most Naim 152xs/155xs (and previously the 122x155x combo) with most of these speakers. The addition of the Flatcap XS later on tidies things up a little more and opens things out.

Regards

David

 

[Anonymous]

id look at vienna acoustics sonus faber totem and paradigm to that list plus the old naim favourites of neat

you might want also to consider wilson benesch but they werent my cup of tea when i heard them

might be worth asking on the naim forum too

 

[Minigill]

Neat Motive 2. I have a small room ! CD5XS, 152/155. Match made in heaven !

 

[isaacsdad]

Hi Madridpunch,

i use a Cyrus CD transport, Dac and psx-r with Naim amplification 200/282 napsc and hi-cap for me it's Wilson Benesch all the way (arc's )but did really enjoy the Proacs at audition go and try to have a listen and enjoy ( best tip, listen at your own volume, they always want you to demo louder than you could listen at home,and it will sound more impressive.

sam

 

[plastic penguin]

madridpunch:

Hi all,

Appreciate some advice - following this month's single brand hifi system review in WHF magazine I am going to get myself a Naim CD5X coupled with a Nait XS amp. I had already identified it as my favourite at that price band and just needed some reassurance!

I have a small dedicated listening room and I was a bit worried about the suggested floorstander speakers overpowering the place (It is about 3m x 3.8m with a low 2m ceiling).

I play a wide range of music from electro pop, rock, acoustic to symphonic & opera, not too much thrash metal though!

PMC TB2i's have been highly recommended to me by my dealer and I wondered what else I should put on my shortlist for audition. I think I can go up to 2k for the speakers.

If I got the PMCs then I would probably blow the remainder on the power supply for the Naim gear (or would I get better results from going for the CD2X? Or maybe even the NAC122x/NAP150x pre/power combo?)

Thanks for all your kind answers...

For your size of room I'd suggest standmouted speakers. PMC DB1's match really well with Naim, as does Neat. With your budget, I would advise an audition and find a dealer that stocks Neat Momentum 3i.

Please audition before deciding, hi-fi is NOT an exact science.

 

[Frank Harvey]

plastic penguin:Please audition before deciding, hi-fi is NOT an exact science.

Agreed there.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I had already decided on the Naim gear after extensive auditioning - but I appreciate your advice about trying everything. Hopefully i will find a dealer who will let me audition the speakers at home.

I had been looking at the PMCs vs the Neat Momentums - you have given me some good options to spread that search a bit further. I think that standmounts are the way to go given the size of the room, so something with a nice controlled bass that doesn't mind being relatively close to the walls.

Do you think that 1K on speakers and the power supply is better than 2k on speakers? (Obviously, I will try both options)

Thanks again

David

 

[Anonymous]

id go for the £2k on speakers only

power supply benefits are quite marginal when compared to those better speakers will give you