MENISCUS:
Glad you like your SA1s, I was thinking about demoing some myself and wondered whether they would suit my Supernait, I have B&W CM1s at present they are good but can be a bit boomy even with rear firing ports muffled because of room I have to place them near a wall and thought that the Spendors being enclosed might be better.
Any thoughts ...............
I used to have MA RS1s but they just sounded boomy and bright in my room (or anywhere?) I went speaker shopping to find something small and more balanced that would be enhanced by a decent sub in the future. I started with the Proac Tab Sig Ref 8 (gasp) but found that in the heavily damped demo room they were quite bright (perhaps I was being paranoid at this point!). I moved on to the SA1s upon recommendation from the dealer to find a well balanced presentation with bags of detail and a midrange unusually realistic for the price point. In open space they sounded stronger is bass than the Proacs despite being rated to 75Hz@3dB. The Proacs are designed for near wall placement to get the balance they're credited so highly for (they are teeny, bless 'em).
In terms of placement the SA1s are a dream. Put them anywhere and they'll sound good. I have mine quite close together across a room corner and the balance is superb. There's no boom, excellent separation and focus, and the low sensitivity of circa 80dB doesn't present me with any issues at all. They sound very good at low volumes and don't lose composure when blaring out at high volumes. All qualities you'd expect for the £1.1k price tag.
I appreciate that their balance isn't for everyone. They certainly don't sound lean or thin but they don't go low like others such as the PMC DB1. The bass you get is very controlled, fast and well defined but isn't going to give you the entire musical picture.
I'm very curious about matching them with a Naim amp. The SA1s are very fast and might play up to the PRaT sound, but I'd only be inclined to try this if I didn't have a room full of reflective surfaces!
I'd heartily recommend an audition, and if you have a small to medium sized room with a sub then you'll end up with quite a captivating presentation. I can't get enough of them