System to stream

[Leeps]

Taking your room and principal source (Tidal) into account, how about a Naim Atom plus any of these;

Neat Iota Alpha

Neat Motive (even the largest floorstander is pretty diminutive, but you might be better off with the standmounter) - I love the Neat Motives open and natural sound.

Harbeth P3ESR

Spendor Classic 3/5

As for ANY streaming system I would veer towards manufacturers that have a good record of supporting their apps in the long term. For Naim and Linn they both view streaming as a core of what they do. For others it can be an afterthought. It doesn't matter how epic a system sounds, if the app constantly crashes or is buggy and slow, you will soon lose patience with it. I have heard less than favourable reports about the KEF LS50W's software, although I can't personally verify this. So if the KEFs were on your shortlist, check the app thoroughly first.

So I'd really recommend viewing the testing of any streaming software / app as an equally important aspect of any demo.

leeps

thanks for your views,

have you any listened to the linn majik dsm, if so is it comparable to the naim atom and how

do you think it would pair up with the small harbeth speakers and for that matter the small

neat floorstanders you mentioned

I haven't heard the Atom, but have heard others in Naim's Uniti range. Personally I find the sound a little shouty, although I do love the tight bass (of the Superuniti). But as the balance is a little forward, I would tend to pair it with more naturally biased speakers and your room size, IMO, would suit more diminutive speakers, hence the list of speakers I mentioned.

Are your speakers firing across the shorter dimension in your room? If so, bass build up at the back of the room can be an issue (it is in mine - the acoustics of my room are horrendous, so it's always a case of limiting losses in my room). If they're firing down the longer dimension, then room bass nodes might be less unhelpful.

Also how reflective are your room surfaces? If you clap in the room, can you easily hear an echo? Again if the answer is yes, then you really are best steering away from speakers that go low enough to create bass problems you'll end up having to solve with room treatment. Better to avoid it altogether by choosing speakers that roll off at a higher frequency.

But anyway, the suggested matches above were purely based on my own preferences. Although I like the timing of Naim, I personally find their sound a little too forward and unnatural, but with the right speakers, this could be tamed into something quite likeable...FOR ME. So as always whether you're spending lots or little the best advice any of us can give you is demo demo demo as much as you can. You'll know what you like, just be aware of the potential limitations of your room in the equation.

First choose the best speakers for you room. Then choose the amplification that best suits those particular speakers, then choose the source that best complements what you've already chosen.

BTW, don't know Linn's sound I'm afraid.

 

[Leeps]

PS, when you demo, please do report your findings. They'll be of interest to many here.

 

[CnoEvil]

BTW, don't know Linn's sound I'm afraid.

Well, it's not shouty....and I agree with your assessment, which is much the same as mine (regarding Naim). I feel like I've been slapped across the face with the music, which works for a while.

 

[nopiano]

BTW, don't know Linn's sound I'm afraid.

Well, it's not shouty....and I agree with your assessment, which is much the same as mine (regarding Naim). I feel like I've been slapped across the face with the music, which works for a while.

Cno has said what I was going to write in support of Leeps' description, as succinct a summary as you'll get. I prefer neutral amplifiers, but Naim can be very enjoyable. I tend to prefer their most modest and top ranges, the stuff in between I find less appealing for the significant cost.