Top notch standmounts

[John Duncan]

Looking for a new pair of speakers which must be a) standmounts and b) titchy. They'll be on the end of a Uniti for now, but they could end up on the end of anything at all, since the Naim is an impermanent fixture. Quite happy to build things around a speaker though. There are obvious candidates, some of which I've owned before in various guises, such as the DB1 and Neutron V, but no idea about synergy, and am keen to explore other possibilities, not least because the DB1 seems stupidly expensive now, and the AVI will presumably reject the Naim like an organ transplant just on principle. Neat Motive 3 would seem an obvious choice but am wary of a metal tweeter. The EB1 seems to punch above its weight and is beautifully made. I'll definitely investigate the Proac Tablette Reference 8 Signature, which I coveted for a long time and now feels like very good value against its peers. There's a pair of Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grands in the office as well which look gawgeous. Any other suggestions? I have no budget in mind (though 1500 notes would be pushing it), just want a keeper.

 

[Anonymous]

Naim and Spendor allegedly go well together. I'll shut up now...

 

[JoelSim]

Diapason Karis. Ex demo pair at UKD available I think. Lovely speakers, beautiful finish, titchy.

 

[chebby]

Leema Xero. (£449 at Sevenoaks whilst stocks last.)

Or...

Harbeth P3ESR unless 306 x 189 x 202 mm (including grille and terminals) is too big.

These will take you quite close to your limit at about £1350, but you won't need fancy stands or cables (according to the designer) and they don't demand expensive audiophile amplification either. (Again, according to Alan Shaw.)

K.J West in London is probably your nearest place to listen. (It was where I had a demo arranged until circumstances ate my upgrade money.)

 

[JoelSim]

Or give Richard at Audiologica a call, I got my ProAcs and Dalis from him.

 

[Craig M.]

what about that little audiosmile ones 'the record spot' sometimes mentions, kensai or something?

 

[plastic penguin]

JohnDuncan:Looking for a new pair of speakers which must be a) standmounts and b) titchy. They'll be on the end of a Uniti for now, but they could end up on the end of anything at all, since the Naim is an impermanent fixture. Quite happy to build things around a speaker though. There are obvious candidates, some of which I've owned before in various guises, such as the DB1 and Neutron V, but no idea about synergy, and am keen to explore other possibilities, not least because the DB1 seems stupidly expensive now, and the AVI will presumably reject the Naim like an organ transplant just on principle. Neat Motive 3 would seem an obvious choice but am wary of a metal tweeter. The EB1 seems to punch above its weight and is beautifully made. I'll definitely investigate the Proac Tablette Reference 8 Signature, which I coveted for a long time and now feels like very good value against its peers. There's a pair of Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grands in the office as well which look gawgeous. Any other suggestions? I have no budget in mind (though 1500 notes would be pushing it), just want a keeper.

PMC is superb with Naim. Also the Usher S520 are worth a listen.

 

[Anonymous]

So, that leaves ATC, probably the SCM7, and you have them all...

...so a trip to some dealers then...

 

[the record spot]

Probably hard to find now, but a couple of years back, Quadral's Pico at £650 or so was very well rated by Hi Fi World - the best they'd heard at the price which is no small claim. And for something nearer the max budget, you might be lucky and find a pair of Audiosmile Kensais for that money. They're around £2k new, but again enjoy some good print from Hi Fi World. I think one of their guys hangs round the HDD Audio Forum, sadly, can't quite recall his username alas. Both fit the bill in terms of "small".

Depending on how you go, the Mission 751 might be worth a look - £300 in its day, very revealing and detailed but great musical all-round abilities. Typically £100-150 secondhand.

 

[AL13N]

How about the Arcaydis SM35C? Only 17cm deep and with a rating of 8ohms/70Watts should be driven well with the Uniti's 50 Watts.

 

[JoelSim]

Neat Petite

 

[chebby]

igglebert:So, that leaves ATC, probably the SCM7, and you have them all...

...so a trip to some dealers then...

Don't mention ATC or we'll have the 'squad' in here arguing John into SCM19s and SCM40s.... and then bigger amps....and then John will say he wants small speakers..... but they'll ignore him and then they will argue about whether 500 watts is really enough to drive those freaky awesome magnets (that weigh more than a skip full of puny DB1is).... unless they are those crazy pumped up 2/3rds Class A watts that only ATC amplifiers can make.... etc.

David Frankenharvey and Derby Rickicraft will be wrestling on the floor and hitting each other with bits of half-timbered Tudor building and empty QBD76 casings and there'll be tears and moderators before the cocoa and biscuits.

 

[Anonymous]

Great post, Chebby lol

Edit, I have nothing against David nor Rick and enjoy their input.

 

[John Duncan]

Biscuits, you say?

 

[JoelSim]

Why don't you upsize JD. A pair of huge floorstanders and my Maestro Settanta amp perhaps?

 

[Anonymous]

Nobs, Hobnobs no less.

 

[chebby]

JohnDuncan:Biscuits, you say?

Coco Pops are nice at this time of night.

 

[plastic penguin]

JoelSim:Why don't you upsize JD. A pair of huge floorstanders and my Maestro Settanta amp perhaps?

Don't mention upsizing, Joel. He'll be dusting off his measuring stick before you can say hi-fi...

 

[Bodfish]

JohnDuncan:Looking for a new pair of speakers which must be a) standmounts and b) titchy. They'll be on the end of a Uniti for now, but they could end up on the end of anything at all, since the Naim is an impermanent fixture. Quite happy to build things around a speaker though. There are obvious candidates, some of which I've owned before in various guises, such as the DB1 and Neutron V, but no idea about synergy, and am keen to explore other possibilities, not least because the DB1 seems stupidly expensive now, and the AVI will presumably reject the Naim like an organ transplant just on principle. Neat Motive 3 would seem an obvious choice but am wary of a metal tweeter. The EB1 seems to punch above its weight and is beautifully made. I'll definitely investigate the Proac Tablette Reference 8 Signature, which I coveted for a long time and now feels like very good value against its peers. There's a pair of Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grands in the office as well which look gawgeous. Any other suggestions? I have no budget in mind (though 1500 notes would be pushing it), just want a keeper.

Another vote for the Harbeth P3ESR - easily the best (but certainly not the most expensive!) speaker I have ever owned. They definately fall into the 'keeper' category in my view and as Chebby mentioned, they are deliberately designed to perform at their best with any piece of 'competently' designed kit.

 

[John Duncan]

JoelSim:Why don't you upsize JD. A pair of huge floorstanders and my Maestro Settanta amp perhaps?

Let me think about that for a s.....no.

 

[crusaderlord]

Chebby - your post also made me chuckle.

There is indeed an inevitability that any standmount speaker forum post will end up with an ATC appreciation society hi-jack.

John - i had a really good demo listen to PMC DB1i, Proac Signature 8, Neat Motive 3, Proac 1SC, Spendor SA1, Epos M5 and i ended up selecting the Neats.

However they are all great speakers that do different things better which means it needs a selective listen really. If i were buying now it would definately be the Neat Petite SX (although the Motives are marginally smaller) or the Spendor SA1 if you like your midrange.

 

[plastic penguin]

crusaderlord:Chebby - your post also made me chuckle. There is indeed an inevitability that any standmount speaker forum post will end up with an ATC appreciation society hi-jack. John - i had a really good demo listen to PMC DB1i, Proac Signature 8, Neat Motive 3, Proac 1SC, Spendor SA1, Epos M5 and i ended up selecting the Neats. However they are all great speakers that do different things better which means it needs a selective listen really. If i were buying now it would definately be the Neat Petite SX (although the Motives are marginally smaller) or the Spendor SA1 if you like your midrange.

Wouldn't the metal dome tweeter of the Neats provoke the Naim's top-end slightly? When I heard the SA-1 with the XS a little while ago it sounded really good but something didn't sit comfortably with the sound, although couldn't put my finger on what. TBH it was a brief affair, so maybe I didn't have enough time ajust to the sound.

 

[chebby]

plastic penguin:Wouldn't the metal dome tweeter of the Neats provoke the Naim's top-end slightly?

Doesn't seem to have stopped Neat & Naim being one of the most recommended combinations (by users and reviewers alike.)

 

[John Duncan]

Yes, which is why I think it's a combo worth hearing, despite my warydom.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Y'see, had we had this conversation before I sent back the Petite SXs I've recently reviewed for Gramophone...