Upgrading speakers and amp for around 1300 pounds. Any suggestions?

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I am going to upgrade my amp and speakers this winter and I am leaning towards Naim Nait 5i. I live in Iceland and we have a very poor selection of Hi-fi. Therefore, I will probably invest in an amp when I visit London in December (without testing it).

The listening space is around 20m2 (around 4X5 meters), with wooden floors. I listen to indie rock/pop, jazz and rock, pop, psychadelia from the 60s-70s.

I have been in contact with Audiovenue in London and they suggested that I paired the Nait 5i with B&W CM1. Do you have any other suggestions? I am not stuck on the Nait 5i. I have also considered Roksan Kandy and Rotel 1520.

I have alos been thinking about buying the EB Acoustics eb1, but the sales agent at Audio Venue told me that pairing might result in to bright sound. What do you think?

Also, if I buy the speakers in store, I might be available to get the VAT back (something that is not possible with regards to eb1).

My budget is around 1200-1300 pound.

My current source is Pro-ject Debut III and a NAD cd player, which I will hopefully upgrade next year.

Look forward to hearing your suggestions,

Tjörvi
 

JamesOK

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May 24, 2008
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tjorvi:
I am going to upgrade my amp and speakers this winter and I am leaning towards Naim Nait 5i. I live in Iceland and we have a very poor selection of Hi-fi. Therefore, I will probably invest in an amp when I visit London in December (without testing it).

The listening space is around 20m2 (around 4X5 meters), with wooden floors. I listen to indie rock/pop, jazz and rock, pop, psychadelia from the 60s-70s.

I have been in contact with Audiovenue in London and they suggested that I paired the Nait 5i with B&W CM1. Do you have any other suggestions? I am not stuck on the Nait 5i. I have also considered Roksan Kandy and Rotel 1520.

I have alos been thinking about buying the EB Acoustics eb1, but the sales agent at Audio Venue told me that pairing might result in to bright sound. What do you think?

Also, if I buy the speakers in store, I might be available to get the VAT back (something that is not possible with regards to eb1).

My budget is around 1200-1300 pound.

My current source is Pro-ject Debut III and a NAD cd player, which I will hopefully upgrade next year.

Look forward to hearing your suggestions,

Tj”rvi

Hi Tjorvi - its been said many times before, but the Nait 5i pairs well with Neat Motive 2. If your coming to London why not get in touch with Audio T or Sevenoaks Sound and Vision (although theyre different shops theyre now the same company) and arrange a test of a few different amps and speaker combos?
 
A

Anonymous

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Thanks.

I have contacted several dealers in London and hopefully I can listen to a few combinations. But since I am not sure if I will have time to do so, I might have to take an "educated guess".

The Neat Motive to are a bit out of my price range, as I am looking into spending max 500 on speakers (preferably bookshelf/stand mounters).
 
Hi tjorvi

James is right about the Neat/Naim combo. If that's over your budget than Epos M12s would be a great match also. Again, I would advise you listen before parting with any money, especially as you're not UK based. I know some Sevenoaks used to sell Epos, but since merging with Audio-T, I'm unsure if their branding has changed.

Epos retail at around £600 new and £450-£500 ex-dem/s/hand.
 

JamesOK

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May 24, 2008
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tjorvi:
Thanks.

I have contacted several dealers in London and hopefully I can listen to a few combinations. But since I am not sure if I will have time to do so, I might have to take an "educated guess".

The Neat Motive to are a bit out of my price range, as I am looking into spending max 500 on speakers (preferably bookshelf/stand mounters).

PP has some good advice above. Also what about demoing some different kit, then potentially buying your amp from the dealer and looking to ebay for some speakers? Or vice versa?
 
JamesOK:tjorvi:

Thanks.

I have contacted several dealers in London and hopefully I can listen to a few combinations. But since I am not sure if I will have time to do so, I might have to take an "educated guess".

The Neat Motive to are a bit out of my price range, as I am looking into spending max 500 on speakers (preferably bookshelf/stand mounters).

PP has some good advice above. Also what about demoing some different kit, then potentially buying your amp from the dealer and looking to ebay for some speakers? Or vice versa?

Quite - if the OP is determined buy Naim then Audio-T used to be authorised dealers, but not sure what influence the merger has had...personally, I'd be looking at Creek Evo II partnered with either Epos or Monitor Audio speakers.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks for the advise.

I am not stuck on the Nait amp and will definitely try to audition a few amps while in London. My biggest headache though are the speakers. I am really interested in the EB Acoustics Eb1, which will cost me around 530 pound delivered to Iceland. If I buy a pair in London I will get the VAT and don't have to pay shipping cost. This means that for 530 pounds I can get speakers worth appr. 650 pounds. Moreover, if I buy the speakers and the amp at the same place I can definitely get a better price.

If I can cut a good deal with the dealer, I might be looking at speakers in the 700-900 pound bracket. I already have an offer for Nait 5i and PCM DB1i, which only costs me little bit more than the Nait 5i and EB1 combo. But given all the praise heaped upon the Eb1, I am wondering if they are
worth it?
 
A

Anonymous

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cyrus work well and easily accessible with plenty of choice and combinations. Monitor audio might be bit bright depending upon combination, but maybe B&W CM stuff?
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
Demoing properly is ESSENTIAL. I would advise against an 'educated guess'. The differences between different brands and models at this price point can be vast. How will you know which suits YOU the best unless you listen?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I know I have to demo and I will try to find as much time as possible to do so. But as I don't foresee being able to spend more than 4 hours auditioning (I am only in London for 4 days on another business), I have to have the choices narrowed down and lined up beforehand. I wish I could spend more time demoing and listening the equipment than I do reading reviews and advise. But as I live in Iceland, where the selection is very limited to say the least, I have to count on "guesswork" to some extent and try the best I can to narrow things down to 3-4 combination's of speakers and amps.

Therefore, before reaching my decision I will have to do some research and listen to advise from individuals who are more experienced than me in this field. Then I can hopefully use that advise to reach a decision of my own.

I have already been in contact with several dealers and will for example line up a demo with Naim Nait 5i and Neat Motive, as suggested above (albeit Motive 3, not 2). I am also interested in trying the Cyrus and Roksan Kandy 2k and some set of speakers.

So I am very open to any suggestions :)
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
You should also listen to some Arcam gear which would offer you a different presentation. You might love it, you might hate it, but unless you try it you will never know. It pairs very well with B&W speakers.
 

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