Speakers to go with the new 5 series?

1. They sounded much more in control at the top end - the Intros had a tendency to sound too aggressive, or even harsh, especially with cymbals. My wife summed it up excellently at the demo when she said the Credos sounded "more civilised".

2. Future-proofing. I know the "source first" gurus will shoot me for saying this but I reckon that buying the Credos straight off gives me more headroom for future upgrades. I like the philosophy of upgrading by "adding on", rather than by chucking out the old stuff and buying new - I can improve the electronics by adding power supplies, etc. without having to worry about trading in the speakers for many years. (This 2nd point might be more relevant in a small country - here in NZ the market for 2nd hand audio gear is much more restricted than it was in the UK.)

I've had the whole system for 2 weeks now and I'm thrilled to bits - I'm finding more and more on my CDs every time I listen to them.

Cheers,
Andy T.

A poll here would probably put me in the lead or close to it for source-first nazi and, given what you say, you've got my seal of approval on this one. There are 4 entry level speakers that I approve of and you've got a pair in the class. The only small hitch is that the other contenders are about half the price or less, but hey, once you get a serious source and pre-amp, it will all seem trivial. Enjoy your system and make sure you get a good stand right now so that none of your money is wasted.

Vuk.

The Naim speakers suit the Naim systems very well indeed, but they aren't the only speakers that work well in the context of a Naim system. Here are others that I consider to suit the 5 series:

Acoustic Energy AE109SE (£430?): Good value floorstander with a lot of punch, if not particularly accurate - needs space.

Acoustic Energy Aegis 3 (£350): Good value floorstander with punch. Again not particularly accurate, but fun. Doesn't need as much space as the 109.

Dynaudio Audience 40 (£400) and 50 (£577), Contour 1.1 (£785?). Small standmounters really suited to their own stands (£200). Fast and dynamic with great drive and presence. The Contours have to be the latest model, otherwise the Nait won't drive them.

Dynaudio Audience 60 (£729): Small floorstander, can go to within 8 inches of a wall. Fast and dynamic.

AVI NeutronIII (£500): If you need a small speaker, this is as small as it sensibly gets. Good little speaker, suited to Target Nu-Neutron stands (£160?), which have a bass lift to help that department.

Regards,
Frank.

Totem makes some fine small speakers, too, though they’re a little pricier and harder to find. ProAc’s are good speakers, especially the Response series, though I know this line can invite some vitriolic comments from other forum members.

Arie

quote:

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I can improve the electronics by adding power supplies, etc. without having to worry about trading in the speakers for many years. (This 2nd point might be more relevant in a small country - here in NZ the market for 2nd hand audio gear is much more restricted than it was in the UK.)

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Andy T
- in terms of your used market in NZ, do keep an eye out on Trade & Exchange (nearest equivalent of Loot), Saturday NZ Herald classifieds... and there's a shop in Welington which deals exclusively in pre-loved kit called WT Audio... you'd be surprised what you can buy/sell through Bill. Radio & TV classifieds in The Evening Post seems to have fallen off over the years. And of course, your friendly Naim dealer might help you find a home for your pre-loved items when you're upgrading - word of mouth is surprisingly effective.

Re your comment about Credos withstanding front-end upgrades for longer, I think fellow contributor Mr Boon might disagree, having much listening enjoyment from his Intro's right to the upper levels of the kit list, at last recollection. At any rate, enjoy!

Rico - musichead

Vuk, one question.... What are the other two speakers at half the price?

Tim Collins

[This message was edited by Tim C on SUNDAY 24 September 2000 at 16:33.]