My Personal Ariva Review

I thought I would post my reflections on my newly acquired Arivas, for what its worth.

And since they are no longer available new, and there seems to be little info out there regarding them. I went to a fair degree of detail.


Firstly, the rest of my gear is Naim 102 Pre / Naim 180 Power / Beresford external DAC playing FLAC files in Foobar2000.

Cables are Naim’s NACA5 speaker cable and SNAIC (between pre/power). Also using a Chord Crimson RCA-to-DIN I/C for the DAC.

The Ariva uses two 7” woofers, along with a ¾” Vifa sourced tweeter, all in separate sealed chambers. The cabinet itself is also a “sealed” design without any ports. They angled front is purported to reduce resonations within the speaker. As most Naim designed speakers, the Ariva has only one set of speaker terminals on the rear. No bi-wire or passive Bi-amp possibility. Which is fine by me. Also of note, the speaker’s cable terminals are not your typical “5-way” style. These will only accept bananas, and are spaced to accommodate Naim’s termination “plugs”, which I have on both ends of the cable.

My first impression when unpacking the speakers was that the build quality is superior, and it has a gorgeous subtle matte finish to the real Cherry veneer. Something I think we should be able to expect from a $2800 (new) speaker. Sure it is the missing 20 coat, lacquered “piano” gloss finish, not that I was expecting one. Though, I must admit it feels, sounds, and looks like I spent A LOT more.

Weighing in at about 35 lbs a piece, they seem heavy for their size, which is reassuring as usual. To decouple this weight from the floor, the Ariva sits on a provided MDF plinth/base with only three points of contact between the speaker and plinth. The plinth then has the typical 4 speaker spikes on the bottom, one on each corner, to decouple the plinth from the floor. A nice feature is the ability to adjust the height of two of the corners of the plinth from the top using an Allen wrench inserted into a hole, in order to level the base.

When plinths have been leveled and speakers dropped on top, the look is very striking, and fits my eye well. Of course the grilles are removable and I found I preferred this look to the “dressed” appearance. The Ariva’s above mentioned sloped front creates a nice modern, clean look. While at the same time, does not stray from “traditional” speaker design in so large a fashion as to put people off, or look gimmicky.


The sound…. Because this pair was a rarely used dealer demo, they are basically new. But since they have been demoed in-store periodically over the last 3 ½ years, I assumed they were somewhat broken in. In the last 20 hours of listening I have not heard much audible change, if any.

Upon listening to the first few tracks through the Ariva’s, the very first thing that struck me was how clean and detailed the treble was. It was not harsh or overly bright in the least. It was simply crisp, clean, and lifelike. Compared to other speakers Ive owned and demoed, it sounded as if some filter had been removed from the music. It fully demonstrated the proverbial “lifting of the blanket”, you read often in speaker reviews. The dynamics were in no way analytical but I would venture to say they are hyper-detailed. If a more rolled off treble suits you, this might not be the best fit for you.

The mid-range was a more “forward” than I am used to experiencing, but not in a negative fashion. Although this is most likely due to my previous Energy speakers in which the mids were extremely muffled and sounded as if they were originating from inside a tunnel. If you want a very warm, buttery, bloated mid-range that some prefer, this is not your speaker. The mids are very accurate and reflect exactly what the recording contains. I don’t listen to much solo vocal music, but I can imagine the Ariva’s would excel there. Horns for example, as found in combo jazz, sound very lifelike with a perfect, neutral timbre.

The bass is produced by two 7” woofers, of which only the middle is required to double duty in the mid-range region. The bottom woofer is relegated to pumping out only the very lows. I am not sure how the crossover is set, nor what kind of crossover the Ariva employs. But Naim states it is a 3-way speaker, although by description it appears to be like your typical 2 ½-way design. Perhaps the separate internal chambers makes it more of a 3-way design.

Regardless, down low in bass regions of the Ariva is where I have come to learn what is meant by, a “fast” speaker. The decay is lightning quick on bass notes. There is no residual echo, or boomy-ness of any kind, and is extremely tight.
This is not for lack of bass presence, as it is ALL there. The specifications state that the Ariva goes down to 30hz. Although I do not have anything to actually test this, it seems to go as low as they suggest. By far, this is the most realistic bass response I have heard from a speaker of this size. I would liken the experience to that of using an extremely accurate stand-mount reference monitor with a separate subwoofer.

Some might describe the presentation as “bass heavy” but for the wide variety of genres and styles of music I enjoy, the Ariva adapts perfectly. It does not create bass where it isn’t, nor does it sound as though someone has used equalization to increase lower frequencies. In my opinion, it simply plays what is there, and very well for that matter. I think those who would state there is too much bass, have never heard, or aren’t accustomed to, a very balanced full range speaker. I have found that moving them further away from the wall decreases the bass somewhat. Currently I have them about 12” from the rear wall.

As a pair, the Arivas throw out an extremely wide soundstage. The sound extends well past the speaker laterally, and is very cohesive overall. Except in extreme “stereo” moments, you don’t hear the individual units. I would describe it as a wall of sound. Although I am still playing with their placement, they seem to image fairly well, and the sweet spot is a little larger than I am used to. In so doing, they seem a little less finicky about placement than some other “high-end” speakers.

Musically speaking, they are of high-order. To all ears they present the music with both ease and high energy. Analogous to a high performance motorcycle or watching a top class athlete. While not fatiguing, they are very lively. Separation of instruments is where the Arivas really shine. I can “see” the music and how each instrument interrelates. While the Ariva may not be as synergistic as some speakers, this type of detail is my personal preference.

For example, I am now hearing very audible details in the recordings that were not present in the past. It is as if my entire music collection has been given a thorough cleaning. Mostly found in the areas of percussion, I am hearing more and more I never noticed in the past. Specifically, I was listening to a Steely Dan’s Aja and discovered some maracas that have been shaking in the background ever since the track was laid in the 70s. With my previous speakers, these subtleties were simply lost in the mix. Now with this tremendous separation of instruments, these details do not go unnoticed.

The Arivas, at least in combination with Naim electronics, are the most revealing speaker I have heard. Bad recordings sound as such, and anything sub par upstream will make itself evident. Although I have not used a Naim CD player with them yet, I expect to reap huge rewards when I do. My Beresford DAC is my only source at this point, and when playing FLAC files from a PC, I am extremely pleased. The overall sound is destined to only get better as I improve the source. This revealing nature of Naim’s speakers and electronics must be what drives the ”source-first” philosophy common amongst Naim owners. Something I didn’t understand until I heard the Arivas.

Lastly, there are only two slight shortcomings I have found with the Arivas in the context of my existing system. One of which is mentioned above. They are so revealing, they will dramatically expose any weak links. If you think Barry Diamente’s Led Zeppelin masters make the Jimmy Page remaster unlistenable. The Ariva is going to exacerbate the gap. Is the recording mastered too loudly? The Ariva will show you exactly where it is clipping. Specifically speaking, they have made recordings like The White Stripes “Icky Thump” unbearable. Unless you like things distorted and digitally clipped. But trust that the recordings always contained these elements. It is just that other speakers, and perhaps electronics, mask these negative aspects. I have read in the past about problems with the engineering and mastering of this album, but I couldn’t agree that I “heard” it. Now it is clearly evident. Personally speaking, this kind of accuracy is something I want. But some, especially those who perhaps listen to badly recorded music or MP3s etc, might find things sounding worse than before. A poor recording will not be made better in any fashion by them.

The other complaint is also very minor. The Arivas, and once again it could be the electronics as well, are a little “hissy”. Although not audible from any further than a few feet, it is a little more than I like to hear. Perhaps it is the 90db efficiency, or the NACA5 cable. I will tweak a few things as I live with them to see what can be done there. Then again, I have always had very sensitive ears, and can hear speaker hums and high frequencies no one else seems to. Of course some degree of speaker hiss always exists with any gear, but I expected less than is there.

In conclusion, I am completely floored by the sound of my system. I have only heard this sophistication in kits 10 times the price. If there is a brand that fits my ear, it is Naim. And the typical knock on Naim speakers, as being harsh and clinical, couldn’t be farther from the case with the Ariva. And for around $1300 to $1600 dollars second hand, they are surely a bang-for-buck product.