Will SBL's Work ?

Posted by: Ade Archer on 04 April 2001

Hi All,
I have the opportunity to try out a pair of approx 1993 SBL's which apparently had a bass driver upgrade in about '97. They will probably cost in the region of £800 which seems reasonable, but I have a couple of questions.
Firstly,one dealer has told me 140's won't drive them properly, another said they'd be fine. I understand that they would sound better with better amps, but if I get them, I can't afford to change the amp yet.
Secondly, another dealer has said they won't work either side of a chimney breast, another said they work well almost anywhere without problems.
So who's right?
I would love Naim speakers (particularly a reasonably priced pair of SBL's) to work well in my room, but I have no reference to base my demo on as I haven't tried Naim speakers before.
I want a pair of speakers that will cope with all future upgrades ( I can't see me getting to 52/500's, but possibly anything below)
The room is about 14'x 12', the equipment is situated in an arch in the chimney breast on the longest wall, with speakers either side.

Cheers

Ade

Posted on: 12 April 2001 by Chris Bell

Ade,

Your 140 is due for a recap. You should hear significant improvements in the sound, but SBLs thrive on best electronics you can afford. Set-up is also critical--do a search on the forum for SBL set-up advice and make sure your entire system is properly set-up: ie, power supplies well away from other elecronics, no coiled wires, DINs are properly centered, ect... Also, any extra speakers in the room (phones, alarms, watch alarms, other speakers) will DESTROY the SBLs and make them go out-of-tune. Many times have I amazed people with the removal of these peskey transducers--its incredible how much damage they do to the sound--espically from a precision instrument like the SBL.

SBLs are one of the best speakers on earth, but they require a little extra TLC to shine.

Chris Bell
Naim speaker zealot.

PS: Listened to Revel Salons yesterday with $10,000.00 speaker cable and $50K worth of Mark Levinson gear. The sound was totally out-of-tune and boring! What a scam!

Posted on: 13 April 2001 by Martin Payne

Ade,

a re-cap on the 140 will be worthwhile. Same goes for the HiCap, if it's the same age.

Assume that the service on the 140 might cost as much as £100. Assume it might cost £20-£30 to ship it to Naim and a bit less on the way back (they get a bulk discount).

Would that £150 be better put towards a 250?

I know that the 140's resale value will be improved, but not by £150.

One complication - if the HiCap also needs a service you might find that the combined cost of shipping two items backwards and forwards is less than twice that for one item. FYI, it's generally cheaper if you tape the two boxes together to make one larger/heavier package than a consignment of two smaller ones.

cheers, Martin

Posted on: 13 April 2001 by Ade Archer

that Naim stuff never sounds at it's best from cold.
This afternoon I've spent a more than usual listening to music, as the system seems to have suddenly taken on a new life. Music has more depth, crisper treble and richer bass,and generally more life.
Now, there's no mention in the setup instructions about having to wait until the sealant has set, but I have been wondering why the SBL's sound much better today, and wondered if they do need to settle in before sounding their best.
I expected that because they were 2nd hand, they would be run-in etc, and would sound right straight away, but this clearly does not seem to be the case.
Anyone had similar experiences?

Cheers
Ade

Posted on: 13 April 2001 by Steve Hall

I've been advised not to play loud volumes for 24-48 hours until after the gunk has been applied.

Other than that........