IBL's
Posted by: Andrew L. Weekes on 11 July 2002
Went to my dealer today to collect my serviced LP12 c/w new Klyde and somehow ended up with a pair of Naim IBL's in the back of the car to play with!
A quick clean (you think Mana's a dustrap?) and removal of the various, once living, things nesting in the stand base and I introduced them to my 150, relegating my Kans to the kitchen, temporarily.
These things are bloody great and I don't think they'll be going back, but I'd be grateful for hints and tips from the forum learned on ways to get the best from them.
I only did a quick dem plonking them on wobbly carpet, but it's obvious to me they leave the Kans for dead in every area. A very different tonal balance but it's plain to me now just how coloured Kans are.
The paint / powder coat finish on the base is a bit poor, and there's signs of rust under the finish in places, but nothing some serious elbow grease and a tin of spray paint will not cure.
Thanks in a advance for any advice.
A.
A quick clean (you think Mana's a dustrap?) and removal of the various, once living, things nesting in the stand base and I introduced them to my 150, relegating my Kans to the kitchen, temporarily.
These things are bloody great and I don't think they'll be going back, but I'd be grateful for hints and tips from the forum learned on ways to get the best from them.
I only did a quick dem plonking them on wobbly carpet, but it's obvious to me they leave the Kans for dead in every area. A very different tonal balance but it's plain to me now just how coloured Kans are.
The paint / powder coat finish on the base is a bit poor, and there's signs of rust under the finish in places, but nothing some serious elbow grease and a tin of spray paint will not cure.
Thanks in a advance for any advice.
A.
There's plenty of bottom end there for my small room - in fact it's just about everything I've ever wanted in a speaker.
Small, unobtrusive (and I take back my previous comments about appearance of the foam grilles, they actually look OK in room, once seated properly) and a bit more bass extension than the Kans, but even faster and more tuneful. The difference in midrange clarity is stunning - difficult to follow lyrics are a doddle now.
I've been put off buying a pair because of comments relating to having anything between them, and I, by necessity, have a TV (sans speakers) and a rack of kit between mine.
The soundstage is still better than Kans, and since I couldn't really give a stuff about imaging they seem to be fine with all the clutter between them.
Any more bass and the neighbours will be banging on the wall
One thing I noticed last night, after removing the crossover box for inspection, is that both sets of 4mm input sockets had dry joints to the crossover PCB as a result of the cable stresses placed on them.
A quick clean and resolder and they are as good as new - worth a look though if you have an old pair. Make sure when resoldering the sockets are nicely centred within the holes in the crossover cover, and that they are fully pressed home into the PCB - a spare Naim speaker plug is perfect for maintaing the spacing / positioning accurately.
A.
Small, unobtrusive (and I take back my previous comments about appearance of the foam grilles, they actually look OK in room, once seated properly) and a bit more bass extension than the Kans, but even faster and more tuneful. The difference in midrange clarity is stunning - difficult to follow lyrics are a doddle now.
I've been put off buying a pair because of comments relating to having anything between them, and I, by necessity, have a TV (sans speakers) and a rack of kit between mine.
The soundstage is still better than Kans, and since I couldn't really give a stuff about imaging they seem to be fine with all the clutter between them.
Any more bass and the neighbours will be banging on the wall
One thing I noticed last night, after removing the crossover box for inspection, is that both sets of 4mm input sockets had dry joints to the crossover PCB as a result of the cable stresses placed on them.
A quick clean and resolder and they are as good as new - worth a look though if you have an old pair. Make sure when resoldering the sockets are nicely centred within the holes in the crossover cover, and that they are fully pressed home into the PCB - a spare Naim speaker plug is perfect for maintaing the spacing / positioning accurately.
A.
They certainly don't have the bottom end weight of the doublet, not surprisingly, and are definitely much faster.
I suspect that the treble end of the Royds still has the edge too, they have some of the best treble I've ever heard, although the IBL's are a big leap from standard Linn Kan tweeters.
You may miss a bit of bass weight, but in terms of communicative abilities I've heard little better.
This could be the start of a happy long-term relationship, and it all came about because of a chance conversation I had bemoaning the lack of boundary placement 'speakers that are domestically acceptable to me.
My dealer has this uncanny knack for saying 'I know just what you need!'. The only negative effect is on my bank balance
A.
I suspect that the treble end of the Royds still has the edge too, they have some of the best treble I've ever heard, although the IBL's are a big leap from standard Linn Kan tweeters.
You may miss a bit of bass weight, but in terms of communicative abilities I've heard little better.
This could be the start of a happy long-term relationship, and it all came about because of a chance conversation I had bemoaning the lack of boundary placement 'speakers that are domestically acceptable to me.
My dealer has this uncanny knack for saying 'I know just what you need!'. The only negative effect is on my bank balance
A.
Congrats & welcome to the club!
Bob
(active member!)
Bob
(active member!)
Here's the lovely pair that sold on Ebay recently
P
P
aren't they?
P
P
Damn.
Kind of wish I'd bought the buggers now!
P
sorry for the dodgy quality...
[This message was edited by John Sheridan on WEDNESDAY 17 July 2002 at 09:38.]
[This message was edited by John Sheridan on WEDNESDAY 17 July 2002 at 09:38.]
My dealer is Geoff Matthews @ Soundcraft in Ashford, Kent.
It's not my closest dealer, but I've always been very well looked after there, and have had bad experiences elsewhere.
The Klyde is a genuine Linn rebuild and is every bit as good as my original one, which lasted 5 years of regular use. Not cheap, but I got guaranteed performance and a lot less aggro.
I'm now broke, but have a good excuse for not leaving the house
A.
It's not my closest dealer, but I've always been very well looked after there, and have had bad experiences elsewhere.
The Klyde is a genuine Linn rebuild and is every bit as good as my original one, which lasted 5 years of regular use. Not cheap, but I got guaranteed performance and a lot less aggro.
I'm now broke, but have a good excuse for not leaving the house
A.
I had a very detailed chat with Geoff when I collected my LP12 - we were there 'til almost 8.30 in the evening!
The biggest problem for any HiFi dealer is they have to add VAT to anything they sell - they are not afforded the dispensation of s/h car dealers.
This automatically adds 17.5% to the cost, and if the items were bought from the dealer he will usually try and give a good price part-ex. so dealer s/h prices do often get expensive. One obviously gets good backup and support but at a price.
Trying to sell items privately isn't a good idea for someone in that position either, it's a very difficult situation.
It's a bigger problem with older gear. Take a 42 preamp for example - a fine addition to any starter system, but it needs either a Naim amp to power it (not cheap) or a Naim PSU (not cheap). The ancillaries can easily exceed the cost of the preamp by a vast amount. Add to this the fact that any clued-up Naim lover would not accept anything less than a Naim service on older gear (not cheap) it starts to look quite uneconomic for the older kit. Even a DIY service isn't a cheap option, when labour and parts are accounted for.
It's such a shame as they are all perfectly useable bits of kit, that would bring a lot of pleasure.
I wonder if they'd work from a wall-wart
A.
The biggest problem for any HiFi dealer is they have to add VAT to anything they sell - they are not afforded the dispensation of s/h car dealers.
This automatically adds 17.5% to the cost, and if the items were bought from the dealer he will usually try and give a good price part-ex. so dealer s/h prices do often get expensive. One obviously gets good backup and support but at a price.
Trying to sell items privately isn't a good idea for someone in that position either, it's a very difficult situation.
It's a bigger problem with older gear. Take a 42 preamp for example - a fine addition to any starter system, but it needs either a Naim amp to power it (not cheap) or a Naim PSU (not cheap). The ancillaries can easily exceed the cost of the preamp by a vast amount. Add to this the fact that any clued-up Naim lover would not accept anything less than a Naim service on older gear (not cheap) it starts to look quite uneconomic for the older kit. Even a DIY service isn't a cheap option, when labour and parts are accounted for.
It's such a shame as they are all perfectly useable bits of kit, that would bring a lot of pleasure.
I wonder if they'd work from a wall-wart
A.