How many pairs of SL2s were made?

Sorry to confuse you Mario - the top box, holding the tweeter and mid-range driver, rests on the metal pads; there are upward-pointing spikes on a metal frame that supports this. The bass driver box rests on the lower box and is sealed to it with the silicone.

Here's a previous topic on DBL Installation you might find helpful - [link]https://forums.naimaudio.com/topic/dbl-installation[/link]

If memory serves, the SL-2 sold in more quantity than the NBL. As well as being a bit cheaper (especially in the beginning of their run), they were also substantially smaller and therefore easier to house. Also, I believe NBLs are far more demanding of the electronics so there was more opportunity to sell SL-2s than NBLs.

Also, I think NBLs ran for 5 years (1999 - 2004) but SL-2s ran for a bit longer? I bought my cherry pair, which are one of the last pairs ever made (actually I think they were the last), sometime around 2009 so a 7 year run or so (product history doesn't say). So 400-500 pairs would seem a reasonable guesstimate.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Dear Frank.

The 4 last pairs was bought bulk by a certain Stu and in this group JulianH is the happy owner of a 552/500 driven pair. Hope you are well Peter

Mine were never available for sale...I was offered them before they got sold because a nice Naim person knew I'd been interested for a while. There were two pairs, one in maple and one in cherry, one for a colleague of mine and one for me.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

TOUCHE!  ATB Peter

Hi Tony and Ron, just found the DBL manual and I have to inform you with regards to the aluminium pads. These are meant for the bottom box that houses the 15 inch ATC bass driver. Not the top box according to the manual. The reason for them is so that when the cardboard spaces are removed after the silicone sealant has been applied to the gasket, it is easy to locate the cabinet into perfect position as a small impression needs to be made on the aluminium pads  by pressing down on the bass box on a dry run without sealant.

Looks like the upper mid and treble box has spikes from its stand pointed straight into the underside of the box so the wood can get dug out after time.Wood filler is then supposed to be used to renew the surface. Probably no harm placing the aluminium pads there also, and should protect the underside for a bit longer than just the bare timber.

I was even thinking that 4 fraim chips could be carefully placed here after adjusting the spikes to compensate for the extra thickness.

A circle could be made lightly with a compass with the spike point as the centre, the same diameter as a fraim chip for easy location. 

Any way, would like to hear naims view on all this. 

Regards

Mario.

Sorry Mario, in that case the manual's wrong! Look very carefully at this photo of Dr P from Cymbiosis fitting the bass box - look at the metal frame carefully - blow it up if you can, and you can see the upward-facing spikes that fit into the metal pads under the top box. No way are they designed to just stick into the wood! You can also see the spacers that are designed to give the bottom box the necessary clearance for the bead of silicone on which it rests. If there were spikes there, the spacers wouldn't be required, would they? I've done this job myself by the way.

Hi Tony, just had a look at the gaps under the bass box on my cherry 2006 DBL's, just like the ones in your pic of Peter and I can clearly see 4 spikes in each corner of the bass box with an aluminium pad. Also the gasket and silicone bead for the acoustic lens. This seems to be what the manual describes. I'd like to believe your explanation is right as I hate spikes into beautiful wood veneers but I don't think the bass box only sits on a silicone bead and gasket, that just wouldn't give the tight accurate bass that DBL's are known for.

Please don't get me wrong on all of this, I'm not trying to make out to be an expert, and I love reading all of your posts on these lovely speakers, your system must be something else, and your room - beautiful! (I've actually followed your posts since you've had SL2's) but I just want the definitive answer from naim or even Peter on this one.

I'm happy to be wrong, I just want to maximise my DBL's performance!

Mario.

Well, you've got me doubting this myself now Mario! I'm pretty certain there are metal pads under the top box, maybe they're under the bottom box too...I could always dismantle one of mine to confirm, but then again, maybe not! Maybe Dr P will be along later.

Tony/Ron/Mario,

my DBLs do not have the metal plates on the mid/treble box and never have. None of Naim's demo sets I seen have either (I was taught to set them up at Salisbury). Of course this is a sample set of perhaps three pairs, but I've never seen them once. They're always on the bass boxes only.

Uhhh, the plot is thickening!   Gents, also I do hope you realise, that the bass drivers are meant to be   at the top. Essentially do not be fooled by the spikes, which are purely there to decouple the bass enclosure from the ceiling. ATB Peter

I seem to recall that the top box doesn't have the alu pads (but then it has been some years since messing about with DBLs, so don't take it as 100% gospel) - I think they're needed on the bass box because of the weight apart from anything else.  The top box just sits on the spikes but you need to be careful that they don't pierce into the cabinet.  I recall that some top boxes used to get pretty chewed up, particularly if they were being moved about a lot and constantly being set up and dismantled.  The speaker dept. would fill the chewed up corners with wood filler and sand down - good as new!

Thank you Richard and Martin. Makes sense but it probably wouldn't harm things if the top cabinet has them too, looks like mandatory on bass box though. Tony, grab that torch and look through the gap underneath the bass box, if spikes are missing then i'm sure a cheap upgrade is around the corner for you.

Cheers,

Mario.

Mario, I would suggest a call or e-mail to Naim this morning to find out what the proper answer might be.

Good idea Richard, I did just that but through that Australian Distributor Chris Murphy. He has asked the factory and ALL FOUR BOXES should have the aluminium pads.

Thanks,

Mario.

Sorry Mario, at the moment I can't get down that low! I did slide a thin screwdriver in the gap yesterday & definitely felt something metallic in there. In my defence, I'm old and senile.

No worries Tony, sounds like yours probably are in order!

Mario.

Brilliant!  Thankfully, to the best of my knowledge, none of us are on Mastermind this week...

Richard,

can you double check that please. If that advice is correct:

- the manual is wrong

- all three pairs of DBLs I have seen have been incorrectly manufactured.

And while I don't care much about Naim's demo pairs, I do care that mine may have been incorrectly manufactured. Thank you.

Hi Martin,

I've just e-mailed those who should know/remember.  I am awaiting their answer.

Richard,

thank you.

Martin

Martin, I got a reply from Naim's Jason Gould; he has probably installed more DBLs than anyone else out there.  He has confirmed that the alu pads just go on the bass box.  They're needed because of the weight of the box and driver.  The top box is light enough not to need the pads and indeed, for best sound, they should not be used on the top box.

Richard, thanks for that. At least I'm not going mad. As I recall Jason replaced the gaskets on mine once. He really knew his DBLs.

All the best

Martin

Thank you all, sounds sorted, bass box only, also heard same from Mark Raggett via Peter Swain.

End of.

Mario.