Spendor S9e pairing

I used S9e for years, they are superb speakers, they did not tend to dem too well as they were not flashy and a bit understated. But they are a speaker you can live with that will never grate, and will give more and more as your kit improves. My only concern is I dont think  the 5 will be enough to really bring them to life.

They are a fair age now and I think that price is too much. I sold my minty pair a few years ago for £1400 and could  have picked up a pair recently for £ 800.

David

Thank you David. Unfortunately, my Naim has been confirmed by several people to be underpowered for the S9e.

My next targeted speakers are the Sonus Faber Toy Towers. They should be a match for the 5i, especially with the right cables.

What's 'wrong ' with the Elacs?

Chris

The exact model is FS127. They are to my liking but I know how upper level speakers sound. I want more details especially in the mids area (ttoys have dedicated mids being a 3 way speaker) and more focused lows. While in my current 40mp room, the boomy Elacs sound ok, I'm afraid on the long run (we are planning on moving elsewhere) the bas could become a problem. I'll test the SFs tomorrow in my home, let you know how it went.

Ok Dan. I've had a look at the Elac specs and I reckon the wonderful nait 5i might struggle with them too.

You've £2000 to spend, why spend it on speakers? Building a system around speakers generally leads to audio unhappiness here. I'm trying to suggest doing something about your electronics.

C.

Dan.S posted:

Thank you David. Unfortunately, my Naim has been confirmed by several people to be underpowered for the S9e.

My next targeted speakers are the Sonus Faber Toy Towers. They should be a match for the 5i, especially with the right cables.

Hi, 

The S9e has a sensitivity of 90db and is 8 Ohm speaker. It is a very easy load for a Nait 5i.

The Spendors are big speakers and somewhat warm and cosy. While a Nait will get sound out of them it won't kick them into life and control them. Get something modest that suits the Nait. As Chris says above, designing a system around speakers is rarely successful. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

Get something modest that suits the Nait. As Chris says above, designing a system around speakers is rarely successful. 

That's exactly what I am trying to do. Build a system around the electronics. Regarding the Elacs, I think the Naim drive them just fine. I had them driven by a Nad 356Bee which got hot after only 30 minutes of 11 o'clock effort. The Naim stays cool and never feels underpowered. It actually delivers 80W into 4 ohms which is what FS127 are. I only want more refinement out of my speakers, more resolution. I know I like Elac 249s but they are too expensive for me.

I'll get back with impressions on SFTTs. But the Naim 5i stays. I like it very very much. 

I know those Sonus faber speakers, they are excellent sounding,  SF speakers are known to work exceptionally well with Naim, they should work fine with the Nait, and will also be able to handle future electronic upgrades with no problem.

Well..I've tested the toy towers..

While they do sound more resolute than my Elacs with an exceptional instrument separation, a tighter bass and really really wonderful mids, I have two issues with them.

First, they have a dark, closed up sound. Did not find them as a match for my Naim.They opened up just a bit after I removed their fabric covers and changed the speaker cable.

Second, they don't like movies in which they sound a little...dead. Same with rock music. And while the 200m woofer suggest these should throw some very deep lows, it is not the case. The  specs only read 45Hz. Elacs are rated to as low as 35Hz.

I've also auditioned ProACs Studio 140 mk1. Beautiful sound, somewhat overly bright for my taste with an over the top amount of bass. Not to mention they look like I'm the one who made them with shed recovered wood using rudimentary tools. Non the less, ProAC engineers worked magic on these, because they do sound wonderful.

Decisions, decisions.. Tomorrow I'm bringing home 2 more friends: Monitor Audio Silver 6 and Gold 100. I'll report back asap.

Perhaps an admin could please change the topic's title to "Naim 5i-2 pairing". Thank you.

What's the rest of your system?

C.

Nad 546Bee, QED Reference 40 interconnect, Supra Ply 3.4S speaker cables, cheap TOS-RCA DAC (to bee soon replaced).

So I've first auditioned the Monitor Audio Silver 6. Matching timbre for the 5i, overall a bit better than my Elacs and this with brand new speakers. Then I moved to Gold 100. Man oh man, what a sound. Blew both Elacs and Silver 6 out of the water on every level, including super fast and punchy lows. Incredible speakers!

They are keepers!