Kudos 707

I can see why going from Allaes to Titans makes sense, but the difference from SL2s will be a lot less. Without trying them, £10,000 or whatever 'bargain' the dealer offers is an awful lot of money to spend for something that might be a bit better or just different. On the other hand they may wipe the floor with the SL2s, I've really no idea. I certainly know that I wouldn't, even if I had it, take a punt with that much money. I still think there is a lot to be gained by splitting that Fraim stack - it made a huge difference in my then setup when I had a CDS3, 552 and 300. 

meni48 posted:

Allante93 did not post:

glevethan posted:

We are back to the old forum discussions. People in the U.K. simply do not realize how lucky they are being able to demo various speakers - both at the dealer and at home.  This is literally IMPOSSIBLE here in the States.

I flew over to the U.K. to demo the original Titans at Cymbiosis and ended up purchasing a pair for myself and facilitating a purchase for Varyat.  So yes - while I did demo (primarily against Neat XL10) - it was only one day in the confines of my dealers shop.  I know that Chris Bell was also in a similar predicament.

As to the original posters question - Titans work extremely well in a small room.  Mine are in a room 16' x 12' (18 sq meters?) with no problem at all.

Gregg

[[I understand that you really like the titans,but did you ever had in the past any Naim speakers and if so,what is your impression between the naim speakers comparing to your titans? It's a tricky question but maybe your opinion is my dilemma....]] Not Allate93!

 

The above post is not by Allante93!

Not my style!

My style, you like it, I love it!

When it's all said and done, do what brings you joy!

Wonder how that happened!

Enjoy your Music, meni48!

Allante93!

Here's a conclusion from a lengthy post from my visit to the Chester Acoustica Show where they were driven by a SNAXO active system:

Kicking electronic dance tracks? Hugh Masakela? Folk Rock? Sophisticated pop (think London Grammar)? Dire Straits? Mexican guitar duos? Deep electronica?  Just play whatever you like and enjoy.  For me, even more than the T-808.  I really look forward to hearing these with Klimax Katalyst Exakt.  Perhaps the Linn front end, a couple of Naim 250DRs and the T-707s could be a match made in audio heaven.  Maybe.  It would be good to find out.

But best to listen for yourself of course.

I have a similar system to you (other than CD555/LP12/NDX as sources instead of NDS) and changed from SL2s to Titan T88s. I did have them on a longish (a few weeks) home demo and much preferred them/bought them. I don't specifically know how they compare to the 707, but I should imagine they're of a similar character. I've been happy with them, the only con is they're not so elegant/"furniture-looking" and hence do have  a lower WAF, not sure of the appearance of the 707. But if you're concerned only with the SQ I would be surprised if you didn't prefer them (but it's possible, of course!)

Neil

Neil Bennett posted:

I have a similar system to you (other than CD555/LP12/NDX as sources instead of NDS) and changed from SL2s to Titan T88s. I did have them on a longish (a few weeks) home demo and much preferred them/bought them. I don't specifically know how they compare to the 707, but I should imagine they're of a similar character. I've been happy with them, the only con is they're not so elegant/"furniture-looking" and hence do have  a lower WAF, not sure of the appearance of the 707. But if you're concerned only with the SQ I would be surprised if you didn't prefer them (but it's possible, of course!)

Neil

Really thank you for your comments, you did my day, you did about the same change as i did, it`s mean that i`m planning to purchase very soon Kudos707 speakers without any listening before,acording to the risk i`m getting a very good deal.

It looks like the 707 footprint is similar to Titans so can't see any space saving attributes, however i'm more interesting in how they respond to positioning in regard to proximity to walls, and some technical info in how the ports are tamed would be helpful and interesting.

Must say i'm surprised after so many months 707 images are so darn hard to find, all i can see on tin ter net is the shadowy official pics, and those Bristol Show snaps which doesn't really show them to any sense of scale - unless you were there and know they are 20 foot high.

If you're used to and happy with your SL2s then I would advise a degree of caution before buying blind - this applies to any loudspeakers, not just the 707s here. 

FWIW, I listened to the 707s at the Acoustica show. During what was only a brief listen (only a few pieces of music) l felt they were rather impressive, with real impact.  They definitely piqued my interest.

However, I would be remiss if I don't also report that my enthusiasm  was somewhat tempered when I played a piece of music I know very, very well - it has been a sort of litmus test piece that I have used for many years and played on many systems and different speakers.  Here I felt  something was definitely amiss, particularly compared to the same piece played on my own SL2s.  There was a synthetic feel.  I'm not sure how to put it in words but I guess the best I can say is that the illusion of "live" was missing, and in its place was just a recording.  I'm not sure whether this was down to the speakers, something in the system or room, or perhaps a deficiency in the music source (IIRC a stream from Tidal) against the original CD.  Now, (hopefully Derek will still talk to me again after typing this) but it's really just to show that as a fellow SL2 owner, had I done a blind swap, I may well have ended up disappointed.  What I heard was not enough to write them off for me - on the contrary, I would definitely want to have another demo under different circumstances with a source I know before making any hard decisions.  But buy blind...?

Any Information on the  when the Snaxo will be available with the Titans?

Allante, probably a question best posed to Naim.

sunbeamgls posted:

Here's a conclusion from a lengthy post from my visit to the Chester Acoustica Show where they were driven by a SNAXO active system:

 

Richard Dane posted:

Allante, probably a question best posed to Naim.

Thanks Rich! Just thought you might have the inside line!

Allante93 posted:

Any Information on the  when the Snaxo will be available with the Titans?

According to the Kudos guys at the Acoustica show, they are supposed to be ready now, but I think they were perhaps being a bit over-optimistic on Naim's behalf!

The 707s looked quite a bit less imposing than the 808s to me, so I guess the WAF might be higher. Despite being an active setup, I thought their sound fell a long way short of the 808s I heard previously at the same show.

Well, that does not surprise me Chris- there is a bit of a price difference between the 808 and the 707  ! What would really be interesting is a comparison of the older T88 and the 707 .....

naim_nymph posted:

It looks like the 707 footprint is similar to Titans so can't see any space saving attributes, however i'm more interesting in how they respond to positioning in regard to proximity to walls, and some technical info in how the ports are tamed would be helpful and interesting.

Must say i'm surprised after so many months 707 images are so darn hard to find, all i can see on tin ter net is the shadowy official pics, and those Bristol Show snaps which doesn't really show them to any sense of scale - unless you were there and know they are 20 foot high.

Yes Naim_nymph, I was thinking the same thing.

The poster depicts an diamond shape, which could have some placement benefits.

However, the shot here, resembles a 1 piece 808 foot print.

In any case, MSRP @ 14 Pounds, ain't Cheap!

Not to mention, negating the XO, going Active with Naim's Snaxo!

Allante93!

varyat posted:

Well, that does not surprise me Chris- there is a bit of a price difference between the 808 and the 707  ! What would really be interesting is a comparison of the older T88 and the 707 .....

Fair comment, although at the same show, the most fun system I listened to was an Atom driving a £600 pair of Dynaudios!

Buying speakers blind?... that must be a prank surely? 

ChrisSU posted:

varyat posted:

Well, that does not surprise me Chris- there is a bit of a price difference between the 808 and the 707  ! What would really be interesting is a comparison of the older T88 and the 707 .....

Fair comment, although at the same show, the most fun system I listened to was an Atom driving a £600 pair of Dynaudios!

That Dynaudio tweeter is tough to beat!!!!!

Why anybody would just spend 18-20 thousand US dollars on a speaker just because it's the popular thing to do is absolutely insane. I would definitely at least listen to the like priced Dynaudio, Proac, ATC, Athom, Focal, and B&W speaker before buying Kudos blind. I would even listen to less expensive speakers like the D series Spendors which are killer sounding speakers.

I'm not saying that these new speakers couldn't be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but to just blindly make such a huge purchase just because you want to do the popular thing so you have some kind of acceptance on a audio forum is a little strange to me, and especially buying into a sound that is so different than your current speakers.

Wow, just wow........

glevethan posted:

We are back to the old forum discussions. People in the U.K. simply do not realize how lucky they are being able to demo various speakers - both at the dealer and at home.  This is literally IMPOSSIBLE here in the States.

I flew over to the U.K. to demo the original Titans at Cymbiosis and ended up purchasing a pair for myself and facilitating a purchase for Varyat.  So yes - while I did demo (primarily against Neat XL10) - it was only one day in the confines of my dealers shop.  I know that Chris Bell was also in a similar predicament.

As to the original posters question - Titans work extremely well in a small room.  Mine are in a room 16' x 12' (18 sq meters?) with no problem at all.

Gregg

Neil Bennett posted:

I have a similar system to you (other than CD555/LP12/NDX as sources instead of NDS) and changed from SL2s to Titan T88s. I did have them on a longish (a few weeks) home demo and much preferred them/bought them. I don't specifically know how they compare to the 707, but I should imagine they're of a similar character. I've been happy with them, the only con is they're not so elegant/"furniture-looking" and hence do have  a lower WAF, not sure of the appearance of the 707. But if you're concerned only with the SQ I would be surprised if you didn't prefer them (but it's possible, of course!)

Neil

Hi Neil

I bought your SL2s, seems like approx 3 1/2 yrs ago, then some NOS grilles..still have them..

 They are wonderful speakers....have since auditioned many other contenders.....the SL2s  take some beating.......I will also in due course listen to the new 707s and compare...open mind.....

I guess, all I would say to MENI48, is don't throw the baby out with the bath water....make sure you listen before you leap...

have a good week

ChrisSU posted:

Allante93 posted:

Any Information on the  when the Snaxo will be available with the Titans?

According to the Kudos guys at the Acoustica show, they are supposed to be ready now, but I think they were perhaps being a bit over-optimistic on Naim's behalf!

The 707s looked quite a bit less imposing than the 808s to me, so I guess the WAF might be higher. Despite being an active setup, I thought their sound fell a long way short of the 808s I heard previously at the same show.

If I recall correctly the Acoustica show in 2016 the 808s were demonstrated with a 552 and active 300dr, whereas in 2017 the 707s were demonstrated with a 252 and active 250dr so it would not be surprising to hear the 808s as much better than the 707s.

Richard Dane posted:

If you're used to and happy with your SL2s then I would advise a degree of caution before buying blind - this applies to any loudspeakers, not just the 707s here. 

FWIW, I listened to the 707s at the Acoustica show. During what was only a brief listen (only a few pieces of music) l felt they were rather impressive, with real impact.  They definitely piqued my interest.

However, I would be remiss if I don't also report that my enthusiasm  was somewhat tempered when I played a piece of music I know very, very well - it has been a sort of litmus test piece that I have used for many years and played on many systems and different speakers.  Here I felt  something was definitely amiss, particularly compared to the same piece played on my own SL2s.  There was a synthetic feel.  I'm not sure how to put it in words but I guess the best I can say is that the illusion of "live" was missing, and in its place was just a recording.  I'm not sure whether this was down to the speakers, something in the system or room, or perhaps a deficiency in the music source (IIRC a stream from Tidal) against the original CD.  Now, (hopefully Derek will still talk to me again after typing this) but it's really just to show that as a fellow SL2 owner, had I done a blind swap, I may well have ended up disappointed.  What I heard was not enough to write them off for me - on the contrary, I would definitely want to have another demo under different circumstances with a source I know before making any hard decisions.  But buy blind...?

Hi Rich..i`m not completely happy with my SL2s Sometimes it sounds great and sometimes it does not, depend on the music I listen at the moment,my style music includes blues jazz rock 60s and folk,I do not listen to classical music,Regarding the blind purchase  happens because I don`t have any way to get a demonstration in my country (I`m not living in UK) and  a real demo is to listen at least one week and even that it`s not A safe decision, in my opinion the only way to decide is by being  impressive in the begining  and the rest is luck , on the other hand I get a great deal because of my blind  purchase that I intend to make.

Why did you ask for advice if you take no notice? Why didn't you just buy them anyway? 

ameden posted:

Neil Bennett posted:

I have a similar system to you (other than CD555/LP12/NDX as sources instead of NDS) and changed from SL2s to Titan T88s. I did have them on a longish (a few weeks) home demo and much preferred them/bought them. I don't specifically know how they compare to the 707, but I should imagine they're of a similar character. I've been happy with them, the only con is they're not so elegant/"furniture-looking" and hence do have  a lower WAF, not sure of the appearance of the 707. But if you're concerned only with the SQ I would be surprised if you didn't prefer them (but it's possible, of course!)

Neil

Hi Neil

I bought your SL2s, seems like approx 3 1/2 yrs ago, then some NOS grilles..still have them..

 They are wonderful speakers....have since auditioned many other contenders.....the SL2s  take some beating.......I will also in due course listen to the new 707s and compare...open mind.....

I guess, all I would say to MENI48, is don't throw the baby out with the bath water....make sure you listen before you leap...

have a good week

ameden... even if you r going to listen to the new 707s  you still don`t get  any safe decision,

A little harsh maybe. He's made his case quite clearly. Demo is not possible so if the deal is good enough and he's prepared to take a punt then good luck to him. As long as he holds onto his SL2 in case the punt doesn't work out then hopefully he'll be able to sell on the 707s without taking too bad a hit. Looking at it that way it could be viewed as the cost of the extended home dem.

Marksnaim posted:

A little harsh maybe. He's made his case quite clearly. Demo is not possible so if the deal is good enough and he's prepared to take a punt then good luck to him. As long as he holds onto his SL2 in case the punt doesn't work out then hopefully he'll be able to sell on the 707s without taking too bad a hit. Looking at it that way it could be viewed as the cost of the extended home dem.

+2