Bargain of the century or caveat emptor

It strikes me as a bit of a shame that the seller didn't know what they had, but it's good that they ended up with someone who will appreciate them.

I think Naim ran out of SL2 crossover housings a while back. But either way they may be prepared to service an existing pair.

If they're not, I'm fairly sure Class A or maybe some other would be able to bring them back to their best.

Great find! I would get both paxos serviced, not just the faulty one.

I believe that they are electrically identical to SBL paxos in case you can lay your hands on a pair. Just a different sizes enclosure. An email to Naim would confirm. Also worth double checking to see if they can still do the work.

Exciting project. Pictures and a progress update would be appreciated for us Naimee ‘speaker fans!

Stu

If the seller didn’t know what he had.......SBL or SL2 .....are you satisfied they were his to sell ?

Is he still living at the address you visited, or did he relocate about an hour after you left 

As I understand it, Class A are able to service the crossovers. The only thing I’d say to the OP is that the SL2 is a fantastically capable speaker, but that the Uniti Star is rather inadequate for them. I’d been running SL2s for two years with a 250DR and it was only when I swapped to a 300DR that they kicked into life. Of course, if you only hear them with the Star, you won’t know  what you are missing and the fact that they are underfed may not be a concern. 

It would appear that there are two 'Alcap' electrolytic capacitors in the SL2 crossover, see

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...-sl2-x-overs-on-sbls

These are the most likely culprits.  Alcap bipolar electrolytics are still easily available.

Were it not against the forum rules, I could suggest a small improvement to the crossovers by substituting some more recent technology!

Don Atkinson posted:

If the seller didn’t know what he had.......SBL or SL2 .....are you satisfied they were his to sell ?

Is he still living at the address you visited, or did he relocate about an hour after you left 

I did actually tell the guy re: his mistake, but he seemed unconcerned. His wife, children and dogs were in the flat with him, along with a very large oil painting of he and his wife on the wall, so, if it wasn’t his gaff it was a rather elaborate rouse ????

Hungryhalibut posted:

As I understand it, Class A are able to service the crossovers. The only thing I’d say to the OP is that the SL2 is a fantastically capable speaker, but that the Uniti Star is rather inadequate for them. I’d been running SL2s for two years with a 250DR and it was only when I swapped to a 300DR that they kicked into life. Of course, if you only hear them with the Star, you won’t know  what you are missing and the fact that they are underfed may not be a concern. 

Yep, I fear that I may be forced to supplement the Star’s amplication (once the crossovers are sorted). 

Huge posted:

It would appear that there are two 'Alcap' electrolytic capacitors in the SL2 crossover, see

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...-sl2-x-overs-on-sbls

These are the most likely culprits.  Alcap bipolar electrolytics are still easily available.

Thanks for the info (everyone). I fear my soldering skills are a little lacking to tackle the job myself - now if it were a welding job, that would be another matter.????

Soldering's very similar to brazing, just lower temperature (and for domestic electrical components, usually smaller joints), and a lot easier.

If you can weld (gas or arc) you can learn to solder in less than 15 min!

But the availability of replacements for the specific capacitors that age bodes well for the serviceability of the crossovers by Naim themselves or by Class A.

Once that's done, adding a 300DR will be a magnificent addition - then to be followed by a 272 and 555DR, as I'm sure HH will agree!

It’s a funny thing - I stepped off the hi-fi upgrade express years ago and vowed never to return. When the new Uniti range was launched, it looked like the ideal one box solution for me. I should have known better. ????

Listen to Goldfrapp: "Can't step off of the train."!

Great find! What veneer colour are they? Are you sure you have set them up correctly using Richard’s guide? I may have misinterpreted your post but the notion of quickly getting SL2s home and plugging them in is far removed from the experience I - and others fortunate enough to have sourced a pair of these wonderful speakers -have had!

It sounds like the seller was genuine, but when I read the post about the seller mentioning another buyer for the speakers due in an hours time, old warning bells went off.  Once or twice in my life I have been conned out of money and the common denominator was always pressure of time or competition inorder to induce me to do the 'deal'.  Once my wife and I we were seeing a proposed house for sale and a very pushy estate agent said that there are other buyers ready to have a 'second viewing'' at about !.30pm (about one and half hours from our time of viewing so if we are interested we better move 'fast'.  We were sort of interested in the house but the moment he said the above I told him we were not interested so he is free to deal with the other party.  It was such a negative statement attempting to put us under pressure, in a way he inardvertently put us off the house.  I am always sensitive to people who want to offer something and attemt put a time limit on their offer.  Any way the op did say the speakers were cheap so maybe all was ok at the end.

S3 posted:

Great find! What veneer colour are they? Are you sure you have set them up correctly using Richard’s guide? I may have misinterpreted your post but the notion of quickly getting SL2s home and plugging them in is far removed from the experience I - and others fortunate enough to have sourced a pair of these wonderful speakers -have had!

I remember when you got yours, and the dealer had taken them apart in all the wrong places. They certainly need painstaking installation if they are to perform as they can. 

S3 posted:

Great find! What veneer colour are they? Are you sure you have set them up correctly using Richard’s guide? I may have misinterpreted your post but the notion of quickly getting SL2s home and plugging them in is far removed from the experience I - and others fortunate enough to have sourced a pair of these wonderful speakers -have had!

They  are in cherry, which I believe is the most common ? Yes I did set them up quite hastily as I was keen to hear how they sounded. I have since dismantled them and checked all the components in detail and (with the obvious exception) they seem in remarkably good order. Pardon my ignorance, but where would I find Richards guide? I’m interested in learning all I can about the best way to set them up properly.  On a side note, I think the SL2 is a most elegant and ingenious design - even my Wife thinks the look good. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

As I understand it, Class A are able to service the crossovers. The only thing I’d say to the OP is that the SL2 is a fantastically capable speaker, but that the Uniti Star is rather inadequate for them. I’d been running SL2s for two years with a 250DR and it was only when I swapped to a 300DR that they kicked into life. Of course, if you only hear them with the Star, you won’t know  what you are missing and the fact that they are underfed may not be a concern. 

Of course, if you only hear them with the 300DR...

Thanks Tony! Tou know I’ve always thought the 300 better than the 500, so I wouldn’t want to make them sound worse. 

You are evidently a person with excellent taste.

The SL2 set-up guide can be found in the forum FAQ - look on the top menu bar.

Quite so. Only the most discerning music lovers choose SL2s. It takes a special kind of person. 

Yes indeed Nigel. Not only that but when Jason was stripping them back to rebuild them he found that one of the leaf springs had been installed the wrong way up (likely at the factory) which meant that the original owner never heard them at their best.

All was well in the end but it was not straightforward hence my original thought to the OP.

I still marvel at the design and performance  of the SL2s every day.

Get the set up right and, in my opinion, there is not another two way loudspeaker that comes close to them.

David

I do enjoy a Naim ‘speaker love in! 

I have lived with them now for over 10 years. First in a Phonosophie active set and now with a 500 series passive. The speaker i enjoyed mostly in my life so far. Before christmas i rebuild my whole set including the SL2. I did t do that for over 5 years. I bought a torque screwdriver and retrocede all ( all !!! ) screwed on the cabinet and drivers and the plates. My Sl2 were like David´s screwed totally apart when i bought them and the 3 screws, which have contact with the wood underneath the lower cabinet are set to 0.8 NM ( all others to 3.6 mn and the tweeters to 2 nm ) I spoke to Steven Hopkins at Naim HQ and he gave me those values. On closer examination of the crossover i realised that the soldering points of the Naca 5 plugs went loose. I noticed by pulling them 5 times in and out in the cleaning process of the joint-points. 3 of the soldering points broke actually. One ( the red pluss pole ) even almost fell out of the crossover. Bought a soldering iron and did the soldering  myself and rebuild the whole speaker. OMG that was at least one box upgrade. The Sl2 was a half day jobb, but it was absolutely worth it and just for a small cost of the soldering iron. Since the Naca 5 is a beast when it comes to stiffness it is worth ( or even  a must ) to check the soldering points of the tweeter and bass joints as well.

By the way. I played my Sl 2 with a lovely and reaped Nait 2 as well and it was fun, fun, fun

Good luck !

Pylod, And let us not forget your Naim IBLs before the SL2s  :-)

The ibl are fantastic. I owned SBL and IBL before my Sl2 now. Sl2 are a very good and extended combo of both before .