Ovator speaker range

Some people don't like the 252 either - does that make your blood boil too? If my blood boiled every time I read something on a forum that I disagreed with, I'd have run out of the stuff years ago. 

Temper temper, sounds your blood is boiling

Stevek

Good for you Stevek .... enjoy what you have 

Not really sure what this post is about????? ????

I like active ATC, but not sure that this personal view is of any value  to you

I guess you like the Ovators S-400s then?

But there are loads of Ovator speaker owners on the forum who love them. What's the beef?

Speakers all sound so different, and when many years ago I did a mammoth audition of 12 or 13 speakers that at that time were at or near near top of most of the speaker manufacturers’ ranges, all having received excellent magazine reviews, all but three sounded absolutely awful to me, not lasting past a single track listening. If I were to describe how each of them sounded to me I would probably have offended thousands of happy owners.

Clearly some people love the sound of Ovators - and others can’t stand them.  It all depends what aspects of sound sound right or wrong, good or bad, to the listener, what to them music “should” sound like, and of course affected by how the speakers interact with the room. One person’s “sounds fantastic” may be another’s heavy criticism of shouty, no proper bass, etc, or one person’s critical “sounds harsh” may be another’s praise of clear and natural treble.

Such are speakers, which only goes to show how far from perfect reproducers of the signal fed to them most must be.

I agree with SteveK.

Lots of Naim speaker owners seem to diss the Ovators in favour of SL2s in particular. I don't know why. I am a previous owner of both SBLs and SL2s; and to my ears the Ovators are in a different class across all bandwidths. They come as close to providing active soundstage without all the extra boxes and cost.

That's my twopennyworth and I'm sticking to it. So there.  

I was certainly highly impressed with the S800s I borrowed, and very much like the S600s I have now.  Previously I had SBLs active with 135s.  Certainly wouldn't go back.

I tried the Ovators a few time and found the 600's ok but did not like the 400's.  I think the best loudspeaker brands are the ones who make their own drivers like Focal, ATC, Dynaudio, Tannoy, Spendor, Harbeth, JBL, etc... 

cat345 posted:

...I think the best loudspeaker brands are the ones who make their own drivers like Focal, ATC, Dynaudio, Tannoy, Spendor, Harbeth, JBL, etc... 

...and Naim*.

*At least they did make their own drive units back when they did make loudspeakers.

Richard Dane posted:

cat345 posted:

...I think the best loudspeaker brands are the ones who make their own drivers like Focal, ATC, Dynaudio, Tannoy, Spendor, Harbeth, JBL, etc... 

...and Naim*.

*At least they did make their own drive units back when they did make loudspeakers.

Fair enough Richard

cat345 posted:

I tried the Ovators a few time and found the 600's ok but did not like the 400's.  I think the best loudspeaker brands are the ones who make their own drivers like Focal, ATC, Dynaudio, Tannoy, Spendor, Harbeth, JBL, etc... 

And PMC (and those drivers that they do source from other specialist manufacturers are mostly modified by themselves or are special versions to their specs).

Numptyhead posted:

I agree with SteveK.

Lots of Naim speaker owners seem to diss the Ovators in favour of SL2s in particular. I don't know why. I am a previous owner of both SBLs and SL2s; and to my ears the Ovators are in a different class across all bandwidths. They come as close to providing active soundstage without all the extra boxes and cost.

That's my twopennyworth and I'm sticking to it. So there.  

Active soundstage !?

Perhaps this is where the roots are ? Flatearthers don't seek for (false) stage but Prat.

Thanks to all for your contributions, I think the quality of the design r&d looks and sound that the Ovator delivers has been underestimated, I believe that they need a real good system to shine they really need that.

Also the 252 is a cracking preamp, properly set up, if not will not deliver what it is capable of.

ps I thought isobariks had bottom end until the S400, that should get some bites

stevek

Steve I could not live with my S400 long term when I had them (for about 3 years). I have posted before what they did very well and not so well in my room/my system/my personal preferences etc. 

It would have been intersting to see if naim would have put out a revised version2 of the BMR or ovatar range (V2) as I would have loved to try them again if they managed to address the areas I disliked. 

Unfortunately that will never happen. 

When a used pair of NBLs turned up at my local dealers there were a pair of 400s for around the same price, they didn’t sound nearly as much fun.

600s would have been too much for my room but the NBLs fit right in,

Stevek posted:

 

ps I thought isobariks had bottom end until the S400, that should get some bites

I'll bite. I had both home. Majik Isobarik - prodigious deep bass, but too much for my room. S400 - superb, clean tight bass. Absolutely the best bottom end I've heard in my room. 

As for dissension regarding the BMR output, Naims' white paper on the S400 may help explain why folks get varied results in their own room setting:

"Compared to conventional, more directional loudspeakers a BMR-based loudspeaker behaves differently in different listening room environments. Because of the BMR’s consistently wider dispersion, the reverberant behaviour of the room is more significant. More important than a particular reverberation time is a reverberation time that’s consistent across the audible frequency range. A BMR loudspeaker also benefits from being positioned reasonably distant from adjacent walls."

That suggests the BMR requires some space to perform at its best and may explain why I experienced forward mids and rolled-off highs in my 14x16-foot room. One thing for certain, the clarity and resolution of the BMR is remarkable, just not the desired tonal balance for my room and ears.

I'm actually jealous of those that have found the S400 an overall fit in their room, because in my mind their bass output is the epitome. Clean, prompt bass sets the table for PRaT, cohesion and involvement.

Well... I’m still confused as to the OP’s original intention for the post - perhaps a bit of frustration? Did someone cricise his setup?

I do love my S-400 with NAC 252 and NAP300DR. For whatever it’s worth I see it as my reference set. It gives me a similar feeling when I sit in a recording room, behind a mixing console. Fast, natural sound.

It’s good to read good reports about Ovator speakers. They have certainly received a bad press round these parts over the years. If they had been so bad I doubt Naim would of released them. 

I really enjoy my 600s. As we have seen the variables of speakers are that much greater than the black boxes we all also enjoy!!!

I love my 400s but I always reckon they need decent amplification to really come to life. 

Surely they must be an improvement on previous Naim speakers, why would Naim develop a speaker that’s really worse than their previous ones?

Yeti42 made a good point about the NBLs being more “fun”. They probably are but that doesn’t make them “better”. Speakers are a funny subject, nobody’s right and nobody’s wrong.

Yes, I struggle with the concept of speakers making music “fun”. To me music is far more serious than fun, and should simply be presented as naturally as possible. I have no idea what NBLs sound like, but often when people describe speakers as making music fun to listen to the speakers are renowned for being coloured/shouty/having a prominent midrange etc. Likewise I haven’t heard Ovators, but out of NBLs and S600s if one is significantly less accurate in response compared to the other, then it is easy to see how if so eone likes one they may find the other to be ‘wrong’.

I agree with Alba, Music should be fun to listen toas well as relaxing,stirring etc.

I feel that some on this forum who spend ££££££ on systems are only listening for faults either in the recording, their amplification or speakers including the bits of wire that connect it all. Also I wonder how many are getting on in years so their hearing frequency range will be diminished anyway.

Proterra posted:

I agree with Alba, Music should be fun to listen toas well as relaxing,stirring etc.

I feel that some on this forum who spend ££££££ on systems are only listening for faults either in the recording, their amplification or speakers including the bits of wire that connect it all. Also I wonder how many are getting on in years so their hearing frequency range will be diminished anyway.

I am most probably one of the group you are referring to. And I think you misunderstand the motives of the group. It’s all about enjoyment of the music. The better your equipment the more music becomes easy to enjoy. While on a very cheap radio you still will enjoy your favorite music it will be so much more rewarding on a better system, and you have the bonus also liking music which is not in your comfort zone. 

And no it’s not about hearing the missing point in your system, any system has something left to desire........, that is just the journey of improvement ....

S400 give a wide “hifi” sound stage for sure but I struggle for enjoyment/fun when I listen to them just dull and lifeless no X factor.The SL2 just give what they get. A great shame most haven’t herd them. Must remember they don’t know what they are missing......

Do you have the bends yet?

Suck it up because it’s true 

Sounsfaber posted:

S400 give a wide “hifi” sound stage for sure but I struggle for enjoyment/fun when I listen to them just dull and lifeless no X factor.The SL2 just give what they get. A great shame most haven’t herd them. Must remember they don’t know what they are missing......

Do you have the bends yet?

Suck it up because it’s true 

I bet you're the sort of person who finds a hornets nest on your house and bats at it with a stick. Or perhaps likes exploring caves while eating honey sandwiches?