Naim and Proac

Hi! I use Proac Response 2's (original model) with a 72/hicap/140. Not bad. The dealer I bought them from sold lots of Nait/Signature Tablette combos and really liked Proac with Naim for customers who didn't get along with Naim speakers.

In retrospect, I wish I had bought the beech SBLs that he had :-( as the ProAcs really need room away from walls to sing their best and that is difficult in my room.

Other folks on the forum have written that they find ProAcs a tad clinical and sterile with Naim, so maybe they will chime in w/more details.

- GregB

I tried ProAc 2.5's for several days but they had too much low bass for my room. They had the sound balance of Ruark Solstice (£4000) but were more involving.

I would have thought them a good match for Naim, although they were "slower" than SBL's they had a much warmer sound and better composure at higher sound levels.

To the guy who started this thread:

IMO, ProAc are like a second rate Royd and, apart from the Tab Sigs (which are bettered by Sorcerers) make speakers that sound bloated and a touch slow compared to more successful designs such as Naim's (above the Intro).

BTW--Since we are all "NaimUsers," would it be too much to ask for you to adopt a more distinctive name? Most of us stick to our real names and I'm very much in favour of that convention.

Vuk.

--

Naim and ProAc can work very well together--although it is important to make sure you don't ask a 140 to drive something like the 2.5s. I ran 2.5s off a 32.5/hicap/250 for 3 years and enjoyed it thoroughly. The 2.5s, in particular, seem to need at least a 250, a large room, and considerable space from the back wall if they are not to sound too boomy or bassy.

If you post more particulars I am sure others can advise you more fully.

Cheers,

Bob

I have a friend who runs 62, Hicap, 250 with Tablette Mk 1's to good effect. He does also use a REL Stadium to augment the
bass, although IMHO it upsets the timing. I found the Tablettes to be a bit like round earth Linn Kans.

Bob

I use ProAc Tablette 50s with Nait 3 / CD 3 in my bedroom and and I am very happy with them. Midrange to die for, great imaging, and particulary strong on female vocals and jazz. Bass is a bit light for rock. Key to these is rigid set up - get the best stands (Foundation) and use spikes / blutac to anchor everything firmly. This makes a huge difference to performance of these speakers. They take a looooong time to run in - try 500 hours! Just got a set of Response One SCs which I use with a valve pre-pwr combo, my sense is they need a beefy amp to drive them (my amp is only 65wpc) and in my current living room they are a little lost. I haven't yet tried them with the Nait. Hope this is of some help. Best regards, Dave

In deference to Vuk, I've changed my user name to JosephR from naimuser ...

Thanks to all replies, majority believing that Proacs work well with Naim. I will be using Naim 135s, thinking of Naim preamp still, with the Proac Response 3. My current system is as fast as the Naim, but I just love the Naim clarity.

"I found the Tablettes to be a bit like round earth Linn Kans."

Was written above, and I agree. I chose response 2's for their combination of flat and round earth virtues. Seemed like the perfect "oval earth" speaker. They are quite good - I may part with them, I may not. It's just that nagging wall issue, and the 2's look dreadful with the grilles off.

Also above, someone mentioned switching from tablettes to R1 SC's. Yup - the 1SC is rather inefficient. I had tab sigs, 1SC's, and the 2's for home demo. The tab sigs were most efficient, followed by the 2's, then the 1SC's. The 2's offer enough bass to satisfy (me) and resist compressing until the knob is turned a good bit higher. The 1SC definitely (IMHO) needs more than a Nait3 to sing. Even a 140 is light for these…

- GregB

- GregB

..except Ross Blackman, apparently.

... but I do have an Armageddon.

Incidentally, I think the ProAcs are very good speakers, and I am happily using a pair of Tab Sigs in my second system.

Ross