Possibly switching to Naim pre-amp and Amp from Spectral gear

I don't think any of us on the forum has great experience of the Spectral gear. A few questions: how much did the Spectral cost, how much do you want to spend, and how much power does the amp have?

I would guess you need at least a 250 to drive the Thiels, which are reputedly quite power hungry. So that means 102-hicap-250 minimum.

Why don't you go to Innovative and compare? I'm guessing they sold you your gear, and they may be the only place that sells both Spectral and Naim.

And tell us the results, of course.

--Eri

Jay--

Not heard the exact Spectral pieces you have but have heard several others and thought it pretty good. My initial reaction to your question is that you would probably need something like 82/Hicap/250, mainly because the Thiels like to have a grippy amp and are a little bit bright--which would not complement a 102, which does not organize treble information nearly as well as an 82.

Eric's advice is spot on--go visit Innovative and compare them, and see what you think.

Cheers,

BobP

I believe the current entry level Spectral pre/power combo including cables etc is around the £10K. So really you will need to look at 52/Sc/135's as a minimum. I thought the spectral amps were the best thing I heard at the hi-fi show this year; they were probably the top of the range models though and I dread to think what they cost. But, ultimately it sounds as though your current amps are not doing it for you. If you have the cash why not try a Nap 500 over the 135's?

I bet the cheapest Spectral setup can be had for $10k in the US, so that's 82/1 or 2 hicaps/250 here. 52/Scap/135s would be $19,000 at retail.

--Eric