Going 'Active' - The Benefits

Question-are your speakers designed to be used active?

I'm no technical whizz but my guess is that the benefits with Naim speakers may not be applicable to another brand. For starters is it simple to remove the crossover?

I'd spend your money on a HiCap for the 72 or a CDX actually-even though I'm a signed up member of the dodgy handshake active brigade.

I am not entirely in agreement with Tom about the 'level' to start active. My system certainly reveals benefits and diifferences vs a single 250 but I'm sure the benfits are greater higher up the scale.

Bruce

Dave

Just go do the demo - active at your level still makes sense. Myself and a few other on the forum went active at a 3 series level.
For me its way better than a single 250 scenario - just brings the music to life, in a way a sinle amp can't (including the 500)

However, from where you are, the money maybe better spent on a better source, and allowing the flatcap to solely power the 72.

Even so I believe (based upon actual experience) that if you added an ixo, and a 180 to your system, it WILL leave any source upgrade for dead, but will leave you with a major mullet system (and I'm not sure if that would mean different speakers - more money, maybe not VFM)

Find a dealer - don't take forum opinions as gospel, my suggestion would be a dealer demo, of a system with say a s/h cds or cdx versus an active setup (ixo/180)

To conclude and reiterate - active's right at anytime (if you have a reasonable balanced system)

naheed. . .

I agree with Naheed.

I also went active at 3 series level. It's just a bit complicated to upgrade an active system because you have to upgrade many boxes at once if you want to stay active. Anyway, going active means a lot of boxes!

Good luck,
- Jun

Hi.
I have Ruark Crusaders mk2 which I use in my active system.A local dealer friend of mine did the nessesary work on the speakers and Naim set up the snaxo for the Crusaders.It was best upgrade I have ever done.
There was only one down side to going active which was the system became much more sensitive and was picking up radio Rhomania in the evenings,Naim put in a RF kit in the snaxo which helped alot.

Trevor.

Hi
I have an active system with a CD5 and LP12/grace/supex as sources and 3X250's and Isobariks. I think it sounds wonderful and have yet to hear it bettered by a passive system (some aspects of passive systems I have heard have admittedly sounded better than mine but that is the same with all systems. I prefer the overall sound of my active system).
Regards
Jim

G'dday

I drove my Ruark Accolades passively tri-amped (72/Hi/3x250) for years and always wondered what difference going active would make. Last year I lucked into a NAXO3-6 on eBay at a great price so finally decided to take the plunge.

Chris Murphy did the NAXO mods, Shore HiFi supplied a second HiCap and I disconnected the passive XOvers in the Ruarks myself on the kitchen table (took me about 5 hours). Changing the speaker cables over was a bit of a challenge but I'll never forget the experience of playing the first CD - I knew within 3 bars of the first song that something very special had happened - and this was on top of a CD3.5 to CDX upgrade that had happened 2 weeks previously.

There's something beguilingly open, responsive and dynamic about active operation which makes passive systems seem a little lifeless by comparison.

Dave - I'd agree with the other punters that your speakers are the place to start. Try contacting the manufacturers (that's what I did) to ask them what the Xover frequencies are and how best to go about disabling the passives. Then at least you'll know whether it's possible in principle.

Best of luck mate
Jim