Another great Ovator test

Can only agree, best speaker I had so far.

Same here...blew Wilson Audio Sophia-something (13000€), B&W Black Diamond 800-something (14500€) straight out of the water.

Fantastic and clearly not to be beaten in this price-range.

Good, but I was not impress when I demo them.

An interesting read. The problems of translating from one language to another made me laugh: "(Naim) have cranked out novelties at quite a heady clip". I'm sure they mean new models, but I can't help but think of Christmas crackers!

I know the Ovators will be demoed and maybe even sold to non-Naim owners, but I find it odd that a review wouldn't also listen to such a speaker in the context of Naim's own amplification. Surely that would give a measure of its true capabilities.

Gavin

Have we just read the same review?

Surely the gist was that the speaker does a certain thing, timing, very well but others, soundstaging and detail, less so. For the reviewer this turned out to not be an issue but for others it will be. There is absolutely loads at the same price point that competes.

My own personal experience is that, for me, the sound was too dry but, that's just me. I like PRaT but I also like tone and timbre.

A mire interesting point, which I think highlights why not all take to the Ovaror, is that Naims other recent kit does major on much improved sound-staging and timbre so it would beg a question re right hand and left hand.

Gavin,

I suppose it would depend on whether they had amps available but see my comment re recent Naim kit.

I also like, problems with translation aside, that they allude to the shockingly detached bass many of us heard when the speaker first went on tour. I have heard anecdotally that this has been sorted but my last listen suggested this was at a specific cost to soundstaging.

Generally, 6moons are to be trusted even when they merely reprint.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Hughes:
Generally, 6moons are to be trusted even when they merely reprint.

I find I need a translation even when the review is in English.

I heard the Ovators at Cymbiosis last week. The sound appeared veiled to me and not at all like the Naim sound I am accustomed to. Overall not my cup of tea. To each their own, but best to have a demo at home where it counts.

"Naim’s Ovator S-600 is a rhythm machine with impressive pressurization chops"

Adam, if you get a translation for this bit, can you post it?

quote:

Originally posted by Thorsten_Lux:
Same here...blew Wilson Audio Sophia-something (13000€), B&W Black Diamond 800-something (14500€) straight out of the water.

Fantastic and clearly not to be beaten in this price-range.

You forgot IMO.
Your bashing of these fine b&w speakers is getting annoyingly irritating.

quote:

Originally posted by ali 026:
Your bashing of these fine b&w speakers is getting annoyingly irritating.

Continue to relax - these are just a consumer item which you bought.

It is (should be) no more personal than that.

quote:

Originally posted by joesilva:
I heard the Ovators at Cymbiosis last week. The sound appeared veiled to me and not at all like the Naim sound I am accustomed to. Overall not my cup of tea. To each their own, but best to have a demo at home where it counts.

They did not sound veiled to me. I could live with the fuller bass, but I did not like the dry voices. I hope this will be fixed in the upper model.

quote:

Originally posted by Adam Meredith:

quote:

Originally posted by ali 026:
Your bashing of these fine b&w speakers is getting annoyingly irritating.

Continue to relax - these are just a consumer item which you bought.

It is (should be) no more personal than that.

i wonder how many have listening to them at home to make any judgement, for get reviews enjoy want you have ,not what you may have. all speaker only behave as the input .

from memory over nearly 50 years 7 different speakers, in the same period loads of applifiers. speakers are more personal than anything in the chain

quote:

Originally posted by ali 026:

quote:

Originally posted by Thorsten_Lux:
Same here...blew Wilson Audio Sophia-something (13000€), B&W Black Diamond 800-something (14500€) straight out of the water.

Fantastic and clearly not to be beaten in this price-range.

You forgot IMO.
Your bashing of these fine b&w speakers is getting annoyingly irritating.

I can bash them anyway I want, dear sir.
Because IMHO, they just suck, IMHO.

I just stated what I heard now on many occasions.
And I am entitled to speak freely.

The Ovators need a good time to "burn-in", but veiled...not on the three times i heard them.

Fresh, agile, fast, alive,....but not veiled.

Veiled comes to my mind by thinking of B&W-speakers...

Thorsten,

why reacting so harsh, each to his own.

I had B&Ws myself (804S) and I considered 802Ds but today I am (after having owned SL2s) very happy with the Ovators as they please me (visually and even more sound wise). I am quite sure that within reasonable time I will acquire an SL2 again as I do like what it does but I did not have the space to allow to sit two speaker systems in my room.

Compared to an SL2, an Ovator may sound "veiled" if that does mean it is less direct than the SL2, however, for me, the overall tonal balance of the Ovator more than outweighs this. Others, who focus on other qualities of a speaker may have a very different view.

B&W builds beautifully crafted speakers in my opinion, however, for me, after having lived with Naim speakers, there is no way back.

So why bashing anything when knowing that either of us owns what he considers to sound much better than other manufacturers named here? I much prefer to expose the qualities of the kit I have and like rather than to "bash" anything I haven't lived with or do currently not live with. Future may be surprising, sometimes...

[quote]Same here...blew Wilson Audio Sophia-something (13000€), B&W Black Diamond 800-something (14500€) straight out of the water.[quote]

Thorsten, were you using Naim amps?

I am not harsh.

I just hate the sound of these speakers.
In my ears, they just wash the music very white...much too nice. No PRAT, no awesome NAIMish timing and fast like a snail...

Sorry if I sounded harsh...

@abby

Yup, 200/202, 252/300, SN, SN/HC2...always the same...like a sleeping pill and the bass...horrible.

well it's a matter of taste. there are a number of people on this forum who live with B&W speakers and are happy with them.

How many on this forum have actually traded in their speakers for the Ovators ?

quote:

Originally posted by ali 026:
well it's a matter of taste. there are a number of people on this forum who live with B&W speakers and are happy with them.

Whilst I understand that, I have no idea how. Ported boom and treble to rip your ears out (and this was on the end of a 555/552/500 system!)

IMHO of course

Andy S, with respect, IMHO, of course, you are entitled to your opinion.

It doesn't mean, IMHO, of course, that what you said is factually, IMHO, true

B&W speakers do not have ear ripping treble, IMHO, of course.

Not when you 'fix' it.

quote:

Originally posted by Andy S:

quote:

Originally posted by ali 026:
well it's a matter of taste. there are a number of people on this forum who live with B&W speakers and are happy with them.

Whilst I understand that, I have no idea how. Ported boom and treble to rip your ears out (and this was on the end of a 555/552/500 system!)

IMHO of course

Dear Andy S.,
fantastic post. Couldn´t have said it any better.

This boomy "oh-so-nice"-sound is just boring.

Ali, we know.
Only what you say is factually true.


With an honest heart, in no second would I ever dare to dream of trading in my Arivas against those 14500€-boxes with that crappy horn...LOL.

quote:

Originally posted by ali 026:
Andy S, with respect, IMHO, of course, you are entitled to your opinion.

It doesn't mean, IMHO, of course, that what you said is factually, IMHO, true

B&W speakers do not have ear ripping treble, IMHO, of course.

Sorry if ths is a bit....direct but it seems to me that most of Ali's postings are of the 'this is the make/model I have bought myself and so I will assertively defend this make/model' persuasion.

On other sites the term 'fanboy'(fanboi?) is sometimes associated with such an approach.

When it comes to hifi - as with lots of other things - to each there own of course but to defend ones own choices repeatedly often suggests a degree of insecurity. Perhaps being more laid back about these things might be a sign of maturity?

Are there any posts on active Ovator setup?