naim and dynaudio

Dynaudio and Naim go together well.

I use a 250 with Dynaudio BM5s's and achieve a most acceptable result.

The bigger Dynaudios often receive good reviews, and seem to place rhythmn and timing high on the priority list.

DS

ITC - Severed Heads - Clifford Darling, Please don't live in the past

naim and dynaudio go very well together...

... as long as the amplifier is potent enough. I heard once the big evidence driven by a 500, which was an awesome experience. The small dyns are quite delicate concerning the power amp. I have the contours 1.3 MkII and drove them with a 140, which never was fully satisfying. Now, with an olive 250, they really sing. My suggestion is that dyns together with an amp "lower" than a 250 is not a good match. So, you don't have to bother with your 135s, they will take full control over any dynaudio speaker.

Soundwise, i think of naim and dynaudio as a dream match. I don't know the new S series, but dynaudio always built speakers with a very "unconspicuous" sound because of their superb neutrality and balance. And these properties forward all of naim's virtues straithly to your ears.

Seconded. NAP250 into Dynaudio 1.8/II is superb - I bought these in preference to Allaes (sorry Naim). They're more than capable of pointing out the improvements wrought by changing from and XPS to an XPS2, for example. Lovely neutral, musical sound.

thanks guys. My concern is regarding the fact that I have this very large room and I am hoping to find out how the 3.4s will work. They are $5000 US dollars, weigh about 70 lbs and have an internal volume of 44 liters. They are tall (48inches) narrow floorstanders than have 2 15cm drivers for bass and midrange and an "esotec" tweeter. The dyn website suggests using at least 100 watts for a big room and of course I have the 135s at 75 watts. I currently have linn 5140 speakers which are good at filling the room. They have a sensitivity of 90 vs the dyns at 88. Ultimately I will have a dem of the 3.4s in a Naim dealers establishment so I am hoping to hear how 135s drive them. Just to add to my dilemma is that the contour s5.4 is much bigger and has therefore more ability to fill a big room but of course it is more expensive at $8000 US dollars. That is more than I want to spend. However, I would like to make a choice that will work for the long term. I dont want to regret what I buy and then kick myself down the line for not going for what I really want. I plan on hearing some other speakers that will work in a big room. There are no Neat dealers near me so that is too bad. A Naim dealer in NYC carries Verity but I think that they are going to be too much $. NBLs would be good to hear but they, too, are a bit to much $. Any other ideas? david

new dyna, at least my 25 special, is not that difficult to drive. I use only a 150 to drive them, the performance is good enough for me. if your room is really big, you should consider a 5.4 or C2(not much difference in price here in HK), the tweeter is better on these two spk, and the bass units can provide sufficient bass for a big room that 3.4 can not.
Good luck!

David

Sorry I've taken so long to reply. I've been on holiday and then on training. I have played with the new s3.4 in a larger-than-average sized room here in the UK (about 6metres by 3.5m). However, I have not done this with olive series kit, but I have driven it very well with the new 250. Now the new 250 is closer to your 135s than it is to the olive 250 in terms of drive capability so your 135s should have no problems filling quite large rooms.

The s3.4 is significantly different to the older Contour range and Dynaudio have worked hard to make it easier to drive. They seem to have succeeded since I've even had reasonable results in an average room (15x12) from a 200 which is closer to an old 250. The s3.4's presentation is very big anyway. I think this is a function of the height of the speakers and their porting configuration. I am still unsure about the s3.4s. I think they're beautifully executed and have many positive attributes. However, the presentation is a little too clinical for my tastes. Admittedly if you like what they do, then you'll absolutely fall in love with them since they are very good at what they do well.

Other speakers I would consider at around this price range would be as follows:

Totem Mani-2's: Medium sized standmounter. Although small, this is an isobarically loaded speaker producing a very big sound from a relatively small enclosure. Very fast and dynamic, but with good deep tuneful bass. I am very likely going to buy a pair.

B&W N802: Excellent at loud levels, though we found the Nautilus range didn't retain this at low/normal listening levels. Still, one to consider.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.