Ovators 3 weeks, Dac one week on

Hello and welcome to the forum. I knew someone else out there must have the Ovators by now. I have also been running a pair for about the same time as you and agree with your views. Fantastic musical insight and it keeps getting better.

quote:

Originally posted by sn02:
I am very grateful to the members on this message board for the views and advice which generally augments that available from dealers.

I have been keenly following the developments on the Ovators since I heard them last year and pre ordered there and then.

3 weeks later I can confidently say that they deliver a compelling mix from whatever genre of music you care to throw at them. I have been a user of Naim equipment for over 20 years and combining the Ovators with my (nearly full) HDX/XPS2 has kept me up at night rediscovering the detail in my existing music collection.

Last week I added the DAC and I have to say that this is probably the single biggest gain in depth of soundstage and focus I have ever heard and demonstrably worth the cash compared to similar priced upgrades that I have made.

I am running them with a 282 and 500 amp and looking forward to hearing what the 555PS can add.

Welcome to this mad house.
If i might ask? why a 282 with a 500?
Stu

Good to hear the Ovators are delivering. But I agree about the DAC - best two-grand upgrade I ever made.

You gotta try it with a 555PS!

Enjoy

Oh, and welcome....

sn02, can you share your thoughts on Ovators vs other speakers?

Hi AMA

I have always preferred large 3 driver speakers and had many good years with KEF Cantata floorstanders with their impressive base radiator.

These were replaced with Spendor S9's driven by 2 250 amps. After eventually getting the rear wall placement and toe in angle right firing down the 7m side in a 4.7m wide room I obtained a soundstage that I was happy with.

I swapped the 250's for a 500 and immediately the soundstage was tighter, with voices now taking on a three dimensional quality such that it improved the listening experience no end.

When I searched the market I had home demo's of most recommended floorstanders in the £2k-£3k range and in situ the Spendors gave the best results for me.

The Ovators costing three times the price ought to deliver a better result which of course they do and now give me a platform to improve on.

Munch I have the 282 because to me it is better to invest in speakers and amp first. My next step is to see if the 555PS can justify its price and I will be taking one on demo in March.

No doubt I will be tempted to try the 552 - I will let you know how I get on

quote:

My next step is to see if the 555PS can justify its price and I will be taking one on demo in March.

sn02, I have never auditioned 552 but I do believe that there is a space for improvement above 282 because tube preamps sound better than 282/HC at the same cost. Tubes show up more details, more openness, better soundstage (normally deeper soundstage), they definitely quieter than 282 and what is more important -- they are softer than 282. Of course, 282 is exemplar in sound tightness. But this is not often pronounced in setups with slow speakers
282/SC and 252/SC are much softer and improve on all the above parameters but a tad behind the top tubes. My system 282/2*HC/250 sounds a bit harsh to me while 252/300 setup is softer and accurate. I guess mainly because of preamp. I further guess mainly because of SC. I think preamp is VERY important and worth more than 555PS on the DAC.

quote:

Originally posted by sn02:




Munch I have the 282 because to me it is better to invest in speakers and amp first. My next step is to see if the 555PS can justify its price and I will be taking one on demo in March.

No doubt I will be tempted to try the 552 - I will let you know how I get on

The reason i asked was why not the 552 first?
Stu

Allen,
Have you got your DAC yet?
Stu

quote:

Originally posted by AllenB:
To me and a fair few others I would guess, and discounting expense, the 552 remains the best Naim product ever.

Taking cost into account, the DAC could prove to be one of the best VFM products from Naim. Time will tell, but it's already got to be right up there, just because you don't need a HDX and 555PS with it to get excellent results.

Allen,
He has a 282/500.
As much as i love the 282 and the 500 i would of gone for a 552 around the same price as a 500 and run a 200 with it because it would sound better as would a 150.Its the Nac that does it not the Nap.
Stu

So, I take it it's better than the Lavry.