New Naim System - Which Speakers?

I'm not a fan of Naim speakers generally, but would check out the n-sat system. Also consider PMC, Proac or the newish Revel Concerta (although these do need a larger room.)

With Home Theatre, the choice is even more bewildering than with stereo replay. M & K make very fine HT speakers, in my quite limited experience.

Fredrik

From a HT point of view, M&K has to be up there with the best. They're also pretty good at music, but their strength is HT of course. Have a look at the Xenon series for something spectacular. If you can cope with larger speakers then the M&K 150s (which come in various forms) are remarkably revealing.

From a music point of view, you could do a lot worse than naim's own speakers. The n-Sats are lovely speakers which would suit both rear and front locations. The Arivas give a bit more weight but have to be matched more carefully to the n-Sub. The n-Sub is the natural match of course, as is the n-Cent for centre duties. Allaes also work well in this scenario.

Other brands that I've had good results with Naim include Dynaudio's Audience or Focus range, Focal JmLab's Profile range and Totem Acoustic.

Thanks for the suggestions all.

In my limited experience I've found that speakers are the most subjective element of a system. The choice I've made is that I'll go for music first and home theatre second, although I do listen to quite a lot of multi channel music, so perhaps more capable rears are the way to go. What do you chaps think?

Thanks for the M&K tip Frank - having sought a few opinions it seems these are number one on the audition list.

I did listen to the N-sat system and found that with contemporary music they lacked any warmth and were just too clinical for my tastes? Maybe my taste will develop as I get used to my first relatively high-end system?

PMC I found to be loose on the bass - I do tend to prefer more tightly controlled bass.

I've also listened to B&W 704s. Interesting, but just not an 'event'. Likewise the B&W 805s - I felt they were perfectly competant but just not exciting.

The speakers that did almost have me reaching for the cheque book were unpredictably Linn Ninkas. I've seen variable reports on the Ninkas, but I found them stunning for a speaker at this price level. They were open, airy with tight bass. vocals sounded just so clear. Am I missing a trick here?

Thanks for your thoughts all - I'd appreciate any more that you have.

Smifffy

You're missing the leaden one note bass and strangled midrange...I am not a fan of Ninkas, preferring the Katans thanks to their looser swing and better midrange.

To expand on my earlier thoughts:

The Arivas are a bit warmer than the n-Sats so I wonder if they would have proved to be what you're after. Also if you can consider Allaes (£2200ish), they would bring some of that warmth in that you're looking for, but add a whole lot more.

You should definitely check out Dynaudio which has a warmer character than Naim without overdoing it. Dynaudio's Audience range is not too difficult a load and the Naim system you have will drive them beautifully. If you can accommodate it, go for the larger 122 centre speaker since this makes a big difference over the 42 centre.

The Totem range is also a touch warmer than the Naim range and a great deal of fun can be had there. At the 'entry level', there is the Dreamcatcher system (around £1900 inc sub). You can improve on this with Arros at the front for an extra £500 or so, then it goes up to Sttafs and Mites (or the Lynks dipoles) with the Mite-T centre (£2800 or so inc sub) or you could have Hawks at the front. Beyoind that, you'd probably start running into the limitations of the amps since Totems aren't that easy to drive.

Focal JmLab's Profile range offers lots of value for money. I think this may be a bit more money than you wish to spend since the floorstanders are £2000, but they are easy to drive and there is lots of quality there.

I'd also check out Epos - some serious VFM there so you can blow the rest on a huuuge flat screen!

I can personally recommend the M&K K Series (3xK17s & 2xK4s). Space and size were key factors in my decision-making process as an odd room size and layout made it difficult to fit anything much larger.

They are superb for movies and better than anything else I heard at that price point. I believe that the Xenons are better still. But if you're short on space then you can do a lot worse than the K series

Perhaps not as musical as you might like, but having listened to them again once I got my DVD5, they were much much better than I remembered.

Thanks again for the replies.

I will go for an audition of the Allaes first I think. I loved the defition and clarity of the N Sats but just couldn't forgive their lack of warmth especially with any type of more contemporary music. Playing Ice Cube's Ghetto Bird through the N sat system was like asking your granny to snowboard - just not suited.

The vast majority of listening will be straight stereo, however I do have some multichannel audio DVDs etc so the rears will need to be musical also. My range of tastes is enormous - from Massive Attack to Biohazard to Ladysmith Black Mambazo to Ennio Morricone.

Interesting Frank that you find the midrange of the Ninka speakers poor, as I heard it as a strength of theirs. Maybe your suggestions will show me where they're let down.

am also using 3x k17s and 2x k4s, been using them with denon 3805, demoed them with the n-vi which i am waiting for, they sounded so much better in stereo, dvd-audio, and surround modes, should be even better with av2 etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Smifffy:
PMC I found to be loose on the bass - I do tend to prefer more tightly controlled bass.

I use PMC TB2s in my AV system - I wouldn't say they were lose in the bass, just the opposite in fact. They are not beyond criticism, but I'm surprised that you didn't like the bass.

Just goes to show how difficult it is to recommend speakers for somebody else - your doing the right thing by going out there and having a listen for yourself.

I heard some DVD-A through about £50,000 worth of active Meridian surround sound speakers once, set up by one of the Meridian guys. I thought it sounded dreadful, but I guess lots of people must like it. This year at the same show I heard some PMC wafers with Bryston amps - much cheaper - and it was no contest, I'd take the PMCs every time.

Good luck with your search, Rotf

ha! Well I'm even confusing myself now. I went back and listened to the Naim Allaes this time. Lovely sound and Frank was right, much more true bass. I did find them a little clinical rather than entertaining.

I had another listen to the B&W 805s whilst I was there and enjoyed them much more this time. Very odd. I also listened to the B&W 804s and was very impressed. Their sheer speed of attack and dynamics are outstanding with rhythm and presence. The kick drum on Helmet's "I know" was a revelation whilst vocals on Lamb's "What Sound" were clear, open and rich.

The ProAc Response D25 is next and I need to find a dealer for Totems.

Cheers.