Newbie - uniti2 or super; speaker choice and managing expectations

Posted by: adclem on 17 November 2013

Hi all

 

I've long been a fan of HiFi and having had family members using and raving about Naim for some years, I've decided to jump in and get me somma that. I appreciate there are a number of previous posts re speaker choice but having demoed a lot, I would be grateful of some input from your wealth of knowledge...

 

The last 'HiFi' I purchased was about 15 years ago. I was only 16 at the time and went for a CD, Amp and floor standers, at around £2k all in. (big Champagne gold Sony XAES electronics and NHT VT 1.2 speakers). It still going but as you'd expect, lacks masses of detail. They served me well but its long passed time for change.

 

I was sure from knowing Naims sound, seeing the reviews and considering my budget, that the uniti range would be ideal. My initial thoughts were Uniti2 and around £2k for speakers.

 

Before heading to my first demo, I plugged in the old NHT's to my Dads Naim set up; Classic series CD, pre and power amp and super cap. The sound was lacking in detail and a little too weighty, especially compared to his Allaes (which he loves but I found lacking in the low end).

 

First demo: PMC 23, 24, Pro Ac D18, Spendor A5.

 

I must say, I was disappointed. I'm inexperienced and have limited knowledge but to my ears; The PMC 23 has fenominal detail, beautiful accuracy in the mid and high end but a lack of growl or punch down below; fantastic for a lot of music but misses much when the music gets quite grungy and dirty. The 24 on the other hand had so much bass that it overwhelmed everything. Spendor A5 and Pro Ac seemed to lack both detail, punch and a sense of fun.

 

My expectations were clearly unrealistic. With the exception of the PMC's, the speaker performance wasn't notably different from my 15 year old NHT's. What to do? Get the uniti and kept the old beaten up old speakers?....... After a brief period of mourning, the budget went up (beans on toast for me this quarter).

 

I've since listened to everything all over again plus Ovators, higher end ProAc, Martin Logan, Sonus Faber, Totem and Audiovector.

 

At present the best system to price ratio for my ears has been Superuniti with Audiovector Si3 Supers and the Naim Power cord (an incredible difference from a power cable must be VooDoo, I simply don't understand).

 

I really can't push the budget much over £3k for speakers and less would be even better! Can we achieve a full bodied sound with accuracy and punch for that much? Might I lend on your collective knowledge; I'd be very grateful for any suggestions ?

 

Many thanks

Posted on: 17 November 2013 by badlyread

Have you considered buying secondhand? Hi fi people tend to look after gear very well. Might enable you to get exactly what you want.

 

Regards

 

Neil

Posted on: 17 November 2013 by hungryhalibut

I use a SuperUniti, and heard it in the shop with PMC twenty 24s, which as you say had too much bass. In the end I bought some GB1i, and they are super, on all sorts of music. They were brand new, end of line, and cost £1195. No need to pay more. If you live locally, you'd be very welcome to have a listen.

Posted on: 17 November 2013 by hafler3o

Try the Twenty.22s in place of the 24s (who needs all that polished wood anyway?)

 

As for managing expectations, there is always a certain amount of unlearning required when 'upgrading'. For instance going from a BBC sound 'monitor' (certain Harbeth/Stirling/Rogers/Spendor models) to a more expensive and more neutral midband may leave a listener underwhelmed. Losing grunge and dirt may not be for you yet, and may be never will! Pick the speakers you like the most, now.

Posted on: 22 November 2013 by adclem

Thanks for your comments and feedback guys. Unfortunately I'm not that local and really would need floor standers anyway; for both aesthetic and sonic qualities. 

 

At the moment I'm trying to find a dealer who can demo both the ovators and AV's but with little joy.

Posted on: 22 November 2013 by hafler3o
Originally Posted by adclem:

Unfortunately I'm not that local

I don't know where you live but if you can get down to Devon, Tavistock Audio do Naim and Audiovector. Any good?

Posted on: 22 November 2013 by Popeye

I am certainly not an expert and that varied with equipment but I found similar issues with speakers like yourself. I ended up going for KEF R500s and would recommend that they are certainly worth a listen or any of the higher end Kefs. I am a fan of the Unique design.

Posted on: 22 November 2013 by Mohamed Amin

I have uniti2 and B&W 805D and naim power cord plus tellurium Q black cables and this combination is magic . Only thing about those 805 is that they like to be driven a bit loud and then they absorb you from your surrounding ! Very sharp image, soundstage and very detailed speakers

Listen to them ! And see what you think 

Posted on: 23 November 2013 by Hanover33

Hi, I have a pair of Goldenear Triton 2 towers  (they are powered speakers) with a superuniti and they are terrific.  They are also not expensive relative to the sound quality. Check them out if you can in your area - I did not compare them to the same speakers you are but compared them to speakers 2x the price and the golden ears hold up very, very well.  

Posted on: 23 November 2013 by Kevin Richardson

To help manage expectations you should expect to spend more than you initially thought.

Posted on: 04 December 2013 by Kingsley Jayasekera

Sounds like you need to forget reviews and trust your ears. I have been looking for new speakers to replace my RS8s and have found the ones I have tried have so far left me underwhelmed. As a cheap option you might want to try the MA RX6 or 8s which have a pretty exciting sound. Some say the MA sound is bright but for me Naim smoothes that out and they have a lot of energy. Above all it gives me the toe tapping quality I like.

Posted on: 08 May 2014 by Flipmode77

Personaly I have A UNITI2 with PMC 23 and it sounds very well

Posted on: 08 May 2014 by longmanjon

i recently upgraded my unitiqute to the superuniti to be used with naim allae's and it is amazing. although older speakers the bass and overall sound is great. not sure what a powerline would do but thats an option. 

Posted on: 08 May 2014 by keano

A lot of reports indicating that NAIM pairs well with Dynaudio speakers.I might have the chance to hear Dynaudio X 34 but not with a Naim system.I am also looking for new speakers for my SuperUniti.

Posted on: 08 May 2014 by Bananahead

I have very often simply trusted my dealer. Phoned up and said that I fancy some new speakers and then gone along and listened to whatever they recommend.

Posted on: 08 May 2014 by Solid Air

I have found that with hi fi sources and amps, working with single brands can be a good option, and there are only so many I would consider (Naim, Linn, Chord, Rega . . . ). But with speakers are there a million brands out there, and no dealer can carry all that many. That makes it much harder IMHO to trust your local dealer, as they will only propose the brands they carry. I had to shop around forever to find the right speakers.

 

FWIW I would get a SuperUniti (much better than a Uniti2 and you're not paying for a CD player you'll never use again) and my speakers which are the new ATC SCM11s. They'll lap up the SU's power and they have the clearest and most tuneful bass I've ever heard. You'll need stands, but they'll still be well under £2k.

 

Posted on: 08 May 2014 by J Saville

Superuniti with Totem Sttaf's, or if your budget stretches a little further Totem Hawks. If you want punchy, dynamic sound this is a great combo.

Posted on: 09 May 2014 by pixies

If your looking for low end growl or punch down below, don't rule out a decent sub to compliment your speaker choice (even floor standers). BK Audio do some very good value subs. Use the search function to gather other opinions.