Speakers.... Your advice please

Posted by: badger1963 on 05 October 2015

hi, I am brand new to the forum, but would appreciate your advice on speaker choice. Have had a unitiserve and uniti 2 up and running for about 18 months now, connected by wired network via a net gear switch in basement. the uniti 2 feeds a pair neat iotas fixed to the wall in my kitchen towards one end. In a linked sitting room I have a muso sitting underneath my TV. All works well in multi room format, and I am pleased with the sound.

 

but, as I walk toward the muso, I can't help thinking I prefer the sound from the muso vs the iotas on the wall. It sounds fuller, perhaps more defined bass, and I am now wondering whether I could find something else to replace the iotas, to provide a better "balance".

 

but here is the conundrum. My wife is design conscious, we have a brand new kitchen. The speakers must remain on the wall, be discrete, similar size to the existing speakers, and perhaps pushing things a bit far, white and inconspicuous. I know I know, perhaps I should simply man up and put my foot down.

 

But marriage is all about appropriate compromises. I know there are bigger better speakers that will pair with the uniti and really produce a much better sound! but that is not a practical option.

 

still I would appreciate some advice from those of you with far greater experience in this area than me. Maybe what I have is already the obvious option? Many thanks!

Posted on: 05 October 2015 by Richard Dane

Badger, I've moved this thread to the Hifi Corner where you will hopefully get more response.

 

My own suggestion might be to enquire with your naim dealer whether they might be able to source a cherished pre-loved pair of n-Sats with wall brackets and an n-Sub.   You may need to be a little patient but it should keep both you and your wife happy.

Posted on: 05 October 2015 by Mattnbarns

How about add a sub to the iotas?  I have had a small RLE sub (sorry, can't remember the model but it was around £300) demo'd to me and it 'filled' in the sound quite a bit.  Might be what you are looking for.

Posted on: 05 October 2015 by Skip

I feared the same thing with our UQ2 system.   The Blumenstein Audio Thrasher holds its own very well with the MuSo.  It is made to order so you can design the finish as you like it.   At 92 db efficient and 8 ohms, it sounds better than the nSat with a small system.  We also have the nSat and they take Nait XS power to sing well.  It is well under $1000 a pair tricked all the way out.  It is a bit of a leap of faith, but it came highly recommended from a Naim dealer and he was right.  Blumenstein also does a smaller Orca, and has an external sub.   We just went with the Thrasher.   I don't know how to wall mount it, but Clark Blumenstein might.

 

There is nothing wrong with the Mu So in a small space either.   It sounds a little rolled off to me by comparison.

Posted on: 06 October 2015 by PG

I love my Iotas on the end of my 172/200 and the bass is good, however I wanted to try a cheap sub to see what the difference would be like and if it didn't add anything then I hadn't spent too much. I managed to get a Monitor Audio Vector sub new for under £90 and have this hooked up. The MA is not considered to be a great sub, but it does add extra weight and lows, which somehow make the positive attributes of the Iotas even better. My Iotas are white and so is the sub, so it looks like they were meant for each other, plus the sub is not so big, which is good.

Posted on: 06 October 2015 by ChrisSU

+1 for N-Sats on wall brackets, if you can find some. Even on their own they are very enjoyable, but if you have room for an N-Sub too, go for it. I don't think they ever made any white ones, though.

Alternatively, how about Eclipse TD307 or 508. These can be desktop, wall, or even ceiling mounted, and they're available in white. I believe there's a matching sub, too.

Posted on: 06 October 2015 by roo
Originally Posted by badger1963:

My wife is design conscious, we have a brand new kitchen. The speakers must remain on the wall, be discrete, similar size to the existing speakers, and perhaps pushing things a bit far, white and inconspicuous.

How about a pair of white Sonos Play 1 speakers? I've got one in our kitchen and my wife thinks it's the bee's knees.
Posted on: 06 October 2015 by Huge

+1 for adding a sub.

 

If the current system is only lacking in bass weight, then that's the best solution (and often the cheapest provided you don't go crazy).

 

Positioning can be a bit critical though to get the integration to work really well; however even in a non-ideal position it'll help.  Your main speakers aren't exactly in the ideal position anyway, so there's an overall limit there anyway.

Posted on: 06 October 2015 by badger1963

Very appreciative to you all for taking time to make your suggestions. quick questions:

 

if if I do go for a sub, does it matter where it is placed? All speaker wiring is under the floor, so the only obvious place for the sub to go is near the uniti. So nowhere near the iotas.

 

also, have done a quick search for n sats on the Internet and they appear diffi to find.  Any suggestions?

Posted on: 07 October 2015 by Singslinger

When the Uniti was first introduced several years ago, What Hifi? magazine recommended pairing it with PMC DB1i speakers. These are lovely little bookshelf monitors which might be what you're looking for.

Posted on: 07 October 2015 by ChrisSU
Originally Posted by badger1963:

Very appreciative to you all for taking time to make your suggestions. quick questions:

 

if if I do go for a sub, does it matter where it is placed? All speaker wiring is under the floor, so the only obvious place for the sub to go is near the uniti. So nowhere near the iotas.

 

also, have done a quick search for n sats on the Internet and they appear diffi to find.  Any suggestions?

Positioning a sub will probably need quite a bit of trial and error. Mine is conveniently hidden behind the sofa, and small changes in position helped to optimise the sound. Maybe worth looking for a dealer who can lend you a demo one.

 

It might take a bit of patience to track down some N-Sats, but well worth it in my opinion. At the moment, going 'fishing' for them would be a good place to start . The same applies to the dedicated wall brackets.

Posted on: 07 October 2015 by Huge
Originally Posted by ChrisSU:
Originally Posted by badger1963:

Very appreciative to you all for taking time to make your suggestions. quick questions:

 

if if I do go for a sub, does it matter where it is placed? All speaker wiring is under the floor, so the only obvious place for the sub to go is near the uniti. So nowhere near the iotas.

 

also, have done a quick search for n sats on the Internet and they appear diffi to find.  Any suggestions?

Positioning a sub will probably need quite a bit of trial and error. Mine is conveniently hidden behind the sofa, and small changes in position helped to optimise the sound. Maybe worth looking for a dealer who can lend you a demo one.

 

It might take a bit of patience to track down some N-Sats, but well worth it in my opinion. At the moment, going 'fishing' for them would be a good place to start . The same applies to the dedicated wall brackets.

For positioning the sub, initially get hold of a copy of "Room Equalisation Wizard" (it's free - 'contribution ware').  Use the 'room simulation' mode to work out some candidates for position, low pass frequency and volume level for the sub.  Then try them out.  Pick the theoretical position and setting that seems best, then try adjusting the position in small amounts from there.

 

Ideally, use a calibrated instrumentation microphone and play a white noise track and look for a reasonably flat response in the bass frequencies.