RICHARD DANE

Posted by: steve king on 26 November 2015

Richard, your opinion please, how do you rate the Ovator range of speakers, compared with SL2 and other Naim speakers.

 

Thanks

 

Steve King

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Jan-Erik Nordoen

If anyone is interested, Martin Colloms 2007 review of the SL2 can be downloaded from the HiFiCritic website. Search « SL2 hificritic ». The download is free, but you do have to provide name, address, email, telephone number and annual salary. I made that last bit up.

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Clay Bingham
Originally Posted by rackkit:

I love these SL2 threads. I can see the speakers value rising quicker than old Porsches!

Absolutely agree. In a similar thread a few weeks back, I bemoaned not having heard SL2s. Richard offered the reassurance that they worked best with the solid room construction more common in the UK so probably not their best here in the US. I forgot all about them until this thread. Darn, I wish I could hear a pair! Oh well.

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by GerryMcg

I ran active SL2's for a number of years, and changed to active Ovator S600's. some four years ago. They were immediately much superior in all respects to my ears in my room. Fairly recently I isolated them batter using Townsend speaker isolators whic made a very significant improvement. In advance of a number of upgrades/new vinyl source I made a point of listening to a number of  alternatives but to me nothing gets close...apart from SL800's.

 

 

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Steve Crouch
Gerry

In another thread you mention that the DR 300 has made a big difference on taming the bass. Are the Townsend supports still important?  Also, just wondering how stable are the speakers as I have 3 yr old and tempted to try but worried about safety.

Cheers
Posted on: 27 November 2015 by gary yeowell
I think the folklore surrounding SL2 set up issues is in the main, unfounded. They are not that difficult to set up but do like to be positioned against a solid back wall for the solid presentation they afford. Mine work in a very compromised space, both near corners, just 3 ft apart in a 6x9 ft room, full of office furniture. Despite this they manage to sound utterly superb with anything from a UQ2 to a CDS3/282/SC2/300 in this space. Having owned Ovator S400 for three years at the same time as SL2 i think i know extremely well how they compare, and have written several times on here my sentiments for both.
Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Don Atkinson
Originally Posted by Frank Abela:
Originally Posted by Don Atkinson:
 

I have been trying to select a suitable adjective. "Temperamental" doesn't seem quite right, but at the moment I can't quite put my finger on the right word. A bit like a specialised sports car that is truly excellent if it can be fine-tuned before the race, but production tollerances are too sensitive for the domestic market and even the above-average garage mechanic can't always guarantee a proper service and tune-up - It needs the Formula-One Team such as yourself or Peter plus a lot of TLC to get it right !

 

Comments on the forum about S600 and S800 (but not so much S400) speakers suggest this sensitivity in setup and room-dependency is not entirely a thing of the past.

 

Perhaps Peter and his Formula-one Team has gained valuable experience in this respect that he is willing to share ?

 

I disagree with this. Yes, they're not plonk and play, but few speakers, well - few good speakers - are! They are a little more fiddly than some because they have multiple boxes, but in the main I have found that a little common sense, some attention to detail and following the main well-established rules is sufficient to bring about a creditable result. It doesn't take a mythical Formula-1 team to get good results from SL-2s, just some diligence.

 

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.

Frank, I think you under-estimate yourself and Simon.

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by hilz

I hear that there will be no more speakers from naim

soonish!

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by hungryhalibut

I set my speakers up using RICHARD DANE's top notch instructions here on the Forum FAQ. It took a couple of hours, but once done they work fantastically well. It's a shame there aren't more pairs around so that more people could enjoy them today, but if they didn't sell in sufficient quantities at the time, Naim had no choice other than to stop making them. They are still not cheap as a used buy today - I paid £2,200 for mine - but you'd have to spend about four times as much on a new speaker to match their abilities. They are absolutely terrific, and the fact that they sit against the wall means they take up hardly any space. 

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Frank Abela

@Don

 

Well, I don't think so, but I do take issue with a lot of people who think they can buy a specialist bit of equipment and then expect to just drop it anywhere and expect it to work optimally - which does happen too much of the time...!

 

@HH, you did well. The going rate for SL-2s seems to be going up and is around £3k now.

 

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.

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by ken c
Originally Posted by Frank Abela:
.. Yes, they're not plonk and play, but few speakers, well - few good speakers - are! 

very good point Frank! ...

 

i have learnt a lot about what makes SL2 sing -- i suspect i still have a lot to learn, but they sound absolutely fab active right now, driven by the big amps.

 

enjoy...

ken

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by GerryMcg
Originally Posted by Steve Crouch:
Gerry

In another thread you mention that the DR 300 has made a big difference on taming the bass. Are the Townsend supports still important?  Also, just wondering how stable are the speakers as I have 3 yr old and tempted to try but worried about safety.

Cheers

Hi Steve,

 

You're right the Townsend supports made a significant improvement in removing bass boom that I had previously thought to be room issues. The DR300 has further improved on this, but the main improvement here is with the articulation of the bass, if that make sense. 

With regard to stability, I have just given my Ovators a fair old push, and whilst they move alarmingly through 360 degrees I cannot see them toppling over. I have also installed the Townsend supports under my "non-standard" audio stands, again with spectacular results, with my newly installed vinyl system, (more on this later).

When I bought the Townsend suuports they offered a money back guarantee if not satisfied. 

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Clive B

It's rather ironic but IIRC one of the reasons given for the introduction of the SL2s was to address the assembly difficulties encountered by dealers with the complexities of the silicone seal on the SBLs. Reading this thread it seems that one problem was replaced by another.

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Don Atkinson
Originally Posted by Clive B:

It's rather ironic but IIRC one of the reasons given for the introduction of the SL2s was to address the assembly difficulties encountered by dealers with the complexities of the silicone seal on the SBLs. Reading this thread it seems that one problem was replaced by another.

..............and the Ovators were meant to be "Plonk'n'Play"...............................

 

Funny old world !

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Tony2011

As expected Mr Dane has been very diplomatic and impartial with  his responses even though those who have been around here longer than me would attest that he does have a soft spot for the SL2s.

He is probably able to set up one pair in 5 minutes, including assembly, positioning and tuning  while blindfolded and sipping his favourite port. 

 

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Steve Crouch

Gerry

 

How far apart do you have your speakers and distance from wall?  Angled in?

 

Cheers

Posted on: 27 November 2015 by Don Atkinson
Originally Posted by Don Atkinson:
Originally Posted by Clive B:

It's rather ironic but IIRC one of the reasons given for the introduction of the SL2s was to address the assembly difficulties encountered by dealers with the complexities of the silicone seal on the SBLs. Reading this thread it seems that one problem was replaced by another.

..............and the Ovators were meant to be "Plonk'n'Play"...............................

 

Funny old world !

I should have added that they do sound significantly better than the SL2s

Posted on: 28 November 2015 by GerryMcg
Steve,



They are 2.4 m apart, 30cm from the rear wall with no angle. I have found them very tolerant of rear wall positioning as small as 20cm, but just prefer the extra distance.



Gerry
Posted on: 28 November 2015 by ken c
Originally Posted by Don Atkinson:
Originally Posted by Don Atkinson:
Originally Posted by Clive B:

It's rather ironic but IIRC one of the reasons given for the introduction of the SL2s was to address the assembly difficulties encountered by dealers with the complexities of the silicone seal on the SBLs. Reading this thread it seems that one problem was replaced by another.

..............and the Ovators were meant to be "Plonk'n'Play"...............................

 

Funny old world !

I should have added that they do sound significantly better than the SL2s

surely not, no speaker is better than the SL2. i know, because i own a pair and i feel i belong to an elite group who "get" that this speaker is about ...

 

enjoy

ken

Posted on: 29 November 2015 by steve king

Hi  did not expect the spanish inquisition, I reckon the ovators are great

 

Thanks

 

Steve

Posted on: 29 November 2015 by Don Atkinson
Originally Posted by ken c:
Originally Posted by Don Atkinson:
Originally Posted by Don Atkinson:
Originally Posted by Clive B:

It's rather ironic but IIRC one of the reasons given for the introduction of the SL2s was to address the assembly difficulties encountered by dealers with the complexities of the silicone seal on the SBLs. Reading this thread it seems that one problem was replaced by another.

..............and the Ovators were meant to be "Plonk'n'Play"...............................

 

Funny old world !

I should have added that they do sound significantly better than the SL2s

surely not, no speaker is better than the SL2. i know, because i own a pair and i feel i belong to an elite group who "get" that this speaker is about ...

 

enjoy

ken

ah! ...........how could I possibly disagree with such an elite group with yourself as Chairman................?

 

...........but I do..........

 

Cheers

Don

Posted on: 29 November 2015 by ken c
Originally Posted by Don Atkinson:

 should have added that they do sound significantly better than the SL2s

surely not, no speaker is better than the SL2. i know, because i own a pair and i feel i belong to an elite group who "get" that this speaker is about ...

 

enjoy

ken

ah! ...........how could I possibly disagree with such an elite group with yourself as Chairman................?

 

...........but I do..........

 

Cheers

Don

get well soon, Don 

 

enjoy

ken

Posted on: 30 November 2015 by Don Atkinson

Posted on: 30 November 2015 by DrMark
Originally Posted by steve king:

Hi  did not expect the spanish inquisition, I reckon the ovators are great

 

Thanks

 

Steve

 

Posted on: 30 November 2015 by steve king

Hi   please not the COMFY CHAIR ?

 

Steve     ps merry xmas all

Posted on: 30 November 2015 by Cymbiosis
Originally Posted by Frank Abela:
Originally Posted by Don Atkinson:
 

I have been trying to select a suitable adjective. "Temperamental" doesn't seem quite right, but at the moment I can't quite put my finger on the right word. A bit like a specialised sports car that is truly excellent if it can be fine-tuned before the race, but production tollerances are too sensitive for the domestic market and even the above-average garage mechanic can't always guarantee a proper service and tune-up - It needs the Formula-One Team such as yourself or Peter plus a lot of TLC to get it right !

 

Comments on the forum about S600 and S800 (but not so much S400) speakers suggest this sensitivity in setup and room-dependency is not entirely a thing of the past.

 

Perhaps Peter and his Formula-one Team has gained valuable experience in this respect that he is willing to share ?

 

I disagree with this. Yes, they're not plonk and play, but few speakers, well - few good speakers - are! They are a little more fiddly than some because they have multiple boxes, but in the main I have found that a little common sense, some attention to detail and following the main well-established rules is sufficient to bring about a creditable result. It doesn't take a mythical Formula-1 team to get good results from SL-2s, just some diligence.

 

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.

+1 Frank. Oh and I'd set them up or DBLs for that matter on me Jack Jones.... Happy days... I loved the challenge of setting up DBLs. A wonderful loudspeaker.