SBLs

I too went from Kans to SBLs last year, i used kans for 20 years and they are great, but i absolutely love the SBL`s and wouldn`t want to go back to kans although I still have them. mine are 75mm from a double brick wall 3 metres apart and they are supberb to my ears.

Mason, Might your different power amp account for the relative differences in percepton of the SBLs?

Chris

Me too --  from Kans to SBLs, both great, prefer the SBLs  as they seem to cope better with my UGs,

More balanced  - sounding fab - end of LP12 / 252/SC DR & Nap300

Still have my Kans as well - can't part with them ( Very special )

Enjoy 

Alfy

Try sticking a 250 up them. 

Christopher_M posted:

Mason, Might your different power amp account for the relative differences in percepton of the SBLs?

Chris

Maybe but kans are hard to drive , I find I can play SBL's at lower volumes if I want and it's all there Kans don't start singing until you get some grunt through them. I have just rigged up my new to me 135's tonight I reckon they'dmake the kans sing. �� 

I think a 140 is marginal for SBL's to start delivering. I have had mine with a single 140, single 250,  140x 2 and 250x 2 active and each time they gave more and more performance. I've always preferred the active setups but a single 250 is pretty good too.

I'd never describe them as clinical-although I have never heard Kans in comparison. Tney are a long way from 'lush' though. Have you ever heard a pair in a good system and enjoyed what they do?

If you can beg or borrow a step up in amp it might be worth a try. If the speakers have not been used for a while maybe they just need to loosen up a bit too?

Bruce

Reflecting further, one of the biggest issues that you have is that you have used the Kans for 30 years - three decades! You have therefore become totally accustomed to them and their foibles. 

I used Kans for 10 years, with LP12, Ekos and various Naim preamps and a 250. I then moved to SBLs, which I had for another ten years or so. To me they are better, more grown up but still very involving. 

I'm convinced that they need a 250 to work properly, despite those who will insist that a Nait 5i or a Nait 2 will get them going. They will work, of course, but they will lack drive and spirit. I would get a 250. Even if you were to revert to the Kans, they also benefit from a 250. When I bought my Kans I used them initially with a 42, snaps and 250. My first upgrade was to a 250, and it was just what they needed. 

Once you have a 250, if you still don't like the SBL, and you still want more bass, maybe you could look at some Sara 9s, or even Isobariks, but then you start getting into 52 territory, which you are possibly already in. 

HH - spot on in my view.

When I changed from Kans to SBLs I added a 250 to replace my 110 - and very quickly felt the need to change the 42.5 for an 82 

I thought the same thing as I was reading down as Nigel said; after 30 years with the same speaker your ears may have come to expect a certain sound signature as "the norm", and now that it is different, you are "unsure".  Every time I change speakers there is a break in period for my ears, and i think the longer you have have your speakers the longer that time span may be.  This is by no means the only possible factor, but something to be strongly considered.  As others have mentioned an amp with bigger balls might help change your mind as well.

I had SBLs for about 10 or so years, and "clinical" is definitely not a term I would have used with them. 

Good luck in getting things sorted out.

To get the very best out of SBLs you really need to go down the active route. They were really designed with this in mind. Even at an introductory active level they will deliver and will continue to amaze to much higher levels of Naim boxes.