Speaker upgrade

Hi Samc, I have auditioned the neats, on the end of a 272 / 250  and they were not working for me, didn't have the presence I was expecting, similar with the B & W although it was not the 804's I heard, as for Dynaudio I've not had opportunity to hear them......as an alternative suggestion the Sopras 1 or 2 are exceptional, and they do come in white if that's an important factor...

Thanks - I'll add to the list. 

White is indeed vital - hesitate to say solely 'WAF' as I take her point on this one and it's probably good I'll not be tempted to compromise... 

Are you looking for floorstanders or bookshelf speakers?

Almost certainly floorstanders. I could be tempted by a really impression listen to standmounts but would have to stand out - largely for aesthetic (me this time...) reasons as well as prejudices around bass extension. I do have a REL sub that could integrate but haven't been overly impressed with it. 

I would add ProAc to your list. Both the D20r and D30r are available in white. I own D20r and love them. I auditioned the Neat Momentum 5i and was distinctly underwhelmed. I found the much vaunted isobaric bass to be no match for ProAc's less complex approach. As ever, it's all in the ear of the beholder, so have as many home demos as possible. Good luck.

I went from Aria 926 to Electra 1028Be and ended up being absolutely blown away (apologies for the teenage description) by the sopra2's the depth, detail, warmth, soundstage, raised the 'hairs on the back of my neck' I'm not the sort to get excited but these speakers really do grab you....which is exactly what I wanted considering their price point...I demoed them at home for a couple of weeks and they didn't disappoint....although I went for black, they also look very very good in white, and most importantly SWMBO really liked the athetics.....

Kudos Super 20. Very good, perfect match  with your electronic. Avoid NACA5 with them though. They seem to prefer some of the offerings from Chord Cable. Probably because they are wired with Chord inside. 

//Jonas

Naim's own Ovatar S400 are available in white and in your budget. Only way to know if their unique sound is your cup of tea is to have a listen.

Thanks all - keep the ideas coming for as long as spending someone else's cash is fun!

Sadly the Ovator's black front panel would rule it out... Peak black box has been reached...

PMC Fact 8 are available in white...and ex-demo if you google carefully.

G

GraemeH posted:

PMC Fact 8 are available in white...and ex-demo if you google carefully.

G

Ooh excellent idea. Stunning speakers.

Wilson Benesch series ii square 3

At a dealer demo I have listened to a 272-xpsdr, 300dr, wb s2 square 5 and was very impressed with the overall sound. The square 3 is one down the range and available in white and maybe worht considering.

Burmester b10(stand mount)

My own choice when I was looking for new speakers(with naitxs flcpxs) a few years ago. I wanted floorstanders and listened to a lot of different speakers but they all had something missing. With the Burmesters I knew within two songs that these were the speakers for me. A bit out of the box and maybe not everybody s choice but if you have the oppotunity certainly worth a listen.(available in white).

Thomas

feeling_zen posted:

GraemeH posted:

PMC Fact 8 are available in white...and ex-demo if you google carefully.

G

Ooh excellent idea. Stunning speakers.

Or Fact3.... However, like the Ovators and ProAcs, these also have black removable grills and black drive units.....

Some of these sound like an awful lot of speaker to use with a Supernait.....

I was about to write the same thing....optimistic at best

Yeah - that's a key consideration obviously. I can't - any time soon - extend the box count so the SN2 is the limit. 

And funds thankfully rule out the £9k+ options, impressive as they no doubt are!

Essentially, I suspect I'm looking for - form factor issues notwithstanding - whatever the 'best' speakers that'll suit the power limitations of the amp are - and I'll choose between those I can demo.

I would have Proac D30r, Kudos C20/C10/S20/S10 and Neat Ultimatum XLS on my short list.

Audiovector Si3 (there are different versions of this) work very well with Naim, as they were designed with Naim electronics... And they come in very white indeed.

There will no doubt be many others.

Best regards, FT

I would put in my shortlist  Naim Ovator,Totem Forest,Dali Epicon 6 and maybe something from Dynaudio (as you already did)

Thanks all for these - some useful additional options to discuss with the dealer. Who'll no doubt be able to advise which are a bit too heavy for a supernait. 

Black drivers are acceptable incidentally...just not entire front panels in a contrasting color to the white...

ATC SCM40s - and a pot of Dulux trade white.

charnik posted:

I would put in my shortlist  Naim Ovator,Totem Forest,Dali Epicon 6 and maybe something from Dynaudio (as you already did)

I don't think Ovators are available in all finishes, from information given from a high profile member of HQ, what is left by way of cabinets in the factory is all that will be made, Ash has run out already.

Hilz

In the end it all depends on your ears and your room of course, but as a SN2 owner and based on my limited experience hearing these outside my own room, I'd agree with others that S-400s, Totems, and Kudos Super/C 20s are worth your time to demo. I say that without consideration to color availability as I value sound above aesthetic.

Linn Akubariks are available in white, even gloss white if you prefer. And, even if you are not considering this now, like all Linn speakers they can easily be converted to active operation. The passive crossover is a major bottleneck in every speaker, and a speaker worth more than 4000 (GBP, EUR, USD, CHF) should at least offer the option to bypass it.

Focal Sopra 1s or 2s - I refer to my earlier photograph:

jfritzen posted:

Linn Akubariks are available in white, even gloss white if you prefer. And, even if you are not considering this now, like all Linn speakers they can easily be converted to active operation. The passive crossover is a major bottleneck in every speaker, and a speaker worth more than 4000 (GBP, EUR, USD, CHF) should at least offer the option to bypass it.

 

That's an interesting and also very relevant response as this applies to Audiovector's speakers too. Just to ecco Foot Tappers suggestion of Audiovector (I haven't figures out how to make a second quote in a post test...)

Foot tapper posted:
Audiovector Si3 (there are different versions of this) work very well with Naim, as they were designed with Naim electronics... And they come in very white indeed.

There will no doubt be many others.

Best regards, FT

Naim will on request supply Audiovector with active crossovers. Audiovector also does matt or piano lacquer finish - or any other if you so wish. They are also bottom ported and easy to place. Add to that they are also superb with their attitude towards their customers. I was unfortunate having one of the speakers knocked over and needing costly repairs and they were ever so helpfull to solve my problem in the best possible manner. Sometimes it's reassuring to know your experience of a product doesn't end with a purchase but you are taken care of by the way of good after service. 

Their speakers can also be upgraded with new crossovers, drivers, internal damping etc if you wish to upgrade your source and amps later on. You get to keep that lovely looking speaker and be environmental friendly too