I fell sorry for fervent Naim loudspeaker owners but that decision ( if confirmed ) will help Naim concentrate their efforts on what they do best.  JM Lab/Focal have been making hundreds of loudspeakers and drivers for decades and they should not be underestimated. I would not be surprised to see Focal making with a line of speakers specifically adapted for Naim active systems.

Massimo Bertola posted:

Guy007 posted:

Next step will be Focal speakers in the Bentley/Mu-so/Qb et al, powered by Naim electronics.  The two companies are focusing on their core competencies - which since the merger was just a matter of time - .........

Mine is not a direct reply to this post, but a parallel consideration. Without wanting to discuss the merits of Focal, I think that Naim brought to Focal much more than Focal brought to Naim......... Focal was never discussed here before they bought Naim.

So, I still think that this move, although understandable from an economical point of view – and much more from a corporate point of view – makes us culturally poorer, if an audio culture still exists.

P.S. In the French film Une heure de tranquillité, where the main character owns a Naim system that's been long discussed here, the guy says: I have the best loudspeakers in the world (Focal Utopia or something of the same, unassuming type of name), but Naim is not even mentioned once. But then, where the word chauvinism comes from?

Very Interesting, both replies!

In response to Guys reply, it appears to be a match made in heaven,  a win win situation.

Who knows, perhaps a  floaty Snaxo with an Isolated platform to match the best Speakers in the world!

Time will tell!!

As far as Marketing is concerned, clever indeed!

You are correct Massimo, Focal was never discussed here before the Merger! Now I want to see the Movie, hopefully a shot of Naim gear with the best Speakers in the World.

Naim isn't as prominent in the US as Europe, when entertaining, I would always have the latest subscription of Stereophile on display, back cover and first page advertising Naim, Now Focal.

And the Forum, we love spending the OP's Money!

Just my two cents!

Allante93!

@ allante93: "And the Forum, we love spending the OP's Money!

Just my two cents!

Allante93!"

You mean me??

More pleased than ever I have my S400's now. 

After all, Focal didn't buy Naim for their speakers, it was the electronics they were after. 

Great shame. 

christoph posted:

@ allante93: "And the Forum, we love spending the OP's Money!

Just my two cents!

Allante93!"

You mean me??

 

Of course you!

Nice scoop!

@Christoph!

I've always liked the Allae. It's a great all-rounder, affordable, looks good, sounds good and has the practicality of boundary placement. 

I recall saying this to my Naim dealer about ten years ago and adding - "They must sell pretty well".

"No Naim loudspeaker sells well" was his reply. 

John. 

@allante: i don't understand what you mean, maybe because i'm german; I've read this in a german forum and i thought its could be interesting to post here; if you want to offend (right word?) me, please explain. christoph

J.N. posted:

I've always liked the Allae. It's a great all-rounder, affordable, looks good, sounds good and has the practicality of boundary placement. 

I recall saying this to my Naim dealer about ten years ago and adding - "They must sell pretty well".

"No Naim loudspeaker sells well" was his reply. 

John. 

I guess lots of people use Naim electronics with other manufacturer's components in the chain too-including lots of different loudspeakers. I recall a thread where people listed all the speakers owned and that showed huge variety, and also many people with several pairs or frequent changes.

Conversely how many people with non-Naim electronics are going to demo and buy Naim speakers? I suspect very few.

If you have bought into active Naim you have been committed to their speakers-as I have with what appears to be great system synergy. However the active route seems to have become a bit niche. Naim certainly have not pushed it with recent electronics launches and I sensed that even for Ovators it was not sold as a marketing advantage.

I am not surprised Naim are stopping speakers therefore. Too much competition, at all sorts of price levels and requiring a commitment to a whole system of design and manufacture that is simply not applicable to their other core components.

I shall hang on to mine as long as I can. N-Sats with N-Sub in one system and in the other SBLs with a pair of SL2s on the way. The only ones I never really liked were Credos

Bruce

Bruce Woodhouse posted:

I am not surprised Naim are stopping speakers ....

Whoa! According to Christophe's scoop, they are stopping making Ovators.

Chris

I was told that they are stopping making speakers, with no qualification attached. 

That was what I was told as well. 

As a lover of Ovators in an active form, my bigger concern is whether ceasing production of Ovators (which I fully get from a commercial perspective) will reduce Naim's interest in active set-ups. Feedback from the Naim I've had indirectly is that they will continue to support active, but I guess only time will tell as to the level of commitment.

Hungryhalibut posted:

I was told that they are stopping making speakers, with no qualification attached. 

Ah, in which case, thanks Nigel, and sorry Bruce.

C.

christoph posted:

@allante: i don't understand what you mean, maybe because i'm german; I've read this in a german forum and i thought its could be interesting to post here; if you want to offend (right word?) me, please explain. christoph

Christoph, I was trying to say nice post, and at the right time.  That's why so many our responding to your post! 

I like it very much! 

Nice scoop means, as a new reporter, someone breaks the news first, just as you have done, Thanks!  

Definition of Scoop:  information especially of immediate interest.  

Allante93!

That's not to say they won't start again at some point, but there certainly doesn't appear to be a new range around the corner. I guess somebody could have five stacked Qbs per channel if they want the very latest Naim speakers. 

I remember when the SBL and then SL2 were stopped that the remaining stocks were flogged off at half price - I wonder......

J.N. posted:

I've always liked the Allae. It's a great all-rounder, affordable, looks good, sounds good and has the practicality of boundary placement. 

I recall saying this to my Naim dealer about ten years ago and adding - "They must sell pretty well".

"No Naim loudspeaker sells well" was his reply. 

John. 

+2, you hit the nail on the head!

I liked it again!

Absolutely Nigel, buy low now, sell high later. Already I envisage forum posts for March 2026 along the lines of where can I get hold of a pair of the legendary Ovators?

C.

Now Overators.

John.

heihei posted:

As a lover of Ovators in an active form, my bigger concern is whether ceasing production of Ovators (which I fully get from a commercial perspective) will reduce Naim's interest in active set-ups. Feedback from the Naim I've had indirectly is that they will continue to support active, but I guess only time will tell as to the level of commitment.

I would have loved to have seen the 400s in an active configuration.  At the time the inability to make them active kept me from upgrading from my Allaes.  That being said it will have to be a near future decision to swap  out for  Allaes for the 400s or to stay put for a while longer.

SL2s......

My only surprise is how long it took Naim to wind down the Ovator business. They are very fine speakers in my experience, but they have never sold in large numbers, and perhaps not at all outside the world of Naim electronics.

I hope that Naim will continue to service Ovators well into the future, as I plan to keep my 400s for many years to come.

ATB.

Hook

A question for those who have the Ovators : What is it that they do well in comparison to other brands (or types) of speakers ?

Any downsides ?

I predict the SL2 will become the air cooled Porsche 911 of the speaker world.  May have to stop using mine and put them in storage... 

I read somewhere that Focal was soon to introduce also a range of AB class amps with high negative feedback and large regulated power supplies. Is that true?

Chag -

Jan-Erik Nordoen posted:

A question for those who have the Ovators : What is it that they do well in comparison to other brands (or types) of speakers ?

Any downsides ?

Dear Jan-Erik

As a 400 owner of 2 years I find:

They sound neutral to my ears. They get out of the way of the music and just present it as it is.

Although they tend to be neutral sounding that do not seem clinical, and present the music with great vivacity.

There is a minimal amount  of boxy colouration. This can come across at times as lacking in bass. But bass is there, just well controlled, fast and not reverberant. Fed with high quality source and amplification the bass is fast and tight.

Naim is not meant to "do" imaging, but the sound stage is wide and the speakers disappear sonically when set up well.

I personally find them an attractive speaker. The Naim sales director gave us a talk about the Ovator series in Wellington late last year. He said that the designers had kept some of the design principals of earlier multi box designs such as the SBL. However all the different compartments are in a single box, which makes setup much easier than the fiddly multi box designs with their gaskets etc.

They make the effect of any upgrades to your system very apparent. For example I auditioned the addition of an xpsdr to a 272/250dr at the local dealers, with some Rega speakers(1/4 the price of new Ovator 400s) and could not discern much difference from the bare 272/250dr. When I got home to my xps-less 272/250dr home system, it sounded much better than the Rega with the Xpsdr. On another occasion at the shop the beneficial addition of the Xpsdr with 272/250dr and Ovator 600s was plain to hear.

Lastly and most importantly they are cat-proof. Our cats claws used to dig into the bass units of earlier speakers, but the wire mesh protects them and thus they remain mint, and the cat avoids "a long ride over the hills"!