Which speakers have worked well for you with a 250?

Loki posted:

IB: the budget is open to about £4k SH . Definitely do not want bloated!

FWIW, that is about the current going rate for the EB1 secondhand, though they do not come up very often.

I have a pair of Dynaudio Excite x38's at the end of my 250.2 set up.  They have a superb bass response and timing is excellent.  Definitely worth an audition.

Thanks IB and Owen. I guess if the EB1s are rare SH it will be difficult to audition, but I have time on my hands...for now!

The interesting thing with the NAP change is just how much more grip the 250 has on the Keilidhs, but As IB says I'm looking to reach to the trouser flapping end of the spectrum and interested in your real world experiences rather than the paper specs.. 

Loki posted:

Thanks IB and Owen. I guess if the EB1s are rare SH it will be difficult to audition, but I have time on my hands...for now!

 

The interesting thing with the NAP change is just how much more grip the 250 has on the Keilidhs, but As IB says I'm looking to reach to the trouser flapping end of the spectrum and interested in your real world experiences rather than the paper specs.. 

My suggestion of an active sub is based on real world experience - I use a sub controlled by a miniDSP 2x4 (used to implement the filters needed to prevent the LF extremes of a sub from exciting the room resonances too much).  By filtering the feed to the sub only and leaving the feed to the main speakers unaltered, means that the digital room correction doesn't interfere with the more subtle aspects of sound quality from the main speakers.

The best of both worlds - elimination of the bass resonance problems of the room without degrading the overall sound quality.  This even works with my almost square room - 9½ shields by 8¼ shields (4.25m x 3.7m) - with solid stone walls.

The other advantage of a sub rather than full range main speakers is that you can position the main speakers to get the best mid-range performance, without having to compromise when the extended bass response excites a room resonance and starts to overwhelm the rest of the sound.  The sub can then be placed independently at the best place to get an even bass response (and you can bet that won't be the same position you want for the main speakers!).

There's a site that scans hifi sale sites, and you can register for notifications - name begins hifi and then the name of the type of fish that starred in the film Jaws. The show a pair of EB1s advertised in August only a little over your price limit.

I'm intrigued by the link to a sub Huge. How would it work with my setup? I have had experience of subs in AV and PA applications and am used to tuning Tannoy Professional and M&K domestic units. But, I have no idea how it would link to the Naim kit.

Incidentally, before we get too sidelined on bass, my comment was really intended to suggest that speakers that do not go low are not for me. I like a big immersive sound.

Shields: not a problem of you have the bearers carry them: as long as they aren't pressed close to their armour there are few rattles and resonance issues. Chain mail is a separate issue!

Hi Loki,

To connect a sub to your system, you use a short 4pin DIN to 2 phonos lead from the HiCap to a miniDSP 2x4.  The little DSP unit does three things:

1  provides an accurate, more controllable crossover between the main speakers in-room LF response and the sub
2  provides digital room correction of the output of the sub (only)
3  drives the longer phono cables to the low level input of the sub, to avoid putting an increased load on the output of the NAC 32.5.