Naim SL2 grills

Rui, I don't discuss moderation matters concerning other members.  

However, perhaps some further word is to expand on my comment to you that I put on your post;  There are no PMs here for good reason - primarily it's to protect the membership from possible solicitation, a problem that seems to be getting worse these days on forums where such things are still allowed, secondly, it's to ensure that forum rules regarding sales or wants are not circumvented.  Posting e-mail addresses on a public forum is strongly discouraged as web-bots are constantly out harvesting these for junk mail or worse - moderators remove these wherever they are seen to be posted.

If you wish to make contact with another member then there is a wall feature for personal discussion - however, it is open and viewable to all members and subject to forum rules.

Stuart, perhaps time to spray a little "harmony" on this thread...

Richard Dane posted:

I'm beginning to see the traces of black powder on the lower box top ledge, so a sign that my SL2 grilles are beginning to crumble.  I have been told that if it gets really bad then stiff hairspray can act as a temporary "cure" .  I'm not sure I would trust that though.  I will keep them as is for as long as they hold together and then worry about replacements when the time comes.

I do wonder if there's something a bit more scientific you could apply to the foams that'd help them stop deteriorating. A light Viagra solution perhaps? I guess it's light that's the main culprit.

It's amazing what you can discover with Google, isn't it? Amongst the suggestions - peanut butter (not sure a thick layer would be beneficial to sound quality), anti-fungal cream (suggestions foam rot's caused by a fungus. See scholl Athlete's Foot powder sales rocket!). However, in amongst these suggestions I happen to have stumbled across the perfect answer, and it's all very straightforward - just change the air in your listening room for pure nitrogen! Job done!

Now watch all the moaning little toadies come up with something negative...

Just had this response from Mark at speakergrills:

I'm still working on a prototype. I am actually retired and only work a couple of afternoons, most of which is spent on SBLs, Saras etc. I'm still hopeful on the SL2s but afraid everyone's gonna have to be patient.

Cheers,

Mark.

Viagra, then harmony. Grills would stay erect for longer . And my room is already 78% Nitrogen...

Good luck all you SL2 foam hunters, Mark might eventually come up trumps given time.

Stu

it might help to know how many SL2 owners need new grills right now.Mine are still OK, but i would be interested in purchasing a new pair -- provided they can be stored safely.

if we know this number we could then trawl around and see who can make these for us and at what price/quality. i guess this would only make sense if its a win-win situation -- i.e. the manufacturer would charge a reasonable premium for this one-off run?

but as i say above -- it depends on how many would be interested in this.

failing that -- are there alternatives that Naim Audio would recommend? I am thinking of some arrangement such as on the NBLs for example -- where i assume the cloth would not deteriorate that much over time?

any thoughts? does this need a new thread? i hope there is enough interest to pursue this a bit more?

enjoy

ken

Like you Ken, mine are OK for now but I would certainly order replacements at a "reasonable"  price.

My pricepoint would be £200 a pair which, if the finish and fit is as good as the originals, seems fair to restore speakers which at todays prices would be iin excess of £7k.

As with others mind are still in good shape however my experience with Ibls suggests that this can change very quickly. They went from possible to dust in about 12 months. Would anticipate the need for replacements at some point before my as yet unscheduled demise.

Willy.

Mine remain perfect but I have moved to Malta which is hot and humid so I would appreciate having a 2nd pair, and if they fit I'll keep them in the wine cooler at a steady 16 degrees.

Frank.

what i was thinking of was that, if we had high enough interest (reflected in numbers prepared to buy a pair) then we could perhaps approach a dealer who is best positioned to pursue this for us, find a potential supplier, check that the product is OK etc. Given the likely (very?) low volumes involved -- i suspect the unit cost will not be "low" -- and the dealer would obviously want to make a turn.

but perhaps you guys know an easier way? right now we dont even have a supplier --so a bit hopeless really...

enjoy...

ken

Frank Abela posted:

Mine remain perfect but I have moved to Malta which is hot and humid so I would appreciate having a 2nd pair, and if they fit I'll keep them in the wine cooler at a steady 16 degrees.

Frank.

I think UV may be a degrading factor too.

C.

ken c posted:

what i was thinking of was that, if we had high enough interest (reflected in numbers prepared to buy a pair) then we could perhaps approach a dealer who is best positioned to pursue this for us, find a potential supplier, check that the product is OK etc. Given the likely (very?) low volumes involved -- i suspect the unit cost will not be "low" -- and the dealer would obviously want to make a turn.

but perhaps you guys know an easier way? right now we dont even have a supplier --so a bit hopeless really...

enjoy...

ken

James at Tom Tom is the obvious source, as he has found replicas for the SBL. My grilles are fine, but they are only eight years old. 

Christopher_M posted:

Frank Abela posted:

Mine remain perfect but I have moved to Malta which is hot and humid so I would appreciate having a 2nd pair, and if they fit I'll keep them in the wine cooler at a steady 16 degrees.

Frank.

I think UV may be a degrading factor too.

C.

And stick something on the front to block out the UV...!

I am about t receive a set of new prototype sl2 grills from the states. I will report on the results soon. They were made according to naim own drawings/ measurements/ old grill. Have sent. So pritty sure they are going to be fine.

Amir

That sounds interesting. Make sure you let us all know what they are like. 

Amir y posted:

I am about t receive a set of new prototype sl2 grills from the states. I will report on the results soon. They were made according to naim own drawings/ measurements/ old grill. Have sent. So pritty sure they are going to be fine.

Amir

 

This sounds like good news! Looking forward to your assessment of how they perform. i couldn't figure out whether you said they were also from same material?

enjoy

ken

You guys are worrying about getting replacement grills and I am worrying about whether I will ever be able to get hold of a pair of SL2s at all!

Clive

Add my name to the list...

Another SL2 owner interested here. Mine are 'ok' but starting to see a few small bits falling from the edges now. 

Yep, me too. Can't see me ever getting rid of my wonderful SL2s, but I'll need replacement grilles at some point....

i guess my name is already on 'the list'. in fact only last night, i noticed the beginnings of disintegration of my SL2 grills...  so hope we will be able to source replacements :-(

Hmmm...

enjoy?

ken

There's something I can't get my head around hear. Given the longevity of speaker drivers why would you design a speaker around a grill material that has a known finite life much shorter than the drivers and then stop supplying spares for them. Compounded by the fact that the best sound quality is calibrated with the grills in place.

I have a pair of Grado RS1headphones. The ear cushions suffered a similar fate ( disintegrating foam). Fortunately I obtained a replacement pair and they are still available.

Any more news on this folks?