Speakers that maximize Naim sound.

May also want to consider Focal Sopra-3. They apparently were voiced with the NAP 300. I have a similar room and they sound great in many respects.

JS, thank you for that suggestion, I have not heard them and definitely will. Any thoughts on placement, although my spacing is good. Has your experience with speakers supported  “full loon?” Hope I got that right.

Neat, Kudos or Dynaudio?

The new Magico A3 speakers look interesting 

I'm told that ATC used to make drive units for NAIM.

Perhaps that's why they sound so good with my (mostly) NAIM boxes.

Also links strongly to your specific question...

Going completely on a limb, based on including Harbeth and the price I have just found for the Yvettes.

Graham Audio VOTU, a company that has a BBC ethos, similar to Spendor and Harbeth???

The Focal Sopra 2’s or 3’s are designed to work with Naim. 

I would suggest it’s your best place to start.

Mike1951 posted:

I'm told that ATC used to make drive units for NAIM.

Perhaps that's why they sound so good with my (mostly) NAIM boxes.

Also links strongly to your specific question...

Or was it that Naim used drive units thatbATC made? I think ATC are the drive unit experts, far more so than Naim, and their primary focus has been provideing the best quality of sound for the driver’s range, cost no object.

Kudos 707.

BP.

The Harbeth Super HL5 Plus are almost identical to the Spendor SP1.  Both are direct descendants of the Spendor BC1.

If you change from the SP100s I feel you are most likely to be somewhat disappointed.  Whilst they are a bit different, they still have generally similar sonic characteristics inherited from the BBC monitor style of construction and optimisation.

Not sure how meaningful it is to ask the question. Speakers are so personal anyway. Recommendartions almost seem pointless beyond general vouchers for compatibility - and that does have some real value as there are some things out there that are fine on paper but just don't work.

Case in point, clearly the speakers that would maximise the Naim sound most as heard by the ears at Naim would be Naim's own speakers prior to them stopping production. Yet here we are talking about non Naim ones - and Naim speakers themselves are, as reading the forum will reveal, highly polarise opinion. Another example is that for some reason, many ex SBL owners gravitated towards PMC Twenty.23 as a replacement if their SBLs gave up the ghost or were sold on to later regret. Yet The PMCs (another ex BBC heritage) sound not even remotely similar to SBLs. I confess, I have never heard a Naim speaker I got on with (and I've spent hundreds of hours in front of SBLs) yet chose the same PMCs a lot of ex SBL owners seemed to also like.

The point being, I'd strongly recommend just ignoring the notion of a "Naim sound" and find a speaker that works for you. No one on the forum will have the same shaped ears or room as you anyway. And most people will invariably just recommend what they own. 

I don't know exactly about 'maximizing Naim sound', but I've always thought Sonus Faber were a good match with Naim amplifiers +/- Naim sources.

Nice perspective from FZ and I wonder, did Naim produce a ported speaker? I think of them as primarily a sealed-box speaker maker. From that logic, considering the OP's listed speakers, and his not wanting to disturb the neighbors (as a ported speaker might be more inclined to do), the Magico's sealed-design seems to fit the bill. Will the Magicos maximize the Naim sound?  An entirely subjective question that only the OP is in a position to answer.

All that said, your room's bass nodes and volume you play at are the most likely culprits in disturbing your neighbors. Room treatment in the form of bass traps to reduce doubling might have more to do with maintaining local tranquility than your speaker choice.

And yet, a good 2nd hand pair of SBLs has the best value for money ratio on the planet. And, in spite of a silly rumour, their setup can actually be some fun, and teach something (on speakers and on Naim).

I rather like the expression the full loon. It's up there with Mogwai interconnect cable.

CXF04 posted:

My system: NAP300DR, NAC552DR, CDS3/PS555DR, speakers Spendor SP100R2.

In considering new speakers I’m reminded of what Martin Colloms said when he reviewed the new DR circuit, “Naim prioritized musical communication over sound quality purity.” Reading this I realized it was probably the reason I was captivated first time I heard Naim, though unfairly it was active SBL “6-pack.” Naim’s focus unlike almost all is to allow listener to remain focused on the music without making believe they were in performance space. 

With above in mind I will shortly set off on quest for speakers to complement Naim’s embrace of “musical prioritiy.” My listening space allows speakers to be placed up to 5-feet  from wall behind them and 10-12 feet from listener, distance to side walls is more than 15-feet per speaker with speakers 10-feet apart.  Because home is apartment I do not want speakers with sound or vibration that will intrude on privacy & comfort of others. My current speakers, since addition of 552’s are dramatically improved, but I feel they lack a good measure of beauty & intimacy. After reading Forum, HiFi Critic & elsewhere, I’ve come up with three possibllities Wilson Audio Yvette, Harbeth Super HL Plus & Magico S1 Mkll. If Naim would promise to introduce speaker with voice of past I would gladly wait. I live stateside where true Naim dealers are few and market for used Naim speakers non-discernible. 

I fail to understand why the suggested speakers to replace Spendors, should provide more than a sidegrade apart from more money spend

It seem as Focal are now voicing their line of speakers to match pairing with Naim amplication, no surprice as they have same owner.

Older Naim speakers were entirely different animals, as were older amplication vs recent

Earlier Focal speakers before Naim ownership, were allmost terrible imo

Innocent Bystander posted:

Mike1951 posted:

I'm told that ATC used to make drive units for NAIM.

Perhaps that's why they sound so good with my (mostly) NAIM boxes.

Also links strongly to your specific question...

Or was it that Naim used drive units thatbATC made? I think ATC are the drive unit experts, far more so than Naim, and their primary focus has been provideing the best quality of sound for the driver’s range, cost no object.

IIRC, only the DBL 15" bass drivers.

Yup, the DBL bass drive units were made for Naim by ATC. The midrange and midbass drivers in the others were made by Naim in Salisbury. Tweeters were selected and matched By Naim but made by Scanspeak.

Having progressed through the range of speakers from Neat, and found each of them to work perfectly with Naim kit, I'd suggest a few demos, if that's possible where you live.

jsaudio posted:

May also want to consider Focal Sopra-3. They apparently were voiced with the NAP 300. I have a similar room and they sound great in many respects.

Depends on your budget of course but I’ve been more that happy with my Sopra 2s on the end of my 300DR. Very well made too and being smaller than the 3s might me more acceptable. I swapped from Ovator 600s. Nice speakers but not as transparent as the Sopras - at least in my room.

i would certainly include Kudos in the demos you have - not sure on your budget but having recently listened to the T606 I would certainly have them in the mix

The Strat (Fender) posted:

Neat, Kudos or Dynaudio?

Strat, the speaker I was always most interested in from your suggestions have been Kudos, a speaker often favored by many Naimites with very "British" sound, but Kudos website does not show any USA distributor.

Thank you for your suggestions.   

Robert Burgess posted:

The new Magico A3 speakers look interesting 

Robert, do you own Magico? I Increasingly hear that many people are enamored of Magico line and see it as speaker of choice in way that Wilson were spoken of, especially the larger and more expensive versions. As shared I do have them on my short list, but non-Forum contacts who are Naim owners were first in love with their Magico's and then couldn't wait to get rid of them. Still I will consider them. Thank you for your thoughts.

Mike1951 posted:

I'm told that ATC used to make drive units for NAIM.

Perhaps that's why they sound so good with my (mostly) NAIM boxes.

Also links strongly to your specific question...

Mike, I've never seen ATC for sale in audio shop stateside, I know that many are very happy with active ATCs If I see them I will listen. Great problem in current North American audio market is that there are fewer and fewer dealers and profile of interest in audio has been in free fall since at least 2007 and in part since 2000, leaving paucity of shops and those that exist with smaller display areas and fewer lines. Thank you for your suggestion! If I can hear them I will take them seriously and seek your further thoughts on placement and integration.    

If you'd like to hear a Naim sounding speaker, rarer than hen's teeth but ever so Naim-capturing - their very own nbl's can sound quite magnificent in the right setting.  A 300DR may well be up to the task of driving them.  And you can pick them up for a comparative bargain.  Probably not a realistic challenge to locate in the states though, but if you are able to find them.....

Peter