Bigger speakers
Posted by: Fizzyhair on 19 October 2018
I currently have a nait 5i and cd5i and i need new speakers. I tried a pair of neat motive sx2 small floorstanders and really liked them. However id like something a little bigger physically.
Any suggestions for a full size floorstander?
There is a logic to cabling choice - the better the materials used and the construction, the easier it will be for the signal to arrive at the speakers without any loss. Choice of materials can colour the signal too. I understand the "snake oil" caution completely, I mean who would believe the choice of support for one's hi-fi would affect the sound but I am guessing 90%+ of hi-fi enthusiasts make a £500+ investment in a rack from the get go. I am convinced these (relatively) small and cost-effective investments make incremental improvements, some more so than others and for me, its all part of a hobby I love.
I'd suggest you cast a wider net budget-wise in the downward direction. I'd not partner a GBP1200 speaker with a Nait 5i.
I might consider something like a Qacoustics 3050i at half the cost though. You might find a lower cost floor stander, while less capable, is also less demanding and that a comparison with a better speaker shows the lesser to be a better match.
I guarantee that if you hooked your current speakers to a full brace of 500 equipment, you would be amazed how bigger and more expensive they would sound. Usually putting big expensive speakers on a (relatively) low cost amplification will often magnify what you did not like and only partially improve what you did. Back until the early 80's or so, Naim dealers would have an evening where they took their entry level gear sequentially upwards to the reference. And one thing that held common, was that budget speakers with the top end amplifiers outperformed the mullet of less expensive electronics into more expensive speakers.
It does not look like either your amp nor your CD player will accept an external power supply. Shame, as this probably would give the the subjective sense of upgrading to larger speakers without actually doing so.
Having said that, years ago a recommended Stereophile system was the Nait5 amp into some 8x more expensive Wilson speakers-which has got to be the most back-heavy mullet that actually worked.
I would try the ProAc Studio 140's. Nice loudspeakers, good bass extension, around GBP 1000 preloved.