Originally posted by The Devil
I think it was Alan Ball who described it as a PA. The room/speaker interaction you have is not at all pretty on some material. Moving the system to a larger room would almost certainly alleviate this.
Firstly, Alan Ball heard my system ages ago when it sounded very different to the way it does now. So many things (mains, amount of Mana, equipment/speaker positioning, and much more) have changed since he last heard it. I'm confident if he were to hear it again (not that he's likely to get the chance) he'd have an entirely different view. Furthermore, the PA thing is not what he told me, or what he reported on the Naim forum at the time. It's about time some people had the honesty to say what they really think to your face, and that includes you! I seem to remember you said some very different things to me about my system when you were there. Do you wish me to remind you?
Secondly, the one and only time you heard my system the room had just been trashed by a fire, the Mana was all out of tune, the kit was full of soot, and it had been switched off for hours. Of course, none of this matters to you, does it? You have no idea whatsoever how my system sounds now. I take your point about large speakers in small rooms, but I like the effect in my room and can assure you there is no longer any 'boom' (not that I thought there was much, if any, in the first place) since the speakers have been moved to the other side of the room. The room is also bigger since the water tank cupboard has been removed.
Thirdly, the ONLY person, apart from my regular friends, who's heard my system recently is John Toon - and you know how impressed he was. His review of my system was spot on, and is exactly how it sounds.
I liked your system, but I think it would be far better with Stealth monoblocks driving passive ATC 100s (are they available in passive format?). IMO, this would make it less clinical sounding and get back some of the boogie factor. The active set-up is great for creating a sense of realism, but the on-board ATC amps are nothing special, musically.
Marco.