Suggestions please

Have just bought my first Naim amplification (Off ebay) 72/Hicap/250, trouble is my Celestion A2s now sound unbearably toppy and forward in the mid/top range area to the point where non hi-fi head friends are able to point this out. Now I know Naim kit tends to put an emphasis on detail but err have I bought the wrong kit or do I just need differant speakers if so any suggestions, planning to spend around £1000 2nd hand.

 

I know the ProAc Studio 125's quite well - they may have your answer. Alternatively (and probably better) would be Naim's own SBL - usually available for around 1k s/hand.

 

Mid-range forwardness is sort of Naim's signature, IME. Either you like the effect or you don't.

-- Ian

 

Just a few questions !
What is your source ? Is your room carpeted ? are the speakers in the best place ? are the speaker cable your using suitable for Naim ?

The Naim Gear is good but can lack imaging, and other spatial information.
Are the A2 upto the job ? not heard them myself.

 

Having just had my brother home, he brought his 2 pairs of proacs.

I have now decided the proac sound is not for me. It is enjoyable, but it does err on the splashy treble, mid is slightly recessed, and bass is a little odd, too. This is very logical, as I have seen the crossover on all of them, and they are almost identical, save a few minor variations. It is quite obvious mr proac has found his way to integrate drive units and implements this blanket one, then tweaks very little.

I don't think you would like proacs given the sonic signature, I have heard the tablette 8s, 50s, studio 100, 150, studio 3, response 1sc, response 3, and all have the same general balance, mid back, top slighlty emphasized. Not my cup of tea, enjoyable, but by all means try yourself.

The naim power amp itself isnt' too bad, I found it very musical and heaven forbid, valve llike in its dynamics, IMO its the pres which push naim in the toppy direction.

Not satisfying having not all naim, but perhaps try a different pre?

or speakers, personally, I found sbl's horrid, vile, really anxious sounding. They use the same tweeter as proac incidentally.

hmmm maybe we should rename...seeking smooth speakers for
naim?

judging by your speakers you are seeking something largish, with bass, a little technological maybe with good detail and not too anxious sounding?

perhaps dynaudios or b and w's?

or finally, maybe naim isn't for you.

 

i'd also ask what your source is. i use a naim system with townshend isolda cable (which i found clarified the mids and treble slightly whilst softening the bass a bit compared to naca5 - are you using naca5 speaker cable? if not it's dirt cheap and does suit naim amps remarkably well). i currently use b&w cdm7nt speakers which seem to soften things slightly too compared to some speakers i've heard. i've no idea what your celestions are like but i'd certainly recommend trying to find a 2nd hand pair of b&w's - should be nice and cheap now the 700 series has made them obsolete (the 700's are rumored to be quite forward which isn;t what you want).
good luck with things.
cheers


julian

 

Zanash, carpeted and using Naca5, have used Rega Planet and an Arcam CD.
I am starting to get worried that I don`t really like the Naim sound

 

Did you like the speakers before changing the amps? If you did, I think the answer is clear...

-- Ian

 

at least naim is easy to sell

oh and another thing, give it at least 2 weeks, perhaps 1 month.
you may adapt,
though bear in mind sometimes first impressions are the truth, so you may decide to sell after that.

Perhaps I ought to formulate a general principle...the greater the glaring strentghs, the more obvious the weaknesses.

 

I would recommend Epos speakers with Naim amps. Avoid Naim speakers like the plague. Obviously try & listen before you buy.

 

Seems like the tonal characteristics of the speakers and amps are not complementing each other. Which would you prefer to keep?

If you want to keep the Naim, I'd go for either some Epos speakers or some Dynaudios.

Contrary to what Data says, I've heard proac speakers work very well with Naim kit, so you could try those too.

 

Sorry nothing to do with the thread, but just wanted to say I like your T-shirt Robbo, but you don't really mean that do you? brains would be very poor substitute

 

Worth posting the same question on the naim or pink fish fora although be prepared for lots of advice advocating expensive CD players and/or throwing out your speakers! Certainly look through the unofficial naim FAQ.

It's entirely possible you don't like the naim sound which is certainly distinct in it's particular set of compromises. Having said that you should be able to sell on the items and even make a profit if you play your cards right. Before you do so though it's worth persevering for a few weeks: the older (olive) stuff is particularly sensitive to set up. Supports make a big difference - lots of arguement about what's best of course. Try keep the CD and 72 away from the HiCap and 250 with their big transformers. Ideally everything should be on a seperate shelf that is light, rigid and floating. Ikea do several suitable items. I assume you've got everything powered up all the time - this stuff can take two weeks to fully come on song if it's been switched off for some time in my experience. Finally, a seperate mains circuit (dedicated spur) for you hi-fi and nothing else can make an extraordinary difference. I had the same amp set up as you + naim CDP and whilst I enjoyed its immediacy and 'live' sound it could sound pretty bright on certain recordings. I tried rugs and wall hangings which ameliorated the problem somewhat but a 'dedicated spur' (several to be precise) solved the problem entirely as well as giving me an extra octave of bass. If you can (temporarily!) employ the cooker socket with an extension lead you might get a small flavour of what can happen. This is all a bit of a fiddle but need not cost much to make a big difference to what you hear.

 

Good points djc.

Dev, whats that new avatar of yours I prefer my brains to your brawn

 

Dev's avatar is the gorgeous new BMW M5 (not out yet) Cue: argument about Bangle styling

Michael.

 

I suppose it's OK if you like the Dame Edna Everage glasses look.

 

Average styling. Average reliability. Average customer satisfaction. Average economy. The only thing about BMW that's above average is the cost of running one

Hee hee!

 

What argument? It's absolutely beautifullllllllllllllllllllll

Out due soon but here's what it looks like:-

Drat, image too big, let me resize and try again.

 

For some reason I can't add the image to existing post, but here it is:-

Damn, lost a lot of detail by reducing the file size. Michael, as a BMW fan surely you can make one exception and let me post the original image?