There’s a helpful post on the Naim forum
Yes…. Thanks for that…
By all means try them, but for me the ekstras were comprehensively beaten by the proacs. The d20r.
I suppose you have to try the spendor d7.2.
How much are the kudos super 20a?
Having used Kudos C20’s and S20’s I can recommended them for near wall placement.
Used C20’s go for around £1500 now, S20’s quite a bit more.
They are both very similar with the S20 being a bit more accomplished and refined. New C20’s would slightly stretch your budget, S20’s would break it!
I’ve previously used my S20’s in a very similar system to yours, identical amp with NDX and NDS. They are quite ruthlessly revealing hence my suggestion to upgrade the source first but the NDX2 is a power supply ahead of the original NDX so is a better source no doubt. I have found that the S20’s will last a long time, now with an NDS/555DR, 252DR/300DR and I suspect they still have more to give.
Andover isn’t too far from us in Dorset so you’re welcome to listen to My S20’s if that would help in anyway.
Good luck with your search. I’d definitely have a listen to the Proac D20R. The ribbon speakers sound amazing.
Russell K maybe. You are spoilt for choice, all speakers mentioned are quality, it will just come down to your preference and what works best in your room. Nice system and good luck.
Thanks…
Our brothers and sisters across the pond have the pick of the litter so to speak.
Winchester hifi have proac, kudos and neat, so you can try all those with a Naim system on isoblue (exactly as I did 18 months ago).
Not sure how the price translates across the pond, but Totem Forests would be on my list to match that set-up…
That was about active ATC SCM40s and I would broadly agree. IMO they are a good deal more placement friendly than many speakers — I struggled and failed to get downward-ported Kudos C20s to work in my room — but that doesn’t make them completely insensitive to position. I tried them firing across the room and fairly close to the wall and then firing down the room with front baffles around 1.2 m from the rear wall. The latter very much suits my listening preference. But it’s not just bass boom: I simply love the way they create such a convincing aural picture, hanging in space just behind the speakers.
I suspect that booming bass might present less of a problem with passive SCM40s driven by a 250DR, but I’d still strongly recommend trying them at home first.
They really are well worth putting on the audition list IMO. They’re endgame speakers for me. I’d only replace them with models further up ATC’s range, but I don’t have the room for those.
Roger
Have you thought about PMC Twenty5 23i floor standing speakers.
Forests are nearly £5k, next down are the double bisons £4.4k, single bisons £3.3k. But agreed recommended with Naim amps.
These were on my list to replace my Evokes. That was before we discovered that my 30 year old Linn Keilidh’s backed up by a Rel T5/x was the sound I was looking for😊
The, Kudos Cardea C20’s are now discontinued which is a shame as they were an excellent speaker and would have been on my upgrade list when the time came the Super 20A’s are stIll in production and are even better than the C20’s but at £5,700 new here in the UK they are way over budget.
This, look at the Spendor A series. Rear ported but usable close to a wall. Probably better with 6 inches away but sold as not needing to be away from a rear wall.
Best speaker I have ever had at home and I have had a few (including Avalons at £15k new)
I di find the passives to be more forgiving of placement, probably because the 250 I’d a less powerful amp than the ones feeding the bass drivers on the active version.
I would absolutely put them on the shortlist to audition.
As for end game speakers, no that would be the active 50 for me😉
I have a similar system to you and was seeking speakers for a similar price / room layout / music taste back in 2020. I bought a pair of Audiovector floorstanders (SR3s). They have small rear ports behind the tweeter and a downward firing bass port with a clever diffusion base.
I have them 22cm from a solid rear wall and don’t have a problem with unwanted bass reinforcement at all. They have a narrow front profile and fit our living space well. I also have AV speakers from them. You can see our system here: Post 6367
This model has been replaced by the R3, the least expensive version now retails at just over £5k that may be too much for you but an Audiovector dealer may have the older model available. I’ve heard them and they are well worth seeking out. Lots of options for subsequent tweaking!
Me, too, but I don’t have room for them.
Roger
Nor me I suspect