500 v 2x300 active?

See what I mean @PeterR he’s very good at this. I don’t know about bear more like a spider as I get caught in his web of S1 :joy:

Bravo @Darkebear. Master of description and reading my mind!!

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Thank you, Dusty. Good to hear your “story”, so far. Mine is definitely not ending in an S1 or 3x500s. I couldn’t bring myself to buy an S1 - just too much

If I had space I would be open to 3x300s, but it’s already a bit cramped with 2 and I “need” the second 555 for my nd555. With my lp12 on a wall shelf along with the Radikal I could just do it, but would be at 13 shelves of fraim plus two wall shelves plus the mini quadraspire for the melco and switch and other gubbins. With two tall racks there is no room for shelves for lp12 and radikal… 3x250 is the max or 1x500 for me.

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Hi Tim,

I’m not there for Statement. When I brought the 808’s for me it was journey end. To get to the heady heights (let’s not forget expense!) of a Naim Reference system I am as happy as a”Pig in P**! I don’t have too many other hobbies, music has always been my staple diet through out my life. I love and enjoy the emotion it brings to my life. If I never spent another penny on audio reproduction for the rest of my life, then bring it on.

I mentioned Statement, it’s good to dream. But alas…the reality…!!

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Hi Tim
Just followed loosely you thread here maybe a few comments. I know the 808 quite well, from Peter, from a friend who drives them passive 552/500 and from within my own system while the DBLs were down. They are fantastic speakers absolutely sublime. More importantly they are readily available in production not vintage and pleasing optically with a reasonable good WAF which seems an issue here. A passive 552/500/808 is a heck of a system. Personally I wouldn’t bother too much with active 250s at that point. Now the big issue. As you know I had my dbls refurbed and had the 808 in trial. Yes, in my setting I Did prefer my dbls and didn’t have the impression the 808s benefitted that much more When driven fully active 3x500. I would even go as far as to say that my friends 552/500/808 passive now fully cabled is equally sonically satisfying as my own S1 500 active rig albeit with quite fewer boxes …

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Thank you Charlie. Very helpful. If I go passive now, I may make it so it would be too much effort in any event to go active again. That would save making a decision :grin:

Hi Tim, when do you start the comparison thread between the two, as you haven’t actually let much on re your sound impressions? In anticipation Peter

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No pressure😁 Once lock down is over can the forum visit😉

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Never having heard Statement I have no personal experience to draw on :cold_sweat:
I presume someone has experienced active with Statement pre and power??

Well I have been allowing the 808s to run in a bit first. They have had about 16 hours here so far, and Pete told me the factory had run them for 8 hours.

At first listen while Pete was still here, treble was harsh and bass lumpy. Still further to go after another 15 or so hours but the lumpy bass has gone. Treble still not right if you turn volume up - a bit shouty. But there is a lovely even sound at low volumes - by which I mean there is present clearly audible low bass that the SL2s don’t manage but also even quality up to the treble

Tried a bit of vinyl and the kandid is getting much better after a dozen or so albums now so there’s certainly no unpleasant gap in quality to the nd555. It will be interesting to see how they compare more going forward. But not relevant here / main point is good enough as a test of the 808s.

There is huge boogie factor - really musical, get up and dance pleasure. On the Christmas carols the teenager asked me to put on, the organ was as never heard before here. Much more scale.

I don’t know they I am saying anything very unexpected here. Oh; the flabby bass has gone - Pete thought that it would be tamed (if still here after a while) by putting in the dem super lumina speaker cable he brought so that there would be no need to move them further from the wall (they are about 4-5 inches from the plaster of the wall). But I think that has gone - not heard any flabby bass at all

There is perhaps a sense that something has been lost now we are using one 300 not two active, but I could be imagining that. The volume seems louder at 9 than before - that could be the passive not being as good as active but maybe not

A very promising start. Have been holding back to avoid saying anything too hasty, but I am looking forward to listening over the coming days and seeing how things continue to improve.

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Mebbe :crazy_face:

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Your comments remind me of the time a dealer invited me to his home to hear his 4 x 135 -> SBL active system. I was nervous lest it leave me with the impression that my own 72 / HiCap / 250 system would sound “broken,” but I was enormously underwhelmed by what I heard, to the extent that I was forever inoculated against any temptation to explore active again (what with all the drawbacks that go with it).

I recognise that said dealer and I had different ideas of what constituted a lifelike, engaging sound, and that I would probably not be thrilled with any system he put together to suit his own preferences. The enduring lesson was that only you can define what the true endpoint should be along your own upgrading path, and that other people’s opinions should never be regarded as gospel, regardless of apparent consensus. You see this opinion a lot whenever speakers are discussed, but I think it applies to everything in this hobby.

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A bit more comment. I have spent a lot of time listening over the last 24 hours and also thinking how to rearrange the racks, should I have a wall shelf for the lp12, how do I make it so the cats stop jumping on the racks etc. At the moment the extra depth of the 808s (even at 4.5 inches from the wall) means the fronts are rather close to the front of the fraim. Pete wondered if he could move the fraim to the left but then that would mean the mini quadraspire rack would have to move but the router couldn’t … and it all becomes a problem.

On the subject of active 250 v single 500, I would rather like to cut down on the number of boxes and cables. If increasing the volume of the speakers with 808s, I would rather like to reduce the volume of black boxes and shelves

Someone with active 500s into DBLs with S1 pre says that in his view (and he’s someone who very much likes active) the improvement with 250 active into 808s over a single 500 is marginal (he has a friend with 808s driven by one 500).

My wife is now on board with the 808s alongside shifting the racks to the right of the right speaker (by the way, no final decision has been made yet - want to be convinced by louder volumes not sounding shouty. The new lockdown makes it look like I will have five weeks to decide anyway :grimacing:). This will mean a bit less speaker cable but longer Ethernet from the router and power cable from the dedicated spur where the rack is now across the room. There are two regular mains sockets in the new location. As my wife can see this makes more space for the Christmas tree it is somehow a lot more acceptable to her so may be worth working towards - if she is letting me have 808s then I am going to go some way to meet her in the middle and not just take advantage. We will get a fancy greenhouse too at some point :grin:

Anyway back to the sound - was listening late last night and I was very pleasantly surprised at how broad the sound is at very low volumes (ie, the bass is still very clear and doesn’t disappear at a different pace from the treble). We don’t have good sound insulation between the floors so sound travels up and down easily. This morning I noticed an improvement in the sweetness of some vocals on this album

The 808s reveal the subtleties of her voice much more than the 808s. I think here I was hearing something I have never heard before - something to listen out for more in the coming days

That’s probably enough for now. More in the coming days

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Who’d have thought making space for the Christmas tree was the answer!

Genius!

Glad to hear the 808s are coming on song. Keep us posted.

Now I am going to have a listen to that Jen Chapin album.

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Big speakers,big tree and a big greenhouse I love it when a plan comes together.

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I have used this reasoning to buy a few bits of kit over the last three months!

M

I bought that album as a blind choice and was so pleased with it - so simple and stripped back with sax and voice only (maybe a couple of different sax)

Sounds right up my street but it is not on Qobuz. Might have to take a punt on the CD.

To be fair the sl2’s never had a chance and rightly so really, when you consider the difference between both speakers, its only ever going to be one winner.
Might as well order them now, as you will get them sooner, plus you can start rearranging your room ready for them, and start saving up for the 500dr, as i can guarantee that will be next.
The only other thing i will throw into the mix is, have you ever tried the fact 12’s?, as these are also excellent on naim, much slimmer design, cheaper and you could also have the 500dr at the same time.

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You bad boy😉

Ha ha, had to be said lol

But i feel the fact 12’s are a good shout, as they do work very well with naim, and they love the 500/552dr combo, being transmission line on the bass, you get very strond deep bass, from a much smaller cabinet, also they have a lovely midrange to them, plus you could even go for the non signature ones, as more options on cabinet finishes, plus next year pmc are going to offer the upgrade to signature crossovers, or so a little birdie told me, thats both the facts.

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