In UK, 9 x 5m is pretty big. Is the ceiling comparably high?
If not, then sitting a long way from the speakers may well give you lots of reflected sound, weakening sharp timing and stereo and making bass a bit woolly and gentle.
All those may be helped by more suitable preamp and source, but it may be that changes only in those areas will give better crispness/ clarity/ speed/ control in the bass, but not deliver all that you need. You may also need to sit a bit closer or use REW and the like to find avoid nodes.
If the total volume is big, I’ll be guided by others with more knowledge, but my guess is that even my beloved 300DR would find shifting all that air a challenge. S/h 500s are an amazing bargain now, or you may be pressured to move from Naim, as others have suggested.
Also, can you tell us about the floor?
You may be happy buying (on eBay) and selling a box if it doesn’t help. If not, can you borrow and XPS and a 252/52/552 to avoid potentially wasting money?
Spot on here - 252 and a 555ps will drive a superb outcome. The B&w’s are notorious for only coming alive when played loudly …… could well be the issue
Well @Keltik and @Ardbeg10y I agree that the s600 are good, but I found the bass lacking, not absent but not punchy. OK I was only using 4x135s, and I did not have room for two more or a 250; hence trying out a sub. In a relatively small room with a low ceiling a single REL has made listening to music more relaxing and the sound revealing.
Last week the sofa was ditched with two arm chairs replacing it; the sound is different again, in a subtle way. In the NY I will play around with HouseCurve again before trying out REW. I just hope my s600 last.
Apparently they’re easier to drive than the older generation.
It means nothing to me but I know a few members will be able to comment on the below:
Bowers & Wilkins’ 803 D4 not only looks like a scaled version of the flagship 801 D4 [HFN Nov '21] but its performance bears parallels. The impedance trend is not dissimilar, though neither speaker offers a ‘nominal 8ohm’. The 803 D4 hits a minimum of 2.7ohm/115Hz (sub-6ohm from 62Hz-1.3kHz) and a tough EPDR of 1.0ohm/82Hz, but while the down-firing port ‘dip’ at 26Hz is again similar, the 47ohm LF peak is half that of the 801 D4 and at a higher 15Hz (vs. 92ohm/12Hz). The smaller 180mm Aerofoil woofers have a reduced 47Hz-360Hz bandwidth (re. –6dB) but the diffraction-corrected LF extension remains a creditable 35Hz versus 19Hz for the voluminous 801 D4 (all –6dB re. 200Hz).
It’s quite simple at headline level, and was highlighted on the previous thread raised by the OP (there’s a link above). B&W design their larger amps with powerful mono-blocs, and the fall-away in impedance takes a very strong (read powerful) amp to maintain control.
While a NAP500DR is in with a shout of driving these types of 'speakers well (and the NC350s too), to drive them optimally then you’re talking Statement-level stuff.
I had the 803D3s with plenty of power from a pair of Naim 135s, but couldn’t love them.
Switched to 801s and effortless glorious sound thereafter. And the 135s drive pretty much anything. So in my own view it might be the speakers.
V best,
Adrian
An EPDR of 1.0ohm/82Hz will be challenging for most amps including the 300DR, particularly as 82 Hz is quite important in the bass region. I can’t really be certain, but that could be the reason for the perceived lack of grip with the 300DR.
I concur with @HappyListener 's conclusion that to drive these to the best advantage you’re looking toward Statement level power amps, I don’t think the 500DR will be the sort of improvement that you are likely to be seeking.
NAP350 or possibly Chord Ultima 5 may well be the solution, once the front end has been beefed up in line with @HungryHalibut 's advice. The latter power amp is known to work well with your speakers.
I bought a 803D4 some weeks ago and connected it with a NAP 300 (no DR). It works very good and I don’t think there is not enough bass. I am verry happy and in the first moment, there is nothing I miss. I most hear singer and songwriter or jazz. That may be the reason…
Perhaps it will be much better with 300DR, 500DR or 350. I have never tried, but deep in my heart, I want to do it sometimes, but I am not shure about the next update steps in the moment.
Sorry for my poor English and greetings from Germany.