A bit too bright

I love those BBC-style boxes. Understated majesty. I had a pair of Spendor SP2/3R2’s with my Naim gear a few years ago. Speakers since might be more transparent and neutral but I’ve not managed to get anything to disappear and image like they did. Music could emerge from almost anywhere in my room.

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The speaker or my hearing? I believe Alan when he says that’s what his speaker delivers. Have you measured a 40.2?

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I have compared them to other speakers and took measurements with a dealer …

Interesting! Alan would be in trouble if his speakers don’t do what he said they would?

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What was your measurement methodology?

As YB says, Alan and his company would be in serious trouble if their advertised measuremernts were over stated. Not something to claim lightly.

The bamboo version is generally accepted as being better sonically. The oak is veneered board whereas the bamboo is solid strips. I’d also suggest you take a look at Isoblue, which is a bit less chunky. Personally I’d forget bits of wood, felt and towels and just get a decent rack. You can fanny about for ever.

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I’ve tried what I had to hand which were some IKEA cork coasters about 6mm thick but they didn’t make any significant difference. I’ll see if I can find some sorbothane.

You don’t want sorbothane anywhere near Naim. The NDS has hard feet for a reason.

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I’ve tried changing speaker positioning - toe-in and upwards/downwards tilt. Neither made a significant difference to the brightness.

Before deriding the OP, remember my mother’s adage: “always be kind”.

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I’m implementing them as fast as I can! :smiley:

I am being kind in earnest (with a sparkle of humour thrown in here and now). Perhaps it is you that is not listening to the collective wisdom that embodies this very fine forum, since you appear to not even trouble yourself to implement the helpful suggestions that have been offered. You seem hell bent on spending more money when the suggested offerings are free (in terms of your time) :relaxed:

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Please excuse my attitude, but I do not believe you for one second (this is not a ad hominen attack) that you’re coming across to me as the true embodiment of a time waster :relaxed:

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That’s not really positioning, just rotating in one plane or the other! Positioning means forward, backward, sideways (potentially up and down but that is rarely an option). Ditto listening position.

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Following your comment I did some more research on sorbothane. In the past I’d read about it being used in recording studio control rooms but now find there may be negatives to using it in the hifi context. So I should, perhaps, withdraw my previous suggestion. Something new learned.

I’d still recommend the OP finds an easy way to isolate his NDS and 300 from the glass & listen to the result before coughing up for a new rack which may or may not solve his problem. Unless the spend is of little consequence to him and/or he really wants a new rack.

Anyone who feels their time is being wasted is free to leave the thread.

I would like a new rack - I’ve had the Q4 Evo since about 1990 so it doesn’t really owe me anything. Some cynicism that this is going to fix the brightness. The cash for the rack (£1860) would go some way to buying new speakers.

At this stage it might be helpful if you iterated in one post all the things you’ve tried since you started this thread.

A 200 posts plus thread is hard to follow.

.sjb

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That’s a significant chunk of change. Well it’s absolutely your choice.

Surfaces have an effect but everything is relative. Two observations: 1) You were happy with your sound before - so your rack wasn’t deliterious to it in that context. Could the NDS and 300DR be that much more negatively sensitive to your rack than their predecessors as to cause such a radical sound shift? Or is it more likely that the greater part of latter lies in the nature of the new NDS and DR’ing in your system? 2) Will a change of rack impact the ‘brightness’ enough to bring it into a comfortable range for you. If the brightness is significant enough to have you in here pulling your hair out, my guess is not and that the solution will lie elsewhere. But it’s all speculation.

Honestly, I’d set aside a day when you can get the NDS and 300 onto wood surfaces and try it. It’s a proper pain, but it’ll tell you what you need to know. As I said previously, if you’ve got loads of money then by all means throw it at the problem until it’s solved. If not, you need to be a bit more scientific and use process of elimination through trialling stuff.

I totally feel your pain, btw. These issues can take over your life. FWIW my system was ‘brighter’ after my 250 was DR’d. The advice centred around burn-in and that was good advice but burn-in had too limited an effect. Eventually I needed a speaker change. Which isn’t to say your experience will be same.

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Or possibly glass is glass and wood is wood.