Malcolm at that time, was a Mana man for his beloved Naims… and swore by them.
So it’s no surprise he breathed a sigh of relief when the Fraims arrived. He swore by
active set-up as many here do.
Maybe he owned Quadraspire before/after that? I distinctly remember an article by him in one of the magazines about system set-up and he was enthusing about Quadraspire SV. There was a picture of his system and I remember being surprised that he had opted for the double width home cinema variant of the rack, with his Naim CDS, 52 etc. arranged side by side.
Not sure Pete.
He was waxing lyrical about the use of Manas but I wouldn’t
be surprised if he had tried many other supports in his tenure as
one of the UK’s most respected audio reviewers with an active
Naim system.
I am saddened today with the learning of his demise in Jan 2021.
Rest in peace, Malcolm, thank you Sir for many years of wonderful writing
and deeply insightful reviews particularly for your beloved Naims.
Your active set-up should sound stunning however service will be necessary. Afterward address your cabling and powerlines. Nac 52 and Nap 135s were top of the line and mate well with Naim speakers. Most active users will not return to passive operation once their system is dialed in correctly.
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I’d be tempted to open the SNAXO 2-4 and see what the blue HF/LF pots are set to - could the previous owner have adjusted them?
There was often a little mark on these pots which would indicate factory settings.
A service may well be due but I don’t think Class A are keen on doing SNAXOs, I may be wrong.
Lots of advice to spend more money as normal but, if you liked what you had before, just adding an extra amp, removing the standard crossovers and adding the much better snazo crossover should give you a better result than worse, as the standard sbl crossovers aren’t know for there greatness.
So i would check and check again that you have it all connected up right, yes the fraim would be better but it’s not i feel going to resolve this, nor do i think is moving cables.
As said above, do you know if the snazo is fine and the pots inside set to the right positions as this is going to make a huge difference if its not right and would be next thing to check after making sure you have it connected correctly
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This thread made me think of Malcolm. Never had the honor of meeting him but I loved his writing … you could tell music was his fanatical passion. I remember the story of how he played his sbls so loud he kept blowing the drivers…instead of turning it down he bought dbls…
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Thanks for all the suggestions - very much appreciated.
I’m now rebuilding the system & taking care with cable dressing as far as possible!
Can I just check is Channel 1 on the SNAXO for the left hand SBL as listened too? And Channel 2 for right?
They blow even faster
Interestingly … after moving from active 135’s to passive 500 … I blew fewer tweeters.
Is usually the Left Hand Channel, yes… In all Naims… 
I see on relatively modern Naims ( so, on my 2001 NAC82) it actually says Chanel 1 Left and Channel 2 Right. Thats progress… (it used to just say Ch1 & Ch 2)
I’ve spent all afternoon rebuilding the system & at present this is the best I can get. I’ve changed a few things around to make cables run better. Any thoughts?
This is before I have to push the cabinet back further to keep the domestic harmony in balance 
I checked & the SNAIC is actually black but quite old so ordered a new one just to be sure.
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Hi @Alley_Cat
I’ve had a look inside & the pots are all set to the little mark.
I’ve spoken to Darran & he’s happy to do SNAXO service.
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Sorry do you mean the pots are set against ‘pencil marks’ or to the minimum?
Good to hear he’s happy to service a SNAXO.
My eyes!!
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My advice is dont worry about it, life is too short
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Against the pencil marks
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That looks perfect to me 
Awesome. I feel much happier with my cable nests now. Cheers 
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