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Hello French Rooster,
I have now tested the TAD ME1s and the Focal Diablos side by side.
I was impressed by both but particularly by the TADs. They are extremely musical. The sound stage is wide. The bass is present with nice attack. I intentionally played music with double bass or electric bass. For the first time in one of the records I know very well I could hear the strings on the frets on an electric bass. This gives you the level details that can be heard.
The TADs will certainly stay on my short list. But before committing, I would like to listen to the Kudos Titan 505. Unfortunately, the dealer I called in Italy didn’t had them at this time. And Kudos does not seem to be represented in France.
Do thanks for drawing my attention to the TADs.
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Yes, unfortunately, there’s no Kudos dealer in France.
Hope you will find the right speakers . Maybe Wilson book shelves or Borresen ….
Borresen
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Pretty speakers. I’ve heard these at a friend’s house with all Borresen electronics.
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Yes, gorgeous! How was the sound with Borresen electronics?
They sounded excellent but different from the Naim signature I’m used to. Even when I dream of winning the lottery my dreams can’t afford those speakers/system lol
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I tested a pair of Mission 770 ‘Freedom’ speakers in the early 80’s.
Mid to upper bass very tight but prominent and clear, extreme HF too prominent. Mid-band confused/ragged; recessed, almost muffled. Very good on most rock & some pop; useless for classical / orchestral.
Very 70’s boom & tizz. It was a desired characteristic in those days.
FR,
The Wilson’s bookshelves are pretty small and I don’t like their esthetics.
The Børresen look very nice. I would have been interested in hearing them. Unfortunately, there is no dealer in France and the Italian one doesn’t sell Naim gear. Since it is impossible in Italy to get speakers home for a test, I would like to have at least an audition with a Naim system close to the one I will purchase.
Edit : I looked at the price. And the Børresens are way behind my budget.
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My last idea:
Sonus Faber Guernari.
Sonus Faber are much faster today. They match very well with Naim. A lot here have this brand here.
15 k
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Have you tried Diablo Utopia? I have a pair and honestly they are brilliant but they do need good kit and be well set up
The most beautful-sounding and engaging Naim system I have heard (and actually owned) was crowned with the Sonus Faber Extremas. These are notoriously difficult to drive, and failed quite spectacularly when driven only by an Olive 250. Upping it to a pair of Exposure XVI monoblocks was a considerable improvement. Swapping out the Exposures for a pair of NAP135s was swings-and-roundabouts. The Exposures had better midrange and imaging, but the 135s had a bit more verve.
Yet both monoblocks had a dynamic cap that could not be broken. I had heard of people needing to use 750 W Manley amps to get the Extremas to move air.
So I tried one last thing. I had some custom Chord cables Y-cables made that was a DIN at one end (coming out of the Supercap) and 2 single ended XLR at the other end (to feed a pair of NAP135s). And I passively bi-amped the Extremas with four NAP135s.
This completely transformed the Extremas, giving them enormous pitch stability, walk-around stereo imaging and a huge boost in dynamic contrasts. Indeed I had one fellow owner of Extremas come round and listen to mine, and he could not believe how much better they sounded than his (and he WAS using those 750W Manley monoblocks).
When biamped I would rate the Extremas as being one of the best passive speakers I have ever heard, and that includes speakers into the 6-figure price range. I eventually moved on to active DBLs with six of the 135s. Although the DBLs did scale at the lower end that the Extremas could not match, a lot of the ‘beauty’ of the sound did not make it through. It took me a long time to adjust to the DBLs, having come from the Extremas. Back then, the Extrema tweeters were probably $800 a pair, while the DBL tweeters were closer to $40.
Yes, Naim and SF can be a match in heaven, or a match in hell…system optimization is everything.
BTW I was using the CDS(1)/52/SC at the time…so pretty much full blown Naim electronics.
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The TAD ME are an excellent idea and possibly hard to beat as a standmount at this budget.
Other ideas could be :
-
Audiovector R1 Arete with quality subwoofer to augment lower bass.
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Neat Ultimatum XLS - this has isobaric bass system so goes low for a standmount.
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Vivid S12 (if you can accept the looks) + quality subwoofer suitable for music.
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Borresen X1 - but as you say possibly no dealer.
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B & W 805 D4 .
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Proac K1 - but perhaps sit too low for your sofa.
Just some additional ideas for you.
Yes! I compared the Diablo with the TAD ME1s. Though the Diablos are excellent, the TADs had my preference. I think they are more refining with possibly more bass.
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I have found a dealer in Piacenza who has both the Focal Diablos and the Neat Ultimatum XLS. I think I will book an audition there.
I have tested the B&W 804 D. I found them too detailed and shrill. Thus I am not inclined to test the 805D4.
Have Proac K6 in Paris powered by 300DR. I love them. But the K1 as you indicated would sit too low and I don’t like them esthetically.
Borresen are way beyond my budget.
I’ll try to source the other speakers.
Thanks for the suggestions.
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one thing i really notice with my diablos, they take about 20 mins to warm up. (take that in to consideration on your demo) i have mine close to my back wall but in all honesty they are the best speaker iv owned. they are refined, detailed and smooth in comparison to the sopra 1 they replaced. vocals in particular are excellent
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I have tried quite hard to find a dealer that has both Sonus Faber and Naim in Northern Italy. I have read quite a lot of good things on the forum and they have the nicest cabinet. Fat chance. Unfortunately, all dealers provide McIntosh and/or Accuphase. Perhaps a sign of the power amplification needed. I definitively want to make speakers audition with a Naim system as close as my future configuration (NSS333-NAC252-NC250) will be since there is no possibility to try speakers in situ in Italy (I envy HiFi fans in the UK). In addition, what RonToolsie wrote is a word of caution. And I won’t put 4*350 to make them work.
Thus at this stage my favorite speakers are the TAD ME1s. I still have to audition the Neat Ultimatum XLS and the Kudos Titan 505, if possible. But I really liked the TADs.
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Hi michelw
Actually the Borresen X series is their new entry level series. I think this series only came out in 2023.
The X1 standmount is €6,000 including stands.
Apparently they can do this price because the cabinets are made in China . But the drive units are made in Denmark and final assembly is there too.
Hi Delft,
Right!
I looked at the Borresens 01 when FR attracted my attention on them but at 30k€ they are way above my budget. And there is also the Z series which is more expensive than the X series but within my budget. There is a dealer in Torino but he has the X2s and X3s but not the X1s. And no Naim.
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That all sounds very sensible and I am glad that you are making good progress.
To be fair, I hated B&Ws for years - too harsh, too directional and too boom&tizz every time. Then I was advised to try the modern ones at home - and bought 804s. They had none of the bad features of old.
In any even, you have lots of good speakers to try to hear- good luck!
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I found Alta Fedelta, in Calco. They seem to have Naim and Sonus Faber.