True. But the OP’s original question was about the S-400 specifically, so having owned them twice (once never seems enough for me, have no clue why) in my opinion they are among the very few floor standing speakers that blend graciously with the rest of the room, in spite of an important size. They manage not to look invasive or stupidly bulky.
My Marten Design Miles II:
looked like pink elephants in comparison. When I had them I didn’t notice it too much and thought I was having a great performance; today, my Sats deliver most of the music in a small box, and I am able to recognize what matters. S-400s are a fine loudspeaker though, and I believe that GadgetMan would be happy with them provided the space behind and around is enough.
I’ve had SBLs, and still think that in spite of not gorgeous looks they are amazingly interesting from an engineering point of view. They can really disappear from the scene in a way, given proper amplification. I still have a soft spot for them. As for NBLs, it’s a matter of taste I suppose, but I heard them once in Portland at the end of a 200 system and they had a weird large bump in the mid-treble that made them tiring. A later review by Stereophile did confirm this, but they have a large following. Not my cup of tea, but surely important speakers.
I think that a lot of the loudspeakers today (and there is a lot out there) tend to go against all that is desired by the average domestic home end user. Like you say, ‘big’ are impressive to the eye, but actually very rarely sound any good to how they even look, let alone sound good (musically speaking). One only has to visit a HiFi show to find that one out, ok maybe the odd one ‘or’ two get a away with it, but in general, no they fail most of the time for me anyway. Indeed i’ve been looking extremely hard myself for that right balance of size and sound and have almost all but given up.
So here i am with a 17k system and a pair of 18 year old satellite speakers that cost me best part of £500 from a well known auction site. Ok, they’re not perfect, but they play the tune to a very satisfactorily standard and hug the rear wall without ever imposing themselves too much on the eye of the beholder, and on that odd occasion have someone looking around as if they were being augmented by something much, much larger.
I’m ‘sort of’ content with what i have now but on that same token also stuck in the quest for something ever newer, at least for now anyway. There’s a gap in the market i feel for a small and domestically discrete and a musically rewarding speaker for the masses, to take on these recent leviathans, that almost kill all of the natural light in one’s living space. A real ‘bang for buck’ speaker that looks good in a small modern living space, a Bruce Lee re-born type of speaker, fit for purpose in every single way.
That speaker does of course exist: the ProAc Tablette 10 Signature. Small, beautifully built, affordable, available in a range of finishes and, critically, designed to to used near the wall.
I have a pair and I love them. Fast, clear, engaging. Super revealing.
I do have a bit of a mullet, using a NAC 172 N and a NAP 200. I think the S400s need a bit more. I always thought the amplification and source was just a starter to get me back in the swim. I didn’t have enough cash at the time to get what they really needed.
I don’t think the Supernait, whilst a fine amp, is the best match for S400s either.
I have just committed to a NDX/XPS, and will be moving to a NAC 252 as soon as possible. I think this will be more appropriate.
S400s second hand are a gift, probably due to the lack of love here on the forum. So my advice would be to grab a pair.
I must confess that I also love the look of them. I have a white pair. Very cool.
Agreed about the Naim Allaes. I had a pair of Intros for a long time and always enjoyed the sound. I acquired a pair of Allaes about six years ago and really love them. Fast, precise, sweet, accurate… They have sounded good and have only gotten better as I have made various system improvements over the years. Now running them with a 282, SuperCap DR, 250 DR and hey sound fantastic. I did recently add the IsoAcoustics Gaia III’s under them and that has made them even better. I have never had Credos in my house but my dealer speaks of Allaes as upgraded and improved Credos. If you can find a pair to try a home demo with I would suggest giving them a go.
All rooms are different, for sure, and my experience has been quite different with the Allaes from HH’s. No problems with the bass response in my room. On the contrary I find the bass to be articulate, present, fast and deep without being wooly, too fat, muddy or imprecise. Mine are on the short wall, firing up the long dimension of the room in a 19’3” by 11’3” room. Also I have found that the bass can be tuned quite well by slight movements of the speakers closer to, or more out from the wall.
It’s always good to get impressions from forum members,
But disqualify hearing a speaker based on what they write?
Beyond that, the OVATOR may sound “flat and lifeless” using the NOVA.
Using Ndac + nac52 + 135 they are far from being …
Of course one other fantastic visual feature with Naim speakers is that they sound so good with their grilles in place. Which i find so much more appealing to my opened eyes, when in a very rare event of a changing albums/tracks, sources, using the remote or walking out of the room.
The problem is there are so many speakers out there, I have to narrow down the search somehow. There is just too much choice, for me at least. My ideal would be for everyone to say that Naim only works with these 3 manufacturers, then that leaves me a smaller task, but faced with such a wide choice, I need a bit of help by getting views from people on this Forum. I’m hoping that once I start to demo a few, it will all become clear. Once I find a pair, I will not be changing every couple of years (or even looking at what else is available - I hope), so this next pair will hopefully last me another 20+ years.
I must admit I find choosing and auditioning speakers a pain which is probably why I’ve only owned seven pairs (including my current forum darlings ) over 36 years. The forum is a good place for getting an idea of what’s around, what people with similar musical tastes, systems and rooms like and also what those speakers look like in a domestic environment. I’d really try and go to a good dealer and listen to a few speakers so you get a feel for the sound of the brands and that will allow you to narrow things down (including a home audition of your chosen selection) and lead you to your next long term set of speakers.
You’ve already explained that you don’t have rack space for a change of system upstream - plus you’ve only said good things about the Credos … so I’m not sure why the pressing need to spend?
Partly, I have some money in my pressie fund that’s burning a hole in my pocket.
Also if I remember correctly, the Credo’s were originally matched with the NAC102, and not necessarily the NAC 82. I suspect that my current system is now capable of a lot more than the Credo’s can offer, therefore with all that potential I’m keen to know what it is capable of, and what I am missing.
Retiring, first upgrade of the NAC102 to NAC82 and Tidal gave me a new love for music, and I spend a lot more time listening to it than ever before, therefore logical to improve on that sound if possible
Welcome to hifi, where there’s a tendency for people to project shortcomings onto inanimate objects for reasons unrelated to their experience with said object. I can assure you the S400 is anything but flat and lifeless with a SU so I doubt they were that way with a Nova. The S400 is not a big speaker and would likely work fine in the OP’s room but the the siren song of the darling had its way so he’ll never know.
I can’t ever imagine Naim building a speaker that sounds flat and lifeless, it goes against everything that is Naim, especially in any of their speaker ranges. I would almost certainly try and give the Ovators at least a go before dismissing them beforehand for sure…they certainly look very smart.
Crazy, right? They were a dealer demo set in perfect condition. They weren’t particular about their position and sound amazing, first with the SU, and now with the 272. I didn’t need a big speaker but wanted a floor stander and these were the perfect solution. Naim synergy ftw.
Yes i think if a really nice pair came up, and in the right livery at a good price, i’d be tempted to take a punt on a pair myself. After all, I purchased my n-Sats totally blind (never even heard a pair, ever) and they have turned out to be a revelation here for me. I ran Credos before hand for over eighteen years. I think if you like the ‘full’ Naim sound to start with then there’s a pretty good bet that you can’t really go wrong, unless one’s system is not quite up to a certain model’s ability that is, but even so…
) over 36 years. The forum is a good place for getting an idea of what’s around, what people with similar musical tastes, systems and rooms like and also what those speakers look like in a domestic environment. I’d really try and go to a good dealer and listen to a few speakers so you get a feel for the sound of the brands and that will allow you to narrow things down (including a home audition of your chosen selection) and lead you to your next long term set of speakers.