Of course it’s great to improve our systems and discover where they can be bettered,
For example, above … you’ve already discovered for yourself that the better the preamp, the better they will sound … just try them with a new-fangled S1 and I’m fairly sure they will be pretty darn good - so the remark doesn’t make sense to me.Now that would be interesting to hear
Wouldn’t require any more rack space
Excellent,
And that’s the reason to sample this speaker as well, which for some reason, wins here, cool PR, from the day it was marketed (and I guess I know why) and very warm PR to another speaker, which not only, in my opinion, falls short of.
Indeed, there are countless manufacturers and it is frustrating, but, as you can use the “wisdom of the masses” in the forum, as a preliminary basis, it is best for you to hear every speaker, relevant, in your home, including the 400 that gives fantastic value for money.
Good luck,
I would definitely give Allaes a go. I bought a pair quite a few years ago as they were going cheap. At the time I had a Nait 3 (with Intro IIs), and though they sounded good, I could tell they would benefit from upgraded amplification. I ended up with a 102/NAPSC/HiCap and 180 and this gave a huge improvement. However, I recently changed the 102 set up for a 82/Teddy Dual Cap, and upgraded my DAC to an RME ADI 2. This has unleashed the Allaes even more. The sound is overwhelmingly engaging, I literally have something playing from morning until night when I am home. Those Allaes are capable of some impressive sounds with the right equipment behind them.
The Allaes once setup correctly are so rewarding, I’ve owned Allaes for over 16 years (on my second pair regretted selling the first pair) these are connected to a Nait 2 / ND5XS2 in a second setup.
SL2s (if you can find a pair) are special, they need a bit more care setting up but wow what a speaker, they also sound excellent connected to a Nait 2 but when there’s a 300 up them they really open up.
Hm, interesting update: Not sure whether this is fate or not, but a pair SL2’s that I was interested in a few months ago, but then went cold appear to be available again following an out-of-the-blue call I received this afternoon. If they fit the room acoustics, then this would hopefully be a great move. Will take about 3 weeks before I get to see and try them, but fingers crossed. I don’t have the funds for them, so may need to rob Peter 
Hi Max,
Thank you so much for the kind words. I’ve always appreciated your thoughtful & well-articulated posts.
All the best,
C
Another endorsement for the Tablettes. Earlier this year I committed the cardinal sin of buying a pair of speakers unheard, entirely based on their forum reputation*, and I think you may enjoy these. They have a “just right” quality that I’m really getting along well with at the moment.
* it wasn’t as rash a purchase as it might appear, as they have broadly similar specs to my previous speakers, ATC SCM7s, so I knew room & system matching would likely not be a problem. By the way, the baby ATCs are another speaker you might enjoy (not to be throwing too much temptation in your path).
Corry,
I’ve often considered ATCs, but a friend who’s a member here has a pair and swears about my 40W, push-pull of EL34s not being enough powerful for them. I never listen at important levels though, so who knows?
Thanks,
Best
M
ATCs have a reputation for being power-hungry but, as with the belief that they’re unforgiving on poor recordings, I think that’s out of date. The entire range was revamped almost a decade ago, and their current speakers - new drivers, curved cabinets, etc. - are much more approachable.
I wouldn’t say that the SCM7s are power-hungry - they’re certainly not hard to drive - but I have the sense that they would respond really well to high quality powerful amplification, and they can go surprisingly loud with minimal distress. I was concerned that they might sound weak at low levels, but I didn’t find that to be the case.
When I changed to ProAc Tablette 10 Signatures earlier this year, I didn’t find it difficult to box my SCM7s up. However, if I had a more powerful amplifier – say, a 300 or a pair of 135s, instead of a 250DR – it might have been a closer contest, maybe down to a matter of trade-offs. Just speculation on my part, but I’m not about to sell my ATCs just yet.
With your valve amplification I suspect that you’ll like the ProAcs more than the ATCs. If you ever get the opportunity and inclination to listen to either, I’d love to hear your impressions.
All the best,
C
Keep the 7s! Such a great sounding speaker. Great looking too. I also love the Tab 10s. I would probably choose them over the 7s, but that could reverse on any given day. Might be fun to retain the ability to go back and forth.
Speaking of discrete speakers, the wall mount 7s in white are very elegant. I think they sound better than the stand mount version.
@anon96879789 I agree with your friend. You would probably want more grunt to drive the 7s.
I’m not one to hoard gear that I’m no longer using, but the main reason I hold on to speakers in particular is that I’m never 100% sure that what seems “better” initially will still seem better six months or a year later.
Sometimes you upgrade to address a perceived deficit. The upgrade may be successful on those terms, but then it can take a long time to be sure you haven’t lost something in the process.
If I ever upgrade my power amp, I’d be very interested to hear how the SCM7s respond - I’d be tempted to reinstate them for a month or so, then switch back.
Ah yes, small speakers are of course the best and only option and if you don’t agree then you are unfortunately wrong and you’re making up for something…
I think you are taking my comment out of context. It’s all about the speakers and the room. Big speakers in the right room can look great, and in general a good big one will beat a good little one. It’s simply when people squeeze large speakers into a crowded space that things don’t look so good, and nothing more. But it’s their choice and they have to live with them.
You could also consider the baby of the forum darlings (great phrase 
) the Kudos X2’s….
They may ‘slot in’ your space a little better, but could also be a sideways step. Fun speaker though.
Thanks, Kudos is on the list to investigate, but for now I’ll see how the SL2’s work, should they turn up.
It would be interesting to hear how both speaker models responded to bigger amps like a 300 or 135s
One of the joys of the BMR designs such as the Ovator range is that they don’t appear to have massive amp requirements.
For instance there are people here who love their S400s with a Nait 2.
I’ve not heard S400s themselves. But I did once hear Rega RS10s driven by a Rega Brio, and it was a super sound I could easily live with.
One of the great things i love about Naim speakers is they come ‘alive’ with very little volume on the dial. Even my n-Sats sound fully dynamic for late-night listening with the tiniest of volume from my SN3. Something which i’ve very much missed when i had my Credos and what has made me return back to Naim speakers. It’s good to know that the Ovators continue this fine tradition also…
P.S when i finally get my Statement amps i now know where i think i’ll be heading…