I want to relocate an old Nati5i to a small room with limited space. I will need a small pair of speakers that could sit directly on a piece of furniture. There also would be limited room, under 10cm say, behind the speakers.
Budget not an issue recognising there will be a point where the Nait will hold the speakers back.
Any recommendations gratefully received.
I have no doubt those with experience will suggest LS3/5a size boxes that they use. I have not heard, but had recommended Alchris Booki, designed for close to wall location. Not sure how to demo them, ax they appear to be sold direcf from the maker.
Neat Iota?
Are you looking for a second hand punt or buying from a dealer? If the latter, they probably have a limited enough number of options and you can probably listen to all of them.
Spendor Classic 4/5 goes great with Naim normally. I have those paired to my Nait1.
Second that. Wall-mountable if that’s useful.
Roger
Out of curiosity, how close would the front of the speaker be to the front edge of the furniture. I think this greatly limits the scope for spending. In my experience, the difference is sound quality from any speaker on furniture when placed close to the front firing into open air versus set back with an expanse of table in front of the speaker is vast. Unless the speakers are on desk stands raising them up at least 2/3rds of the distance from front of the speaker to the front edge of the table/shelf then I would hold back spending serious money. Even a fairly budget speaker firing into open air generally outperforms a high end speaker hobbled by a lot of reflective surface directly in front of it.
Rega Kyte is designed to be placed close to rear wall and on furniture.
Ophidian do some very nice mini bookshelfs but these may need more power than a 5i amp.
What about a pair of Royds? I’ve a similar set up in the bedroom with a pair of Sintras II.
A pair of used LS50s can be had for around 700 usd, which I own. I have a small space, so mine sit on actual bookshelves with plugs. Used them on two different Supernaits and a couple original Naits, and they’ve fended off every speaker I’ve tried since. I can’t sing their praise enough.
According to Neat themselves, the Iota’s, suggested above, can be placed on shelves, sideboards, worktops etc, ideally with some form of isolation. Stands, too, of course but I think they look a bit odd on stands.
Roger
Good question, the speakers could be positioned at the edge of the surface to reduce reflections if that were needed. The core requirement is for the speakers to be small.
Thanks for everyone’s suggestions so far. I will work through them. Further ideas or endorsements of suggestions already made are welcome.