Surely it is the music and the musicians playing it that should make music exciting, if it is intended to be , and not the job of the hi-fi system?! To my mind a good system should be able to play any music well, mellow or dramatic, solo instrument/voice or complex orchestral, including whether it has a dominant driving rhythm or not, though of course it all relies on being recorded and mastered in a way that presents the music as the musicians played it…
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It seems like Leema Acoustics doesn’t get much recognition here. They sound great with PMC speakers. The Pyxis and Hydra have effortlessly power for the transmission line with a very smooth and detailed presentation and a massive sound stage. Leema is very neutral and transparent so it really depends on the source though. The Naim streamers work very well with the Leema and PMC combo. It add the Naim flavour with extra smoothness from the Leema. The Leema would probably sound amazing with the Martens.
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He comes across as someone with very pronounced opinions…
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My two non-Naim ‘high points’ have been a Luxman L590AXII and a Pass Labs INT-25. I’d take a 62/90 over both any moment forever.
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A friend has 5/9s with Swedish Lejonklou amps and they work really well together with Lejonklou streamer and top-spec LP12.
Came back from an audio show at my side today, I can wholeheartedly relate – too bad they are gutless compare to vintage Naim – well maybe our taste anyway.
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FWIW, I think Naim amps work well with B&W speakers. Both British. In fact, both made in southern England.
My 300DR and Kudos T505 work well together but that’s because the latter were designed with the former during development. Having said that there’s no reason another brand wouldn’t work better and I plan to one day get a matching Esoteric power amp to go with my pre which hopefully would bring a worthwhile improvement.
Too fat, for me.
Quite some time ago (15 years +/-) we listened to Naim 252/300 set up in a London dealership and tested with Herbeth and Martin Logan ESL speakers. For both of us the Martin Logan speakers provided more musical detail. Still playing the Martin Logan’s (though added a pair of REL 212 subwoofers to give a bit more bass) in the system. Currently the Naim 50 is driving the system splendidly until the return of the 252/300 set up.
On this occasion we chose USA speakers over the UK.
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I think you should find the speaker sound that you like and then choose the rest of the system to match. Of course I didn’t do that but my last 3 speakers have been Wilson Benesch. The rest of my system is now British made although I did enjoy a Bel Canto DAC for about 10 years.
Been ages since I’ve heard a pair B&W.
They were never my cup apart from a few.
Honestly I thought they were Chinese made nowadays - at least the entry levels.
Which they are.
Roger
Which, I suppose, requires a definition of what a ‘British speaker’ (in the words of the thread title) is. British designed? British built? Both?
Pretty sure my 2005 804D2s were designed and built in England.
Based on this Marshall 2204 JCM 800 Lead amp driving the Celestion Creambacks in this 2x12, I think the answer is a resounding “yes.”
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That Marshall only goes to 10. The best ones go to 11, don’t they?
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Thats the centuries marketing trick by makers of Chinese kit.
“Designed” in UK seem to be important for some.
In fact a British tech could design audio in a camper in Barcelona with help from a few others of different countries, would this be important ? Nah ! its pure con marketing in order to trivialize the China manufacture.
So alternative facts ?
I think they tend to be better matched because they are both primarily designed for the typical UK home where it has to share space with a useable living area.
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I use monitor audio speakers which are purportedly made in the UK but are manufactured in China these days. Don’t get me wrong they sound excellent ( to my ears) and the quality of the cabinets looks superb , but in spite of this I feel a little ‘ hoodwinked ‘ as I try to buy British whenever I can.
I do however feel dismayed - I bought most of my Naim kit ( SN3,ND5X2, and a second hand HiCap) a few years back - they are all discontinued now and the next upgrade in the Naim hierarchy is really expensive. I’m not dissatisfied with what I have but any ‘upgraditis’ is necessarily limited
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I like that word 