Now with Snaxo 242 no longer available outside UK I am planning to include the Exposure VXN active crossover in my system instead, as suggested on this very forum. Maybe someone out there has this experience behind or a keen opinion on such move?
I am very fond of my Kudos S20A and I believe they perform fantastically in my not-too-big room. NDS into 282/250DR is a great match. So what is missing? Nothing much really, but would like to open up the speakers to the next level in the active set-up. Not convinced by 252/300 and with 552/500 sadly out of reach, this looks to be the best next moveā¦ Also the one, opening some new paths. Apparently the same VXN can easily be adjusted to Kudos Titans, should I ever make the moveā¦ and I could follow a bit āwildā scenario with 4x5010 Exposure mono-block.
Have not worked out all the technicalities yet, but it looks the move will require DIN-RCA and RCA-XLR cabling between 282, the VXN and the 250s. Any suggestions which cables would keep the system in balance?
Thank you very much for all thoughts and advice, including: you must be crazy.
252/300 is a fantastic amp, what didnāt you like about it? Not that Iām saying you shouldnāt go active instead as long as you donāt mind the extra boxes, expense, and careful setup thatās required. Crucially, your source (assuming you will be using NDS/555PS) is good enough for an active setup.
Thank you ChrisSU. Nothing wrong with 252/300. For my coarse ears 252 is not a step change in transparency and energy that are key for me, to justify the cost.
Only if the active speakers are the type with the power amps built in, like ATC. Otherwise you need two, three, four or even six power amps feeding the speakers directly with no crossover between amps and cones.
With active speakers (say ATC) with crossovers and amps built in then a box reduction is possible. With Naim and Exposure electronics, active means quite a few boxes and cables. If you want active Kudos with minimal boxes then Devialet and Linn offer a different approach.
Linn also do a 1 box active crossover with amp modules inside but it requires a Linn system hub to feed it as it uses their exakt link connection. It does make a 2 box full system though if thatās an issue.
Active can take you to one extreme or the other. You can get rid of the HiFi rack completely with speakers like the Dynaudio Focus XD series, Kii Three or Dutch & Dutch 8c, or just use a streamer/preamp or DAC/preamp with active speakers such as ATC, which contains just a power amp. Then thereās the traditional Naim way which takes the separate box idea to extremes with a separate crossover in two boxes and a power amp for every driver.
With the NAP300 S20ās are completely transformed, they seem like a totally different speaker. A 282/HiCapDR/300 is an excellent amp.
Iāve since added a SupercapDR and a 252 and whilst these upgrades did gain very worthwhile improvements itās the 300 that sticks in my mind as the large and game changing upgrade.
I havenāt heard S20ās active and they may be tremendous but I wouldnāt overlook the simplicity of remaining passive and switching the 250 for a 300. The 300 is what Kudos use when developing and āvoicingā their speakers which is probably why they sound so right with them.
Thank you very much for your advice trickydickie. You are describing what I have in mind to gain with the active system. Great to know you have achieved such a big step with 300. A bit surprising, too, in terms of ātotally different speakerāā¦ So many pathsā¦
I have googled all this since the replies but difficult to get a succinct answerā¦so the benefit of an active-active system is what exactly? Iām guessing itās presentational differences and one isnāt ābetterā than another but it seems an awful lot of faff. Albeit worth it I guess if thatās what one is into
Thank you TotallyTangerine. True, more faff is guaranteed with cables and boxes. You have that already with Naim, so more of that. I would expect ābetterā not just ādifferentā presentation. Active over passive should bring greater control over speakers, significant reduction of loss, distortion and ācross-talkā thanks to separation (which actually makes one Naim amplifier better to another). On the top of that active crossover is amplification adjusted to specific speakers - e.g. VXN is advertised as pure dual monoā¦ If you are happy with the speakers that should be one way to make the most of them.
What source and cables are you using?