After many years of using standmounts, i am looking to enter into the floorstanding speaker arena .
My budget is up to £2000
So far i have been looking into these floorstanders -
Fyne Audio F502
B&W 603
Dali Rubicon 6
Focal Aria 926
Pro ac Response DT8
Has anyone had any experience of these floorstanders with naim amplification.
Any other suggestions within my budget would be great too.
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The focal Aria’s are really nice. Why not also consider Naim Allae’s 2nd hand. Really good match to your XS2
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Thanks for the reply.
The Focals where one of my first considerations.
Any opinion on the Dali Rubicon 6?, been offered a pair for a good price
Dynaudio pairs great with naim, maybe x34s If you can find a great deal on close out. Or evoke 30.
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Fyne audio are beautifully made, superb design as well. Ill be buying the 500 or 501 floorstander as thet are nuch less fussier about corner and wall positioning.
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If your purpose for floorstanders is to get full range sound, that is where cost comes in, getting decent full bass being expensive to design and build. With that modest budget I would be looking only secondhand or possibly ex-demo to maximise buying power.
It is very hard to recommend speakers because they impart more character on the sound than any other component, and so are far more a matter of personal taste - There are speakers others think of as fantastic that I have heard and dismissed as awful, and no doubt vice versa. Of speakers I’ve heard transmission lines beat other designs for quality of bass combined with extension, so I suggest amongst others you try to hear some PMCs, as far up the ladder as you can - I’ve seen Twenty-26 go for as little as £3k, but even that is over your budget so if that can’t increase you’d be restricted to lower models, or older (and older need not mean worse sounding). Of course there is always the question as to whether your XS2 is up to driving any particular speakers, for which ideally try them with it.
Buying secondhand makes home auditioning more difficult or even impossibke, though in my experience genuine private sellers will usually let you hear in their home, and even accommodate you bringing your own amp, and your own speakers as a reference point.
Of course, i tegrating into your room may be another consideration…
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@EazyRyder as @Innocent_Bystander I would an in PMC into the demo mix and for me Spendor also
I heard the Fyne Audio 502 at demo day last year on the end of an Atom - lovely musical combination
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Naim Allaes are available (used) at around £500 are an absolute bargain and can be used on some pretty high end systems.
Nick
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Used/second hand pair of ATC SCM40 (latest Mk2 design), nothing I’ve heard even comes close at the price. Check out online reviews. Remarkable value for money.
Just a few words of caution. Make sure you have a room that can take full range bass that comes from floor standers otherwise the bass mayl be exaggerated and out of balance with mids and treble.
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Full range sound is exactly what I am looking for.
My listening room is fairly large and rectangular shaped, around 24ft x 12ft.
Floor to Ceiling is a little over 8ft.
Unfortunately due to furniture and wife I have my speakers down one side of the room firing across the 12ft side.
My current Acoustic energy reference 1s do sound very detailed, fast and warm sounding but can be a little restrained at higher volume and lacking in bottom end punch.
I am looking for a more airy and spacious soundstage and more bottom end (Fuller range sound).
I have read ATC can sound very detailed but clinical, not very warm sounding?
I really love the look of the fyne audio f502s too
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I was looking into the 501s.
I spotted the 502s where not that much in price difference and have slightly larger cabinets and drivers and with a sensitivity of 91db and impedance of 8ohm should be an easy load for my nait xs2
I have heard dali have a similar sound signature to dynaudio and I could get an ex demo pair of the rubicon 6s for a very reasonable price
For the price, and with money to spare in your budget, focal 926 are hard to beat and they work very well with Naim. Until very recently I had a set that worked well with a Qute 2, Nap100, SN2 and my 250dr without ever feeling out of their depth. Huge presence and easy to drive
I heard the Focal Chora 826 at Ascot last year on the end f Naim, I was very impressed, fantastic sound and great value. I had a chat with Mark Raggett who was doing the dem, he was also a fan.
That used to refer to some of the ATC designs of many years ago… the current consumer offering are quite warm, especially in the lower mids (on the 19s and 40s)… so as said above best get the right ones for your room size for the bass / warmth not to be too dominant. ATCs do need to be balanced for the room size. The other consideration if using passives, the 40 needs a reasonably hefty amp.
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To my ears hard to beat Dynaudios for their rhythmic ability with a naim amp… x34 is a fantastic speaker or the equivalent evoke model
I’m only vaguely familiar with the Focal Aria 926, but demoed some a couple of years ago with Chord 2Qute and SN2, and have to admit they left a lasting impression. Easy on the ear, impressive scale and punch, but with real guts too, not all top and bottom. However, for only a couple of hundred quid more the Kudos X3s stole the show during the same demo session, and I would highly recommend adding those on the list to try. You won’t be able to do as much ‘looking into’, as there is a mysterious absence of reviews in the major hifi press, or anywhere else for that matter. Despite that, and the fact they don’t really look all that compared to the 926s for example, and having half the number of drivers in the cabinet, through what I can only put down to some kind of witchcraft, they deliver as much scale and punch, deeper bass, and more detail than anything I’ve heard at the price. Worth a try at least if you can.
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Maybe the addition of a subwoofer would give you the grunt you need. I used a REL Stygian many moons ago to good effect when my system was in a small room and couldn’t cope with floorstanders.
Regards,
Steve O.