Floorstanders to replace Naim Ovator S400 and improve performance (a.k.a. my systems evolution)

Hi-Fi Corner
83

I was under the impression the 400s have a torque setting but Richard sent me the 600s sheet so I may have it confused.

84

Yes, itā€™s an info sheet for the Ovator S-600.

85

Another request for the S400 torque setting guide. Thanks.

86

It seems it would be far better to post them in the FAQs rather than emailing them to people individually.

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87

Hi Richard Thanks for the S600 info.

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88

I have arranged a demo session for an Aavik I 280 end of April.

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89

Since opening this thread my setup has been improved based on recommendations from this community. I upgraded my PSU with a pre-loved XPS DR, put a Power-Line on it and connected the NDX through a hi-line DIN->RCA. Furthermore, I invested time in cable dressing.

Brilliant. Think the Ovators will stay a little longer :slight_smile:

Thanks for all your recommendations. Really appreciated.

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90

Pleased to hear the S400s are staying for a while. They can handle many more future improvements. Enjoy them. I do. :slight_smile:

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91

Great Active speakers without having to go to a two of 3 amp Naim box set up :smiley:

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92

Ovators are great speakers Iā€™ve gone through the whole range 600s then 800s which Iā€™m really please with and wouldnā€™t change. Iā€™ve found spending on isolation, interconnects & power cables have made a huge difference to the quality of sound so thatā€™s an option rather than moving away from your loved 400s

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93

And if you try Nigelā€™s suggestions buying second hand you have little to nothing to lose, whereas shelling out 20k on new speakersā€¦ if if doesnā€™t work the loss on the resale would have bought you some pretty decent kit, like a pair of SL2sā€¦ which are both very wall tolerant and very partner tolerant if these are issues.

94

Ovators will stayā€¦got the Aavik I-280 on loan for the weekend. Wow. I guess the SAM has to leaveā€¦

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95

Another request for the S400 torque setting guide. Thanks.

96

Hope you like the Aavik I-280 as much as I do. Pretty amazing piece of equipment to my eyes and ears.

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97

I keep it. Brilliant sound.

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98

I more or less followed your advice, bought a pre-loved XPS DR, Aavik amp and some Naim cables. Indeed, all seems to be better balanced now and speakers will stay a little longer. Thanks.

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99

To conclude this topic: I had my (non-Naim) dealer here to set up my Ovators correctly. He did some extensive moving around of the speakers, placed them nearer to the back wall and significantly toed them in. Procedure took about 90 minutes and I have a completely different system now. OMG.

I then replaced the Taralabs speaker cable with an Ansuz X2 and my systems plays on a level never imagined some weeks before.

I can strongly recommend to take a decent amount of time to place the system correctly and get some advice by a professional here. Upgrade was definitely above box level.

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100

Closer to the back wall and further away from sidewalls in my experience. It took me 3 months to figure that out. In case the speakers are relatively close to sidewalls, the toe-in might have cured that. Out of interest, how far are your speakers away from the sidewalls?

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101

about 2 Meters each from sidewall and about 34 cm from the backwall.

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102

How nice that you are happy with it now!

My 400s are pretty close to the wall (25cm) and on the left quite close to a curtain. Toe in I try from time to time.

The image gets more coherent and direct for me, but I always turn them back to being straight as I feel I give up some soundstage as a trade in.

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