I’m moving house in a few months, and will be replacing my Focal Sopra 2’s for something else… To be determined. The reason for the change of speakers is primarily size / space considerations.
I’m aware of the general caveats (room / home demo) and I will be exchanging my Sopra’s with a dealer and will have the opportunity to tinker with home demos with used and demo gear. I expect to have about 9 K CAN $ in trade value to play with.
I’m open to both floor standers (smaller printfoot than the Sopra’s preferred).
My electronics are:
NAC 552 DR / Nap 250.2 / NDX 2 XPS DR / Rega RP 10 Dyna XX-2 Superline Supercap
I also might add a CD transport… 1/2 shoebox size preferred due to rack contstraints… pondering the Marantz HD CD 1 or Rega Apollo R.
Any thoughts on speakers I should be considering or the CD transport is most appreciated
I’m a huge fan of ATC and feel they have a real synergy with naim amplification. They’re honest, musical, percussive and never shrill but retain all the detail of a recording. I run SCM40’s but you could go higher or lower than that in their range depending on budget and room size as they all have a pretty similar house sound.
I’ve had Arros and Hawks in previous set ups… and my speakers in my second system are Totem Skys… love Totem. Am contemplating the Tribe Standmounts as one option to replace the Sopra’s.
Gershman Grande Avant Garde.
Canadian legend amongst others.
I love the look if this one. Some reviews online and comparing to those Focals. In the same price league.
These are supposed to be more forgiving, yet give that hyper reality 3D soundstage.
I want them now.
Speakers all sound so very different, even well above your budget, meaning that it is very personal as to what suits you and your taste in how music sounds. All I can do is offer the fact that to me transmission line bass sound better than anything else I have heard, so I would suggest hearing PMCs - and the higher up the ladder the better. MB2 is the practical pinnacle, Fact 12 an amazingly accomplished speaker for its size, and for older ones the EB1i stands out. Next best would be the twenty or twenty five.26. Personally I wouldn’t be happy with lower models. Whilst I haven’t heard ATC speakers, I love what their 3 inch dome mid does (found on the SCM40 and upwards, and a number of other brands hitherto including reportedly PMC at one time, though now PMC has its own clone). Without limitless funds I would only buy secondhand, thus maximising buying power. Good luck with your search.
Kudos Titans are a nice option if you can find them.
ATCs would be on my shortlist. If you went for the active versions (SCM 19, 20, 40 or 50) you could free up a shelf on your rack if you’re running out of space.
No… I have no issues with the Sopra’s other than needing something a little smaller… will also be prioritizing something that can go close to the wall and isn’t quite as picky about placement.
I have Focal Kanta no. 2’s with a 552/300/NDS superlumina / frame etc. - sounding sublime, then I moved house and now they sound awful, very fatiguing and zero base making the higher frequencies an attack zone… right now I am listening to a muso which is sounding better.
My dealer is coming round this week to give Kudos 606 and the latest offering from PMC (i’s) to see if the issue is with my room or speakers. Gutted as I love the look of the Kanta’s and I know how wonderful they sounded in my old house…
I guess my point is for black boxes from Naim you know each step up is an upgrade (very few exceptions) but for speakers there is no substitute for a helpful dealer and a home demo.
No bass from speakers sounds like room cancellation, and if so different speakers will suffer the same. I had same issue when I moved to present house after no problems in the three previous ones. Using REW I found a positioning that works - a fundamental room rearrangement. If demo of other speakers also loses the bass I suggest investigating the room and positioning.
