You are in for a treat Jono
Enjoy! Follow the set-up guide on here and don’t be shy about putting a bit of distance between them
‘…and packed by the courier…’. I do hope they know exactly what they are doing. I wouldn’t risk a courier packing them up.
Then thrown in the back of the van…
Who have you bought them from? A private individual or a dealer? Be very careful about the packing arrangements. I bought mine from a dealer who had no clue how to pack them correctly and I received them with the bottom plinths removed which meant they needed a factory rebuild.
They’ve been disassembled by someone who owns a set of SL2s themselves, and the courier is a fragile item specialist, so I’m confident that they’re going to be well looked after.
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That’s good. Packing them is something of a work of art, far harder than unpacking. I’ll be interested to read what you think of them once they arrive.
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Hi Jono,
I think they might in fact be the pair I originally owned in Christchurch? They are a speaker with huge potential and will certainly be a step up from epos speakers, which I too have owned in the past.
To unleash their potential will be dependent on how far you wish too pursue the electronics front, the room and a solid boundary wall.
They certainly were a speaker that taught me about what I truly value in music.
I found my happy place with neat speakers, but the sl2s were an excellent destination on the way.
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I think you’re right on the ownership front. One concern I do have is the room configuration (we’ve got a rather open plan 1940’s house, and 2/3rds of the wall with speakers on is floor to ceiling double glazing), but this sort of discovery will all be part of the adventure. I might need to try them downstairs in the workshop/self contained flat, which has a concrete backing wall and concrete walls to compare…
Up against a solid rear wall is a must I believe. @anon4489532 will be able to give you more advice to get the best from them.
The room is very important - I first heard the SL2s that I now own in a friend’s living room, driven active by 2x250dr. I preferred my SBLs driven by a single 300 (non dr). But when he brought the SL2s here and we swapped for the SBLs (and later back in again) they sounded much better. My friend’s room is particularly difficult though - I keep telling he needs to move house 
Anyway, best solution is solid floor underneath and solid wall behind. My right SL2 is backing into not quite solid wall but it all sounds rather lovely (though am active with a pair of 300s now so it ought to be!)
Enjoy your speakers. I love mine. I would definitely be looking at the room with solid wall behind them first off but I guess you can always try both. I wouldn’t want to take them apart and move them too often though.
Don’t hesitate to get some help setting up as it is a bit complicated and crucial to the performance. HH is your best resource here!
That’s very kind of you, Bruce, however it’s Richard’s guidance in the FAQ that I followed. It includes a brilliant way to get them perfectly level and solid on the floor.
Hi Nick , yes you are correct!!
I have a dumb question but here goes. If the Naim speakers are so wonderful why did Naim stop making them?
Speakers were just a part of what Naim did. They were very focussed designs, had not always been very commercial, or easy to demo or set up, so they polarised opinion. Ultimately, I imagine there were two drivers behind Naim ceasing to build speakers; the most pressing one was likely space - speakers took up a large area of the factory (disproportionate to the revenue generated, I’d guess) and space becoming a real problem and hindrance to expanding lines. Just building the Statement amp needed a quite a large area, and indeed those who have visited the factory in recent years will notice that the Statement build are takes up a good proportion of what used to be the main speaker production area. The new Unitis also needed their own build areas too, and while you can re-shuffle departments and try to eek out ever more efficient use of space, you do start to run up against the physical constraint of the building. Expanding the factory is not at all easy as the area is increasingly moving from industrial to residential use. And of course, coming under the same umbrella with Focal, it probably seemed a bit daft for Naim to continue with speakers when they were allied with one of the world’s premier loudspeaker manufacturers.
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SL2s have a filter built into them that powers down the entire system if the owner tries to play Dire Straits or Bruce Springsteen.
That kind of technology is expensive and way ahead of its time.
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I seem to recall being told that the speakers occupied 25% of the factory space yet generated only 3% of the profit.
It is, I think, a huge shame that the proper Naim speakers were stopped. When set up properly they are brilliant - the trouble was that many dealers couldn’t set them up right and it’s simply not possible to move something like an SL2 in and out of a dem room. The Ovators were designed to be much more plonk and play but I’ve never been impressed by them. And as for Focals I’ve yet to hear one that betters my SL2s in terms of engagement and a natural sounding presentation. Anyway, what’s done is done and I’m just pleased I own something so nice and sort of iconic.
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