Impasse

Max, in your original post you dismissed several speaker brands. I think you are making a mistake here.

If I were looking for new speakers (I’m not), one of the brands I would be considering are Neats. I have heard several of the models at or near the lower end of their range & considered them all worth going on my theoretical ‘audition list’. However, I have been disappointed in the performance of those at or near the top of the range, which are of course, their most expensive. To my ears, I have heard speakers from other manufactures, in very similar price ranges, that I much prefer.

So my message to you would be don’t dismiss any particular model of speaker just based on a dislike of the company that makes it. Your musical background suggests to me that your ears will tell you what you like or not, rather than your eyes when reading the name on the speakers badge!

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Thanks for all replies. I’ll consider everything and won’t discard any options.
I still have to regain affective possession of the space - of the apartment. We all know how a stereo system can be the ‘heart’ of the living space. I presently need to replace a missing heart very much.

The Neat xplorers look like an unexpected good hypothesis.
Best,
M

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The less risky would be standmonths. Less bass and less room reflexions.
But which ones? Be it Neat, Bower Wilkins, Dynaudio, PMC, Sonus Faber or ATC……they all sound different.
Without testing personally at home or at a dealer place with a same equipment, it’s impossible to choose one on the basis of the forum posts.
And nobody can predict how they will react in the OP room.

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Thanks!

As I have intimated many a time, I believe that getting the speakers right for the individual is key to a system being truly enjoyable and satisfying. Of all system components speakers have the greatest effect on the sound character of a system - and all speakers sound different. The thing to do is find the ones that do it for you (trying to do which I know is the point of this thread). No getting hung up on stand mount or floor standing, big or small, etc etc., and unfortunately finding the right speakers can dictate a lot of auditioning.

To my taste, only full range speakers, with a pretty neutral presentation, do it. And in my experience speakers developed as professional monitors are a good starting point. That said, at the bass end transmission lines have proved most acceptable to my ears, so the higher levels of PMC’s ranges suit me best. They are very expensive - but then I question what is the point of a hifi system if speakers are not good, and good speakers can be as or more costly than other components to design and build, at least if good bass is a priority. One test of how good a speaker is is how naturally it reproduces piano: from 50+ years ago IMF RSPMs were exemplary in that regard. So too are current PMF MB2s.

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I_B,
I’d completely agree with you if my goal was to reproduce recordings as faithfully as possible at home.
My Italics aim at reminding who’s reading that we’re not dealing with music but with recorded sounds, and considering the number of variables in the process, we have no guarantee that what we hear has a significant resemblance with what was performed in the venue.
So, from a certain angle, what’s the use of pursuing something we don’t know enough about?

That said, I surely respect and consider as an option any speakers designed to be as linear as possible in any given space, and this is difficult enough if we don’t plan to treat the space acoustically so that it matches the rest of the equipment. But home is not an auditorium, and - personally, my opinion only - I tend to prefer a solution that will be acceptable with most discs and that will be an unobtrusive, good looking part of the furniture. In this respect, nothing has been better than n-Sats here, even though they lacked body and some finesse. And by the way, I still have to find any small speakers as pretty and well proportioned as those.

That said again, my resistance to some brands mentioned is based on a mere aural impression of the voice of some and on the looks of others. I don’t think that I will look for my seventh pair of Sats, but if they pop up spontaneously - like cats do, after all - I surely won’t discard them if an audition proves them ok.

M.

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Max, sometimes the world moves in mysterious ways.

And not just n-Sats, what about if a lovely pair of SBLs appears…?

p.s. Chris knows my stock answer to Naim users with speaker conundrums such as yours. More often than not the answer is Allaes…

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Richard,

a lovely pair of SBLs appeared in Hamburg… They are cherry and have MkII woofers. Very good conditions.
I seriously thought about driving through Germany and put collection and vacation together. I can’t make up my mind…

To my recollection, Allaes have a pronounced bump in the upper midrange with which I’ve always found hard to live… But I am ready to change my mind.

Thanks for your thoughts…
M

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And the ad was removed while I was writing…

:face_with_symbols_over_mouth:

M

Sold already, or perhaps the seller had a change of heart…?

No idea… I wrote to him but he didn’t answer.
:thinking:
Maybe he doesn’t speak Naim.

You snooze you lose. :laughing:

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A used pair of SBLs is quite reasonably priced in the UK. Earlier this year I paired mine (from late 1997) with a subwoofer with the gain and crossover points turned right down. The resultant sound is better than the sum of its parts and lifts and focuses the details of some higher frequency instruments as well as expanding the bass frequencies presented. I’m very happy.

Over the years I’ve re-done gaskets and foam grills and had to re-attach a phase plug and I just love the SBLs and their look.

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It was a 1100 Km drive both ways…
Love has its limits.
:wink:

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I too used to do my own gaskets. I did a pair for a friend here too, and shipped them to the UK. SBLs are transnational!

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Sbls with fresh gaskets and tweeters would be my take Max. As you know sbls work for many different genres and have sufficient low end to give music gravitas.

Besides that, I’ve just thoroughly enjoyed Dvoraks 8th in my 19 yr old Opel Corsa. Well played good music is much more important than the hifi it’s played on.

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Max,
A friend of mine drove 1300+Km ( one way ) from Chicago to pick up a pair of UK made passive Briks. If there is a will there is a way~ He was so motivated to get that particular well preserved pair once belonged to a reviewer.

Side note: He dropped off the pair at my home on the way back as he did not want to schlep 3rd floor walk up in his apartment late at night. That pair stayed in my house till I got my own pair a several years later. :laughing:

I echo many here that SBL might be your ticket. Should pounce on it next time when you see a pair. But by all means try the ATC. ( me thinks that SN power does not do justice to them tho )

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Hi Max,
Definetely take a pari of Sbl. Try your systems in the other room as i already suggested.

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Hi Max, good to see you back…some N-Sats popped up ??

Enjoy

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Might want to consider ProAc D20R, Dynaudio Evoke or Emit series, maybe Kudos speakers.