I wonder whether the name spells trouble ahead for Kudos.
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Maybe with a new one, but even soā¦ I bought one used and had it serviced. Plenty around.
But we are back to the old I could buy a used item for less than a new equivalent. My point is that rhe new kudos is similarly priced to what the snaxo and supercap would have cost. In fact itās cheaper. But neither is available new now so a bit of a moot point
Iād want to compare the sound of the new kudos with snaxo / supercap to see which sounds better. I would hope itās the kudos. But if you donāt want to spend that much you can always go for exposureās version
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Just because itās the same brand?
I donāt know, Iām skeptical of a passive solution for this, but again, have to listen first.
We can be sure that the guyās from Chester will sell plenty of the new Kudos Crossover so that means several SNAXO/Supercap combos coming up second hand in a few months. I would want to HEAR the Kudos take out the Naim before buying it also. Iām considering going active either with 3 x 500DR or 6 x 350. As I can buy two of the former S/H at a good price now the 500 option wouldnāt cost any more. Iām reliably informed that although the 350 stack will play ālouderā the big brothers will win the day musically. If thatās the case then the active 500DR route is for me.
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Well because if not it would have (1) been a waste of time for Kudos to have researched and created this (2) a tragedy that Naim stopped making the snaxo (3) disappointing that with a few more years experience and making it suit their own speakers only Kudos couldnāt improve on the snaxo
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Got it. On the other hand: (1) they can sell based on brand alone; (2) their competition for a significant part of their potential customer base has exited the market (Naim owners, many of who would not even consider Exposure), (3) they are not exactly an electronics company.
As such, Iām sure they would sell really well even if itās not that great. Again, Iām not saying it canāt be good - it may well be amazing; all Iām saying is that I seem to approach this a bit more pessimistically than you.
That would be a sign they developed a better mousetrap. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
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I first heard T808s at Cymbiosis. At the time they were driven passively by one NAP500. I remembered that experience! During subsequent visits to Cymbiosis I noticed that the speakers were being driven actively with 3 x NAP250 (with SNAXO, powered I assume by a SuperCap). I felt sure the NAP500 had sounded better, but audio memory may not be as reliable as we might hope. The next time I was at Cymbiosis, the same active setup was in use. (I had a few things done on my LP12, necessitating the many visits). The sound was just glorious and I remember saying I wish I could get such a sound at home.
Shortly afterwards I bought a pair of T808s, but Iām running them passively with a NAP500. Now every time I read about active systems, especially Kudos, I start wondering and trying to do the maths (sell NAP500, buy 3 x NAP250DR, buy SNAXO, buy SuperCap, buy two more sets of Super Lumina speaker cables, buy a few more bits of Fraim). I realise all of that, save for the Fraim, would need to be secondhand, but even so, itās difficult to justify. And itās going in the opposite direction to box reduction. But the sound of active 808s was something else!
I see thereās a 362 SNAXO set up for T808 at the moment on a well known auction siteā¦
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I bought my nap 500 after hearing one at the Signals Audio show East. It was one of the first outings for the active 707,s. So they used 3 x nap300 dr versus a single nap 500 dr. They both sounded wonderful. But, the ā500ā just had that beguiling sound that i knew i would want to listen, all day, every day. The active by comparison had that immediate impact, get your attentionā¦ā¦ā¦as @NigelB commented from Bristol on the new Kudos set upā¦ā¦.relentless.
We all, like and hear things differently.
Now i did hear the 808;s active with Statement S1 and 3 x 500;s at Signals versus a Statement systemā¦ā¦.now that was a difficult one.
Statement system was nice andā¦ā¦.downsized. The active was, well best bang for the buckā¦ā¦even at full price thenā¦.imo, now they are a bargain.
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As Iām sat here with a glass of wine listening to a single 500DR and a pair of T808ās, why would anyone want more!
You would loose the grip, power and authority the 500DR delivers with going to active 250DRās.
Active 500DRās maybe but is it worth it and think of your back!
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Hi all, just got back from the show today and spent quite a bit of time with the guys from kudos. 505 sounded excellent with the new crossover definitely for me one of the best sounding systems at the show bar the linn set up for me. I did ask the question about how it stacked up against the SuperCap Snaxo that Iām using. The answer was they like to think it is better and one of the main reasons for making it was the demise of the Snaxo. Interestingly if people are looking to upgrade the amps from say 250 to 500 or any other combo this is made possible via the shorting plugs. The reason I asked was I currently have a Wonky active system so 2x 250s and 1x 300 but I am considering 500drs. The problem with this on the snaxo is the gain is higher on the 500 so may well be an issue with the lower gain 250 and 300. On there crossover you can just add the appropriate shorting plug. Not a major issue but would allow customers to upgrade the amps gradually without having to go all out for 3x or 2x 500s depending on speakers in one hit. Not sure if the snaxo could be reconfigured to allow this or not but would mean a trip back to Naim regardless.
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Derek called in to see me yesterday on his way back up north after the Bristol show.
Forum rules mean I canāt say much 
However, itās going to be a very interesting summer when the crossover is released.
That I believe, is the timeframe weāre looking at. I canāt wait 
(Yes a wide angle shot to get everything in!!! 
)
KR,
Peter
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So whatās the setup there Peter ? NC250s?
Iām currently using a 552, a variety of phono stages, as you can probably imagine depending on which turntable, Iām using or turntables, Iām comparing. currently Iām using 3 x 250 DRs being driven using an Exposure VXN and external power supply. Previously I was using a SNAXO362.
The digital source I have available connected to the system is an ND555 ordinarily driven 2 x 555PS
KR
Peter
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I see you have one ordered, and i must say i am slightly interested in this. Very happy with my 808ās running passive from my lovely, powerful, class A, vitus sia030, but still fancy hearing what this new crossover can do.
I like the way it has no mains power as this has got to be miles quieter than the other options to start with, hasnāt it ?
So maybe once they are about i will arrange to hear one, just donāt know what ampās i would go for as i couldnāt use the vitus, and thatās a shame.
Thanks Peter, just read your Facebook post. Going to be very interesting times ahead.
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