I’m setting up naim dbl active system together with 6 packs 135 H&F transformers, nac 52/52ps, cd555, original naim cable with with matrix world 2 blocks, 3 pair of Naca5
Question is
What is the best optimum location for naim dbl? At the middle of room with sound staging or against the wall? Can share me your experience for this 2 position?i bet you try it before.
Secondly,I found that the high is so bright, it is normal? Or because my source is cd555?
Snaxo gain for hf is set to lowest, it is still the same result, my current position is at middle of room and about 6 feet to dbl toe in to my seating position.
Dear dbl owner, I need your input greatly.
Thank you very much.
Gabriel
Hello,
It’s important to reach a coherent and dynamic sound.
So far, my DBL are not to close to the rear wall (20-25cm) and the space between them is reasonable too (1,13m mesured from the inner side and not from the drivers).
You have to check yourself because my rear wall is thin.
One other important thing is to have space at the sides of the boxes so that the sound could diffuse correctly in the room.
Last but not least, in my room the speakers are positionned in the length of the room.
Br
I have not been fortunate enough to hear DBLs as they are rare in the US. My active NBLs sound very good with 3 Nap 250-2, CDS3 PS555, Nac 52 . Speakers 3 inches from solid wall, 7 feet apart. Imaging not a strong suite for any Naim systems I have encountered due to near wall placement. They do everything else well however.
NBLs here too, 5.5cm from plaster to wood. the 0.5cm is important and can be heard if varied either way by that much. Not sure if that’s just because of bass drivers at the rear of the sides but half a cm on allaes also made a significant difference so maybe not and DBLs will be just as responsive to the right positioning.
Hi Gab80.
They need to be 2-3 inches from the wall being designed as a boundary dependent design, hence you are at the current position getting the bright/ lean and incoherent sound. If you cannot offer them a solid wall to be against, do as I did and fill in the narrow space in between the plaster board and the building blocks. In the UK this empty space is traditionally about 20 mm deep. Drill a 30 mm hole enough shy of the ceiling to allow space for a funnel angled and handheld , this enabling you to pour in kiln dried sand with a small trowel and make good at the end. I did that once in my old room and filled in 30 square mtrs of wall. As the famous explorer Captain Oates stated being stranded on the Pole and left his fellow explorers to go for HELP : “ I may be some time”.
You will be pleased to know, that it does work from my own hard learned experience. I remember buying 600 Kilos.
To lend yourself less room acoustical problems I would try and fire them across the room ( shortest length) and I would also try and get them further apart. A DBL is not suited to be too close to because of the baffle size listening wise. Toe in is a no-goer also. I would suggest 4 meters listening position away to allow the speaker’s drive units to create a coherent sound and stage well if only 2 dimensional more and less. You are in for a challenge I’m afraid, as always room is more and less everything. Good luck Peter
Positioning Naim speakers in my experience was never easy even with Intro.
1cm too much space between speakers for example was enough to put down coherence and create listening fatigue…
I think it depends first from the room characteristics.
But one thing seems to be sure in my opinion, the speakers shouldn’t be to much far from each other, even in big rooms (25m2 or more).
The ideal space with the rear wall for coherent and dynamic listening is not necessarily the same for all. It comes on the type of rear wall.
But even with a thin rear wall with composite materials, I can say the DBL are playing with power and sensibility and more PRAT as they should do.
Br
I’ve got mine 6 inches from the wall, I know this is further than recommended but I find this gives a much more open sound and much more detailed bass
I did the same with the Briks before these
Remember the loss of bass from moving them out can be bought back by adjusting the Snaxo pots
Hi Peter,
Mine is solid brick wall, speaker is just 1 inch from the rear wall now. I am looking for the best position to get the nice bass. You mean 4 meter is at least or is the best or further better ? My room size is 3.5 meter x 7.5 meter length , speaker is at the shortest wall with 2 meter distance between the tweeter .
Hi G.
Allow me to point out, that I have owned SBLs/SL2s actively driven in the past but never DBLs. The DBLs I have heard in peoples homes I have always found, that it is not a speaker which is suited to listen to at the equal sided triangle ie a listening position the same distance as the distance between your speakers’ tweeters. Obviously determined by your room width ( 3.5 mtrs) it sounds as if you would be sat too close to them allowing for say 2 feet distance from the wall behind your listening position firing across as initially suggested. Assuming you have tried to move them back against the wall with no toe (?) how are you finding the frequency response in you listening seat? The distance between your ears and the tweeters will boil down to your taste in frequency response and sound stage achieved. As you are playing them the long way ie fairly close to the side walls, I would certainly at least try to put some absorption panels/ quality foam panels up to dampen first reflections ( remember each speaker creates 2 first reflections) and see what you find re staging and time domain= musicality.
I am like you using a CDP555 with no brightness in sight, so that is not where your problem lies, unless of course your PS is in need of servicing.
Maybe some more DBL owners could chip in here with a room roughly your size ATB Peter
Looks as if you will experience a low bass suck out and at 45/70 Hz experience modes, which might need treating with bass absorbers, this if you are not happy with the bass you are experiencing. ATB Peter
I understand nothing about technic!
But I’m quite sure about the fact DBL are home friendly speakers.
They don’t need big or oversized rooms to play well.
For sure their size could afraid.
And they need some patience for their installation and some help too…
But after that, music please!
Peter
ATB Peter
