Naim Discontinue Active Systems..?

With the new 250 maybe even more so :slight_smile:

That’s absolutely it and two cases come immediately to mind. The first is Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’, the other ‘Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time’ which itself was subject to the Best Jokes thread. I felt like I had endured both of these agonising tunes for decades on portable compact cassette players, car radios etc to the point of groaning outwardly at their very mention.

Through the miracle of properly serviced equipment, a CD player with external power and active amplification with a mere 9 different boxes, I find both of these to have previously been misrepresented. Art Garfunkel’s vocal is exceptional and Paul McCartney’s work is up to the high standard you’d expect and that Yamaha(?) keyboard comes over brilliantly as does everything else.

I may have spent a lot of time and money getting to that point!

Yes maybe :thinking: although I’m not sure if the new Nap 250 would be compatible now with the 362 crossover… have to do some investigation but the balance connection on it may be an issue unless there’s a pacific cable. The 250dr is still very good so may have to stick with the older version.

The NC250 will work with the Snaxo but will require Naim custom cables.

Or six packs :wink:

1 Like

I agree about the prime importance of emotional connection, and that’s what I experience, at least with Bridge over Troubled Waters. But you don’t need 9 boxes to get that, you really don’t.

Roger

Hmmm. That word ‘need’. :smiley:

In fact it’s 11 when you add in the source and power supply. And then you think about all the interconnections.

Prior to

…prior to having gone active I’d just have skipped over that track. What I’ve found though is that I’m going back over stuff I’d previously dismissed and getting a connection I’d never had before.

I think you/I’d get there with fewer boxes especially these days, but it sounds magical.

I’m responding to this thread rather than dusting it, however! That was one of today’s jobs.

She believes that, does she? Well done.

Oh yes, well played. Let me write that down…

This is how it has often been done, removing crossovers through either a drive unit hole or rear connection plate, though of course easy for some speakers while not possible with other without more significant surgery. All speakers I’ve had were accessible enough for that.

Armed with information about the original crossover frequencies and slopes it is then easy to ser up a customisable active crossover, then tuning the levels and phase (time delay) in use. I could do all except slopes with the analogue ATC AXO I had, though involved making up plug-in resistor packs (not difficult, or otherwise buying from ATC if they still do) while alldigital AXOs I’ve looked at were user tailorable for slope as well. Once set up it is also easily possible to play with XO frequencies and slopes on a digital AXO if of interest.

That sounds rather as if you are trying to be flippant or to suggest it is a ridiculous thing to consider. Many speakers can be customised to be driven actively, while making an active XO is possible, it would be considerably more difficult for the vast majority of people and with uncertainty as to success/quality, whereas active crossovers can readily be purchased, albeit not Naim anymore other than secondhand (and without user adjustability for different speakers).

2 Likes

But if done carefully using existing apertures, and if the speaker either has removable connection plate or has bi-/tri-wiring connectors that can be reached to rewire from the front panel, it can be reversed in the event of wanting to sell. However for some people at least active is end-game so thought of sellabikity may be irrelevant.

1 Like

As said, if you are going to start taking speakers apart, drilling holes for extra connectors etc, then you might as well get a crossover made as well.
I don’t think many will be modifying their own speakers or making crossovers really, do you.

And as I indicated, taking the crossover out of many speakers, is not difficult and does not irreparably damage the speaker, and is poles apart from making your own active AXO, so that is a rather ridiculous statement.

And of course no-one is suggesting you do it - nor suggesting that others do, however rather than throw a blanket of discouragement over the very ida, is not unreasonable to identify for the benefit of anyone interested in going active that the fact that not many speakers are made with that option deliberately available need not inhibit them from exploring the idea. And rather than suggesting that if interested in opening up their speaker they might as well also undertake the far more complex and, for many, challenging project of making their own AXO, it is more constructive to identify that ready made AXOs are readily available, from a number of manufacturers, including Naim, albeit that the latter will only be possible secondhand and tailoring of the Naim AXOs to all speakers might not be possible.

Whether I think many or any will decide to do it is irrelevant - that is simply their choise, and there is no harm in them being aware of facts rather than broad discouragement.

2 Likes

I’m not bothered about arranging over this as it’s pointless, no one is going to do it after all.

Good night

1 Like

I was being gently provocative — apologies. Actually, I do have active speakers, so thoroughly appreciate their merits. Going for anctives actually led me to fewer boxes, though that was a consequence of my upgrade path rather than an end in itself.

The main thing is to get the most from our music listening, whatever system we use to enjoy it.

Roger

1 Like

Just noticed that a certain well known Leicestershire based Naim dealer has ‘secured’ (in their words) the last of the Naim 242 SNAXO’s… :hushed:

WTGTG… :cry:

1 Like

End of an era :flushed:

Still, looking at the new products and what is to come, as Timbuk 3 said so finely, ‘The Future’s So Bright, I’ve Gotta Wear Shades’

Well ever the optimist…if they are hiring FPGA software engineers, it could be for many reasons including active crossovers🤞🏽

1 Like