Naim nait 5si nova t10 spendor 2/3

Hi-Fi Corner
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This is my first time speaking here. I fell in love with the sound of Naim since I purchased my first entry-level Naim 5si amplifier in 2019. Since then, I have been browsing through everyone’s posts here, absorbing valuable insights. I am deeply grateful for this wonderful forum, which is filled with a wealth of information and invaluable knowledge. It warms my heart like a cozy inn during my overseas travels
Now, it’s my first time speaking here. I’m very excited and happy. Thank you to all the music lovers and people who love life. I would like to consult with you all. Thank you for giving me suggestions. I appreciate it. Thank you

The equipment I am currently using is a Naim Nova streaming all-in-one system paired with a pair of Spendor 2/3classics, with the power cord being an American Nordost Frey2 and the speaker cable being an Audioquest Robin Hood. In the living room, I find the sound quality to be decent, with good musicality and good driver performance. However, recently, I have noticed that compared to the system in my bedroom, the sound seems to lack clarity

The 2-bedroom system consists of a Naim entry-level 5si amplifier driving a pair of Proac T10 Signature speakers. The front-end is equipped with a Lavry DA11 decoder, and a streaming digital player, iFi Zen Stream, is connected to an iPad for playing lossless music from Apple Music. The AirPlay2 is connected to the Zen coaxial cable, which is a Nordost Odin1, and the signal cable for the DA11 is an AudioQuest Colorado Access. The power cable for the 5si uses a Gold Reference from American Cadence, while the power cable for the 5si amplifier is an AudioQuest Nrg10. The speaker cable is a Nordost Music Ribbon Heimdall 2. Now, this bedroom system is very interesting. The entry-level 5si amplifier drives this pair of T10 Signature speakers, and I really like the sound style. It’s extremely charming and delicate, seductive and moving. The details, resolution, layering, and lines are all excellent, full of alluring atmosphere and breathtaking beauty. I even lost interest in listening to the living room system, which is significantly higher-level, such as the Spindler 2/3 and Nova systems. The sound from that system doesn’t seem to have as much delicacy and subtlety, but rather a more gentle and broad resolution and contour, which is not as clear as the bedroom T10 Signature system

By the way, my bedroom is 12 square meters, and the living room is close to 30 square meters

Thank you, the lovely players here, for helping me with some suggestions on how to adjust
1 . I’m surprised to find that the 2/3 speaker system in the living room sounds worse than the T10 Signature system in the bedroom. How can I adjust it
2 . For the bedroom system, I think the 5si amplifier is too basic. How do I adjust the amplifier

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@johnlee The sonic differences between LR and Bedroom might be due to speaker differences. Can you move the BR speakers into the LR to see if the clarity improves or conversely move the LR speakers into the BR just to test things. It may also just be due to the difference in sonic signature between the two bands of speakers or the acoustics when comparing LR and BR. To make matters worse, the Nait and Nova can be different in their respective sonic signatures. You need to find a way to level the playing field.

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I think spenders have a more mellow / warmer sound where as tabs have different characteristics, more “precise” then of course there is room acoustics…

Based on your description you have 2 lovely sets of speakers that do very different things.

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Welcome johnlee

I think this might the root of your ‘issue’.

The smaller bedroom is probably allowing your system to be more incisive and present more detail? Are you sitting or laying closer to the speakers, are you getting more reflections from the walls/ceiling?

What I would do as a first step is swap the speakers around if you can. They’ll give you a flavour of how they are influencing what you hear.

J

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AirPlay2 is connected to the Zen coaxial cable, which is a Nordost Odin1

This cable seems to be a little over the top, unless maybe it was a gift?:wink:

Not sure if this photo is allowed, but it says

$16 K retail value.

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Thank you for the enhancement. I also noticed that ‘spendor’ has a natural tuning characteristic, specifically a unique tint in the mid-range. It seems like the manufacturer intended to convey a hazy sound quality, gentle and rich, with a hint of dreamy beauty.

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Thank you. I’ll give it a try. I’ll swap the positions of the Sibanda 23 and Proac T10 Signature in the living room and bedroom to hear the difference. The Naim 5si is a beginner-level model. I noticed that although its power, resolution, and thickness seem inferior to the Nova, the sound of the 5si is more lively and refined, which is interesting. This Naim, the cheapest beginner-level amplifier, still has its own timeless and refreshing charm that its more expensive amplifiers lack. I am extremely amazed by Naim’s superb ability to achieve artistically tuned sound, even with the limitations of price and materials, which is extremely musical

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Before owning the T10 Signature, I had a great fondness for the sound quality of the Spendor 23, finding its ambiance delightful. I could listen to it all day long without getting tired, and it was incredibly nourishing to the soul. However, what was particularly intriguing was that after the T10 Signature was turned on in my bedroom, its enchanting, clear, delicate, and exquisite sound quality instantly captivated almost all of my attention and affection. I was surprised by my own change of heart and felt somewhat ashamed

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It’s an old second-hand cable borrowed from a friend. Its quality is indeed very good. I’ll take a photo and send it later. It has a spiral-shaped outer sheath

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Hello, thank you. My bedroom is quite small. In my 12 square meter room, there’s my 1.5 meter wide bed. On one side of the bed’s long edge, there’s a wall behind me, where I place this pair of T10 speakers and other equipment. On the other long edge of the bed, there’s another wall. I sit on a stool between the wall and the bed’s long edge to listen. It seems like in a small room, the sound is more refined. In the living room, my equipment and speakers are placed in front of the wall. On the opposite wall, I have a sofa. I listen from the sofa, which is nearly 3 meters away from the speakers on the opposite wall. The living room space is almost three times that of the bedroom. Thank you, I understand. Is this also a condition for sound quality? Thank you

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This is an old coaxial cable, Odin1, borrowed from a friend. It’s an old cable, maybe a counterfeit one, but the sound is good. Anyway, it didn’t cost me anything, so I just used it

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Please take me as a warning. Never buy any wire materials of unknown origin or authenticity. I got mine from a friend, so I didn’t bother to argue about it. However, remember to only purchase genuine products or those with legitimate and authentic origins.

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It’s probably a so-called “odin1” of unknown origin, but it sounds decent. :slight_smile:

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Oh yes. Some think that the loudspeakers interaction with the room is the most important factor of all.

You describe a somewhat similar situation I have between our living room and my office. My systems sound different but they are both enjoyable in their own ways.

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Are you sure you don’t need glasses? Looks like it is Oyaide to me.:wink:

I use Oyaide myself, pretty good cables.

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The 5si and small, capable speakers make for a nearly perfect system. I was using the 5si with 3/5 speakers and was happy until I started “improving” it. I’m not sure if I really improved anything, but I sometimes miss my 5si.

If your bedroom system is “full of alluring atmosphere and breathtaking beauty,” you’d better stay as you are. The rule of thumb: until you find an issue, there’s no need to “improve” it.

For the 2/3, the room should be taken into account. You’d be better off trying your Proac with the Nova in your big room, and the 5si with the 2/3 in that same big room. This swap will give you some valuable insight. If the issue is with your room, it’s unlikely you’ll fix it by tweaking the amp.

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The cable has BNC to RCA adapters on both ends. While BNC is better suited to coaxial SPDIF cables, if you are connecting to devices that use RCA sockets you should ideally have RCA terminated cables.

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Oh, I see. Thank you

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Then, let’s appreciate the beauty of their respective unique styles. Mmm-hmm

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Thank you, Oyaide. Indeed, it’s from the brand “头子”. According to my friend, the cable is a loose cable from Nordost. I asked him further, and he said it was a so-called Nordost engineering loose cable of unknown origin, which he DIYed into a coaxial cable. So, it’s almost certain that this is a fake Nordost cable. I only learned from the replies of friends here that real Nordost cables are so expensive. It’s crazy. So, this must be a fake cable

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