Naim old vs new gear

Interesting speakers you have,indeed.

Will be interesting to hear what you think of the DBL’s.

I would go for Naim NacA5 with the

Nap 160’s

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Based on past experiences with my active system I’d not mess with the X- over settings (assuming they are set to factory standards) unless you absolutely have to. I made that mistake and couldn’t get the sound right again. In the end I sent the X-over back to Naim to be reset even though Naim mark the pot positions with a pen mark.

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I agree it’s easy to go wrong,I have found that only adjusting the HF, is the best for both 3 way and 2 way Snaxos.

Im trying to make sense of something right now.

In my honest opinion and to the best of my memory, my previous 500DR system into Harbeth 30.2XDs did not sound as good as the NAC 12/160 BD into SW1X MTR963 FC speakers.

I’m getting a lot more information, more grip, more coherence, more prat, more leading edge definition. The only areas where I find the 500DR/Harbs were better is midrange warmth or as Slawa from SW1X would say a more harmonically rich presentation- And a much larger soundstage. Oh and yes the deepest of bass notes were still stronger on the 500dr setup. However and this is the part that’s getting to me now, the music is making more sense now. A lot more. Yes I’m certain the single driver field coil speaker is so much better but this wasn’t what I expected. I always thought the better amplification would sound better. GIGO you know.

footnote; everything else is equal. Cables, hifi racks, even the stands for each speaker are by the same brand. I thought I should mention that the new speakers are ten times the price of the old but then again the 500 series is perhaps 40 times the price of the BD gear

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In real terms? Allowing for inflation and comparing like for like retail prices?

Have you considered that this amp is simply a much better fit for the way your mind interprets music? We’re not all the same, otherwise we’d all be agreeing with one another all of the time. What I mean is, a 500 system won’t suit everyone.

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No definitely not that. Let’s suppose it’s ten times. Even so my point stands. I always imagined the better amplifier would produce better results. in my case the better speaker is producing better results. Unexpected surprise.

I understand what you’re saying. The bolt down gear is all about timing. The bass is a little shy and the soundstage is all but forgotten. However all the important information is laid bare.

I’m not getting carried away though, I’m convinced it’s more so the speakers. 8ohm min load 96db vs the Harbs at 85db and 6ohm load. Then there is the single driver which I imagine is what makes the midrange so easy to understand vs the crossover and multi driver on the Harbs and finally I think the field coil power supply and magnet which produces a more vivid sound.

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There are people that swear by single driver speakers. Voxativ is a brand that I would love to try. Some of the best sound I personally have owned was Taksim Reference 3A’s, which is a big speaker with 2 drivers, no crossover. Also a 2 way Dyn excite 12 driven directly off a Chord TT2 sounded so pure. Photo off the web of a small Voxativ, they have much bigger options too.

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No passive crossover is a big difference,that´s why active also is very good.

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Yes I’m familiar with Voxativ. I was looking into them when I was exploring different speaker types.

Similarly to headphones, dynamic drivers are my preference. I never got on with planar magnetic or e-stats although the stacked quad setup eludes me.

Initially I had dismissed single driver speakers as I kept reading that they don’t do dynamics well - lowest bass and highest treble highlighted as main problems. I had also repeatedly read that hey don’t play loud.

As all seasoned audiophiles will agree that implementation is everything. The 963s play loud, have more treble information than I’ve ever heard before, in the dynamic speaker way. The AMT drivers I’ve heard still sound the most smooth but I prefer a more edgy or exciting treble, without being harsh of course. And finally I get deep, punchy bass. I will say I’ve heard noticeably more powerful bass from plenty of speakers (Kudos, Dali, ATC, Boresen) but none that can match the natural sound of these speakers.

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Most people use them with subs I believe.

Guys, which Burndy cable is required to connect olive SNAXO 362 to olive Supercap please?

Burndy for SL and snaxo - I think it has a green collar.

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Star

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See here

Works with both Grey and Black Snaxo Burndy.

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Can anybody tell me if Naim can make the NAC 12 dual rail to use with Supercap?

I had a Nac 12 dual railed and tried with a Supercap,but somehow I think that the original single railed Nac 12 with bolted down Snaps was more fun to listen to.

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To add on what @murmur said, I would also recommend to turn off that HiFi analytical part of your mind, close your eyes and just enjoy the music. In world of BD/CB you found you don’t need those to enjoy music, just my 2 cents. Anything outdone just break the balance and made you miss what is simply sounds right.

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