This ^^^ is something I’ve noticed too with the Nait 50 fantastic playback via the SL2s
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Hi @Wilfried - ok, I’ve managed to listen to the Nait 50 with the Martens for a couple of days. This is in a not very large room instead of the NC250. What can I say, the Nait 50 is still connected and enjoying the company it’s in, while I am enjoying the music!
It’s not showing any deficit at lower or normal listening levels, not getting warm or tired as well being connected with with as short as 2m ChordMusic speaker cables and proving confidently that the “higher” the company, the better it gets. Seems like it rewards with good components although as always one cannot quite be sure how the speaker partnering will work in every case. The Martens though, have been friendly to almost every good amp I’ve tried them with (e.g. the Nait 2 was an exception and may be it was the setup then as well)
Compared to the NC250 the Nait 50 sounds a bit more polite overall, less deep, slightly softer or less defined lower end … or so I thought initially haha. As I also have a couple of interconnects on trial, I also tried a Superlumina RCA to DIN and … OMG, I was not prepared for the sudden uplift and as if a high octane injection, so much more life and I even had to re-level the loudness by a few dB lower - exceptionally good match for this setup I thought - huge energy, rhythm and vibrancy. Curious to try the SL with my small speakers although I am thinking they may throw things a bit out of balance there?
I have a few other things things to try but so far a very impressive appearance of the Nait 50 on my centre stage! 
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Just listening to John Lennon “Nobody told me” one of my favourite tracks… the Nait 50 really delivers one of best replays I’ve heard.
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What source is the Nait 50 connected to garçon ?
Thanks
In this case - the NSC222 (Qobuz)
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I like your bit ‘initially’. If you are like me you start to hear, again with the right speakers, there is huge ultra low detail… which results in deeper more defined bass… not necessarily increased weight… it results in far more natural sounding recordings… that coupled with the gorgeous upper mids and natural extension… is allowing me to discover so many of my recordings again… it reminds me of when I got my 252DR and my Hugo mk1, that was a game changer.
This amp is possibly the best sounding Naim amp I have ever heard… the more you listen through it, the more you realise how outrageously good it is…
It doesn’t draw attention to itself, it simply conveys the music… and helps you connect with your recordings in ways that feel very rare. I have never heard my DAVE sound so good… I now realise what a truly great and transparent DAC it is….
The speakers are so key though, aren’t they… I am finding for my tastes and room the Russell K RED speakers are a match made in heaven for the Nait50. The speed of the RKs, allows the Nait50 to open up whole new strands in my recordings, that not even my Empyreans portrayed. For the records, again in my opinion only, ATCs and Dynaudio speakers don’t play to the Nait50 strengths. Speaker cables are NACA5, interconnects are DNM HFT DIN to Eichmann phono connectors for the DAVE… keeping copper (and Tellurium) throughout the chain.
I am very very happy… I just can’t believe this design will be constrained to a limited production…it’s ridiculously good.
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Happy listening!
Yeah, I agree on speaker matching, and source too of course. Not found the right combo yet. I suspect a fairly open speaker like SL2/SBL is needed with my warmish sounding '02-spec LP12. Either that or a more open source like a P6, perhaps with the Red 50s which I do like. No hurry as I have too much kit to make constant use of.
Absolutely, deep and controlled lower end, and as I am listening to it all right now, I don’t think I am missing anything that I have with the NC250 in this room and with these speakers. Will test more at lower volume where the NC250 is very good but I think I could live with any of these 2 and be totally over the moon. I was surprised what a difference the SL interconnects made but it just speaks again to the benefit of a better and uninhibited source and DAC with the Nait 50. My Martens also seem to enjoy the extra energy that the SLs pass on.
May be for a larger space and/or at high volumes, or indeed with something like Dynaudio, it would be different.
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Thank you for your impressions. I read them with interest. I’m not surprised that the Nap 250/3 has a bit more control and bass, given the price difference. But the Marten Oscars do indeed seem to harmonise well with the Nait50. I’ll keep this in mind when looking for other speakers. I’ve heard the Oscars twice at my dealer and they are really enchanting and draw the listener into the music. However, I haven’t heard them in my listening room yet. It’s 17 square metres and the Nait50 should actually be enough. The reference to Superlumina RCA to DIN is also valuable. I currently use the standard DIN to DIN cable between Nait50 and ND5XS2. Superlumina is very expensive. But there is also the cheaper HiLine cable. And my dealer also has a second-hand Chord Anthem2 DIN-DIN, which is very reasonably priced. Both would probably be worth a try after your experience with the Superlumina.
In the medium term, another Dac to complement the ND5XS2 would probably also be an option. Chord Dave is a big investment though.
I’ve also moved my listening position in the room slightly backwards (approx. 1.40 metres from the rear wall with GIK Acoustics treating elements). The bass and fundamental range is now much better. My speakers are still 1.40 metres from the front wall. I have seen that our Marten Oscars are very close to the wall. But that doesn’t seem to be a problem with the Martens either.
Merry Christmas everyone.
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Oh yes, big spaces are not for the Nait50… but small to small/mid rooms, with more mid field listening… it’s a a gem…
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I’ve tried the Oscar Duos a couple of times in rooms less than 20m2 and I think their low end in particular tends to overwhelm such a space a bit (they start to look slightly too big to me visually as well) and need more space e.g. from around 25m2 - but may be room treatment as in your case could help in smaller rooms? I guess it goes without saying that one needs to try at home before any such decision but your speakers look incredibly good and proportional in the space from your photos.
I will be trying a couple of RCA to DIN interconnects a bit more, especially in my Nait 50 dedicated setup with the Spendor D1.
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Nice setup… shame you have to block the bottom of your window… I guess you had reflections there?
Those speakers look quite similar to the RK RED 50s I have. Are they un damped thin wall with internal bracing designs like the RKs. I ask as such speakers require typically rigid low mass speaker stands… and I see you are using SolidSteel stands… I was hoping they would do a wooden leg version.
Well I’m sure you can do a very large room on 25w paired with the sort of speakers you’d pair with a 5w tube amp. There are some very high sensitivity large speakers out there rated at 2w.
My 98db Omegas are similar. Large 8" drivers in a mid sized cabinet shifting plenty of air off a 10w amp.
While the 50 is meaty enough to drive anything reasonable, if I had a large room, I’d be thinking outside the traditional shortlist of things normally discussed on here and ponder what I’d pair with a tube amp. You’ll end up with an entirely different shortlist of brands most aren’t familiar with. The point being, a large room on that power is doable.
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Good point. I hadn’t thought about that before, because the Oscar Duo’s aren’t much bigger than my Vienna Acoustics Hydn. But the woofer is 17.8 cm on the Martens and only 13 cm on the Haydns. When I think of the listening room at my dealer or the videos on the Internet, the room in which the Martens are demonstrated is usually larger than 17 square metres. A test in your own listening room is therefore crucial. But first I will continue with the Viennas.
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The room acoustics elements in the window help to dampen reflections. The sound is much quieter as a result. GIK Akustics originally recommended two elements for treating the first reflection points on the ceiling. However, I didn’t install them there. The elements are quite heavy and I’m afraid that the suspended plaster ceiling won’t hold them. I plan to fit lightweight diffuser elements to the ceiling later. I am now using the two panels on the rear wall behind the speakers.
Vienna Acoustics uses very solid, high-quality cabinets that are manufactured in Vienna. They are multi-braced. This seems to me to be a different approach to the BBC approach of Russell K. There are no dedicated stands from Vienna Acoustics. When I asked them, they recommended sturdy metal centre stands. I previously had Quadraspire speaker stands (with MDF), but they didn’t convince me in terms of sound and workmanship. The Solidsteel SS6 are very solid, I filled them 2/3 full with sand and added Isoacoustics Gaia 3. The result was much better than with the Quadraspire stands. I don’t know the Russell L50 and they are not very well known in Switzerland. But there is a dealer in Fribourg (150 km away) who sells them. I’ll try to get a hearing session when I’m in the area.
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Thanks I must admit I thought Russell Kaufman’s and the original L3/5A design principles were somewhat different. The former believes the least speaker enclosure colouration is to allow the cabinet to move in sympathy with the audio… and there is no damping inside, just bracing and load tuning but it can make stands/support pretty crucial… however the advantage is a wonderfully smear free presentation resulting in beautifully natural clarity without highlighting or unnatural accentuation… and by comparison it makes you realise how compromised some speakers are in this area… do enjoy a demo if you can.
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Anyone tried the new Rega speakers yet?
Just bought a pair of Epos ES11s to pair with my Nait50. Sounding rather good so far.
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Do you have any idea or know where to find sensitivity and impedance specs?