Nait 5si Speaker Upgarde - Sonus Faber Lumina II/Sonetto I

Hi everyone,

My finances allow me to lavish some funds on my system, about £1k to £1.3k, so I have been thinking about my speakers, currently Quad S2s

I’m in no rush, so have started looking around to see what’s out there at this price point; the Sonus Faber lower ranges keep grabbing my attention, specifically the Lumina IIs and Sonetto Is.

I know both speakers are 4 Ohmn nominal and fairly low sensitivity, 86 and 87db from memory.

I’m no genius of these matters; I only have a rudimentary awareness that both speakers are more difficult to drive than my Quads, so was just looking for advice as to whether my 5Si would have the power to run either, without strain and be able to do them justice?

I have a small room, but dedicated, some 12ft by 11ft, listening position is around 2.25m from speakers currently, and speakers are 2m apart. Listen at moderate volume rarely straying North of 10 o’clock on the 5Si volume pot. And then only when recording levels on albums are lower.

Thanks very much

Before thinking of improving your speakers it may be worth looking at your source, whatever it might be. Putting system details in your profile would be helpful here. The Sonetto does look very lovely, though stands need to be added to the price. I’d also think about the ProAc Tablette 10 which, being a sealed box, would go hard against the wall; very useful in a more modestly sized room.

Thanks Hungry Halibut; you’re right, I need to update my profile.

My source is the Bluesound Node (2021) - > Denafrips Ares II, plus an Audiolab 6000CTD in to the Denafrips. Listening tends to be 90% streaming.

I’m also looking to mod the Node’s power supply at some point, I think Teddy Pardo have a kit and PSU available.

Thanks again

Are you looking for new, or used? Or don’t mind?

I was wondering if you had thought of selling both amp and speakers (I bet you’d get maybe £500 between them?) and going for a used XS and speaker upgrade?

Plus the ubiquitous plug for the speakers I run :stuck_out_tongue: Neat Motive SX3. I have a small room, and listen about 2.3m from them in an equilateral triangle arrangement.

Thanks gthack

I hadn’t considered second hand tbh. I don’t really want to consider replacing the 5si at this point in time, just looking at my options for an upgrade on the Quads.

The Sonus Faber models I’ve mentioned, especially the Lumina IIs look to be right up my street as it were, from reviews I’ve read. My concern was the 4 Ohm rating, and whether my humble 5Si could do them justice; if not I’ll cast my gaze elsewhere. Trouble is, my local dealer I use doesn’t carry Sonus Faber. Nearest dealer is too far, so I would have to take a punt and buy un-auditioned.

The Neats you’ve mentioned look interesting, but I couldn’t find any in depth reviews, apart from What Hifi; what would be their general character be - neutral, warm, lean etc?

I tend not to like over enthusiastic high frequencies, or an overly analytical sound. I suppose I like a slightly warm sound that still has plenty of detail, but is still cohesive in its overall presentation, if that makes sense.

Thanks again gthack much appreciated👍

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Buying speakers can be tricky. The golden rule is never to buy them without a home audition of a well run in pair. It’s different if you are buying them used and are confident that you can sell them on without loss.

By all means use people’s suggestions as a starting point, but whatever you do, try them at home. You have a nicely balanced setup at the moment, so don’t be tempted to get speakers that really demand a better source and amplifier unless you plan to upgrade them in the not too distant future.

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It’s tricky about the Neats. I kinda impulse bought them, to replace an ancient pair of Mordaunt Short MS310s. I bought them as they pair well with Naim, at least at one point Neat used Naim gear to tune/optimise their speakers. The only other speakers I listened to were some KEF LS50s, but the audition was in a HiFi store, albeit with my own amp.

I find them great, I don’t think they have any major vices, but by reputation alone I’d have thought the SFs were smoother, perhaps more what you’re looking for.

I’d be happy to host, if you wanted a listen. My ill advised impulse buy might be of benefit to someone else :slight_smile: But as @anon4489532 says, listening in your own home, if possible, would be ideal, particularly if you are not in a hurry. I don’t really know what kind of speaker emergency made me buy so impetuously :wink:

Thanks hungryhalibut, you’re advice is much appreciated, and 100% correct. Home auditions is the only way to go. Saying that, I did buy my Denafrips Ares II without audition, but these are easy to move on, should mine had proved a disaster :blush:.

There’s no rush for this upgrade, I’m just thinking ahead really. I’m thinking of modding my Bluesound Node first, probably with the Teddy Pardo kit and PSU. As I’ve heard good things about this relatively inexpensive upgrade.

When I do decide to start actively looking at speaker upgrades, I’m sure there online retailers with 30 or 60 day return policies.

Thanks again

L

Buying electronics is a bit different to speakers; I’ve bought lots of electronics after reading and taking advice. But speakers are very different. I once bought some speakers by reputation and they were a disaster. I also bought a pair after home audition, having been assured they were run in an would not change further. But they did change, and not for the better, so has to go and I lost money. I borrowed a well run in pair of my current speakers and loved them. When I ordered my own pair it was emphasised to me by the manufacturers that they would sound very different and take a long time to run in, and so they did. Buying anything on a 30 return is risky as they may or may not be run in over that time, depending on the speakers and how much you use them. Some good hifi dealers are happy to send you speakers to try and it’s worth seeking them out. It’s an area where it really is worth making the effort here.

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5si is quite a capable amplifier. I’ve got 5si + another 84db speakers and the combo sounds good. If you prefer the specs, 5si has 60w into 8 ohms and 90w into 4 ohms. I tried 5si with some other “tough” speakers and it drives them well.

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Thanks very much Paul. Thanks for the info; just out of curiosity were the speakers you mention 4 Ohm speakers?

8 ohms, Spendor 3/5

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