Hello,
I currently own a nait xs2 unit that i love and was thinking about maybe getting myself a pair of used sonus faber sonetto v but after seeing what the stereophile review of the G2 had to say in the measurements i am now thinking it might not even worth contemplating them with that peak under 2ohm.
“The minimum EPDR values are 1.95 ohms at 34Hz, 1.26 ohms at 81Hz, and 2 ohms from 6.5kHz to 7.7kHz. The Sonetto V G2 is a very current-hungry load for amplifiers.”
what does everyone think?
Look elsewhere. Even the cheaper lumina V would be better partnered with a supernait.
Do you think it could be enough do drive them until i can add a nad 250 in front of the xs2?
That looks like a lot of speaker to be hanging off the end of a NAIT XS. What’s your front end source?
Indeed! i Currently have a PS Audio PerfectWave MK2 DAC as my source.
What are your current speakers and where are you aiming with your system?
Roger
I currently have a pair of Dali Oberon 5.
I do love the fun and forgiving nature of this setup and feels like i could gain a lot more soundstage, imaging, dynamics and details by changing the speakers.
I would also like this upgrade to have some wiggle room to benefit from a source/amp upgrade in the future if possible.
I am only asking about the sonetto V because there is a nice pair being sold in my area for a few hundred more than used PMC twenty5 23i and i wanted to see if i could drive them before going for a listening test.
Since still unsure what i really want and would need to test them at home anyway, purchasing some speakers and trying them in my setup to later resell seems like a fun thing to do 
We have Sonetto III (G1) with a 300DR.
We’ve had them with SuperUniti, 250DR and now 300DR. They’ve improved with each amp, and now absolutely sing (huge uplift with 250DR, and again with 300DR).
I’m afraid a Nait XS2 will be completely out of its depth with Sonetto V.
Will it drive them, make sound? Yes,
Will it control them, give a fast dynamic sound with controlled bass, and show you anything near what the speakers are capable of? Not at all.
Our experience says minimum 250DR to get even baby SF sounding great. With the SuperUniti they sounded rather “muddy” and closed in compared to later.
Those speakers will reward a top notch source and pre/power combo.
This does not sound too bad to be honest as i could probably get a flatcap or hicap to try and help remove some load on the poweramp and add a 250dr in about 3 months.
I am guessing i would still ear some kind of improvement using the sf over the dali while i wait for the 250dr?
I wouldn’t touch those speakers unless you have £10,000 plus to throw at the electronics. The Nait XS is lovely, but even the PMC twenty5.23i speakers are too much for it. Demanding speakers with a small amplifier have the dynamics of a lettuce. I’d stick where you are and upgrade from the source, then the amplifier and finally the speakers. You’ll be amazed how your current speakers will improve. I’d read @IainO’s post again and reflect on the advice.
The speakers might not give their best with your amp - BUT, if you take your amp with you when you go to hear (i doubt the seller will object), then you will know if they sound good enough to enjoy. If the seller will indulge you, you might even be able to take your existing speakers to compare. (I have done that, taking big speakers into someone’s house (didn’t need amp as the seller had same) - an enthusiast will be just as interested in hearing yours as you theirs!) You would then know that some time in the future you could upgrade amp and make them sing all the better (maybe source after that, but I can’t comment as don’t know yours).
That is certainly what I’d do if speakers I thought were right for me came up even though my amp might have questionable capability - it is about whether you like and would enjoy listening to them more than whether they will give their best, especially if you have future upgrade intentions.
If when you listen with your amp you find the sound unacceptable, with uncontrolled bass etc, then you’d know the score and decide accordingly.
I never found this to be the case, and I used a Flatcap2 and then a HiCap2 with my NaitXS. It’s not adding to the power output of the power stage of the amp.
An external PSU powers only control and preamp circuitry, it doesn’t change the power amp section. So not a solution to difficult speakers.
Wel, as several posters have said the Sonetto V are too much for the Nait, so you might find the bigger speakers don’t sound better at all. @Innocent_Bystander’s suggestion of trying to hear the combo before committing to purchase is a good one.
If you then get a 250DR this is a regulated power amp, leagues ahead of a Nait XS2. However, with a Nait XS2/250DR the Nait pre section is well below par and horribly exposed. Unless you also intend to change to something like a 282/HCDR in short order it still won’t be a balanced setup.
I’m not trying to put you off the Sonetto, we’ve heard the Vs (G1) and they were excellent with a slightly weightier sound than our IIIs. We see similar reviews for G2 models.
But as you step up the power amp hierarchy source/pre and system balance become very important. OC kit is at rock bottom used prices though, so 282/HCDR/250DR need not cost the earth and with the Vs would sound fantastic.
There will be other naim alternatives - used Nova, 222/250NC etc. all depends on final expected spend and level of compromise. You could easily get to @HungryHalibut’s 10K figure trying to front Sonus Fabers and hearing them at their best.
I think you will get more of all of these by looking at the source and preamp sections first, then probably the power amp rather than the route you are considering.
They look like big sexy speakers and I understand the appeal but I think you’d barely be scratching the surface of their ability without other system elements of similar quality, and you might actually find it worse than a more balanced setup.
Bruce
I read this on a HiFi review site. I never take these too seriously (the only real test is your ears) but it does seem to fit all the advice above.
The Sonetto V G2 aren’t the easiest of electrical loads. They have a nominal impedance of 4 ohms, which suggests an amplifier with a bit of grunt is necessary, though their sensitivity is fine at a claimed 89dB/W/m. Their sonic character isn’t particularly forgiving of recording quality or partnering system either, so we suggest matching them with smooth and refined electronics. Get it wrong and these towers can easily sound a little aggressive and edgy.
I have a pair of Sonetto V (Gen 1) which I originally drove with a Naim 152/155, fronted by an nDAC. That combination sounded good and I happily lived with it for many months. I don’t usually listen at very high SPL (around 70 dB on average), and at that level the system was perfectly enjoyable.
Five months later, I borrowed a 282/HiCapDR/250DR stack from my dealer — and it was a revelation. From the very first seconds of the first track, the uplift was obvious. With the 152/155 it then felt like I was listening through the keyhole of a door, but with the 282/HiCapDR/250DR it was as if the entire door swung open. Suddenly I could hear so much more of what was happening in the mix, without changing my source at all.
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