Hi Naim Aficionados,
I am new to the Forum and glad to be part of this audiophile community.
For months now I’ve been pondering about getting a Nova, and as there are now some good grade A pieces available around I’m close to finally take the leap.
The reason I have resisted so far, apart from the cost of course, is the lack of a touchscreen, I’ve been using a Squeezebox Touch for years and so I am used to having one and not just using an app to fiddle with settings, browse, etc.
Anyway apart from that, another hi-fi dream of mine is to own a pair of Sonus Faber floorstanders, finally the God of Stereo has listened to me and the more affordable Lumina III have arrived.
I’d like to know your opinion whether it would be a good match to the Nova, specs below (the 4 Ohm impedance worries me), unfortunately none of the hi-fi dealers near me have such combination for me to try, so it would be a blind and faithful purchase!
3-way floorstanding loudspeaker system.
Vented box design
FREQUENCY RESPONSE
40 Hz – 24.000 Hz
SENSITIVITY
89 dB SPL (2.83V/1m)
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE
4 ohm
SUGGESTED AMPLIFIER POWER OUTPUT
50W – 250W, undistorted signal
The listening room is about 20 sq m, distance from speaker 2.5m
A Nova will easily drive a 4 ohm speaker like the SF you mention.
But why would you buy speakers unheard of just for their badge? Plenty of dealers out there who can demonstrate you a Nova with speakers they think would work well in your room and within your budget. Talk to an experienced dealer, explain what is important to you, describe your listening room, and compare a few of his suggestions. If you don’t like his approach then go to the next one
If you really need a touch screen, I was at my local dealer today who had a new NAD Master series all in one, +/- same price range as a Nova with all bells and whistles including touchscreen, however, despite all technology, we agreed the sound quality was far below the Nova…
I listened to various speakers at a local dealer, the best ones to my ears were the Dali Rubicon 6.
I am now trying to get a home demo as I suspect they might be too big for my medium sized room.
Speakers of the size of SF Lumina III will be quite prominent in your room, so how they look will be a factor in which brand you choose. I can entirely understand your enthusiasm for the appearance of SF speakers and it looks as if they’re designed for smaller rooms. Don’t let anyone talk you out of these if they’re really what you want. But I would strongly recommend auditioning and comparing with other speakers before shelling out, so you make your choice with ears as well as eyes open.
Do you have a pair of speakers you can use temporarily with a Nova? If so, how about getting your Nova and then taking it along with you when you go to audition the SFs. I’d be surprised if they didn’t work well with the Nova, but whether the sound they make together appeals to you only listening will reveal.
Don’t buy SF without listening, Ive been lucky enough to experience them on a 500 systems. I’ve found them to be so so so beautiful in the mids and tops but so very wobbly in the bottom end. Also they are very one seat orientated. They need to been away from the walls so room size can be an issue, trust me I can’t remember the flash names of them but I recall one set was made by the original fonder Franco Sebastian and came in at something like £20,000 + the other pair was much wider and more $$$ sorry i forget the names but I remember the more money sf could handle the jandal way better, my friend ended up with the Cremona m’s,
a real fast speaker and imo the best (and his) of the lot at a much cheap price abet they all have wobbly bottom ends. I’ve own some sf years ago called concertos on some lovely stands. I’m so very sure all SF speakers are designed for orchestral music. Bottom end is yuk.I’m sure others will disagree, but in my books bottom end =yuk
But hey that’s my take anyway.
I am still running with my Concerto’s and have never found the bass “wobbly”. I listen mostly to rock/electronica. Sure, the bass is not the biggest but I am hoping they will give a little more when I plan to upgrade my 152/155XS to 282/250/HC in the spring.
Yes I agree, but when you get to the floor standing SF speaker it’s another dimension.
Sorry to say 282/250 is way above
your speakers , it’s gonna cost you I promise. But thats Naim audio for you enjoy your journey and all the best (I’m glad I’ve gone through it) anyway you will find out. Respect dude enjoy it
You may well be right. I am very much looking forward to the journey (also planning to upgrade my TT as well); there are not many other sources of pleasure in these worrying times.
I think you are on the right track to make a good choice by taking your time to listen to different set ups. A test in-house certainly seems appropriate to me, speakers with a double 6.5-inch woofer could be too much of a good thing in a not so large room.
In the past I’ve made the mistake of choosing speakers which impressed me deeply with their bass power. This was the first thing that started to bother me after living with them for a while, so they had to go… concentrate on how the music is presented as a whole and don’t get lost in better/more bass, imaging etc
Visiting a second dealer with a Nova would put things in perspective now you have your first experience. Part of the fun is in the journey… and you won’t regret it afterwards
I think the Lumina line is rather different from the more expensive models. According to the review I looked at, they are designed for small rooms, bottom ported and usable close to the rear wall and with a lighter, rolled off, but more agile bass. One of the few negative points in the review was that they were not really suitable for orchestral music! I stress I’ve not heard them, few have I suspect, but still might be worth an audition.
Hi Roger, for sure they are worth a listen if possible, but I wouldn’t buy just on the brand name and look. They are a beautiful looking speaker, some folks get all caught up in the look plus she who should be obeyed gives the ok. So many great speakers at that price range. Epos es11’s now that’s a sure win if you can find a good pair. No demo required lol!
“some folks get all caught up in the look”
yes and that would be me if I let my instinctive impulses prevail, but this is a big investment for me so I want to make sure I get the right speakers.
Unfortunately there are no dealers in my area that stock SFs, so it’s hard to audition them, plus Lockdown 2.0 doesn’t help.
But as stated earlier I have now been swayed by the DALIs, I just need to listen to them in my lounge…
Hello, thanks to all for the ideas and suggestions. I have had to say goodbye to the SF whim; the dealer kindly lent me a Nova with 2 sets of speakers: the Rubicon 6 and Neat Motive SX1, and I listened to both for a week. (I read good things about the SX1 and how well they match the Naim gear).
The SX1 is a nice set of speakers, balanced and laidback but the Rubicon still sounded better, even in medium size room, at low volume I could hear details that the Neat could not reveal.
It’s gutsy, hits you in the chest but at the same time it’s very refined.
Moreover the DALIs look the part, to my eyes (and the girlfriend’s!) they are stunning, the Neat are obviously more unassuming being smaller but they look cheap compared to the DALIs (no offence to Neat and its owners).
It was not possible to listen to the SF via this particular dealer, plus they are running some excellent package deals, so I took the jump and ordered the Nova and the Rubicons.
The countdown has begun
enjoy your journey and all the best (I’m glad I’ve gone through it) anyway you will find out. Respect dude enjoy it