Well I’m going forward with the deal. I’ll hear them with a UnitiQute 2 when I pick them up so I’ll have some comparison for when I get them in my system. I appreciate all the comments, I think I signed up on the old board in 2002 so I’m used to the polarized reactions, nothing new here, knowing how to discern statement of fact from statement of opinion is obviously useful. 
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Well I have them hooked up in my less than ideal room and they sound pretty good so far. They’re not making me want to forget my Kefs though. Maybe that will change.
In the deal I got a set of NACA5 Cryo with right angle naim plugs on both ends. I removed the speaker end and added the Ovator plug. I also got a Tibia Plus power chord for the SU which have installed. The tibia is not as long as the OEM power chord for the SU and I have to extend it quite a bit to reach. Would using a solo Wiremold for the tibia connection to the SU kill the benefits of having a tibia?
The speakers don’t seem very sensitive to positioning. So far so good.
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Once they’ve settled in, I will look forward to your assessment of them 
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Congratulations!
I do hope they meet your expectations and look forward to your comments over the next couple of weeks as they settle in with your system and you have had a chance to listen to some of your favorite albums.
If they don’t work out for you then you should have no problem moving them on…
I really want to like this speaker but I’m slow to get there. I’m hearing a very different sound that I enjoy at times but there I times I don’t enjoy it. I’m still trying to process the new sound and find myself contrasting it to my Kef’s. My impression has improved since the first day so that’s good but I don’t know if time is going to be enough.
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Are you able to get the speakers closer to the back wall? I have found they sound better about 10-20 cm from the back wall as the wall reinforces the bass.
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What music are you listening to?
I’m listening to RP 320K, TIDAL HiFi through Bubble Server, and various rock and jazz AIFF from my QNAP.
The room is a rectangular shape with the speakers around a fire place on an L shaped wall that has a few feet of space behind one speaker (see photo above). I’m not sure how much this is contributing to the sound, it wasn’t noticeable with my Kefs for the most part.
I’ll experiment some more with placement to see if I can hear any audible differences. And I’ll continue listening for a few more days before I try to express what I’m hearing or not hearing. The sound has improved, even this morning the few tracks I heard sounded pleasant so my overall impression continues to improve.
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So I have owned S400’s for 6 years and really enjoy them. When I was demo’ing for new speakers I heard some really lovely sounds, I tried Proac D28’s, Spendor Statement, Devore’s 88’s, Living Voice Avatars and the OBX-RW. The OBX-RW were especially lovely and I was a bit torn but chose the S400’s because they had less of a sweet spot so sounded pretty good anywhere in my living room (12m X 6m) and were less “hi-fi”. So for me it was really about music having some bounce and groove which is what I associate with Naim and while you could consider the S400 veiled in comparison to the OBX-RW they were just so much more liveable due to the diffuse dispersion.
At the time of the demo’s I was running a NAIT XS and cap which was ok but which I recently swapped out for a Crayon CFA 1.2 which nominally has the same output as the XS but it has totally transformed the sound to a much richer perhaps less frenetic presentation, it just seems to have more control. After settling in the new amp I ended up moving them out to 70cm from the wall to reduce a bit of bass boom and it the best sound I’ve ever had in this room. I’d only ever swap them out to go down the active path but can’t really see that happening anytime soon.
Regards
Simon
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Well it’s been quite a ride and it started off rocky when I inadvertently hooked the speakers up out of phase. I didn’t pay close enough attention to the right angle plugs and got the polarity switched. I thought wow, these speakers really suck. lol
Immediate improvement when I got that sorted but the presentation was not very appealing. Smaller sound stage, way better definition in the mids but more forward than I’m accustomed and they seemed rather bright. It’s worth mentioning that in addition to the Ovators I was adding cryo NACA5 and tibia plus power chord for the SU. I broke one of my rules and added all at the same time so I’m left wondering if the cables were contributing to the sonics. The cryo NACA5 had been run in but had been sitting for months so I’m not sure if they needed to break in again. The tibia was new.
So I spent some time getting the speakers positioned and have found a place where I think I’ve maximized the sound stage and presentation. I also added corner tunes to my room which I hadn’t felt a need for in this new place but the Ovators have much higher extension than my Kefs and I’m quite sensitive to brightness. They’ve made a huge difference.
I’ve also added RP FLAC and JBR 2 FLAC 96K streaming since I added the Ovators and I’m noticing exponential improvement in sonics now.
In summary, I haven’t made a firm conclusion yet. Initially I was not too pleased and I thought my Kefs were night and day better. My girlfriend agreed. She noticed right away and even said the old speakers filled the room “better”. Now that my overall system seems to have settled my opinion has improved and I’m enjoying them. I plan to leave them as is for another month or so then I’ll swap in the Kefs and see how they sound. I think that experiment will tell me what I need to know.
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As an S400 owner for over 6 years, plese do re-try the standard Naim power cable on your SuperUniti (or if possible a PowerLine) before making any final decision. I absolutley love my S400s on all types of music.
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It’s funny you mention that b/c I thought the OEM power cable that came with the SU was quite nice and it was long which I like since I’m running it to the wiremold around the corner from the unit. I wondered if the shorter tibia plus was changing my sonics.
So is the tibia not considered to be a good option for powering the SU?
From my experience the Ovator presentation lacks any boxy colouration and so can come across as a bit lean and high pitched. I am not familiar with your kef speakers, they might have a more full bodied sound than the ovator and may just be better for your room.
I found the plain old A5 naim cable with Ovator plugs sounded great with the ovators. Same with the standard Naim power cable. I am not familiar with cryotherapy except when I freeze someone’s warts or skin cancers with liquid nitrogen. Maybe just use the unfrozen cables may give a better sound, as naim did not intend for them to be deep frozen.
Hope it goes well.
In my experience, the standard power cables supplied with the equipment give a better sound than using aftermarket power cables, whatever speakers are used. Naim’s design approach is to look at the entire system, including power delivery to the “appliance” in question.
I have two “TibiaPlus12 Deep-Cryo AC Cable” cables for my NDX2 & SN2.
Reasonably priced, with some very good reviews on the AV Options website from Naim owners. When I put them on in March 2018 I thought there was a slight improvement in the sound.
Good luck with your decision…
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Re-reading my previous post I’m painting a more negative picture than I intend. The Ovators have really settled in nicely. I don’t know why it took them some time but they are sounding great now. I A and B’d the oem power cable and the tibia plus and it’s night day improvement for the tibia plus. Instantly another level of detail and more authoritative bass.
My extra set of NACA 5 has the U shaped connectors else I’d like to compare the cryo NACA 5. The sound is good enough now I’m not inclined to think the regular NACA 5 is going to be an improvement.
Btw, has anyone reversed the NACA ovator side plugs to run the wire up instead of down? I don’t like how the wire right angles directly to the floor.
Thanks for everyone’s responses.
Nope - there isn’t - that how you fit NACA5 into Ovators, using Ovator plugs.
Good luck and happy to read that the Ovators has settled in (from a felllow S400 ower - happy owner - for many years)>
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Other way up, so the cable comes out of the top of the plug?