after reading many reviews and comments on the sound of the Ovators - both praise and hate - I figured I might like them, as they transport musical aspects that are important to me.
Although I understand the risk of buying speakers without home demo and even without listening to them at all, there was no other way to find out if I like them, than buying them.
I still have my old speakers, so I see it as an extended home demo: In case I don’t like them I will try to sell them. Some money to loose, but a lot of experiences to gain, I think this is part of the hobby, isn’t it?
So I found a used (or shall I say “pre-loved”, but why would they be on sale if they were loved) S-600 in white from 2011 and decided to give it a try, hoping that my 282/HCDR/250DR system would be good enough to drive them.
And here we are, they arrived today and currently settle in and I’m very pleased with their sound so far: speed, scale, presence, well-balanced, no harshness, tight bass, fun and musical flow are terms that come to my mind when listening to them.
Thanks to the advice of @Darkebear I spent considerable time to level them precisely, so from the very first moment they plaid just wonderfully.
I would also like to re-torque the screws as suggested here as well, yet I don’t know how to remove the grills. Any recommendations?
Hi, i also have a pair of s600’s, the grills just pull off and i found a small Allen key through one hole and then gently pull forward. They came off easy that way.
Are you using the right naim ovator connections as its important to use them?, i run mine active with 2 x 250’s at the moment and love the sound over my sbl’s.
Then line-up when putting back on with the pattern the same on all grills - there is a join on the grill one uses to guide - they can be snug to re-fit, so take time.
Then Enjoy!
All speakers are different and I liked the Ovators so much I got their big-brother S800 before their production ceased.
The allen key does the trick - thanks!
Now I only have to find an appropriate torque key.
Currently I use simple bananas on the end of the Naca5, will try to figure out how to add the ovator plugs, curious to hear the difference these make…
The ovator has special plugs that are coated and match the speaker connections, about £25 each and just need soldering on.
I haven’t got round to checking torque on mine yet as i don’t have a torque wthat went down low enough
Congratulations on the purchase - if they sound as good as they look in your room, then you have done really well without a home demo. Lovely in white too - great choice.
Thanks! The sound is amazing, it‘s like the musicians are playing in my room
And the good thing is I don’t need to crank up the volume to get a full wall of sound.
I think it’s still a loudspeaker to beat in its oen category for performace, level of engineering (base, BMR suspensions)and aesthetics .At the current used market price are quite a steal.
Their modern substitutes Sopra 2 or 3 are way more expensive. I bought mine in 2016 driven by 552DR/250-2. Later the introduction of Nap 500 raised the performance considerably. More recently, S. Lumina and Nap 500 DR upgrade has been the icing on the cake.
Honestly i don’t fell the urge to change them unless is something like Magico Q3 i recently demoed but pretty much out of reach financially for me.
I can source new both s400 and s600, what is a reasonable price to pay? (s400 offered at 4500 E)
Also i have read in the old forum that s400’s terminals are sensitive and can easily be damaged, is this true?
I have S400s in white. I think they are really stylish. Looking at the photo I am motivated to hunt down a white pair of S600s, I am sure it will take me a while. Very envious, ( but happy for you too).
