Potential Speaker Upgrade

Same! I honestly don’t know what they were thinking. Mind you, if all speakers looked the same it would be boring. There is only so many ways to design a cabinet with drivers.

Hi @Buryfc, I had your exact setup and enjoyed it. I traded the 26s for Fact 12s. A great upgrade. I can say they are a significant upgrade from the 26s in terms of imaging, bass extension, and clarity of vocals. I enjoy listening to them for hours as they are highly engaging. I recently upgraded to a NAP 500DR.
The 300DR drives the Fact 12s easily, although, as several forum members have confirmed, the 500DR takes them up another notch. If you like the sound of the 20.26, you should enjoy the sound of the Fact 12s.
The 12s have switches to adjust base and treble levels, which help with adjusting sound for your room. Other forum members speak highly of Townshend Podiums to further improve sound and manage room interactions.
The new(ish) Signature version offers improved sound via a revised crossover, but I have not heard them. I strongly suggest a home demo if possible.

I do not have any experience with PMC loudspeakers but heart many times they are very good. Like mentioned already, your approach opens to a wealth of options. I chose Sinus Faber in the end which matches quite well with Naim and has a very balanced and “silky” tonality. Worth a try

Iver

Very much a question of different styles. I find wooden cuboids terrible. The Kanta would fit extremely well into my apartment, as would the Sopra. I tried very much to like them during a recent addition, unfortunately I thought they both were quite poor

It’s possible to achieve the Sopra look for a lot less.

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Rubbish. :grin:

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I would recommend this beauty

image

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Where on earth did find that, it’s horrible.

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Incredibly horrible :joy:

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I had a Naim system - and those Focal speakers - years before I joined Naim. I have upgraded various Naim components since, taking advantage of staff deals, though :slight_smile:

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In what respect were they poor?

Well the Sopra range do come in a choice of three wood finishes now, too - light oak, natural walnut and dark walnut. All made in our cabinet factory in Ébénisterie Bourgogne.
Move up the range and you get some even more amazing wood finishes, including White Ebony :heart_eyes:

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something to die for? :slight_smile:

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I’ve never quite been persuaded by Focals but they are of course not the work of the devil that many make them out to be. However, now time for a rethink so l can tell folks my speakers came from Ébénisterie Bourgogne!

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I actually have that bin here, so no surprise there :grinning:

I don’t find the look of Focal speakers that challenging in fact I quite like (most) of them, the problem for us here in Aus is they are way too expensive compared with competitors. Not a lot of bang for your buck as the saying goes.

I thought it was a “lifestyle” subwoofer on first glance :grin:
I quite like that bin.

Have you decided on new speakers for yourself already?

(bit offtopic - sorry @ OP)

Diplomatic and correct answer, you seem to know your job well Clare! :wink::grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: If you had an interest in Naim stuff even before you started at Naim, you must thrive like a fish in water with your job now then, in the center of the Naim world, Nice! :slightly_smiling_face:

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It seems that Focal speakers are divisive, both in sound and appearance here on the forum, but I think it is so refreshing to see a speaker manufacturer pushing design boundaries and trying something that is starting to break convention and move away from the predictable default choice of a traditionally veneered rectangular cabinet. A brave move for such a conservative (UK) market.

I do remember hearing the Sopra 2 at a Naim dealer event (ie better room acoustics than hotel show rooms etc) with a 272/555/250Dr and thinking the combination sounded fabulous.

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