Hi, I am writing because I have been offered what is apparently, a very nice and little used pair of Response 2.5s, they will arrive tomorrow.
I was actually thinking of buying a new pair, but a guy I am selling other HiFi to knew of these available so thought I would try them. They seem to have been highly respected at the time of their launch at least.
I hear ProAc go well with Naim, but I don’t think the 2.5s have the usual ProAc traits, i.e. high sensitivity and strong imaging. The R2 standmounts I tried sounded amazing paired with a 5si and even better with a xs3. I am not sure this will be the case with 2.5s, I guess they need more grunt?
I won’t have any amps once this guy comes and buys my preamp so anything goes new or 2nd hand upto around €2k. Just wondering if anyone with any experience of these speakers can make any recommendations for Naim amps that will retain the toe tapping and addictive nature they are known for with these speakers? I like good imaging as well, but not sure if that is a Naim strong point or not.
Or should I but the Response 2s.
FYI, my listening room is 3.5 x 9m and my listening
position is within 3 metres, probably less. So whilst the room is long, I listen pretty close by.
BTW, I am in rural Ireland so listening at dealers is a pain.
Any help gratefully received and apologies for long intro.
The Response 2.5 are wonderful speakers which can properly be driven by the SN 2 & SN 3. Their sound is fast and warm, inviting any music genre to be played through them.
Personally, I still prefer their silk dome tweeters over the ribbons of the new generation.
I have been using their smaller brothers, the Response 1.5 since 1999 with a Nait 3.
My dad built a few pairs of 2.5 clone DIY speakers years ago, they used the same drivers as the original but with some mods. Really nice sound. Very engaging and musical. I’d say they would be a good match with Naim gear.
Thanks for input, yes, I have read good things about them so very interested to hear them. I was thinking they need a bit of power though, so you have reassured me this is the case.
I was speaking to a friend earlier who happened to own a pair, it might even be this pair. He used a SuperNait with them, I think it was the SN1. I will check as I will be speaking with him tomorow. A 250 would be nice too.
I loved the sound of 2.5’s and bought a brand new pair, hooked them up to my owned from new 135’s. I personally found the 135’s to run out of gas with the 2.5’s and wouldn’t consider this to be a perfect match. Clipping and chuffing in the bass.
Perhaps at lower sound levels they would be fine of course. I had the speakers checked by Proac, and indeed had the 135’s checked by Naim, as both manufacturers said all should be fine. I finally took the speakers to a fellow enthusiast’s house where his Krell KSA80 took them to another level, and THAT was a terrific match. I do prefer the Naim sound though, and one of my current systems has Proac D2 on the end of NAP180 and I would recommend that pairing without hesitation.
Interesting, were you using the 2.5s in a large room, any idea how loud you were listening? I would have thought the 135s would have been OK. The 2.5s look an easy load, but are just insensitive, so I guess they can stress amps if going loud.
ProAc D2’s were another option I was thinking about, although just did order the replacement driver that is needed for the 2.5s today, so will probably go that route instead now. I heard the D2 and I did think they were very special, me being a miser though went for the nearly 3x cheaper 2.5s when they were offered.
It was a room of I’d guess roughly 4m x 6m so quite large I suppose. 135’s drove SBL’s and Kef 105/3 to decent levels in that room. Don’t blame you for giving the 2.5’s a whirl, you can’t really lose, and if they work out, great. I do have fond memories of them, and the Krell experience always left me wondering what my current 500 might have done for them. Good luck!
I ran a pair of Response 2.5s with a Nac52/Nap300. Really nice.
I do think they need some decent power to get the best from them.
Had I not stumbled on a really good deal on Neat MF7 I would still have them.