Hi Db,
I take this thread to thank you for the thread you had created on the old forum on the installation of your S600.
It was a gold mine for me at the time of my S400 
Well got them up and running, 1st thoughts, bass, lots of bass.
Much better control of the music.
Much tighter deeper bass.
Much warmer sound
Treble could sound a bit rushed and harsh on the SBLās when pushed but so much nicer now.
They need loads of space as have them on the wheels and moving them about makes a huge difference, i can give them rear but side space is limited to about 400mm.
But the size is whatās getting me still as compared to the SBLās they are huge and make a large presence in the room.
But even at this early stage i can hear the benefits and all is cold still and a long way to go on set up
Think i will try and research info on set up
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Iāve been trying to convince my wife to let me do a floor reinforcement job under the S600s. No luck so farā¦
They get a bit lower once on spikes. Compared to sbls they are giants indeed. But, sbls are simply small for what they can do.
The good thing of the Ovators is that they are not only large: they are also very heavy and well build - little chance to knock them over! Mine have survived the kids well sofar.
Sounds to me you have found your next loudspeakers.
Well i am lucky on the floor front as soild concrete with 30mm soild oak glued down to it.
They are much nicer looking than the SBLās and do have a difference sound, having listened to the S600 for a few hours on the NDS and P8 playing all kind of stuff. It becomes more apparent how much more refined the S600 are but it also shows how good the SBLās are for there size but also how hard they are trying to sound bigger than they are. This is when i guess i find them a bit harsh, the times when they are being pushed and just canāt do it, the S600 on the other hand takes the same piece of music in its stride.
Also like i said earlier a much warmer sound and so easy to listen to.
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One thing that works well is, if you have a suspended floor that is nailed into supporting joists, is to locate the positions of the joists and screw the flooring to the joists (countersinks) in many places around the speakers. Make sure you know where pipes and electric runs are first!
This makes the floor more taught and improves timing - and very importantly is totally invisible to any āinspectionā. Where the speaker will sit also benefits from the use of Fraim Chips - or if these cannot be used then screw a thin metal plate (countersink screws) where the speakers will pass through and carpets as they benefit from their spikes being on a hard surface and not sinking into wood.
A little careful cunning can get results you want.
DB.
Hello Dunc,
I do not know if I understood wellā¦
Were the SBLs also active before your S600 experience?
Yes the SBLās were running active and placed tight against the rear wall.
Looking great! I do love the look of the Ovators.
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100% believe you.
We re-laid the flooring in our bedroom, and when the old floor was up and the plywood was exposed, I ran in about 400 screws into the joists. It really did tighten the floor (no more squeaks). (Here in Vancouver /Canada, 5/8" plywood is usually used on top of the joists to allow for non-structural flooring)
If we re-do the living area flooring, I will substantially increase the structural rigidity, but as we have oak flooring, no interim (invisible) measure is possible (and it is likely to pretty-much last forever).
We find that closer to the wall works best, too. Although not as close as yours look. I tried them further out as an experiment, but pushed them back pretty quickly. Weāre about 300mm from the rear wall (which also has windows).
I find them very tolerant in terms of positioning, fine at 200 mm, but marginally better at 300 mm as are yours.
If you get the chance its worth experimenting with isolation, rather than coupling them to the floor with spikes. Significant improvement to my system.
Yes been playing once again and moved them forward more, now about 300mm and going to see how i get on like this
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So Iām thinking about buying a pair of pre-loved s600.
I read many rave reviews about running them active - but what about running them passive with 282-HiCapDR-250DR? Any experiences with this setup?
I have this set-up (all be it with 2 x Hicaps on 282) and the 250DR has ample enough power to drive the S600ās.
Cheers
Still a good speaker ?
I thinks so, considering the original retail price, even more so for their present used price.
Possible alternatives on the market today like Focal Sopra 2 or more so the 3 are way more expensive. I recently demoed the latter in the context of a pretty jumble system (Marantz cd player, 282 & 300 dr piled upon respective psuās, unknown cables. And probably The Sopra have a margin on midrange refinement compared with my 600 driven by 555/552/500 DR
Another speaker i recently falled in love with, is the Magico Q3 for the sound but even for aesthetics, is relatively compact and elegant, the aluminium cabinet almost looks like a Naim box., but you know with a price tag of 552/500 you canāt call it a bargain
Regards
Roberto
The main thing using the S600 is have a good flooring under them, either good solid floor or reinforced suspended floor as they really do benefit - then be prepared to move them back and forth a little to find the location where the image snaps into position and they then work well - generally away from side walls and a little into the room.
They are extremely efficient for their size and will drive a large room well is my experience.
Get the torque settings right - get the sheet for that from Naim or your Dealer - and use a proper device to set the right value to apply, as it makes a big difference and they really sound off badly when wrong. Usually they will be a little loose and sound dull and slow it never re-torqued since first purchase - or too tight and brittle if someone has tightened them without a torque driver. This matters on all speakers Iāve found as only recently I did another type for a friend and had to loosen some and tighten other bolts and the end result sounded like he had purchased new speakers - totally refreshed the presentation with new life, clarity and detail.
Also - for the Ovators you need to re-tighten the bolts under the speaker in the stand which holds the crossover plate and leaf-springs. Make sure the transit-bolts are in for the BMR and have help turning them onto a soft surface on their backs when you do this. Once done it should not need touching if at all for many years and takes about 5 mins to do. The main slackening happens in transit and from new with initial shrinking of wooden parts. It makes a very large difference to operation as the leaf-spring is how all Ovators manage their Bass performance and your need not to be loose or have the nearby parts resonating - use the Naim chart for torque or better get someone who knows to do it if not confident.
I have often found people change speakers after a few years because they did no maintenance since first purchase - and what is the incentive for anyone in the supply chain to make an owner aware of how to keep them optimised rather than sell a new set?
They are good speakers! 
DB.
These are mine (shock horror, coiled cables, too close to the wall, desk in the room), they have shifted a bit:
@Darkebear: do you have a recommendation for a torque driver? I can go to the shop and buy a random one, but many times there are types around which are preferred for usage with Naim gear.
I have this. However iād prefer one with digital scale or more convenient reding scale.
Regards
Roberto
I borrowed what my Dealer used - then was so impressed I got my own one for the very occasional times every few years Iād use it:
Also get a set of bolt-heads and find the one that just fits snugly without rattle in your speaker bolts and use that for the job.
I use one of these that covers 1 to 5 range - you only need 2 to 3 for the Ovators.
From memory the Bass driver bolts were 3 and the BMR a mix of 2 and 2.5 - and the underneath a mix of 3.5 and 3. Naim or Dealer should be able to give you a PDF or sheet with all this on an exploded-view of all the bolts - Iād rather personally just confirm to do it to their values. More is not better - more usually sounds horrible and in extreme breaks the thread, so you need enough to tension the housings such that their resonant-modes are as intended by the design.
My advice is not to touch the BMR assembly itself, but do the front and rear housing that fixes it to the main box. Too tight and it will sound dull-blunt, too loose also dull-blurry - nearly right but loose zinging brightness - then just right sounds ā¦just right!
With care - have fun - but do it! 
DB.
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