Thank you. I haven’t taken delivery yet. When all setup i’d be happy to host.
Still got a long road ahead as I still need to buy the bits n bobs to go active.
DBLs are amazing speakers.
When I bought mine a few months ago, the Naim helpdesk and Sean Jacobs were both very helpful helping me to get them set up correctly.
I would be happy to discuss anything about the process on here - or privately if that would be useful.
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I left Naim for Luxman (Neo Classical SQ and D150). I’d been with Naim for 15 years moving from a 5i.2 to an SN3 and I realised that in my small room it was just too much. I could have downgraded back to a 5i which I loved but I thought why not go for something completely different like a low watt tube amp. The Luxman sounds completely different to the Naim but I love it.
Would go back to Naim? Maybe, but I’d need a bigger house first and I’d really like them to make a new CD player. I really miss the manual drawer.
Afraid to say I’m another who has, but for my 2 x QBs, left Naim, at least for now. I’ve had my new system for a fair few months and do not see myself changing it anytime soon.
See old pictures thread for images of my system. Essentially 3 x boxes and 2 x speakers. It is active and has more than enough clarity, detail, volume, etc to satisfy my musical desire of the moment be it loud, quiet, complex or simple.
The only reduction that may happen would be to reduce box count by changing 2 x amps and speakers for active speakers. But my thinking is that I still very much like what I’m hearing just now so what I have will probably stay for some time.
Others of course may have their own thoughts and views and that is all good.
An interesting discussion about downsizing and whether or not Naim will move towards simplification/reduced box count systems.
I guess my recent system changes has really bucked the trend. Having started on a downsize journey moving from a full 500 system down to a Nova (admittedly a temporary move), due to a move to a smaller property, I now find myself upsizing again through the NC 200 and NC 300 systems.
To buck this trend even further, I now find myself thinking of how I can improve my system and not increase box count.
I have moved to NC 332/333/300/250 system, with the modest Russell K Red 100 speakers. Of course I’m going to let this system settle in, but have a niggling doubt as to whether the Russell Ks will do justice to the electronics.
In the back of my mind I’m now thinking if my ‘speakers become a limiting factor, would it be beneficial to add some active speakers, such as the ATC SCM40 A’s?
This would allow the removal of the 250 power amp and the introduction of more capable speakers, while at the same time reducing box count.
@JonathanG , any thoughts, as you are familiar with the ATC 40s with Naim NC?
@JonathanG , any thoughts, as you are familiar with the ATC 40s with Naim NC?
Hi NigelB,
Firstly many congratulations on joining the 300 series family - they are I think the most compelling components Naim have released since the days of the olive NAC52. Superb aesthetics and fabulous sound which combines the virtues of classic naim with a rather more round earth approach (imaging, spaciousness and bandwidth).
There’s no doubt that active ATC’s are a stunning value proposition, but given you now have a very formidable amplifier combination, I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the passive 40’s. Yes the conventional wisdom is that the actives have several advantages, however if you love the sound of Naim amplification as we clearly both do, I don’t think that it’s a no brainer in favour of actives by any means.
I absolutely adore my passive 40’s (now driven by 350’s) and in truth I had to be a little careful running my previous olive 250 when driving them to high levels because the 250 would go into thermal shutdown quite readily. Your 250 is presumably from the latest generation and Naim told me that it has more drive capability than the old 300DR’s. I know for a fact that the 300’s drive both 40’s and 50’s with ease.
I can’t post a link here but if you dig around on google you will find a review I did on the SCM50’s in both active and passive mode driven by 252/300DR/supercap and to be honest they both had virtues and I don’t mind admitting that it would be very difficult indeed to decide which approach is preferable if you ignore the cost differential and consider only the sonics. There’s also quite a lot in that review on the technicalities of active v passive which may be illuminating. That pair of SCM50’s were especially modified to run both active and passive by pulling out the amp packs and putting in the crossover circuit for reviewer purposes. I also reviewed the passive 40’s so that review might be worth digging out too.
I truly believe that there is an incredible level of synergy between Naim amplification and ATC loudspeakers, one of my local dealers I know (who sells ATC) actually prefers ATC passives driven by Naim over the actives and I think he has a valid view.
I’m not sure if that has helped or just added to the confusion! To be honest sitting where you are now I would try the passives, if nothing else it’s easy enough to borrow a pair from somewhere like Audio T at quite modest cost. I would also suggest investigating the Townshend Seismic podiums for them (which I use under mine). They significantly reduce the level of interaction with the floor and tighten things up further (and even straight out of the box they are an incredibly resolving speaker with a tight bass delivery which I described as “like a bullet through a plate glass window”)
ATC themselves have experimented with the Townshend seismic podiums and I believe view them as the only support mechanism they unofficially sanction.
I will follow your story with interest! If I can help any further just let me know.
JonathanG
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If I read you alright you appear to suggest that Naim amplification into ATC passives and Naim pre-amplification into ATC actives are, not unsurprisingly, both valid choices delivering different sounds of which listeners might choose either depending upon their preferences…….?
This definitely agrees with my own research to date, albeit sans auditions to date, attempting to determine whether a move to actives could deliver an immediate zero-sum improvement to my system, again to date, unsuccessfully 
. (No surprise there.)
I have paused this exercise for the time being, awaiting the opportunity to do some proper listening in the New Year.
ATB, J
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Thanks for your considered reply, Jonathan.
To be honest, I had another reason, other than box count reduction, for suggesting the ATC 40 Actives. My local dealer has a pair of the 40 Actives ex-demonstration and might also take my NC 250 in as part exchange. This would make for a very economic upgrade and achieve a box count reduction.
I know one shouldn’t rely on cost savings to deliver enhanced SQ, but this does seem a very cost-effective way of improving the back end of my system.
Of course NC 250/40 passives will sound rather different to 40 actives. However, I may never be able to compare the two options at home, so pragmatism may win out in the end. I May of course be able to test the 40 Actives at home.
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And get a free weight lifting class into the bargain 
.
ATB, J
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Indeed….
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I discarded my first reply, not funny and deffo v bad taste 
.
Good luck with the home aud.
ATB, H
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I’ve not heard passive 40s with NC 250, but when I first started exploring ATC I had a dealer dem of active 40s vs passives driven by OC 250DR which, to my ears, the actives comprehensively won. I felt a 300DR was needed to compete with the actives, though for my taste in music, actives bring something special to the party which still put them ahead.
I remember chatting to some ATC guys at the dealers (Acoustica) and they reckoned active 40s were a sweet spot in the range.
Roger
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Good balanced info from Jonathan here, I think. For what it’s worth I compared SCM40s and 50s active, and passive powered by a 300DR, and in both cases found the passives to be clearly more engaging, especially the 40s. Yes, that means two more boxes and a higher price, but for me it would have been worth it had I not gone on to find other speakers that I preferred.
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Hi - Keeping this short. First, best of luck on your journey. I went on the same one from XS to Supernait to full Olive 52, NAP 250 + Supercap. At this point I needed to move to a smaller room and dove into the Luxman 509x. I hade the Luxman for about two years and liked the Luxman but didn’t love and missed the PRAT. I then went back to a 282 + Supercap +Superline and felt like home again but too many boxes. This last Saturday, with the support of my amazing Naim dealer was able to trade this all straight across for the new 200 Series Classics NSC 222 and NAP 250 (two boxes) and I LOVE it!!!
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whilst you are at your dealers see if you can demo the 40’s against the 20’s - some prefer 20’s and some 40’s. The 20’s worked much better in my room….
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Very happy with my Nova PE now
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Hi @Noodle
I had a similar journey.
Ended with 2 boxes system 200.
Then my dealer sent me NPX300 for audition at home.
I could not let it go back…
The improvement is significant.
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PS - I’m running ATC SCM 40’s as well!
The 222/250 is just superb, I’m a big fan.
But…..
A word of warning…..
Do not hear this combination with a 300 power supply attached, if you do you’ll get another box
Hence my setup is now 222/300/250 
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Ha! Already on my list!