SBL...still a loved speaker?

Love mine, cannot imagine I will ever sell them.

Most of your ‘buts’ are actually just about getting them set up properly in the first place. Lots of advice out there about choosing and installing them. Take your time, get it right and then in my experience you can just leave them alone. You must have them against a wall of course-which for me is a major advantage.

Every upgrade I threw at my system revealed more of the SBL’s potential. I started with a single 140, then active 2 x 140 and onwards. They now live in my office system where a single old and pretty cheap olive 250 makes them sing pretty nicely.

Bruce

With such a successful and highly regarded loudspeaker, it seems a great shame that Naim don’t still produce it.

Though I guess this could also be said for the Aro tonearm :disappointed:

Whilst things move on, such great products are still in demand - so perhaps it wouldn’t be that crazy to seriously consider re introducing them :thinking:

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I bought mine new, and ran them for 13 years.
Initially I used a 72/140. Then swapped to a 250. Then I swapped the 72 for an 82. Then when I went active with another 250 I also swapped to a 252 pre-amp at the same time and added a supercap for the SNAXO and on it went, with the speakers easily showing these improvements.
I had them against a brick wall but on a timber floor. No issues at all for me.
After a few years, I upgraded them to the new drivers and it was a worthwhile improvement. However, even the MK1 drivers were still damn good.
As mentioned in previous posts, they can easily reveal source and amplifier upgrades.
For the money, they are still a terrific speaker and convey a certain magic which many other, newer speakers fail to deliver.

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Agreed in both cases. And let’s not forget the NBLs.

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You will be fine. Follow the instructions, place them against a solid wall and make sure your source is a CDX2/ XPS minimum.

I"ve just read you have a Rega Planar 6 so I think, fine.

My sources are:

  • Rega P6 with Exact for analoug
  • Mac Mini/Audirvana > Dac-V1 via USB for streaming

both connnectd to a 282/200 system

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The ideas introduced with the SBL were further developed into the even better SL2 - a remarkable loudspeaker, crazy to many, but one developed with a rare engineering free hand without too much (enough?) input from the bean counters.

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WARNING: Controversial statement ahead!

The SL2s are OK, but they’re so ugly compared to the very attractive SBLs.

IMHO, of course. There, I told you it was controversial.

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Thanks for the warning Clive. It spared me spitting out my coffee in outrage, all over my MacBook… :laughing:

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My SBL are placed on steel plates and Fraimchips not to vibrate the ground

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Shocking. The SL2s curved front is more contemporary and if anything helps to disguise their bulk I think. Mrs W preferred their appearance before she got to hear them-then definitely no going back.

Bruce

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Indeed, they shaped similarly to my contemporary belly.

SBLs looks younger and well shaped! Anyone a 4-pack?

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Can you still get the Gyrocopter out okay though, from the hangar doors behind them?

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never had a problem :sweat_smile:

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I always thought SBLs were better than SL2s Richard. I understand this is not the majority view. I was ready to buy a pair but they just didn’t sound better to me. I also think SBLs are actually easier to set up. So, better run for cover now…

Stu

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I prefer Allaes to SBLs I guess I’m in a small or solo minority!!

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little update …

in the end I bought the SBLs … I hope to receive them as soon as possible.

I’ll keep you up-to-date…

Just a curiosity …

what do you think about the fact that some users find the SBLs too high in high frequencies … almost fatiguing to listening …

I hope I don’t see this when I listen to them … I would be very sorry …

I have many good expectations from what i read about the SBL… I hope not to be disappointed …

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As with so much else in life, it’s probably best not to dwell too much on the experiences of others :slight_smile: Just enjoy your music.

SBL’s have never been fatiguing to me. I have a very difficult room right now, one that does not suit SBL’s at all but they still sound beautiful. New build house with one ‘sound proofed wall’ patio doors on one side and a dab and dot wall behind the speakers! Oh and a concreate slab floor that has hard vinyl flooring layed on top! The walls have pictures and the sofas are leather. Nothing too absorbing in there! I rebuilt them and let them settle in and they sound wonderful. Yes they might sound even better in a perfect room but sadly life is not always like that! The house is way better for us as a family and if I had to change the SBL’s that would have been a small price to pay but right now they have adapted like a chamelion to their surroundings. They are a cheap speaker. Buy some new grills from TomTom, yes they are expensive for foam BUT very cheap for the sonic difference they bring. They need to be carefully repaired and sealed also, take your time. Replace the alloy pads and staple them down. Don’t just seal them. Level the bottom boxes first and then everything else should go smoothly. I use chips on the spikes which are necessary on a hard floor. The grills, rebuild kit and chips cost less than a powerline and the difference is greater. Look at it like that!

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Me too, had Allaes tried SBLs and went back to the Allaes, fantastic speakers much underrated.

Nick

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