If you could not audition speakers for a 500 series system, what speakers would you buy? Don’t take this as a life or death, just want some opinions. Large room with good acoustics.
Magico speakers. Maybe a pair of A3
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Ovators - S800s, if you can find a pair.
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I was thinking m2 or m3’s. Hey what’s a few extra dollars when you are dreaming.
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There was a thread earlier this year with people revealing the speakers they do use with the 500 series:
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I followed that one. But, what would you choose if you could have anything. I for one would pick something else.
And by the way, that was a great thread.
I have used three generations of B & W 802s in a medium sized room, finishing up with the current D3s. You don’t mention if your 500 is a DR which makes a significant improvement. It is very non hi-fi and offers excellent bass grip needed by the B & Ws.
As your room is as you say then the larger 800D3s would work well. At this level a home demo is a must.
Some dismiss B & W/Naim as a no-no. Not in my book.
Enjoy your dealer demos to get a short list and get the possilbe winner/s at home.
Speakers are always the hardest to choose. They all have a “house” sound.
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The 500 is dr and no home demos. I live in an area that is a hifi wasteland. The folks who have multiple dealers are so fortunate to home demo speakers. I’m in God’s country, fly over states, no home demos for us.
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That’s tough, so to an extent you are on your own, but you will be spending a significant amount of money. Just unboxing a pair of quality speakers and getting them into a rough position is a two man job.Sorry ladies, you could be looking at 100KGs. Then if you find they are not for you try reboxing them as they were.
On the positive side you say the room is large and that’s an advantage in general. Positioning should be relativly easy.
I think a sympathetic dealer is the one to go with. You have spent a fair chunk of money on the 500DR. Good luck on your project. Could you take a short flight, Covid permitting, to get a handle as to which way to go?
And this current thread may also be relevant:
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ProAc. The nicest you can afford. Ribbon tweeter is magical and a must. I have a K6. The newer K6 Signature is a nice uptick. My dealer loves the K8 but they are too big for my room. Great fit and finish. My lovely wife loves ours and our visitors are impressed with the looks and the sound. I understand the K10 has been postponed. I know a few 500 owners who are happy with their K speakers, and I had the D40R before. The K6 is the next level for sure.
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Sonus Faber Amati Futura works great with my 500 series…
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- Magico M3
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Neat XL6’s - sensational with the full 500 series
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PMC Fenestria. But the 500 alone would struggle to power them. Still a triamped pack of NAP500s would do the job well and still cost significantly less than Statement.
Also a brilliant example of why bi/triwire terminals on hard to drive speakers does actually make sense. Without them, your choice of compatible amplification is massively limited.
I’m a huge MBL fan. They are magical, but hard to drive. Still I’ve never heard anything else I’d buy if I could afford them.
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I wanted to like them but couldn’t. Beautiful tweeter, stunning mids but a very particular bottom end which didn’t work for me. Very subjective though and I do understand their appeal - if the bottom end is to your taste, they are fantastic (and much better priced in the US).
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