I’m happy with my Shahinian Obelisks.
Kudos normally integrate easily. Titan 707 or 808s. Neat XL6 or 10 are also excellent but XL6 didn’t work in my room, 30CM behind them.
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I have a 500 system and purchased my K6 Signatures without a demo. No dealer in my area carried any of the high end ProAc’s. I had to rely on advice from trusted sources and I could not be happier. They blew away my Kudos T88’s in every respect… astonishing low tuneful bass and the ribbon tweeter sounds delicate and detailed. I’m sure the K8 and K10 would be good choices for a larger room. A good dealer could advise or contact ProAc direct… they were very helpful.
There are precious few good speakers on the market. Most are a disaster, favoring fireworks and a “etched” sound over music. The K6’s are neither and play every genre with grace and authority. Highly recommended.
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Based on my experience I agree - however also in my experience there are significant differences in people’s preferences for the character of the sound speakers produce (presentation of the music), so what one person may consider to be excellent another may find less good or even quite naff or disengaging. Both may say there are precious few good speakers, just not agree on which!
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Wilson Benesch without any doubt. They all have the quality and the personality that could match a better Naim system. My Precision 2.0 are one of their cheapest and still way ahead of other speakers below €15.000.
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Funnily enough, after a lengthy but fun selection process, have recently ordered pair of Wilson Benesch Resolutions for my 500-series set.
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The room is the biggest determining factor and the biggest variable. Grip and control are important, but if the room sets off undesirable artefacts in the speaker’s presentation, the amps are irrelevant. The only way to know for sure is to hear the speaker in your room on the end of your system. Anything else is speculation. When something snaps into focus, you know it. You recognise it instantly. At any level, let alone a 500 level system, less is not good enough.
My ears and experience are no good to you. If you have speakers already that work in the room, my advice is to stick for now. We had the Spender S5e, which worked beautifully in our lounge with Audio Innovations, Graaff, 252/300, 552/300 and 552/500. By the time they were on the end of the 552/500 they sang their little hearts out to superb effect.
We did end up with something more resolved, realistic and life sized. It wasn’t easy and the last make/model of speaker we would ever have considered turned out to be the ones we were looking for, because they worked in our room. We couldn’t have done it without a good dealer and a stack of home auditions (in addition to many auditions of prospective candidates at the dealer) which spanned just over a year. It was worth it.
All the best with it.
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Im still torn between Scala Evo and Magico M2… my current is Sopra 2.
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Not installed yet?
No, currently under fabrication.
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Hi Chris; How tight really is the low spectrum? Your speakers seem to be only a foot away from the window, without mentioning one being close to a corner. I am thinking of acquiring the K6 Signatures next year.
Magico S3/S5
I am verry happy with my Vivid Audio Oval series (now succeeded by the Kaya series). All Vivid speakers are very neutral, transparant and fast. Actually you’ll hear the Naim gear, rather than the speakers. Appearance not for everybody btw.
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I make great bass. Deep, fast and powerful considering its only 2x 6.5" bass drivers. I have a unique room and it works better than you’d think. 2x bass traps in the corner next to the couch and my Vicoustic Wave Wood panels (x4) also help control the bass. The K6 port vents downward so they can be placed relatively close to a back wall.
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I’m sorry Chris but Vicoustic Wave Wood panels won’t help taming low frequencies (bass).
Those panels are made out of foam and start being somewhat effective around 400 Hz.
Wave Wood panels absorb mostly mids and highs.
Hitting low frequencies isn’t easy. You need a massive amount Bass Traps (porous material, like rockwool or glass fibre) if you wish to absorb under 150-200Hz.
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Thanks Chris. Cheers.
Except they do make a difference… I heard it with my own ears.
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No doubt about that 
Absorbing and/or diffusing some mids and highs makes a real and measurable difference, especially at first reflection points.
Vicoustic products are among the best. I use a lot of their panels myself.
I was just saying that Wave Wood panels only absorb/diffuse mids and highs, as described on Vicoustic’s website. I was able to confirm that with some measurements when I treated my own room.
Unfortunately, we can’t absorb bass with foam.
For the low-end (bass), under 150-200Hz, there is Vicoustic Super Bass Extrem (I use 4 of them).
The rest of my low end treatment are Bass Traps are GIK Monster Bass Traps (I use 15 of them).
If you’re on the “room treatment path”, GIK Acoustic and Acoustic Fields are two other brands that offer both good products and reliable advices.
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I think if I had to make a choice right now it would be (1) Kudos 808 (2) Magico S5 (3) Focal Maestro Utopia (my current speaker). Remember I have no opportunity for in home demo.
Zackwater,
Magico are very captivating, but few years back I auditioned S1, but was suspect if NAP 500 was able to drive them and retailer agreed they may not do the trick. Magico said “yes you can use them, but you won’t get everything S1 offers.”
I auditioned Wilson’s, Yvette , Sabrina and Alexia. Yvette meant nothing, Sabrina seemed overrated, but I was intoxicated by Alexia and they were beautifully driven by 500 setup, but price, size and placement suggested it was too costly and too visually dominant.
In the end I bought Avalon Acoustics Precision Monitor I. At time of purchase I was optimistic that PM1’s would be satisfying, but not fabulous. Out of the box they were magical with piano and quite good with instrumental and chamber recitals. It took a year for the speakers and my system to acclimate, in the end they made listening insightful and easy.
PM1’s can be placed angled about 2-feet from wall in 10-foot triangle. The veneers are decorative and speaker’s height doesn’t overwhelm the room. The PM1’s invited me to visit my collection again and again. Avalon is based in Boulder Colorado.
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