I guess it’s possible but you would need to find someone to design it, R&D it, then build it. As a one-off that would be rather expensive I’d imagine. Things get much less expensive per unit when you can spread these costs across a number of units…
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Plus can you get access to bypass or remove the existing crossover from your chosen speaker?
Bruce
Ok so i seem to have spent a lot of money on a worthless system i will be moving away from Naim never to return just a money pit as far as i can see
I dont understand. You only want an active endpoint as a matter of principle?
So many other options. So many excellent passive systems you could build on what you already have. Passive systems are very much the norm.
You can still go active eventually if you absolutely want to with what you have using s/h components (Naim) or Kudos speakers and their new device.
If you expected a cheap route to an active system with any loudspeaker you chose, well you’ll be disappointed and that is nothing to do with Naim, or any other brand.
Might not sound great either!
Enjoy the music and good luck with your HiFi journey.
Bruce
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Shame you feel that way. Based on the rock music you like I’d say some active ATCs or PMCs could be great for you and not that expensive either. I think that some PMC speakers have the option to be upgraded from passive to active operation too, so everything you asked for. Also, as Naim has good resale values and your 250 is probably the classic Naim power amp that’s always in demand, you’ll get a good trade in against active upgrades when the time comes. Hope you find a way forward. Good luck.
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Hi Bruce
I am not looking for an active system as an end point i would have thought with this price range of equipment there would be a “built in” choice of options that the end user would be able to define to their choice of end use i.e. speaker and input choice but this seems not to be the case i seem to be dictated to by Naim what my options are in my use of equipment i have paid for totally ruined my opinion of this company
Neil, sorry you feel that way, but I feel you’re not being fair here to Naim - short of a handful of offerings from the early '80s, they are one of only two companies to have even offered a system that could be upgraded from passive to active - crossover and speakers. That does mean though that your range of speaker brands will naturally be limited. Naim did at least offer their NAXO and SNAXO to be matched with other speakers, usually Linn, sometimes Audiovector, but were rather limited by the paucity of speakers offered by others that could actually be made active.
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@Neilm8 there’s nothing wrong with passive speakers but with your current speakers you haven’t heard the capability of what a 282/250DR can deliver into decent speakers, the Diamond 230 are no match for the 250.
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How much you got to spend on your speakers,
Might be worth looking at a passive setup only
better speakers to match what you got, might be just what you need,
Plenty of threads on here on that,
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HI
This i know what would you recommend
Depends on your room, are you buying new or used, the world is your oyster ?
I’ve used Naim speakers for as long as I can remember, Allaes, SBLs, SL2s but these are harder to find in good condition
Those I’ve listed can go active if you can find the correct SNAXO, all work exceptionally well with the amp you currently own, you may find running these passively is probably enough, I do.
My amp 552DR, 250DR into SL2s.
There are a number of secondhand SNAXOs available, check out eBay or various dealers.
There are also other makes of external crossovers, for example;
- Kudos Sigao
- Exposure VXN
DG…
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It seems an odd approach to seek speakers you can run active as opposed to seeking the best sounding speakers to your ears. As all speakers sound different from one another, the choice is very personal, though I presume you’re seeking advice as to what speakers exist that can readily have their crossovers bypassed or removed.
Certainly some PMC speakers are readily converted. I don’t know if all. I had their EB1i, and the crossover was attached to the rear terminal panel, which I simply unscrewed, finding the passive crossover was readily removed, and drivers easily reconnected to the triple terminals. I believe my MB2 is the same though I haven’t tried.
Even if not designed to be convertible, it may yet be relatively easy, especially if the speaker is designed for bi/tri- wiring with the requisite number of terminals - some crossovers can be accessed via the terminal plate like my PMCs, others can be accessed via one of the drivers’ apertures.
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PMC offer an upgrade option on some of their Twenty 5 range so you could get used a passive model at a good price and then upgrade later by purchasing the active module for the crossover.
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I recall the moment I caught the active bug. I became fixated on owning an active system; the route to it took ten years. Now thirty years later it consists of second speakers and SNAXO and my original amplifiers.
If @Neilm8 has caught the active bug then he should be able to plan his journey to achieve it, but it’s likely to consist of 2nd hand kit if he likes how Naim kit reproduces music.
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There are a variety of active crossovers on the market, at a range of prices - and ones that you can set up to suit any speaker of choice, though to get the best out of the speaker you ideally need to find the crossover characteristics selected by the speaker manufacturer for their passive offering.
With my activated PMC EB1i, which I combined with an ATC mid, I used an upgraded Behringer DCX 2496. I also tried an old ATC EC23, but found the Behringer’s flexibility to be beneficial.
In addition to the essential selectivity of crossover frequencies, levels and phase (aka time delay), digital AXOs often allow selection of crossover slopes (typically from 6 to 24 or even 48dB/octave), and maybe the slope characteristics (e.g. Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley, etc), and may have additional DSP capacity allowing some degree of response correction if needed. This allows all the tailoring a manufacturer of a dedicated XO can apply, and if done with in-room measurements (e.g. using REW software) the result has the potential to be more precise in the real room setup than a manufacturer can achieve, though where the key characteristics of the manufacturer’s original passive XO are unknown it can take some experimentation to achieve. With PMC/ATC hybrid that is what I did using the Behringer.
In the case of the ATC analogue AXO I tried, the slopes were fixed at 24/dB/octave, which was appropriate, and I could set the crossover frequencies, phase and levels myself (frequencies with plug-in resistor arrays, purchasable from ATC but easy to make myself).
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Long time Naim owner, so let’s see if a few thoughts based on active experience helps.
First - real reflection may be wise, questions in post 2 were very appropriate. Active should be an option not the only objective.
Second - useful to know your true budget, active can be expensive, if done to maximum advantage.
Third - auditioning the same speakers, with a good dealer, active and passive will provide a wealth of knowledge for you.
Fourth - you don’t have to follow source first, but active systems, based on Naim are more revealing than you might realise, if you don’t have this well understood. Active will be really incredibly revealing of any weakness.
Finally - in a Naim system, best starting point would be, with a LP12, NAP252Dr + SC DR. Audition that with something like Kudos 606s passive with NAP300DR or active NAP250DRs and you will start to get a feel of what passive v active can do.
There is absolutely no substitute for auditioning. Admire your enthusiasm. Caution necessary to avoid falling into a train of thought, which listening may not match. If you are uk based, several dealers with a real wealth of experience who can spend time explaining active options. Peps have imparted their experience here, in the end you have to audition.
Naim systems are far from a “worthless system”. The money pit only happens if you allow it, not Naim ! I’m delighted with my long established system, the new NC kit is a real evolution, but I’m not changing it, to pursue an endless goal. Good luck.
ps I have no experience of the alternatives like ATC on which I have read good reports, only Naim, so my comments relate to Naim based systems
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A strange approach to Naim and Linn gear.
An upgrade on loudspeakers would be the Kudos Titan range as they work well with Naim kit. You could consider the 505 with dedicated stand or the 606.
Use these passively until you decide to go active. Easy to just remove the link connector and add a run of loudspeaker cable.
Depends on how much you want to spend, remember that the SNAXO requires a power supply, whereas the Sigao doesn’t.
I’d start on eBay looking for used Snaxo or search on the dealers websites. But it does depend on what loudspeakers you end up with.
DG…
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Why not pitch at a " relative cheap" starting point of a hicap snaxo and Naim Allae speakers , brilliant sound per pound and good on Rock esp older recordings where the recorded bass is not that extended . Brilliant dynamic sound and fast .
Credos do the job as well just not quite as well as Allae