Speakers

Hi all
I recent bought a pair of nap 135s and although a significant improvement I’m now looking at my speakers which I think are struggling. I have a pair of spendor a5s in a large room. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Budget? Neat, Kudos and Dynaudio are amongst the regular recommendations. Depends of course on your room.

Regards,

Lindsay

Not forgetting the choice of cognoscenti - ProAc. Not cheap, but the match with Naim is seamless.

Room dynamics is a key factor, start with a good dealer and narrow it down to 2/3 pairs for home demo.

Time it right and you may get an ex demo deal.

I am currently Choosing between PMC twenty5.6 and Focal Kanta 2

Gary

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I would very much agree; however, isn’t it challenged by Focal since the “association”?

How about SBL’s? I love these speakers and they are VERY cheap in the less desirable black finish and still a very sensible price in tbe nicer finishes for the sound quality. 135,s and SBL’s do go hand in hand…

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I’ve only heard Sopra 2s, 3s and Kanta. None do it for me. I have always believed this was a match made in the financial markets rather than heaven! As ever, with hifi in general and speakers in particular, one man’s meat etc. There are simply too many variables to generalise, and it quite amuses me when visitors to the forum ask for recommendations - all they are ever going to get is a list of what members have bought, and who is ever going to admit they bought unwisely?

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Budget of £5k. Issue I have is the room is very large 14x14mts current speaker lack power for the room

I’ll admit it. I’ve bought a couple pair of speakers that haven’t done it for me.

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Okay I would seek out a used pair of Neat Ultimatum XL6 or MF7.

Sopra 2s are known to have been set up with Naim NAP 250 DR. My room is too small I guess for Sopra 2s and I am planning to possibly replace the current Proac D28s by Proac K3s, which I assume will better match the room than the Sopra 2s. However, non believers invited by Focal in Saint-Etienne who were demonstrated Nac 272 + Nap 250 DR + Sopra 2 with Super Lumina cables all along were “both stunned and highly impressed”. Setting up hifi elements for pairing as of conception would obviously not be a disadvantage.

If you buy secondhand that opens the door wider; Big PMCs or ATCs, suggest themselves: ATC SCM50 comes within that limit lreasonably frequently, and occasionally SCM100 comes close. And I’ve seen PMC MB2 around £5-6k before now, though that is quite rare.

But the character of speakers can vary so much that you have to find what suits you.

Assuming the source and preamp are up to speed then a preloved pair of DBLs should fill that space on the end of a pair of 135s. Might have to wait a while for a pair to come along.

Willy.

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The pair of Zebrano NBLs currently sitting in a Naim dealership might just do the trick. You’ll need a solid wall close behind them and preferably the dealer to set them up but they’re well under budget and you could even trade your Spendors.

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14m x 14m? That is absolutely huge. You might need to go above £5k limit.

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You have superb speakers. You may lose the natural sound of Spendors if you change them for another brand. Why not audition some Spendor D9s? Best speakers I have heard below £10k without going to panels or ProAc K series. The D9s are very efficient so should produce decent sound levels.

However, like all adventures in HiFi, especially speakers, these matters are highly subjective. I had the luxury of long home audition to decide D9s were perfect for me. I rejected some other bands others recommend and love. No doubt some would have chosen differently from me. So there is no right answer, but D9s would definitely be worth checking out in my opinion.

if you like the A5 then best try A7 or D9

Following my SBL I went for A7

Did listen to all the popular makes
ProAc / PMC 5 xxx and Kudos

But preferred the Spendor’s in my system

Good luck

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Thanks all for the advice. Will consider used pair but will demo some of your options also.

Speakers are a very personal choice I used A5s in my Olive system for several years very nice.

When I upgraded my system some three years ago to new black boxes PMC speakers were the flavour of the month on the forum.

I included these in my demo choices but was rather surprised when I purchased another pair of Spendors, D7s in this instance this after an extended home demo.

We can all make recommendations but speaker choice will aways come down to the individuals preference the room and system also play a big part in this.

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I thought the same Steve, but it is a large room. Worth a try though.

Stu