Prior to those I could hear slight differences between most digital sources and analogue sources.. with these digital noise artefacts from a digital source or chain such as the ‘digital sound’ disappeared… it really was a truly worthwhile advance.
Wrote about it at the time on the forum… and I refer to it quite a bit in my posts since on this forum…
Although the word gets bandied about too much, I genuinely think those leads with HFTN were transformational… for me at least.
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That is one of very few ‘tweaks’ I would consider trying. I have a physical adverse reaction to some of the stuff sold to Audiophiles as ‘improvements’ - I have to recite ‘God save the king …’ loudly 5 times wherever I am when I read something I doubt it is worth the paper/screen written on. HFTN seems fair priced for what it is. I am not sure about their return policy though. Thing is, I have so much trouble to get my room under control that HFTN would be a drop in the ocean and my system/s are not currently enough refined for it to make any meaningful difference (probably).
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|Im with you - and this is not really sold as an ‘improvement’ per se. It’s just sold as an integration device between units - any benefits or improvements are down to what the user appreciates.
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Is this a reference to when you were “on tools Richard .. 
Relocated to my wee office upstairs today and the NN50 back in action after it having a summer off.
I’d forgotten how energetic the wee amp is combined with the SCM11, I’ll be enjoying some musical discovery in this den now into the winter season….
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Recently picked up a Nait 50 because… well, just because. 
Am now sorting through speaker pairings and thought I would add my experience to the mix to assist others who are in the same boat. Thus far I have listened to the little shoebox integrated with the Omega Junior Alnico XRS, Wharfedale Super Denton, Dynaudio Evoke 20, ATC SCM 11, Audio Physic Classic 3, and Graham Chartwell LS 3/5a. While I could probably live with any, there were some that seemed to get along better with the Nait than others. Normal caveats apply - far from scientific, my ears, my sonic preferences, only eyeballed speaker placement and toe-in, etc.
Omega: These pair really well with low-watt tube amps, but didn’t love them with the N50. Too forward for me.
Super Denton: Nice. Aligned with what I anticipated. Fun, easy, good all-rounder. The bass was noticeably boomy and undefined on some tracks even at moderate listening levels (hip-hop in particular), but could easily live with these on most recordings.
Dynaudio: I didn’t spend much time with this speaker, but the first impression was “meh”. No glaring faults, but nor was there anything to keep me engaged. To be fair I should have listened to more tracks, but instead I revisited the Audio Physic…
SCM 11: As an ATC owner and fan, I wanted this pairing to shine, but it was not to be. A little bass shy which made them less engaging than the Denton or Audio Physic. Certainly not bad, but I suspect these need more power to meet their potential in a mid-sized room.
Audio Physic: Enjoyed as much as the Super Dentons, but everything was better defined, especially the bass. Surprisingly punchy and tight for a small ported speaker. Impressive little offering from a brand I was not very familiar with. Probably my favorite as measured by smiles.
LS3/5a: Nothing surprising here, A classic that always has me scratching my head as to how such a small box could make such noises. Obviously bass light in a mid-sized room and a bit spendy making it a challenging value compared to the others.
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Congrats on the purchase! Good insight into the speakers you’ve tried too - out of interest which source did you use?
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Hey @Terrapin
Great post and a great read. Thanks. Did you make a speaker choice and buy one or are you still making your mind up? Curious to know how large your room is.
ND5 XS2 as a source for this round of listening.
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Thank you for sharing your impressions. It’s interesting that you prefer Audio Physic (Classic 3). So far, this brand hasn’t been widely used in combination with the Nait50. I’ve listened to Audio Physic speakers at trade shows and at retailers, and I’ve always found them impressive, although I’ve perceived them as more neutral-analytical. Given the qualities of the Nait50, the Audio Physic Spark might also be an option. May I ask (like @1GiantLeap) how large your listening room is?
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About 12’ x 20’ firing down the longer dimension. Speakers were approximately 6’ apart, 2’ from the back wall, while I sat 8’ from the speakers.
Nothing purchased yet, but if I had to do it today I’d lean towards the Classic 3 with the Wharfedales not too far behind. The extra cost of the Audio Physics are probably worth it to these ears.
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Regarding the internal phono stage, I found I had to raise the VTA slightly (tail up) on my TT and adjust the VTF to just below the recommended setting to make my system sing (lid up too). I wonder if it’s the voicing of the phono stage or just my setup but this opened up the space and clarity, and gave natural sounding instrumentation with cleaner bass. Cartridge size same as stock
Though I am really surprised how in a 5m x 3m room with optimum placement how relatively significant and extended the bass - down to about 30 Hz is - on Falcon Golds is and it’s tight and tuneful.. It really defies default thinking. Clearly the physics is around the room loading effect matching to some extent the speaker fall off which is relatively shallow with it being a non ported speaker.
On EDM or orchestral I feel the bass in my seat and on me with the LS3/5a - on my N50 - who would have thought.
Now I do understand some crossovers on LS3/5a are not the same in this regard but the Gold Build from Falcon Acoustics works really well here.
Now I am not going to pretend its the same as the subs you get at the cinema, or at a concert, or a home sub with very low frequency FX rumble - clearly not, but with musical content in the house it is fantastic and add a sense of scale and realism to the sounds… and it is tuneful and detailed and non exaggerated slam - which you dont often get with deep bass in my experience. The ultimate limitation seems to be overall sound pressure as opposed to bass depth… which I can live with. I really don’t like speakers with anaemic bass responses… detailed mids and treble can only take you so far…
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Very similar experience to mine with NN50 and QM10 (also down to 30) but even smaller room !
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It’s absolutely true. What these small sealed speakers produce, especially in combination with the Nait 50, is simply incredible. I was just listening to “My Bass” by Brian Bromberg. Wow!
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Qm10 cabinet design is an absolute classic imo.
A speaker that almost always brings it’s A game and needs so little pampering to get you there.
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I wonder what a speaker like the Mission 770 would sound like in my room connected to the Nait50. My room is 17 feet x 16 feet with a high ceiling. It’s medium sized and well furnished (not sound treated). John Darko’s review of this ‘reissued’ speaker from back in the day is glowing. It’s all about the interplay between the room and the speakers.
Finding the right speakers for any system is the hardest part of the puzzle; it’s less an issue with active speakers and where room correction software is available. However, there is a real sense of accomplishment when you get it right with a traditional set up.
The variety of speakers people have matched with their Nait50 has been intriguing.
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Was a shame this thread closed in my opinion
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I agree. I found it hugely helpful trying to glean collective wisdom about speaker matching for the Nait50.
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Using a pair of Acoustic Research AR3 (classic 4 Ohms) speakers with N50, you won‘t believe but it works great
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