What giant killer speakers do you have attached to your NAP 250?

I used to have a NAP250, and attached was Simply the Best Loudspeakers
…better known as SBLs :slightly_smiling_face: :+1:

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I suppose that even though not intended as bookshelf speakers there’s nothing to stop the op putting them on a sideboard, desk or shelf, though the latter would need to be strong….

Falcon LS3/5a

On my Olive 52/SC/250 the Falcons work even better than my Graham LS5/9 or Devore O/96 - very lifelike, explosive, detailed and immersive - makes me rethink my main Accuphase E800/Devore system!!

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I am pleased to hear you say that, as I have a pair of Falcon LS3/5As on order, to be used in a ‘second system’ in my bedroom.

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I had a 250 and once used them with Dynaudio Contours S1.4s. That was quite an excellent match. However, I like playing large-scale orchestral music and decided stand mount speakers weren’t going to give me the big sound I wanted, so I changed to (floorstanding) Contour S3.4, and I even upgraded the tweeters to the Esotar2 (like ones in the S5.4 and Confidence line).

That was heaven for a good 5-6 years. Then I had an opportunity to upgrade to the Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum. They sound great, but I did discover the Confidence C2 really, really like a bigger amp because when I upgraded to a 300DR it was as if I got a major speaker upgrade. So that’s where I am now.

But anyway, if you have a 250DR and are limited to stand-mount speakers the Dynaudio Contour 20i or Confidence 20 are really quite good. Tuck a sub away in the back corner and they are even better. But to be honest I can’t say how good they would be on a bookshelf. I don’t know that putting any speaker on a bookshelf will sound as good as it could.

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I don’t doubt your findings, but pretty much any speaker will be transformed by the extra grip and control a 300 has compared to a 250. There’s no hard and fast line between ‘need’ and ‘better’ here.

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I’m breaking the remit a bit as I’ve not heard them but If we’re talking unusual and for near wall have a look at Jern. You will need a strong book shelf.

For small footprint floor standing speakers Totems are hard to beat… I have Hawks in my space but forests work great too is you have the space for them. But Arros and Staffs sound great too… the imaging is to die for…

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Small vertical design I think PMC Fact.12 might also become compelling. I am also rocking with 250DR at the moment and looking at PMC.

@Kryptos, it would be good if you could clarify what this means:

What are they to sit on, your implication being that you want that not on the floor? (How tall and deep is/are the potential supports?) How close to the wall behind will the speakers be - against it or virtually so, or have to be or can be away from it (how far mini/max)?

Harbeth c7es-3xd

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On an actual literal “bookshelf” was mentioned.

Not by the OP as far as I can see - the only placement mentions by the OP that I could see I quoted in my last post. Actual bookshelf was my assumption at first after yourpoint about footprint, but then then I registered the reference to sitting on furniture, which made it unclear.

Really nice image of the milled half of one og his floorstanders.

Milling from one piece of wood to obtain an intricate internal structure seems the obvious manufacturing process. One can appreciate the curved internal tunnels and the wall thickness.

Being a Swiss company/designer I presume he has a respectable waste management policy where the milled wood is used for heating his premises, for example.

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Fascinating!

What do you mean by “problematic space”?
What are the dimensions of the room?
It’s amusing to read comments that recommend different companies to you…
The basis for choosing a speaker = the size of the listening space and in addition - is there basic acoustic treatment or not, in that space…

Exactly that, the only giant killing speakers are the ones that work in your room!
A good dealer is key and take your time.

I tried PMC fact 8’s, Kudos 505/606 and all sounded terrible in my room despite the fact I know they are great speakers. Ironically the only thing I could get to work was active ATC’s so Naim power amp left the system….

It’s a bit of a faff but worth putting in the yards to get the sound you like!

Gary

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I am bit late to this post but used to have a 250 connected to Keilidhs. I changed the amp but kept the speakers. Nuff said. :wink:

There is no such thing as giant killers, because larger speakers are better in most areas. But also more expensive.
If you like the sound reproduced from your Concertinos, why not try other Sonus Faber further up the chain? Minima FM2 or the new model should work great. I had Harbeth M30.1 earlier that played wonderful.

Totem also work great. They make some small floorstanding models you can place close to the rear wall.

I disagree, at least to some extent: The room certainly has a fundamental influence on sound, and it is quite startling how few people seem to do anything about their room, even when they spend several tens of £thousands on electronics and cables etc. The room can become particularly significant when it gets small – by small, I mean, both length and width no more than maybe 3m - otherwise things like square rooms or some rooms that are oddly shaped or which are open into other areas can be a problem. Otherwise, most it is possible to get good sound by careful, positioning of speakers and listener, and by ensuring there is at least a minimal amount of sound absorption in the room. The minimalist approach with their hard floors, hard walls, even hard furniture that seems to have become fashionable in recent years, does not help with sound quality and undoubtedly world make it harder to get any speaker to sound right - and that of course may limit speaker options.

By way if example, my first really decent speakers, that I bought in 1975/6 which are full range floor standers of transmission line design that many people regarded as big, I used in 7 different homes, mostly with decent size rooms 22-30m2 of varying shapes - however I also used in a room about 14.5m2 (4 x3.6m), where, surprisingly, they still acquutted themselves well. My next ones -similar design but bigger- I used very happily in 3 rooms from 17-32m2, The onlh problem I’ve ever had was when I moved into my current oddly shaped nearly room (7m x almost 7m overall), requiring quite some effort to get right - but achieved with help from REW. As an aside, the fact that all my speakers since 1975/6, have been transmission line designs may or may not be a factor in my case – I have certainly heard people say that they are easier to place in the room, but I don’t know if that is actually the case.

Yes it is necessary to have regard for where speakers will be used, and that can be a challenge in small rooms, and it is wise to audition in a similar size room if at all possible (ideally of course at home),but in my experience if you get speakers that sound really good to your own ears it is rarely difficult to get them to work in different rooms.

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