You certainly know your Naim speakers Max. I have enjoyed SBLs since 1988 with a replacement late Mk2 pair I found 2 years ago. Simply marvellous to my mind.
Nice to see you posting again.
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Hi Max,
Like you I didn’t get along with the Allae. What was it you didn’t like about the NBL?
May save me getting itchy palms 
M
Hi,
I must admit that I only heard them once, at Stereotypes’ in Portland, OR, with a 200 system I believe. I was very surprised by the evident bump in the upper midrange, which completely polluted the overall voicing. I thought it could be something wrong in the setup, but then I read a review/test of the NBLs on Stereophile and they found the very same thing as a prominent trait; a graph of the frequency response was very clear. I wish I had a chance to hear a second pair.
m.
Hi @maxbertola ,
Glad to hear this, save me being tempted; let us hope no one is induced to come in with their falacious false opinions!
I have never heard the NBLs. I do like the DBLs, but would NEVER have the space …and I think the SBLs are the ideal size for mey room, I do …yes, I DO!!
Cheers,
M
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Hi Max
Good to see you back…
Around 6-7 yrs ago, you bought from me what may have been your last pair of n-Sats (& stands), you and your dear wife collected them from our house in Yens, CH…you had been on holiday in the Italian Lakes…
I trust that you are both healthy and enjoying yourselves…
Best regards
In my humble opinion there is nothing good or bad,it’s a matter of personal taste & synergy of the components.
I am living with the Ovator S-600 about a year now & I really,really,really love them.
Before buying them I auditioned three different sets of speakers,at the price range of 4000-7000€.
Non of them excited me.
When we hooked up the Ovators,at my dealer’s place,i was immediately blown away.
It took me only 30-40 seconds to decide that these are the one for me,for my music taste.
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Brilliant bass!
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After the generally quite bad response to the initial demos of Focal speakers with Naim amplification, after the corporate changes, the attitude seems to be shifting recently. I am now seeing quite many happy Kanta and Sopra users on the forum. Was wondering if Focal made changes to better work with Naim amps. Would certainly makes sense given the Focal-powered-by-Naim push.
As I’m currently looking for new speakers for 252/300DR (in a ~50 sqm room, and ~3 m high, so 150 cubic meters), I’d be interested in whether you have any favorites in the current Focal range? (Please say Kanta 3 )
I bought them from him on late '17 for an eventual 4th system. Unfortunately i sold them last year and are now living with a gentleman in Wien. I have only now the pair i bought ten years ago and won’t never sell.
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Hi,
I remember that trip well… And yes, they were my last (and one of the best) pair of n-Sats. The place was wonderful.
We’re both fine, thanks; I have retired and am enjoying freedom. But was it really 6-7 years ago? Time flies…
Best regards
Max
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Hi,
my dealer has a few models of Focal in stock so I could listen to some. I have certainly heard Kanta 3 but I am not sure I remember them - but I go there often and it’s not a problem listening to them again: he has them in a room with a full 500 system…
I’ve recently heard a pair of Sopra 1 though, with the 252/SC/300DR system I so like, and was impressed by the overall presentation. Out of the box the woofer was a bit stiff so the bass didn’t yet reach as low as it could and boomed a little, and the tweeter was a bit aggressive, but after a couple of days everything was better and the window upon music was wide open; I must say that although not exactly cheap (about €6500) for a two-way stands not included, they seem to me great value in comparison to the various floor standers. But I tend to like two-ways best. If I demo the Kanta 3 anytime soon I’ll be more than glad to report to you, FWIW.
Best,
m.
Hi
it may have been 5-6 yrs ago…
Glad you are both well, enjoy retirement…I took early retirement a little after our rendezvous.
The n-Sats are well travelled and much enjoyed, my favourite Naim speaker…
Take care
HI Max, I remember when a few years ago, at your dealer, we demoed Kanta 3 in the biggest room driven by Marantz cd player and Gryphon int. amp. In comparison with Magico Q3 the rhytmic bass line and percussions were almost indistiguishable. Probably the amp was the culprit since in another occasion, in the same room we demoed Sopra 3 which i didn’t like, and when we immediatly moved in the other room with CDX2, 282/SC/300 were totally transformed.
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n-Sats were one of my favorites too, no count of how many Naim speakers I have had, but surely done some successful dealings with Max.
The best of the bunch were actually a pair SBL, heard them by a dealer in Copenhagen, back in the early 90’ies. Source LP12, it was awesome and the rest is history though I never managed to really get that experience at home.
Not a fan of Focals, never heard Kantata but Sopra (various) no thanks.
Which Loudspeakers do you own now ?
Thanks very much for the input. No worries, we just got a Focal-powered-by-Naim store here in Berlin, so I can easily have a listen myself. I just kind of hoped that you already love the K3 as I find them the prettiest speakers 
Hi,
RSCH has just reminded me that we already heard the Kanta 3 at my dealer’s some time ago; unfortunately, I don’t remember much about their sound but just that they actually look nice… As for the Sopra 1, I look forward to listening to them again because they did a strong impression on me although, as I said, I am partial about two-ways.
Sorry for this detour from the original topic.
m.
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Also on my list to audition if I find them somewhere!
Though in my room, the Kanta 3 would just be the perfect match, looks-wise. I just posted some system pics, https://community.naimaudio.com/t/system-pics-2021/13622/3817?u=suedkiez