Hi all! I wonder if anybody has any thougths on speakers for my second system. I have not landed yet in which system I will use which part, but my systems consists of a 82-250.2-and a Supernait with a naimed lp12 and an ndac with dedicated streamer. I already hav Neat Iota Alphas and was wondering about Kudos x3 or Guru q10. Do you have any other experinces? Would also be Nice to hear about experiences with the two speakers abow.
Regards
Fredrik
Hi Fredrik, I hope you find us here welcoming and a useful mine of information. 
In terms of speakers, I think there are two main priorities:
First that the overall presentation style of the speakers suits your preferences.
Second that the speakers suit your listening room.
The match to your existing electronics comes very much after these two.
Because of this, the most important thing to do when selecting speakers is to audition as many as you can within your price range (and include some at the next price tier down as well!) to see what you may like. If you can then persuade the seller to allow you a home audition to check that they still work well in your room, as the presentation of speakers is very room dependant (what sounded good in the dealers demo room may not work in your own listening room).
What was it that piqued your interest in the Kudos and Guru ?
Other than having a chat with local dealers, spending a good amount of time researching can pay great dividends.
Find a reviewer that openly shares a rough direction as yourself - within music taste and cloud budget and go from there. Good ears are good ears regardless of ultimate destination.
Yes. Welcome and good luck.
Hi Xanthe!
Thank you. I have been a member for 12 years on the old forum, so I am not completely new on the naim-forum: )
Good tips to keep in mind.
Fred
With 12 years experience you can probably work out for yourself which speakers to try, without resorting to asking people who will say either ‘you must try for yourself’ or, far worse, ‘buy what I have’.
Thank you, TJ!
I think the reason for selecting the speakers is that they are quite small, good looking, but not least described as being very musical; fast, rhythmic, engaging and natural. Very much in Naims spirit.
Is there anybody out there who has tried these speakers themselves?
F
No, HH, I was curious about experiences of both of the speakers mentioned, as I have not listened to them and wondered also about other speakers in the same price-range. I know I need to listen by myself, also, but what is the point with a forum besides sharing experience?
F
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I’ll chime in with some experience on Kudos X3s as you don’t seem to be getting far with this thread. Two years now since I bought a pair myself, and I am as enthusiastic about them today as I was the day I first heard them. There’s very little in the way of reviews for them, and not so many owners lurking around here it seems, but they are an amazing pair of speakers for the money. In a show down with similarly priced and above offerings from other popular brands, for me they showed everything else the way. They’re so musically expressive, easy to get on with, and they have increased the amount of time I spend listening to music even further over the last two years; I just can’t resist them. System synergy perhaps plays a significant role, I’d be quite surprised if they were not designed with the SN2 in mind, the combination is that good. Still, there’s a lot different ears out there, so there’s every chance you’ll think they’re awful. 
Good Luck finding what is right for you.
2 Likes
Thank you, Songstream!
A very thoughtful and interesting description of your experience over time. I think I should really need to audition them at home. I remember reading from Frank Abela on this forum that they were better than the Kudos C2.
Fred
BTW Can they be close to the back-wall?
Regards
Fredrik
I have mine a little over half a metre from the back wall, but have to say that’s not thanks to any experimenting, I just thought that would be about right, and didn’t really want them much further into the room anyway. Spiked them down, pressed play, they sounded fantastic, I’ve never moved them since. The Proac D18s I had before really did boom if too close to the rear wall, and although I’ve never tried it, I think there’s a good chance the X3s will be less fussy about it. Their bass response is quite different to the Proacs for example, it’s less in your face, less boom, more notes, and more depth. They perform really well in this regard, the bass notes know their place in the mix, instead of trying to take over whole show…unless that is what the artist intended, they certainly don’t hold back well that is the case, but still seem to refrain from generating the room boom, don’t know the secret to that, but that is what I’ve found.
I’ve been using X2s for a few years now, the X3s being a scaled up version of them, and find then quite unfussy about room positioning. I suspect the downwards facing port that points at the plinth may have something to do with it. Mine are quite close to the rear wall, maybe 15 or 20cm. Still worth moving them around and experimenting though. Having replaced my 200 with a 250, there is a big increase in bass from these small speakers, and now that the amp is run in, I need to try moving the speakers around again. I’ll try them further away from the wall to see if it tames the extra bass.
Hi Crissu!
That sounds very interesting. The x2s are really good looking. I also experienced a gain in bass with the 250 with the Iota Alphas. 15-20 is a fair distance.
Regards
Fredrik
That sounds a bit like the SBL- bass. Deep, yet controlled and tuneful!
F
Any Guru users out there?
Regards
Fredrik
Why not get a pair of sbls? Too similar to the Alpha’s?
How about used Quad ESL-63 to go with your Olive system? Nap 250 Olive is up to the j0b of driving them and surviving the wild impedance swings.
Hi there.
Yes, you have a fair point. They are exceptional for the money, and AS my new Roon has a brick back wall, they would be nice. Wonder how Kudos x3 compares with them?
Fred
Hi Adam! Thank you for advice. My wife would never approve of them, I’am afraid.
Fred
I know what you mean 
My wife did not either - so I use my ESL-63 is the office, together with the Olive set (72 + HiCap + NAP250 + ND5XS with nDAC)