Correct! first logical thing you’ve said whole thread 
And here I rest my case. That’s why I largely ignore the comments on here - it’s disgraceful, really.
Just got a few moments before lunch and have read with interest the conversation surrounding whether Naim would ever build another speaker.
In the past few months we placed into our system a pair of MK 1 Intros from 1999, due to our current at the time producing an acceptable but overly smooth sound, taming in our opinion the “live" was missing of the performance, especially live albums.
I think that the success or non success of Naim speakers was based on how they were accurately set up, and how they were driven and the quality of the front end.
For example opinion appears to suggest the Intros were introduced to be used with more affordable amplification from the Naim range and entry level CD units. Opinion was that they were very forward, overly detailed and had one note bass.
We have no such issues in our system and I’m grateful for the boundary placement as a it allows the system to really breathe and work in our listening room
I have heard SBL driven incorrectly, Briks with poor amplification and both are boundary designs. It would be an interesting concept for Naim to build a system like Rega, but who knows I’ve only owned one pair of Focal floostanders and they were relegated to TV surround sound duties, as far as music was concerned never worked for me
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Or is it just a wind up?
You should see what used to be written on the forum about Naim speakers. Definitely Marmite as some hated them with a passion (and were not shy in letting anyone know about it), while others loved them dearly. I guess those who hated them have moved on.
As for Focal, I was really impressed by the Utopia III Evo Ms that were being used in the demos on the last Naim forum visit a couple of weeks back. Much more cohesive and a bit less “hot” up top with more grip down low. I’d like a pair in orange please…
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That’s interesting, Richard, thank you. They certainly seem to have a cult following… would love to try one or two of them but I won’t be changing my Kantas any time soon.
Do you think that Focal speakers sounds close to Naim speakers ?
Im as dogmatic about naim speakers as I am about naim amplification. The same levels of thought and engineering has been applied to everything they make. Nothing has the engagement speaker wise for me but atc I must say, have me interested. Problem is that their active amplification most likely not as good as naims.
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In my opinion ATC amps let their active speakers down, just my opinion. Iv’e owned their passive and actives.
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No idea. However, that wasn’t the point I was making, as is obvious from my posts.
Try some Naim speakers and I think you will hear what it’s all about.
The two are not in any way mutually exclusive. You can have bass reflex and transmission line boundary position speakers, just as you can have sealed back speakers designed for away-from-wall use.
Isn’t it time to give me back the DBLs you borrowed from me? I think you’ve had them long enough by now.
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Fair enough. But where I lived at the time (the bay area) at home demos were not an option. But the dealer really loved them and tried to share his love whenever I went (bought the two big Schubert lieder LP boxes with Fischer-Dieskau as a consolation price on top of a couple of cartridges for my LP12). With speakers, I find that I either like the sound or not, but that all in the past (over 30 years now).
Naim speakers I would have thought extremely unlikely for the foreseeable future given the tie with Focal, but ‘boundary’ speakers exist, from on- and in- wall speakers by various manufacturers, and perhaps the most striking of all being the Xulyde MD1 and MD3 from Synthèse Hifi in France, which might strike a chord (pun not intended!) with people knowing the SL2 or perhaps SBL.
Hello everyone.
I have just joined your forum (thank you) following a post about XULYDE speakers.
For the record, XULYDE is simply an anagram of Eddy Lux, the creator of these loudspeakers.
I hope you will forgive my English—which is likely rudimentary and imperfect for most of you—as I am using a translator to provide you with some additional details about XULYDE MD3.
I used Naim Audio CB gear for a long time.
A 250 and a 42—which was modified to a 42.5 a few months after purchase (thanks to Guy Lamotte, whom I met many times at the “ECOUTE” shop in Dijon, if memory serves).
Shortly afterwards, in 1988, I acquired a new DMS… which stayed with me for over 31 years.
And that’s where the XULYDE MD3s come in.
I had known Eddy Lux—and his electronics, which deliver absolutely mind-blowing sound—for quite some time.
His “crates”—so named because of their wooden exteriors—really “sing,” as they say in Hi-Fi circles.
Whether CD players, amplifiers, or even active systems, they are formidable “sonic objects” .
Eddy worshipped—and indeed still worships—the SBL.
Since Naim was no longer manufacturing speakers, he took matters into his own hands.
He notably produced two models: the MD1 and the MD3.
The “versions” of these speakers have evolved over time… and with the availability of the drivers.
Personally, I have been using the so-called “11H” version of the MD3s since June 2019.
I know that many of you might “jump” when reading what follows about my setup.
My listening room (known as the “Studio”) is roughly 5 square meters, and I sit two meters away from the speakers.
I “built” my own monitoring room myself—the monitoring setup leaves very little to chance, if you know what I mean.
I’ll skip the details of the build process and the various changes I’ve made, but I no longer use Naim gear. Since I do a lot of work with sound—both digital and analog (including needle drops)—I’ve switched entirely to balanced electronics, including an SSL SiX (thanks to you).
Oh, and I almost forgot: my (heavily) Funk-modified LP12 is gone, recently replaced by an O.L. Sovereign (thanks again).
The MD3s are built on a steel frame welded by the designer.
The load is transferred through this metal structure.
The enclosure surrounding it serves as a sealed housing and a mount for the tweeter.
The tweeter is subjected to minimal vibration from the woofer, which is housed in a sealed enclosure resting on the metal structure via three spikes.
The drivers used in my version of the MD3 are:
- Peerless HDS-P830869,
- ScanSpeak D3004-660000.
Their nickname, “11H,” stems from the crossover design, which features a 6 dB/octave slope with the drivers in phase.
After more than thirty years of using DMS, these MD3s have changed the game for me.
DMS offered a lot—a bit like getting 4 or 5 lottery numbers, in the right order or not, depending on the situation.
The MD3 11H units bumped me up to 4, 5, or even 6 numbers, sometimes even adding the bonus number…
I’ll stop here for a first post.
There is so much to say… and to listen to, for that matter.
Thanks for reading.
Musically,
Naim21
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Dream on 
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Around a decade ago, ATC developed their own tweeter to replace the SEAS they had used before. At one time there were a few models around with the old tweeters to compare with the new and when I got the chance the new version was notably sweeter and, for me, pleasanter to listen to. But they’re not available for fitting by other manufacturers.
Roger
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Why not let Focal build a Naim branded range? A revised floorstander in the SBL mould or a new bookshelf would be great
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Perfectly happy with my Allae’s, no need to change.