Your Loudspeaker history

1984–2018: Heybrook HB1.

2018–present: Dynaudio Special 40.

I sometimes wonder why I change my speakers so often…

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Kef LS50
Neat Motive 2
Sonus Faber Sonetto V

I am curious about these speakers. Could you please rank them according to sound quality?

Heco… (something)
Self Made (bought - not by myself) Pyramides
Royd Apex
Naim SBL Mk1… 1990 till today
→ looking for MK2 :slight_smile:

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That is a sad statement!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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How are you finding your 20is Ron? I’ve had mine almost a year - v pleased with them - incredibly refined tweeter and go surprisingly deep. Noticed they are much airier with the grills off though.

Starting in 1972, welcome to the museum;-
Mordaunt Stirling
Bailey 3 Triangle transmission line
Gale 402’s (wooden)
Saras (in storage)
SBL mk 1 active
Sbl mk 2 active
SL2 active
Quad ELS 63 (in storage)
SL2 passive
NBLs passive still in main system (used with 300, 500, 250CB and lately 250DR and with 32.5,HC - 552 DR sold off)
IBLs Mk 1 with Mk drivers system 2 (used with 250CB and NAC 12)
Linn Kan Mk1 and Mk2 stands as reserve with (32 bolt down single rail and 160 BD)
SBL Mk 2 in another system (used with 32.5,HC, 250 Boltdown)

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Another very short list.

1984 - 1996: Linn Kans
1996 - present: Naim SBL

Both brilliant.

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Since circa 1972…
Goodmans Minister
Marsden Hall Annex
AR7
B&W DM2a
Audiomaster Image 2 still in use 3rd system.
Quad 10L the ones made by Spendor
B&W XT4
Neat Iota in 2nd system
Undoubtedly there will be more.

Wharfedale Linton - 1970s
Kef 104 - 1980s
Linn Kan - 1980s to present
As above plus SW - 2022+

As previously stated, my iBLs were chosen at the factory for the photograph I used in the naim square brochure. After looking at many pairs, we found these, which have nice symmetrical front. Here they are in the brochure and being cleaned!

After the photo shoot was complete, I had the opportunity to try them in my home system for a number of weeks. It didn’t take long for the speakers to reveal their strengths, so I agreed with naim to include the pair as part of my design fee, and they have been with me ever since.

They did make one return to the factory - for the update to the mark 2 version.

A day was agreed for my visit so I boxed them up, put them in the car and arrived in Salisbury late morning. The iBLs were unloaded, I was asked to return around 5pm, which I did and they were all ready! Generously, as naim always were to me, there was no charge, happy days!

My word, they sounded wonderful when I got them back home.

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They look very good, Geoff. I’ve never heard IBLs, and I’m not sure if I’ve even seen a pair!

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@GeoffC Very nice indeed! Always loved the overall aesthetic of the IBL, especially in black ash. I still think they are one of the cleanest, elegant speakers made, period, and not just speaker designs from Naim. The integrated spiked stand is inspired.

Heard them sounding spectacular on the end of a Linn LP12/52/135s.

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1980 or ‘81 Wharfedale Shelton XP2 - used through university, when replaced given to a college mate who I think still has them in his home in Singapore.

1985 or’86 Epos ES14 from Sound Organisation London. Having bought a Nait Inwas now building a more “serious” system, so the Sheltons went. I loved these speakers, they were so fast and musical, I loved listening to music on them. They were used with a range of Naim amps starting at a Nait and finishing with 82/HC/135s, sources finishing at Micromega Trio and Roksan TMS. If an electricity issue hadn’t taken out a 135 which blew the drivers in one speaker I’d almost certainly still be using them.

2007 B&W 804s from Grahams. With the ES14 dead, I went looking for a replacement set of speakers. I was assuming I’d get a stand mount with similar speed to the ES14s. I really struggled to find any that had the same sort of strengths, B&W805S/D were the nearest I found, but despite doing some things (largely tonal accuracy) better than the Epos, they lacked the musical engagement. So I tried floorstanders and loved what the B&W804S did. (I found the 1st generation diamond tweeter painfully bright on the end of the 135s and went for the lower model rather than the 804D.) They lacked the speed of response and visceral feeling of the Epos, but their bass was deep and very responsive, and I found I loved listening to music on them. Still in use.

2017 PMC 25.23 Audio T Manchester - When I got the Nova for the upstairs lounge, I auditioned smaller floorstanders to fit the room. The bass of the PMCs plus their responsiveness did it for me, and I really enjoy that system when I’m upstairs.

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  1. Kef Q7 1st version (a mistake - these proved to be incredibly difficult to drive with any decently priced amp)
  2. Linn Ninka (2005/6)
  3. B&W 802D (2008; had moved house and couldn’t make the Ninkas fill the room)
  4. Marten Getz II (2015; far more revealing and natural than the B&W, but weak low end)
  5. Wilson SabrinaX (since this year; very enjoyable)
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2002: JBL Northridge E80
Mission M35i
Monitor Audio Silver RX1, Gold GS20, Gold 100, Gold 200
Elac BS244BE
Dynaudio X38, Special 40
Xavian Gran Colona
2023: PMC 25.23

This won’t take long
Celestine Ditton 15’s
Castle Kendals (after I was done they went to my work for 5 years in the gym)
Music Technology Harrier - since 1999

I’d love a new pair of speakers but tbh I’m not sure the ears are up to the standards required to justify spending the money. But I might.
There’s my speaker history since 1975.

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1980 mission 700s (Sansui AU217 and Rega Maia)
2003 Thiel CS1.6 (Maia and NAP250-2)
2013 allaes, for the spare room (Maia)
2014 NBLs (250-2 and 500).

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B&W DM602’s
PMC GB1i’s (still in use as rears in my surround system)
PMC FB1i’s
PMC 20.26’s
Kudos Titan 707’s