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Speakers for Naim 150x

N

Njb

pfm Member
I have been looking for a while for new speakers as my old Epos ES14s have a driver problem. I had several auditions yesterday, and are more confused than ever. I have a tight budget and listened to Focal 906, Triangle Esprit, several KEF and B&W models plus some Dynaudios. I have a pair of Dynaudio Excite X12 on loan at the moment, which I like but only to a point.

I like transparency, detail, clarity and the bass to be tight and controlled.

The auditions were different shops, different electronics, so hard to compare. However, the best shop picked a low power Marantz amplifier as they said that my NAP 150x will limit me by its power output. They commented on my X12 experience saying Dynaudio is only a perfect fit for top end Naim as the 150x cannot provide the controlled bass that I need.

The results of the day were rather mixed, and I came away liking the B&W 685S2 and the Focal 906 in equal amounts.

If the dealer is correct and, btw, he had Excite X14s as part of his demo room bank of speakers that sounded horrid on that amplifier. I need to stop regarding my NAP 150x as a good amplifier and regard it as a bit weak and in need of forgiving speakers if I am to get the sound I want.

I am off next weekend to demo Sonus Faber Venere 1.5 on a friends recommendation, but have no idea how well they will work. Also, as I liked those B&W then wonder if I would enjoy the 684 and if that would also suit my amplifier.

Was the dealer correct? Is my amplifier as limiting as he suggests?
 
The rest of the system plays an important part of achieving your stated objectives.

What does it comprise of?

I have, in the past, disliked certain amp/speaker combos on demonstration until changes were made to the source and/or preamplification.

My objectives are similar to yours.
 
I had the 150x and it was one of the poorest amps I have ever owned (sorry). It lacked power and control and was extemely shrill at the top end. I quickly sold it on for a NAP 200 which was much more satisfying. I now use a Teddy Pardo ST60 which is everything you describe, detail, clarity, tight bass, and control.
 
Muttley2 said:
I had the 150x and it was one of the poorest amps I have ever owned (sorry). It lacked power and control and was extemely shrill at the top end. I quickly sold it on for a NAP 200 which was much more satisfying. I now use a Teddy Pardo ST60 which is everything you describe, detail, clarity, tight bass, and control.
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Well, it has crossed my mind that I am going at this all wrong. I went to the 150x from an ancient CB NAP 90, and I prefer the 150x. I will be honest that you are the first person to give a negative on the 150x, all my research pre purchase was quite positive. I bought the 150x s/h from a dealer who seems to have a good selection of used Naim. I might be tempted to trade up, but it is not going to happen for a while.
 
Steven Toy said:
The rest of the system plays an important part of achieving your stated objectives.

What does it comprise of?

I have, in the past, disliked certain amp/speaker combos on demonstration until changes were made to the source and/or preamplification.

My objectives are similar to yours.
Click to expand...

I have an iPod classic through Pure i20 ( or Arcam CD73T ) into Beresford Bushmaster 2 into NAC202/NAP150x with TeddyCap.
 
I read the title and opened the thread fully prepared to recommend Epos ES14s with the NAP150X and, after reading the comments above, that would still be my advice.

The NAP150X is a very good amplifier, dynamic and involving. I use one in a system with a NAC122X and a pair of ES14s.

Listening to other speakers driven by a low power Marantz amplifier in the dealer's showroom achieves nothing and I'm disturbed by the recommendations they gave you.

I'd be looking for another pair of ES14s or getting the ones you have repaired. If you are forced into a change you should at least get a home trial of a few alternatives. Perhaps some modern Epos speakers would cut the mustard?
 
misterc6 said:
I read the title and opened the thread fully prepared to recommend Epos ES14s with the NAP150X and, after reading the comments above, that would still be my advice.

The NAP150X is a very good amplifier, dynamic and involving. I use one in a system with a NAC122X and a pair of ES14s.

Listening to other speakers driven by a low power Marantz amplifier in the dealer's showroom achieves nothing and I'm disturbed by the recommendations they gave you.

I'd be looking for another pair of ES14s or getting the ones you have repaired. If you are forced into a change you should at least get a home trial of a few alternatives. Perhaps some modern Epos speakers would cut the mustard?
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Hi,

Thanks for the comments. One of the reasons for looking around is that I find that the ES14s lack bass weight. I listen at moderate levels and it could be that I am under-driving the mid/bass units. What is there is very tight, but a little more would be nice. The loaner Excite X12 is very close, but not quite there. I am tempted to buy a second set of Es14s for spares.
I home demo'd the K2. In my room, with laminate floor etc, the front ported bass led to a very bass dominated sound that drowned out the rest. Up until then, I was looking at floorstanders as I have never had then before and fancied something that looked a bit more impressive. Stupid really, hence the move back towards stand mounts.
After seeing the rest of this thread, I am curious now to see if my money could be better spent on trading up to a S/h NAP175 or 200. I guess that would put a bit more bass presence into the ES14 and might control those X12s.
 
I've always found the 150X/ES14 combination to be really good on bass; just increasing the amplifier power a little is not going to help. Have you experimented with speaker position and tried with and without the bungs?
 
misterc6 said:
I've always found the 150X/ES14 combination to be really good on bass; just increasing the amplifier power a little is not going to help. Have you experimented with speaker position and tried with and without the bungs?
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Yes, done some of that. They are clearer without bungs. I can only get than around 40cm from the rear wall, and read that further is better.
 
THe 150 is a good amp and having owned one can verify this , I used it with 122x and dynaudio ,pmc , proac and dali all to good effect , as always with speakers you really need to try them at home , there are also plenty of recommendations on the green forum
 
peter bj said:
THe 150 is a good amp and having owned one can verify this , I used it with 122x and dynaudio ,pmc , proac and dali all to good effect , as always with speakers you really need to try them at home , there are also plenty of recommendations on the green forum
Click to expand...

Hi Peter, which Dynaudio did you succeed with? My Excite X12 are very open with enough bass for me, but it lacks control. I would be interested in what you found, if you can remember. Was placement a big issue, and any other factors that I might like to try
 
I had a 122x/150x combo and as well as the n-sats I found the Neat Elites had very good bass.

Totems are also supposed to be a good match with Naim.
 
When I first went to a Naim setup I used a 150X with my 202 & then swapped to a 200. While I would agree, the 150X isn't as good as the 200, I would not describe it so poorly as Muttley2 has above.

What I noticed with the 200 was much greater clarity/low level details as well as improved bass control & bass that reached down deeper. Also, if you really lay on the volume, the 150X would start to fall apart while I haven't been able to get the 200 to this point (I'm talking rather loud levels, levels that I/most would likely not normally listen at).

While owning the 150X, I never thought it was a poor amp, just noticed improvements, once I had made the swap.

I used both amps with Audio Physic Scorpio's, which combo I rather enjoy.
 
Extremely good combination!
Nap 150x / Nac 112x / HiCap / JBL L100


17190415845_3ca2a59761_c.jpg
[/url]Naim-JBL by Silver Surfer 012, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
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