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Naim SBL

I doubt there is anything wrong with the cross overs the only place where you can get an issue is at the speaker plug entry point. Because naca5 is such a poor choice for cable management it tends to be that a lot of force is put on these connections.

Check they are good, otherwise they should be fine.

Plus if you want to refurb them, it will most likely cost 3 times what you paid for the SBLs. And besides if you are throwing that sort of money around, best to get mk2 drivers first.
 
hi no sign of mk2 drivers anywhere and as this is mint set of matched mk1 that came from Naim I am happy to try them I think.

my only concern was the age of the crossovers as many have said they were made with low grade components and may be out of spec by now that was all just seems odd naim amps and power supply and indeed everything else to be serviced to stay in good shape but the speakers not?
 
Grilles mine came with no grilles, so I knocked up a set of thin MDF frames and covered them in speaker cloth with velcro. They look very smart and fit well but is cloth and grilles ok? I had heard the foam was used to damp the tweeters somewhat any truth in that?

Have you got one MDF frame per speaker?

If so you’ve perhaps removed some of the SB aspects of your SBLs!
 
I suggest you just listen to them. My electrical knowledge is zero but I doubt there is any correlation between amp circuitry & speaker crossovers in terms of durability.
 
Have you got one MDF frame per speaker?

If so you’ve perhaps removed some of the SB aspects of your SBLs!

Hi no made slender frames for each box still got foam as well may yet go back to that or pack out the tweeter grilles as per advice on here.

the cloth and grilles look quite nice I think differ slightly from the foam
 
I suggest you just listen to them. My electrical knowledge is zero but I doubt there is any correlation between amp circuitry & speaker crossovers in terms of durability.


yes coming round to this idea as no real response on getting them serviced yet. might give them a look over and if all looks ok refit and see how they sound, if i can pick up a spare set of crossover to play about with might be a good A to B comparison.
 
yes coming round to this idea as no real response on getting them serviced yet. might give them a look over and if all looks ok refit and see how they sound, if i can pick up a spare set of crossover to play about with might be a good A to B comparison.
I had a pair for over 15 years, never touched the crossovers, not a massive amount to go wrong as they are very simple. In the same period I had my nap250 serviced twice.
 
thanks for that these are mk1s and going by the serial number they are 1993 vintage so not box fresh haha.

any known issues with the tweeters or they generally pretty solid ? I know they are not bespoke and other speakers seem to fare ok with these tweeters.
 
thanks for that these are mk1s and going by the serial number they are 1993 vintage so not box fresh haha.

any known issues with the tweeters or they generally pretty solid ? I know they are not bespoke and other speakers seem to fare ok with these tweeters.
They will either work or they won’t, once they are set up & placed close to a solid wall you will soon hear if there is a problem. As said up thread your grills may compromise the SBL design ethos.
 
I agree foam in the tweeter is a design feature so will try that inside the grilles, for the drivers I don't see any issues with cloth and grille Vs foam tbh
 
if you end up going after foam grilles then ebay is your friend. around seventy quid from Markie in cornwall. they're nicely done.

Alternatively, Pure Sound and Tomtom Audio used to produce them.
 
just seems odd naim amps and power supply and indeed everything else to be serviced to stay in good shape but the speakers not?

The servicing generally involves replacing electrolytic capacitors which can degrade over time especially in a hot environment like the inside of a power amplifier or supply (there's also some disagreement on whether pre amps need servicing as often or at all).
The inside of a crossover is VERY unlikely to get hot enough to cause capacitors to age prematurely.

Peugeot cars need oil & filter changes regularly but Peugeot bicycles don't!
 
Lol very true I was wrongly under the belief that age alone degrades electronic components. I fully accept that heat of amps leads to the premature failure of components. Again I was of the understanding the type of components used in the amps that is the issue. Quite happy to trust the Xovers will be fine but having checked there is some movement of the input sockets so might be prudent to resolder them. The cables look solid tho and without stripping the PCB from the plastic box can't visually check the components.
 


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