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Shahinian Obs 2 & Naim NAP135’s

M

matfff

pfm Member
Thinking of a pair of Obs 2. Anyone any experience of driving these with the 135’s? I am specifically looking for experience with Obs 2, as I have direct experience of Obs 1 and know how difficult they are to drive. Thanks.
 
Not with the 135s but I can tell you that in the current amplifier range you need at least a NAP 250.2 to drive them properly. If the 135s have as much juice as the 250.2 then in theory they should work. It’s worth a listen though if you haven’t listened to the obelisks recently. Also if you are in the UK the Reading store of audio-t had an ex-demo pair for sale at about £4000 I think but this was last October. Might be worth checking out if they still have them.
 
I tried the Obs with a NAP250 and a pair of 135s (I had both at the time) chrome bumper with H&F xformers and was very disappointed (others on pfm will disagree). I now understand that this has something to do with the regulator boards in these amps so maybe a 180 may sound better?

I'd look outside of Naim for driving Obs to get the most out of them.

Cheers,

DV
 
I actually auditioned the Obelisk with a Rega Osiris and a Naim NDX recently (the pair in Reading I referred to above). Having wanted a pair for many years but having not listened to them for an equally long time, I was very disappointed. They just didn't sound emotionally engaging, especially not compared to an Audio Note system of about the same price that I was comparing them to. I went in to the demo almost convinced I would end up buying the Obselisks and was very surprised to be so very disappointed.
 
geetee1972 said:
I actually auditioned the Obelisk with a Rega Osiris and a Naim NDX recently (the pair in Reading I referred to above). Having wanted a pair for many years but having not listened to them for an equally long time, I was very disappointed. They just didn't sound emotionally engaging, especially not compared to an Audio Note system of about the same price that I was comparing them to. I went in to the demo almost convinced I would end up buying the Obselisks and was very surprised to be so very disappointed.
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This is exactly the result to expect when not driven by a suitable amplifier. The Obs are a very demanding speaker. I have seen several similar comments from pfm members over the years with some declaring that the Arcs sounded better than the Obs when in reality the amp that could drive the former struggled with the latter.

Cheers,

DV
 
geetee1972 said:
I actually auditioned the Obelisk with a Rega Osiris and a Naim NDX recently (the pair in Reading I referred to above). Having wanted a pair for many years but having not listened to them for an equally long time, I was very disappointed. They just didn't sound emotionally engaging, especially not compared to an Audio Note system of about the same price that I was comparing them to. I went in to the demo almost convinced I would end up buying the Obselisks and was very surprised to be so very disappointed.
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I agree with DV re suitable amplifier. I moved from Naim 250, which just wasn't happy with Obs2 at all, to Rega Osiris based on recommendations on this forum. The Rega is much more powerful than the Naim and did a better job but still, to my ears, a bit soft and lacking drive. Was then introduced to a Lyngdorf 3400 - not that much more powerful than the Rega but more drive and far more dynamic. Totally transformed the sound of the Obs (and with Room Perfect the sound of the room!). So much so that the dealer who brought the Lyngdorf for demo went away and bought himself a pair of Obs!

Not suggesting that the Lyngdorf is the right/best/only answer, just that the Obs2 is almost ridiculously dependent on a suitable answer to get the best from it (and that is astonisingly good).
 
Darth Vader said:
I tried the Obs with a NAP250 and a pair of 135s (I had both at the time) chrome bumper with H&F xformers and was very disappointed (others on pfm will disagree). I now understand that this has something to do with the regulator boards in these amps so maybe a 180 may sound better?

I'd look outside of Naim for driving Obs to get the most out of them.

Cheers,

DV
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Hi, we’re those 1’s or 2’s?
 
Ob 1s are apparently more demanding then Ob2s. Driving Ob1's very nicely with a Densen B330+. You need a lot current for Obs. I've also heard them with Dynavector HX1.2 and again abslolutely lovely sounding with that.
 
matfff said:
Hi, we’re those 1’s or 2’s?
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I initially had a 4 yo (at the time) pair of Obs and then after 4 years of use upgraded to the Obs2 when they were first released. Just looked it up and I bought the Obs2 in 2010! Where does the time go?

Cheers,

DV
 
I had a pair of 135s driving some obelisk 2’s. Seemed to work ok for me and I wasn’t aware of any issues

of course it is entirely possible that they sounded crap but I had no comparator to tell :p
 
I drove my Obelisk 1's with a pair of Exposure XVI monoblocks which sounded great but when i started using Dynavector amps HX75-HX1.2 mk2 -HX100 the sound they produced was in another league..synergy is all.I now use Obelisk 2's with Dynavector L300 MK2/HX100 a musical match made in heaven IMHO.
 
I doubt the OB2 and Ob1 experience with Naim Amps will be much different. I had 135s when I first got Ob 1s . Switching to a Dynavector HX75 was a huge improvement . In my experience Densen Amps also work well . Somebody on here switched from a Naim 250 to a 180 with good results
 
Are the 2s any harder to drive than the originals? I didn't think there was that much difference in the drivers, more in the cabinet which means they can't be retro-upgraded?
 
Cesare said:
Are the 2s any harder to drive than the originals? I didn't think there was that much difference in the drivers, more in the cabinet which means they can't be retro-upgraded?
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Biggest difference / improvement between Mk1 & Mk2 is the super-tweeters. The tweeters output was increased from 6 ohms (Mk1) to 12 ohms (Mk2). There's 4 super-tweeters per pyramid top; two S-Ts joined in series and the same with the other two S-Ts then the four S-Ts are paralleled up together. With the earlier model (Mk1) Obelisks this meant that at certain frequencies the treble could dip to as low as 1. /1.5. ohm - which is close to a short circuit, hence most amplifiers 'really struggled'. That's why only a few amplifiers were suitable: Dynavector amplifiers being the best because they were designed specifically for Shahinian speakers.
Mk2s: the mid(s) units are different as are the bass drivers front and the rear ABR. Obelisk-2s are a totally different speaker top to bottom. Stiffer/heavier cabinets. The Mk1 Obs top covers were removeable (but with difficulty, stuck on with black sticky putty), the Mk2s the grilles aren't removeable - unless the complete speaker is disassembled - the pyramid roof is attached to the cabinet from inside the cabinet hence the cabinet has to be completely stripped, remove both bass drivers and crossover.
 
The regulated power supply boards in the 250/135 will be a limiting factor in how much they drive demanding loads like the Obs. A NAP180 with its raw supply should sound a little less constrained. If you can find one of my original WH amps then rest assured they were tested with a pair of Obelisks as I wanted to make sure they were up to the task.

Witch Hat can also put a pair of power supply boards right next to the amp boards in a 180 or upgrade a 200 and that should give some extra drive too.
 
Darth Vader said:
I tried the Obs with a NAP250 and a pair of 135s (I had both at the time) chrome bumper with H&F xformers and was very disappointed (others on pfm will disagree). I now understand that this has something to do with the regulator boards in these amps so maybe a 180 may sound better?

I'd look outside of Naim for driving Obs to get the most out of them.

Cheers,

DV
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The Rega Osiris is more than capable of driving Obelisks. I've had this combination for a decade. Still happy with it.
 
MJS said:
The regulated power supply boards in the 250/135 will be a limiting factor in how much they drive demanding loads like the Obs. A NAP180 with its raw supply should sound a little less constrained. If you can find one of my original WH amps then rest assured they were tested with a pair of Obelisks as I wanted to make sure they were up to the task.

Witch Hat can also put a pair of power supply boards right next to the amp boards in a 180 or upgrade a 200 and that should give some extra drive too.
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Thanks Mark, useful info. My 135’s have recently had the Phoenix boards fitted, would that make any difference? Probably not, I’m guessing?
 
geetee1972 said:
I actually auditioned the Obelisk with a Rega Osiris and a Naim NDX recently (the pair in Reading I referred to above). Having wanted a pair for many years but having not listened to them for an equally long time, I was very disappointed. They just didn't sound emotionally engaging, especially not compared to an Audio Note system of about the same price that I was comparing them to. I went in to the demo almost convinced I would end up buying the Obselisks and was very surprised to be so very disappointed.
Click to expand...

Genuinely surprised as I use this combination (Isis, Osiris, Obelisk). Cabling does matter - with stock Rega power cords the combination sounded clinical & lacking in emotion. Different cable loom and the systems is musically hypnotic - IMO. My room is small - so very tried to drive the Obelisks too hard. There in may be a difference.?
 
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