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Advice needed on old (new to me) Naim SBL system

I think there are two obvious routes to improving SBLs: going active; and replacement passive crossover. Active is expensive and lots of boxes and I would hestitate to suggest it to somebody that is not already half way there and looking to spend money. A replacement passive crossover does not require a change in amps. Going to somebody like Avondale and buying replacement passive crossovers is expensive too, but if you are willing to diy?!??
 
@PerF @nobeone - Thank you for these thoughts. I shall probably leave the crossovers and just use them passively. The system does sound good without doing work in this area.
New grilles have now been ordered and I look forward to receiving them in due course.
 
SBLS are best active in the meantime anything like. 42.5/110 and above is very good. I’m not a fan of the lower powered integrated especially if your room is well damped and sucks power - SBLS will sound lacking. In a more reflective room that doesn’t need so much power a Naim integrated will work well and will mask the potential brightness of the SBL in that situation.

regards
 
@Dark Lord - thank you for sharing your thoughts, I know that you know Naim well. I shall see what transpires. I am trying to hold myself back from ending up with a large multiple Naim box system! - this is really hard and totally goes against my natural instincts.
 
I would follow MJS's advice and service the A60. I'm not sure anyone here has more direct experience and technological knowledge of Naim stuff from that era.
 
SBLs are fab when set up right. Only snag is very hard to find anything better that is affordable :)

Tim

So true
There's nothing really.
If you like that vintage and princip loudspeaker, they are amazing value for money.

Naim Focal offerings nowadays are entirely different.
 
@MVV - thank you. I too think that that is wise advice.
@onlyconnect - what you say is very true. I did not try them out in their heyday but am mightily glad to have them now. I am very pleasantly surprised by their performance. They present in a way that I really like.
@PerF - thank you Per. I agree , SBLs are now amazing good value for money.
 
I have most of the boxes (or something very similar) suggested on this thread - just not a pair of SBLs to make the comparisons! All have been played through ES14s, which 'might' be an acceptable indicator of what you could expect...

A60 (full service) - Volume control better (and quieter!), bass tighter and highs a tad more refined. The A60 was never warm-sounding, and post service there is more articulation alongside the great midrange and sense of fun.

Naim NAT05/FC2x - same power rating as A60 but very different. Faster for a start. the A60 sounds excellent but it is only when I switch to the NAT05 that the difference in PRAT becomes clear. The NAT05 doesn't quite match the full-bodied sound of the A60, but the NAT05 keeps up with complex arrangements in a way the A60 sometimes struggles to hold on to. I know folk go on about the NAT02, but I think the NAT05 is one of Naim's best integrateds; super-flexible, articulate and fast, it has a lyrical quality missing from later Naits.

NAC62/NAP140 - has the body of the A60 and the pace of the NAIT05 but switches everything up a gear. Plenty of visceral thrills here. Upgrade with external psu makes bass rock-solid and adds richness to the mids.

SuperNait Mk1 - bags of power really grabs hold of the speakers. Introduces a whole new level of bass compared to any of the boxes listed above. More even across the frequency range (everything above is a bit mid-forward).

just my experience - and not through SBLs :)
 
I ordered new SBL 'speaker foams from Mark as suggested on this thread - they are arrived today and I am very pleased with them.
Thank you for the excellent recommendations.
 
@onlyconnect - whilst this might seem like I am doing a u-turn, I also agree with you! They do have a lovely small and neat footprint. Where I have them in my study, they are not imposing until they 'sing'!
 
I used Mk1 SBL's for years, moved from Mk1 ES14's. I was using them with LP12/CDS2 front ends and 52/supercap/135's amplification. I did also try my NAIT 1 just for kicks, it was actually quite accomplished at low listening levels, that amp is way better than it ever had a right to be! As suggested several times in the thread the SBL's can sound wonderful, but do take some time to get working to the best of their ability. Part way through my ownership I bought a brand new pair of SBL passive crossovers from Naim, didn't really significantly change how they sounded, so unless you have a genuine crossover 'fault' I wouldn't bother putting funds there.

I can recalI the sound not being to my taste when I tried my SBL's with Mana stands underneath them, I soon moved those stands on. If that option ever presents itself I would recommend 'try before you commit' for those stands if you do decide to go down that route - tricky I know as Mana stands for SBL's don't come up very often these days.
 
Mana Soundbases are worth tracking down, that's what I used with mine. Whatever people think in general about Mana, these really give a great platform for the loudspeakers to sit on. Currently, my active Kans are placed on them.

 


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