Naim speakers - I have 'my set'

After today I am now the proud owner of a set of mint SBLs and a set of mint Allaes to go with my set of mint SL2s... my three favourite Naim speakers.

Trouble is I only have two systems... I guess a third will have to be created.

Picked up the Allaes today and couldn't resist setting them up for a try out.... on the end of CD5X/202/200.... they sound amazing.... I owned a set for nigh on 10 years and remember now why I loved them so much.

The SL2s are on my main system, but going to put the SBLs (also picked up today) on there for a try out... I owned a tatty set of SBLs a little while ago, but these are mint Mk2s and I'm going to spend time setting them up properly to see what they can do.

I know many on here hate Naim speakers, but they do it for me and I'm sitting here listening to the Allaes enjoying every minute.

Will be interesting to see which set ends up where as despite the price differences when new I think they all offer something special and stack up against each other.... the Allaes especially are a bargain.

 

You haven’t got an IBLs?

 

Nope, they are nice speakers, but not in 'my set'. Did own Credos for a good many years too, but the Allaes were a big step up from them.

 

My SBLs were mk 1s, which are supposed to be not as good as the mk 2s, but the jump from SBLs to SL2s was not small. The SL2s are the realisation of everything the SBLs should have been. I would really see no point sonically in keeping both. If you're that well off, why don't you go for DBLs?

 

DBLs... too big for me .. well too big for my partner

I have several rooms for music so all 3 will find a home.

 

Do Allæs have to be set up against the wall, like some other Naim speakers? ...

There's a stunning pair of rosewood Allæs for sale nearby, and I'm tempted. Would give me an all-Naim system (CD5>Flatcap XS>Nait XS2).

That Mordaunt-Short woofer is the best 7" main driver ever made, in my estimation.

 

No, unlike SBLs or SL2s I think they are better stood in free air. Mine are about 450mm from the wall and sound great.

 

Nice! Enjoy them! It has been quite a few years ago when I had a brand new pair of SBL's in beech veneer, loved them. I just didn't have a great room/wall to set them up with towards the end, the typical flapping wallboard of US made tract homes. Not a good thing for SBL's. I have never listened to the Allaes, would love to at some point, just because.

 

Great speakers all

 

Interesting comment. I have a pair of Mordaunt short speakers and they are rather good, for what they cost me they are amazing.

Two points and I am not being pedantic, I would just like to know:
1/ is the Mordaunt short driver 7", I thought it was classed as an 8" unit?
2/ I know that Naim originally used the Mordaunt Short units but I thought they eventually developed their own. Was the Naim unit so heavily based on the Mordaunt Short unit that effectively it was the same with a few tweaks?

 

Suggestion for your third system - Linn Akurate System Hub (nee Exakt DSM), Akurate Exaktbox, 2x 250s and the SBL or SL2

 

Sorry to jump in but I'm new to Naim (and decent hifi to be honest) but starting to think about speakers for my system and this thread caught my eye - at the moment, I'm running some Vienna Acoustic Bach Floorstanders - I've had them for since early 2000's, picked up second hand for about £400. They're great - they're easy to listen to though wondering whether to change for some Naim speakers, something a little punchier - what are thoughts here?

My current set up is the XS3 and ND5XS2.

 

Naim don’t make speakers any more. There are very good reasons why not - about 16 of them.

 

Blimey, I didn't realise I was talking to the Duke of Devonshire I didn't notice any HiFis in Chatsworth House when I did the tour some years ago, but maybe you've got them all in the cellars?

I thought I was lucky to have one room dedicated to music but then I don't have a partner or kids 3 dedicated rooms plus partner, that's got to be some sort of stately home.

Is it just coincidence that the advert at the bottom of the page right now is for Bentley?

 

I thought the MS unit was a 6" cone in an 8" chassis, the extra inch all round being the rubber surround and its attachment to chassis/cone, most people quote the chassis size as bigger sounds more impressive!

The MS unit was used in a variety of their own speakers (including the hugely successful Pageant 2) but was extensively modified by Naim - damping on cone, chassis and magnet plus fitting a phase plug in place of the dust cap. I believe that eventually MS discontinued the unit as it was suited to out of fashion wide but shallow speakers rather than the newer style of narrow but deep cabinets.

Rather than stop making sbls Naim "built " (I don't recall seeing an alloy die casting facility at Salisbury!) their own version of the driver to the same dimensions as the original but with a cast alloy chassis in place of the cheaper and more resonant pressed steel chassis that MS had used. Although the Naim unit was the same size, and used the same paper cone/rubber surround, it was a much better quality item which they went on to use in several later models.

 

Like TVs, drive units are generally measured across the diagonal...

 

LOL, nothing so grand. My partner has a house and I have a house separated by 100 miles or so, we live part time in both. In my house I have a living room (which is my listening room I guess) and an office and both have music in them. In her house we have another system in the living room now as a Bose thingyy and an iPod wasn't cutting it for me. Bentley???? LOL My cars are 13 and 15 years old.. and they're not Bentleys

 

Don't worry, that's the way we're headed 135s and SL2s or SBLs