advertisement


New Naim SBLs

nobeone said:
Thought the NCC300 is for 135s? Have i missed something or is this adding to your target nice amp collection :)
Click to expand...

Les can fit 2x300 in a 250/180 box and so give you a stereo power amp.

What he couldn't do was fit a 300 in my old 250 boxes, as I thought that might be an option.
 
Hi Mr Underhill

Last week I bought my second pair of sbl mk2. I love them. I bought the second pair because they were practically new ... they seem to come out of the factory ... absolutely fantastic, in this way I will be able to preserve the old sbl as spare parts.

with the second pair, the Avondale units were sold together. driven by curiosity, I bought those too.

I have not yet had the opportunity to mount them and try them ....

I am curious though to also know your impressions ..

Cheers, Angelo
 
Angelo said:
Yes Mr Underhill... i mean their passive xovers
Click to expand...

Hi Angelo,

I am over the moon with these speakers in combination with a Townshend Allegri pre and Avondaled CB250 power. Up until now my ACB250 has always been bettered by my EAR534, but not now. In this context the ACB250 wins, and this is the best SQ I have had at home; it is equally as good in AV mode!

The 534 is not bettered in all areas. For instance, in vocals: I would give the edge to the 534, and especially on less than good recordings the 534 is kinder, extracting the best and not highlighting the poor. But the sheer speed and dynamics of the ACB250 is marginally ahead of the 534, and it is more transparent.

As it happens I have an unaltered Naim CB250, through the APXO SBLs it is definitely a step down on the ACB250, whereas in other applications I had not heard this.

I thoroughly enjoyed the SBLs in MkI mode, enough to decide that these will be my last speakers, so I spent the money getting a full set of drivers from Niam and having them installed. I am VERY happy with my decision.

Your SBLs with APXO was a good buy and I look forward to your thoughts. It is absolutely worth making sure the seals are intact and they speakers are properly installed. You can buy the bits online cheaply rather than buying the expensive official sealing kit.

M
 
Mr Underhill said:
Hi Angelo,

I am over the moon with these speakers in combination with a Townshend Allegri pre and Avondaled CB250 power. Up until now my ACB250 has always been bettered by my EAR534, but not now. In this context the ACB250 wins, and this is the best SQ I have had at home; it is equally as good in AV mode!

The 534 is not bettered in all areas. For instance, in vocals: I would give the edge to the 534, and especially on less than good recordings the 534 is kinder, extracting the best and not highlighting the poor. But the sheer speed and dynamics of the ACB250 is marginally ahead of the 534, and it is more transparent.

As it happens I have an unaltered Naim CB250, through the APXO SBLs it is definitely a step down on the ACB250, whereas in other applications I had not heard this.

I thoroughly enjoyed the SBLs in MkI mode, enough to decide that these will be my last speakers, so I spent the money getting a full set of drivers from Niam and having them installed. I am VERY happy with my decision.

Your SBLs with APXO was a good buy and I look forward to your thoughts. It is absolutely worth making sure the seals are intact and they speakers are properly installed. You can buy the bits online cheaply rather than buying the expensive official sealing kit.

M
Click to expand...

sorry for the misunderstanding ... this is the second pair of SBLs I buy ... the first one I bought for fun driven by the curiosity of what was read in the forums ... I loved them to the point that, as soon as it presented itself the opportunity, I bought this second pair because they are absolutely perfect ... they look really new (I will keep the first pair as spare parts to make sure these fantastic speakers will stay with me for so long)

my request was made on the difference between the original naim xovers and the Avondale xovers ... are the Apxos really an upgrade over the originals? did you get to make comparisons?

given that in "other" forums it is forbidden to talk about these xovers, it is important for me to know your opinions .... as soon as I have a chance to try mine I will let you know my ratings ...
 
Hi Angelo,

Yes, they are a step up on the originals, my comments to a friend:

Well the xovers are bedding in nicely, and I think my brain is starting to get a feel for what they are doing. Originally I wrote that the immediate impressions include:


  • Greater bass weight & extension;
  • Lower noise floor = More detail;
  • Even better imaging.
While I do think the weight is greater I don't think the extension is true, what IS true is an increase in CONTROL. Listening to complex pieces the soundfield doesn't collapse into a background set of tones. Bass instruments and sounds remain true to themselves, starting and stopping independent of whatever else is going on. This control allows me to hear whatever else is happening in the music, leading to more audible detail and better imaging.

Another plus is better treble. Cymbals have added sheen and sound more metallic. A positive that is shared by brass instruments.

Altogether macro-dynamics has taken a step forward. By this I mean that music swells and diminishes more noticeably.

This was followed by:

Just been listening to some of my HiDef files, such as my 24/192 of Hotel California. Up until now I have thought they were OK, the best version of the songs that I have but nothing outstanding .....just changed my mind!

A point worth noting:
I got a set of Les's interconnects to use between his PXO and the SBLs. I preferred the A5, although the Avondale had a sweeter top end. THAT SAID, now that the PXO are fully bedded in I really should try again .....but, I am enjoying the system so much I am not sure that I can build up the energy!

M
 
Last edited:
On Friday I took receipt of a second hand Naim 300dr on sale or return, hate to say it but it IS rather good!

Last week a switched from using my Townshend Allegri to my EAR868pl, and found I prefer it through my ACB250 > APXO > SBLs.

The 300DR is superb at a number of things, including: scale; clarity; and, dynamics. For instance:

His Dark Materials
I love the soundtrack. Through my old 250 this piece had scale and bass power, but although I knew they had modulated the lower end I couldn’t really hear how. With the 300DR you could hear how they had mucked about with the instruments to gain the effect they were after.

What is excellent about this is that while the detail is laid bare it is in NO way forensic, an issue I had with the Schitt Yggdrasil.

Karl Jenkins - Cantata Memoria
Again the choir is in fron of you, with (as Rob put it) wonderful richness. Of course this may well be assisted by the EAR868. Be interesting to slot the Townshend Allegri in on Monday and listen to what changes. The percussiveness and use of the bass is wonderfully revealed.

The top end of the 300DR is detailed and sweet, not saccherine; but there is NO edge. For instance:

Stacey Kent - I Know I Dream
I thoroughly enjoy this album. Through the CB250 it could threaten to move towards sharp, not with the 300DR, and this also reveals subtlety that is masked by the 250, this is too strong a discription but gives you an idea of what I mean.

Karajan, BPO - Mozart Requiem
Mmmmm. Well, I haven’t heard a choir in my room quiet like this …it actually is the BEST verisimilatude I have heard at home; rather breath taking.

I put on a track and find myself listening to the whole album.

Jethro Tull - Aqualung
An aside - do you think in this time of such heightened victimhood this album would even be released?
This is an album I have been listening to since it was released and I stole it from my brother’s room to listen to on my portable record lathe. I am getting insights I have simply never heard before, not in terms of the notes but in HOW the instruments are being played, where emphasis is being added, or reduced.


The size of the image that the 300DR throws is superb, and somehow escapes further from the speakers in a way that just brings a smile to my face.

I am throughly enjoying these boxes.

M
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top