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Which speaker is best with Naim

I have a Naim AV2 pre-pro and a (gain-matched) Naim Nait5i as my electronics and I'm totally sold on them. I'm also ninety percent sold on my Linn Ninkas, which have great agility and can handle jazz as well as a big movie soundtrack. The one thing they could do better is soundstage.

Recently I started asking around about speakers under $2k (new or used) that were good at soundstage, and I got many impressive recommendations, but most of them were tricky loads and wouldn't sound good with my scrappy little Nait. Nevertheless, I seem to have winnowed the field down to a set of five or six finalists to try up against my Ninkas (some of which *are* tricky loads, anyway), and so now I'm looking for the best prospective match with my Naim gear.

The nominees are:

Reference 3A De Capo
Salk Song Tower
Joseph Audio RM7si-mkII or RM-22si
Something by Totem
Something by Meadowlark

...a dark horse is the Audio Physic Virgo-II's, which come very highly recommended, but I am not impressed with the highs from the Spark-IIII's, which makes me gun-shy about getting another pair of A-P's.

The musical range begins with Jazz and stays there for a long time, but the winning speakers should also be able to rock from time to time and will remain part of an eventual 5.1 HT system.

My front end is an Arcam FMJ-CD23, the interconnects are Belden 95259 coax with Cardas plugs, made by Blue Jeans, the speaker wire is cross-connected coaxial made by Element, the room is 8 feet across by 15-6 long, poured concrete and cindar block. The available footprint for each speaker is no bigger than the Ninkas, about seven inches across by twelve or fourteen inches deep.

Any reactions are greatly appreciated.
dog_or_man
dog_or_man OP
68 posts
 
Yes, great point Birdies -- I definitely wouldn't want to sacrifice the PRAT for better sound stage. I guess what I should have said is, "Which of these, or some other, will sound like Naim electronics *and* do a slightly better job of soundstage than what I have now?"

I'm thrilled with all the responses, by the way, both in here and elsewhere: I'm getting my first glimpse at any number of brands I've never heard of before, including DeVore, Triangle, Meadowlark, Joseph Audio, and Reference 3A.

Trianglezerius, which pair of Triangles should I be listening to in my price point with my musical palette?
theraiguy
20 posts
 
I really like the Naim/Neat combination. After hearing a pair of the Neat Motive 2's driven by a Nait 5i, I'm convinced they were made for each other. The Motive 2's have a nice open, relaxed sound that goes well with any type of music.
dog_or_man OP
68 posts
 
Theraiguy, have your Motive-2's ever bottomed? Because of an earlier experience I am *totally* paranoid about investing a lot of time and energy into choosing a new pair of speakers, and then compromising their sonic integrity -- permanently -- in the first listening session. The Neats seem to have a relatively low max-spl, and I do like to rock-out from time to time.
robdoorack
63 posts
 
I haven't heard any of the newer Neat speakers like the Motives so I can't really offer an opinion about them. My experience with Neat has been with the Petite (2 versions), Mystique, and Elite. Based on having heard 4 models I'd say that there definitely is a Neat "house sound," so I'd guess that the newer Neats have the same virtues (great PRaT, an open and unforced sound) as the older ones.
fishcat1's avatar
fishcat1
26 posts
 
A little secret about the Audio Physic offerings is the Spark III's you heard were not designed by Joachim Gerhard. I own the Original Spark (small room HT) and now the Tempo II's, both are pre 2000 production. My ears have never liked the ring radiator tweets in the new AP speakers. They sound a little dark for lack of a better word, compared to the Gerhard designs. I know aluminum is a bad word around here, but I don't hear the ringing that others seem to mention here about these designs. I've recently read somewhere that Gerhard himself has worked with SEAS longer than most of their employees. Interesting stuff. Cant speak for the Naim gear, but have had great results with all tube integrateds. Good luck!
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