Analogue Adventures

As I mentioned in my last post, my recent upgrade to a Naim Nait 5i amplifier instigated a search for new speakers that would better match the amp and achieve some of the characteristics I’ve prioritized in my new system.

I wanted a small floorstander that would retain some of the warmth and slam my Paradigms had in abundance but also provide considerably more refinement in terms of smoothness and detail. In short, I wanted something more elegant but not too “pipe and slippers” (a description used by one fellow on the Naim forum to aptly describe polite, laid back speakers).

With that in mind, I identified a number of possible options based on research, reviews and recommendations from fellow members on the Naim forums:

• Totem Arro or Sttaf;
• Harbeth Compact 7ES-3;
• Spendor s5e or A5;
• Neat Motive 2; and
• Kudos X2.

With the exception of the Totems, which are Canadian-made, all of the speakers are manufactured in England. And with the exception of the Harbeths, all are considered ‘compact’ floorstanders (Harbeth does not manufacture any floorstanders). All of these manufacturers have dealers in the Greater Toronto Area.

I auditioned the Totems first and found neither to be what I was looking for. Both are great speakers but they just didn’t have the magic. I also didn’t care for the aesthetics of the Arros, in particular. It’s a shame because they were also the cheapest! For what it’s worth I did like the Hawks but they sounded much better with the Naim Nait XS (60 watts per channel) than my Nait 5i (50 watts per channel). I think they need that bit of extra power to thrive and since I just purchased the Nait 5i at half the price of the XS I figured it was best to move on.

I had to audition the Harbeths without the benefit of pairing with Naim gear. While the Compact 7s are astonishingly beautiful speakers with incredible detail and resolution, I did find them a tad (though only just) too laid back. I listen to a lot of punk rock and post-punk and I’m not certain that I’m ready for the Harbeths. Yet. These are definitely speakers I could see myself adoring in about five more years. Sealing the deal for me is that they were the most expensive (retail in Canada is $3600) and I would have had to purchase stands for them on top of that.

Next up were the Spendors. I listened to the A5s as the s5e, which the A5 replaced, is now discontinued and only available used. Although the Spendors are beautiful speakers with a sterling pedigree and renowned reputation for outstanding voicing (like the Harbeths, very much in the BBC-inspired school of classic British speakers), I found them considerably more laid back than the Harbeths and, truthfully, irritatingly modest. Perhaps with amplification much more powerful than the Nait 5i they might liven up considerably but these weren’t going to suit my present system.

The Neat Motive 2 is a speaker that seems to be much loved by Naim users, especially those who use the Nait 5i. For that reason alone I was terribly disappointed when I went to a local dealer and found out that he had recently sold his demo pair. If I wanted to listen to them, I’d have to wait for him to order them in from England and that would likely take a month or so. Given my experience with the previous speakers I resigned myself to the wait…

Except I had to give the Kudos a listen first. I was especially eager in my anticipation for these. There is, to my knowledge, only one Kudos dealer in the GTA (Audio Eden) and they only started carrying them a few months ago. Even the members at the Naim forum were hesitant to get me too excited about the Kudos X2 as they expected me to find it difficult to find them in Canada, let alone Toronto. That said, those who had experienced them were effusive in their praise.

When I got to the shop I asked for a demo of the Kudos X2. After about fifteen minutes of listening I was utterly astounded. These diminutive speakers (only 2.5 feet tall) sound like they’re the size of floorstanders twice the height (e.g., my old Paradigms) yet have the detail and resolution reminiscent of a quality monitor-style speaker like the Harbeth Compact 7s. Paired with Naim amplification these speakers were simply magical.

After discussing the speakers for a bit, I was offered a deal to take a home the last pair they had still boxed up, which were in the gorgeous Rosenut finish. As I was confident these speakers hit all the right notes for me, I decided to take them home rather than wait another month to hear the Neat Motive 2s.

A stunningly beautiful speaker, wouldn’t you say?

Here are some close-ups of the speaker cabinet, tweeter and woofer.

I use Naim’s NACA5 speaker cable. Accordingly, one thing I love about the X2s is that they’re single wired.

The Kudos are isolated from the plinth and the bass is ported through the bottom of the speaker. If your room dimensions are not forgiving this is a particularly welcome feature as it allows you to place the speakers close to a rear wall. The plinth itself is then isolated from the floor with isolation spikes.

As I said, these are diminutive speakers!

All set up in the music room with a new area rug to improve aesthetics and acoustics.

I’ve now had a few days to spend with these speakers and I continue to be amazed. At 86.5 db sensitivity and nominal 8 ohms impedance, they’re very efficient and easy to drive. Paired with my Nait 5i, I can get ample sound for my listening room with the volume pot barely past 9. Once I get them broken in fully (this should take around 100 hours) I will push them even further just to see how much more these are capable of.

I’m also pleased that the stunning level of detail and resolution I heard in the shop is replicated in my listening room.

Now, I’m simply sitting back and enjoying the music. The ultimate reward in this hobby and what, in the end, makes improvements to your system so satisfying.