Hi HIP,

The 24 output sockets can be rewired quite simply to give the same configuration as the 242 - ask Naim or your dealer!

Active takes you to another world and gets rid of nasty colourations that all passive crossovers have!! Some people would say you should miss out the 82 (or 282)!!

Enter Flames from the right!!

BTW I was in Helsinki last week.

FF

quote:

How so?

because tuning the Snaxo to the room is one of the major benefits of active operation. If you have not finetuned your settings either

a) The room must be perfect (unlikely)
b) The system is not operating to its potential

Hi there Julian,

Do you run an active system?

Yes he does.
And a very nice system it is too.

Hi Munch,

What shelves are those?

Hi Heiki,

Don't be put off by active. I run a 'lowly' naxo with a hicap in a 52/250/briks system. It sounds brillant, a big difference with a passive system.

Would a snaxo/SC sound better? No doubt, but it is also a matter of budget and opportunity.

I find with buying second hand you need to have an end goal in mind and when an opportunity comes along just go for it.

Gus

Garfield,

My experience with adjusting SNAXO is that it can be useful but usually VERY small adjustments can improve the system but a keen ear must be kept open regarding musicality and not just sonics. It is not a tone control that boosts low bass in regard to hi highs. It is a relative volume of the whole mid/bass vs the tweeter in the SBL and can make an unmusical step as the woofer hands over to the tweeter. My experience is that this can throw the system out of tune as one adjusts the relative amounts of note fundamentals and harmonics.

Be careful. Have fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Julian H:

quote:

How so?

because tuning the Snaxo to the room is one of the major benefits of active operation. If you have not finetuned your settings either

a) The room must be perfect (unlikely)
b) The system is not operating to its potential

Now Julian,

I have no experience whatsoever of active SBLs so I bow to your particular experience with your system.

You have however missed out a third option: having your system set up by superb dealer. There is so much that can be achieved by attention to detail in system set up and optimum speaker placement without the need to enter snaxo tuning hell. I stand by my comment that snaxos are best left alone.

Connon,

I agree with you. I have been in snaxo hell twice in my time with Naim systems. My salvation was a very good dealer and a factory flat snaxo.

quote:

Originally posted by Garfield:
Hi Munch,

What shelves are those?

The wood shelves are Hutter.The black one Julian has his LP12 on is a Mana.

Hip,

I run a very similar system to what you are thinking of, 72,chrome bumper 250's and all.
Going active with the SBL's was a huge step forward. As to bottlenecks, it seems that the crossovers were a larger issue than 72 or source.
Obviously large improvements are still available in source and component upgrades, but this configuration boogies.
As always, trust your ears.

Rob

Before getting my CDS3, I ran active SBLs with CD5,102 SNAXO 2-4 and 2 olive 250s. Very good performance; so I wouldn't hesitate recommending that you make the switch now. If you later upgrade your pre-amp or CDP, you will just enjoy the benefits even more!

quote:

You have however missed out a third option: having your system set up by superb dealer. There is so much that can be achieved by attention to detail in system set up and optimum speaker placement without the need to enter snaxo tuning hell. I stand by my comment that snaxos are best left alone.

Snaxo tuning is not hell; its easy once you know what your doing (on a 2 way system anyway).

If your dealer managed to get it set up "right" without tuning the Snaxo fine; my original stance still stands though. How do you or your dealer know it cant be better if you have not tried?

I had a brief venture into snaxo tuning and concluded it was hell. You could get what you thought was a perfect sound on one album only to be unhappy on the next. A big idea I had to tweak my pots (ooh err) while playing an LP was thwarted when I found a magnetic driver changed the sound when brought near and even worse I found if I tried to test the thing with the cover off I was getting a markedly different sound.

If you are going to fiddle with the factory setting do mark the pots so you can go back that's all I'll say.

quote:

Originally posted by Julian H:

quote:

You have however missed out a third option: having your system set up by superb dealer. There is so much that can be achieved by attention to detail in system set up and optimum speaker placement without the need to enter snaxo tuning hell. I stand by my comment that snaxos are best left alone.

Snaxo tuning is not hell; its easy once you know what your doing (on a 2 way system anyway).

If your dealer managed to get it set up "right" without tuning the Snaxo fine; my original stance still stands though. How do you or your dealer know it cant be better if you have not tried?

Julian,

How can you agree that a good dealer can get it right without touching the snaxo, then deny that as an option in the same sentence? Your second sentence above is also quite an assumption - you have no idea of what I have or have not tried.

You are absolutely right that the mechanical process of snaxo tuning is easy: open the lid - fiddle with the pots. The problem is in getting it right so that the optimum settings are dialled in so as to ensure the music is right. If you have managed to get it right, good for you.

My dealer was involved in the second episode of snaxo hell; we did try that route and it was unsatisfactory. When both the tweaked snaxo and a factory-setting one were compared, we concluded that factory settings and attention to setup provided the best result.

Funny how other posters seem to have had a similar experience to mine (see Fozz above) - and I seem to recall that Martin Payne came to the same conclusion in one of his posts some while ago. Are you saying that we are all wrong?

Don't forget that the aim of this thread was to help a fellow forum member with his questions about going active. An active novice is better off paying close attention the rest of the system and leave pandora's box well alone until some experience is gained.

I think you are making the classic mistake of thinking that three way is the same as two way. I also think that you may be mistaking my low post count and short membership here as inexperience.

Garfield

Re-read my posts carefully and don't skip the bits you wish to ignore.....

quote:

I also think that you may be mistaking my low post count and short membership here as inexperience.

I had not noticed until you drew my attention to it. Why is it relevant? Do you expect me not to disagree with you because you are a newer member?

Relax Julian,

I did read all your posts in full and just like you, when replying I did select salient sections to make a point. I am not convinced that you have done me the courtesy of reading my posts in full however, but I guess that is the nature of the rough and tumble of forum life.

Anyway Julian, life is too short to argue so how about we agree to differ in our viewpoint and move on. BTW regarding the post count thing, can't you spot a wind up when you read it?

Making like a Cheshire one

quote:

Originally posted by Frank F:
The 24 output sockets can be rewired quite simply to give the same configuration as the 242 - ask Naim or your dealer!

BTW I was in Helsinki last week.

That´s a quite nice thing! That way I could find amp more easily and still keep classic looks!

And Frank,

Sorry about the weather you had in Helsinki. This summer is so bad.

Very handy to know ! since going active needs 3 extra boxes - power amp, x-over & power supply - and that is not a cheap exercise in itself. To add on top of a recap or two...gives quite a price tag ! I just wonder if the kind of money could be spent better on better amp/source in this case.....

And another load of Nac5

quote:

And another load of Nac5

Hi Munch,

You mean NACA5!!

Hi HIP,

I am based in Seville and so the contrast was rather extreme. I did enjoy the white night in Kajaani though.

Wish we had some rain - really,

FF