quote:

They are a £600 speaker that will blow the Ariva away.
As will alot of others

Really Munch? What is it that you dislike about the Ariva's presentation exactly?

I have compared my Arivas at length with Neat Motives which many people here seem to be in love with and ended up sticking with the Arivas. I thought the Neats were quite a bit more transparent and fluid than the Arivas but they lacked that visceral punch and snap and had a somewhat bloaty bass. I have also briefly heard some Totems and felt similarly about them. I find it pretty har to imagine there are £600 speakers out there that will blow Arivas away. There always seems to be a tradeoff. Surely this is just your personal preference Munch?

One other thing to consider is that the Arivas are very easy to drive. They can go nice and loud on the end of a Nait5i!

quote:

Originally posted by -goat-:
Surely this is just your personal preference Munch?

It doesn't appear so. He emphatically states above that what he says is "FACT".

So we should probably take it as such.

I really look forward to finding a $1200 speaker that trounces the Ariva, and matches really well with an All Naim kit.

Obvious upgrades will not be ignored.... Especially if money can be saved to boot.

I just went back to my VERY FIRST post on this forum. I thought I remembered being told some things re the SBL.

Munch said.... I quote,
"But dont get a pair without the upgraded drivers."

I couldn't find any...

And it seems like the full bass I do enjoy is not presented by the SBLs.

Ill know more about this on Friday I suppose.

I am going to bring my 102/180 along for the ride. Assuming he wont let me, nor would I ask, bring the SBLs home with me.

Well, being on Day Six or whatever with my Arivas, I must say that they have the potential of being the best speakers I've ever had connected to my Nait. Connon, the dealer, has kindly volunteered to adjust the setup (I'm useless at this) and I'm hopeful that that potential will be realised.

Some other speakers I've had since I went Naim:

Epos M12.2's
Intro II's
J.M. Reynaud Twin Sigs

...no slouches there.

Cheers,
Bruce

Forget munch´s opinion, people.

He is a nice man, but not a guru.

I heard many many speakers from 500€ to 3000€ (Totem, B&W, Focal, Monitor,...).

NOTHING came even close to the performance of the Arivas.

Another thing: the Arivas REALLY show what they can do in a pure NAIM-system where all is NAIM.

Thursday morning I drove 2hrs to demo the Ariva.

I spent a total of 4hrs in the shop. We listened to the following all with the Ariva on the end and bare boxes.

1. CD5i.2/Nait 5i.2
2. SuperNait/CD5i.2
3. SuperNait/CDX2
4. SuperNait/CDS3

Most of the 4hrs was with set up 1 (my Kit) and about 10-12 CD of various music from my collection. The best word I could use to describe the Arvia is BALANCED. The treble, midrange and bass are in perfect harmony.

I was deeply impresses by not what the speaker did, but what it did not do to my music. It let everything come out with a natural sound. Not quite as detailed as my Focal 907Bes, but imaging, soundstage and missing weight was there.

Needlesss to say they are now in my room and I will be playing with set up in the next couple of days. I have a feeling this will work for me and I will be all Naim.

If the upgrade bug continues to hit, I must start saving for a SuperNait/CDX2. Wonderful combination.

Thanks
Ed

"If the upgrade bug continues to hit, I must start saving for a SuperNait/CDX2. Wonderful combination."

Yes indeed.

I nearly demoed these I say nearly because I just couldn't live with the finish and styling, which for Naim equipment is very unusual. The build quality just wasn't there for the money.
Sure they sound great but they look and feel awful!!

Blimey can't believe I just said that, I have just been in my living room and looked at my Art Emotion Monitors, they are not exactly good looking, build quality is exceptional though ;-)

Just my humble opinion!

Jez

I now have "proper" NACA5 (with the black Naim plugs at both ends!) connecting the Arivas to my Nait; also the platforms they sit upon have been properly levelled and located, and a good distance agreed upon from the wall. A new NANA power strip was installed, which (to my surprise) made a difference. Much thanks for all this to Connon P. (Tune Hifi, Seattle) who made the journey out on the ring road to my humble flat to solder A5, wrestle with Ariva bases, reorder my mains, and generally set my kit to play more music.

Performance has become more focused, balance of frequencies making more sense. Tubby bass leaned up, etc. That great Naim midrange is there - joy!

Cheers,
Bruce

p.s. Connon also let me hear a HiLine DIN cable between the CD5X and the Nait; that made a real difference - voices went from "nicely recorded" to very natural. Can't afford that just now, but I must say for those who want a simple-to-install Naim upgrade and have the cash, it's a big step up from the grey DIN.

quote:

Originally posted by mr.Bungle:
"If the upgrade bug continues to hit, I must start saving for a SuperNait/CDX2. Wonderful combination."

Yes indeed.

Very nice indeed Mr. Bungle. I would have loved to grabbed a black pair of Arivas, but the cherry finish is really growing on me. Must be because I bought them.

Bruce,

I'm only on day two, but it's a no brainer for me. Still playing with position and things, but it's looking like I going to be all Naim.

The only problem I'm having is getting the bases level on my horrible carpet. Thinking granite isolation plinths will help. Any ideas on what else I can try?

quote:

Originally posted by Scorpio1:
Bruce,

I'm only on day two, but it's a no brainer for me. Still playing with position and things, but it's looking like I going to be all Naim.

The only problem I'm having is getting the bases level on my horrible carpet. Thinking granite isolation plinths will help. Any ideas on what else I can try?

My 'orrible carpet, too. Connon (for it was he) struggled mightily with his carpenter's level and the wrenches, but effort paid off and I have rock-solidly planted Arivas now. We had to make a couple of incisions in the carpet nap to get the spikes to settle right; but it was worth it. I don't know anything about isolation plinths - wouldn't that lighten the bass up, possibly to the general detriment?

How far from the wall are the backs of your speakers now? Since the proper setting of the bases, mine are now at approximately 10-3/4". Tweaking the overall setup of the system has resulted in a brighter sound, so moving the Arivas back a wee bit was necessary. Plus I'm demo-ing a Flatcap 2X (powering my CD5X)...hoo boy! The total "zing" of my system has gone up a few notches - that characteristic Naim lean-ness is back. No-one would mistake this sound for (say) McIntosh/Spendor or other.

So, right now I'm (provisionally)

CD5X/FC2X>Nait 5i>NACA5>Arivas,

all powered from the new NANA green mains powerstrip (which replaces the old grey Wiremold strip.)

I'm all-Naim, baby!

Cheers,
Bruce

quote:

CD5X/FC2X>Nait 5i>NACA5>Arivas

Congrats!!!

That´s my system too.

The FC2x really kicks it up a notch!!!!!!

quote:

quote:
CD5X/FC2X>Nait 5i>NACA5>Arivas


Congrats!!!

That´s my system too.

The FC2x really kicks it up a notch!!!!!!

Me also, but with a hi-line. I just got the flatcap about 2 weeks ago and it has given the sound lots more drive and a bit more detail too. I'll likely be living with this system for a good while now (which is just fine!) but may look into the possibility of a dedicated spur. Can anyone describe what differences if any, a D spur makes to this level of system?

quote:

I nearly demoed these I say nearly because I just couldn't live with the finish and styling, which for Naim equipment is very unusual. The build quality just wasn't there for the money.
Sure they sound great but they look and feel awful!!

Blimey can't believe I just said that, I have just been in my living room and looked at my Art Emotion Monitors, they are not exactly good looking, build quality is exceptional though ;-)

Just my humble opinion!

Jez

Heresy!!! Is he talking about Arivas? Surely not . I think they're possibly the best looking speaker I have seen yet. Clean and simple. Much easier on the eyes than Allaes IMO. Build quality is great too. What more do you want?

quote:

Originally posted by -goat-:
Much easier on the eyes than Allaes IMO.

Or, for that matter, those Metropolis escapees, SBLs.



Hey, I keed the Naimies, folks...

I just exchanged my 2x4m NACA5 to 2x6m NACA5 due to room re-arrangements....I am overwhelmed again about the improvement of the sound...even if the cable is still "cold"...
Wider stage...the bass went even deeper again...holy cow...
Now the ARIVAs "sing" even more....

How long does the NACA5 take again to run in???

quote:

Originally posted by -goat-:

quote:

quote:
CD5X/FC2X>Nait 5i>NACA5>Arivas


Congrats!!!

That´s my system too.

The FC2x really kicks it up a notch!!!!!!

Me also, but with a hi-line. I just got the flatcap about 2 weeks ago and it has given the sound lots more drive and a bit more detail too. I'll likely be living with this system for a good while now (which is just fine!) but may look into the possibility of a dedicated spur. Can anyone describe what differences if any, a D spur makes to this level of system?

Goat, I found adding a dedicated mains spur added similar qualities as a Hiline, but double the improvement. Give your electrician the spec from Real Music. It needs a few updates to align with our latest electrical rules, but is well worth the investment.

Regards

Don

Don,

I inquired about the strengths of a dedicated line when I first bought my system months ago.

Now that the Arivas are here to stay, I will finally call my electricain back for the work.

Ed

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:

quote:

Originally posted by munch:
You dont google SBLs
Is it because they is black?

Is it because you are dropping racist bombs? Nice.... Humor aside, I didn't think racism was tolerated here. You are truly classless.

I think the original poster was trying to quote Ali G. Is it cos I is black? (Guardian newspaper)