B&W 705 S2 Or...?

theevilplankton

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Nice easy one here...I hope!

Main Uniti Atom, currently through B&W 603's. Nice, but the Atom is a bit underpowered for them, so I was looking to go quality bookshelf.

Obvious, but pricey, choice is the 705 S2.

However, what are the sensible alternatives? Who offers comparable quality and performance?

I'm pretty useless at all this, and every shop I speak to.....as soon as I mention the 705's, they insist they're perfect without offering alternatives

Are there?
 
Hi.
The obvious answer to partner with your Naim, with your apparent budget, is the Neat Motove SX2. They are a floorstander, but are compact. Less than 80cm high. Easy to drive, beautifully balanced sound and fun to listen to. Naim and Neat are a famous combo. For a bookshelf, there are several other Neat options, including the might sx3i. Discounted as it's discontinued.


 
Other contenders are Dali Oberon 5, perhaps. Book shelves speakers like QA Concept 20, Monitor Audio Silver 50. Also Elac, Triangle, Focal. Tons of speakers out here.

Go out an audition as many speakers as you can. Sound is subjective after all.
 
Monitor Audio Gold 100? Better value against the 705 S2's?
That depends greatly on the listing room. 8 inch bass driver might sound boomy.

Overall it’s fine speakers. I personally prefer Monitor Audio over B&W.
 
Listening room is not massive, but large enough to accommodate current set up.

I also run a Rel T9i sub.....if that helps!
 
You can probably get the Silver way cheaper then normal at the moment. Because of the new MA speaker series.
 
If you got enough space, then why not. Subwoofer is not my expertise. I guess you can get problems with the crossover settings since the speakers go as low 40 Hz.

Purely guessing from me. Probably other subwoofer experts can help.
 
My 603s work OK with the sub....not sure how low they go.

Given that my Atom isn't really powering the speakers too much, I rely on the sub for pretty much all bass. Without it, the bass from the 603s in pretty much non-existant.
 
If you mean the B&W 603. I believe around 40 Hz. You can find it online. No bass at all. The speaker placement may not be optimal. Perhaps there are bass nulls where the speakers are located.

The amplifier. How much power does it got?
 
Atom amp is class a/b, 40w.
40 watts is perhaps bit low. Still it’s Naim. They are famous for the power output stage.

Still I found it odd. If let’s say the sitting distance is 4 meters, in normal living room, there should be some bass.

If you like the 603 speakers then perhaps the Rotel 1572 MK2 is better option. Tons of power. Just be sure it accepts the subwoofer you use.

Or I’d look at the Monitor Audio Bronze 200, Bronze 500. Dali Oberon 7 also.

If you look at speakers with sensitivity at 88db til 90 dB, it means the speakers are easy to drive. Check the ohm also. 8-6 ohm is very good. If they drop below 4 ohm, you might have problems. But usually if the speakers are around 90 dB in sensitive you should have no problems with an amplifier around 40-50 watts.

It’s much worse if the speakers specs are 4 ohm, 85 dB sensitivity. Then you need bags of power. Still this depends on how the power supply is designed in the amplifier.

So there is no yes answers.
 
These two would be on my list

Dynaudio special 40, second hand they are similar price to new 705’s


Ex demo PMC Twenty5.22


And top of my list these Kef 201/2’s

 
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