The Naim Ovator S-600 is the first product to be launched from Naim's new loudspeaker range, retailing at a little bit over £6000 in passive or active mode. The passive version is a little bit cheaper than the active version but of course the saving is more than outweighed by the cost of the extra power amplifier and the active crossover needed for operation.
The S-600 will eventually become the middle of the range of three Ovator loudspeakers. Unlike many of Naim's older loudspeakers, which were designed to be used up against the back wall of the room, the Ovator S-600 is designed to be used in a more free-standing position a little bit away from the back wall. Naim have been working on the active crossover for the Ovators and pre-production active crossovers have become available.
The wide-range mid/treble Balanced Mode Radiator and some of the other features of the Ovators are described in the review of the passive Ovator S-600 speakers.
The Benefits of Active Loudspeaker Operation
Active operation weaves its usual magic for the Ovators as it does for many loudspeakers; the sound is clearer, bass is controlled better and the stereo image is defined more clearly that with the passive version of the Ovators. Of course these benefits come at a price - at price of two more NAP 500 power amplifiers, which will set you back around £30,000 at current retail prices.
It is possible to use two power amplifiers instead of three, by wiring the bass drivers in parallel, since Ovator is a two-way design. The two bass drivers in each loudspeaker are fed with the same part of the frequency spectrum. The cost reduction is significant if the top of the range NAP 500s are the preferred option.
Unfortunately active operation introduces a lot of extra variables into the purchaser's choice. Would it be better to use three NAP 300s or the more expensive choice of two NAP 500s? How about two NAP 300s in active mode compared to the passive version with one NAP 500? There are a lot of permutations to listen to.
Positioning the Naim Ovator S-600 Correctly In the Room is Critical
The Ovators are very sensitive to room positioning. If this is not right, the bass can easily become uncontrolled and poorly defined. Unfortunately the positioning has to be got right to within inches, and shifting the brutal 60kg weight of each loudspeaker is no fun al all, you really need two people to do this safely.
This applies to both the passive and the active version, and though activation may slightly tighten up the low frequency definition it did not make the Ovators any less sensitive to getting the room positioning right. To a lesser extent the positioning of the listener also matters, and seemed to be better a little way out from the wall.
Listening to the Naim Ovator S-600 Loudspeaker
The loudspeakers were auditioned in a domestic setting, in an all-Naim system using Reference series components. The source was a Naim CD555 CD player with separate analogue and digital power supplies. The power amplifiers were three Naim NAP500s, so each driver was driven separately.
The sound was exceptionally clear and smooth in the high and mid-frequencies, and low-frequency definition was very good though not outstanding. The Naim Ovator S-600 is a very good loudspeaker and definitely worth auditioning for listeners in the marekt for a mid-size floor-standing loudspeaker.
Richard Mudhar - Originally from London, now enjoying a less hectic pace of life in Suffolk, Richard Mudhar is a keen wildlife sound recordist and ...
Join the Conversation