Header should read: Which new system? - Naim Uniti Atom/Focal Kanta 2 -or- Uniti Atom/Focal 1038BE?

Thanks very much for your helpful reply, bierfeldt!

Truth be told, I've not heard the Kanta 2's but only experienced the Atom amp driving Electra 1008be's - after listening to my current combo and Aria bookshelf's in that order, in the same space. With your reply in mind, the superiority of the 1008's over both the above was immediately apparent. Since then, the hearing has been limited to my mind's inner ear. These old Royds have frustrated me because they have virtually no soundstage to speak of and soundstage is one of the characteristics most important to me. I'm not aware of the speakers available to me here in Israel in the same price range as the Kanta 2, but what would you might you recommend? In any case, I appreciate your advice and even though I'm not a big fan of brightness, if nothing changes with regard to alternatives, will choose the Kanta's - even though they are a tad cheaper :) !

bierfeldt wrote:

I am not sure if you have listened to these two speakers. The difference in soundstage is undeniable. The Electra's offer a lot of detail but the coherence of the soundstage, depth, width, overall three dimensional feel is lacking compared to other speakers in that price range.

I am sure the deals are strong but if you have the budget the Kantas are clearly superior speakers. The soundstage rivals the more expensive Sopras and as long as you are pairing them with Naim gear, should sound great. The tweeter is a bit bright on both of them but Naim gear is very warm and the net result is a pretty neutral sound. They were literally made for each other since they are owned by the same company.

Duly noted, thanks. Regarding price discrepancies, don't be shocked. Loudspeaker cabinets are considered by this country's antiquated Customs protocols to be furniture, which are taxed to 110%! Car prices are doubled. It just so happens, in this case that the deal as presented to me includes the slightly less expensive Kanta in black. Thank you for the alternatives; turns out that Revel, Spendor and Musical Fidelity are distributed here, so I'll get on the horn and check them out and try to go for a listen. I hope that their price ranges are compatible with my budget.

bierfeldt wrote:

One important note, paired with the Naim amp, I would not expect the Kantas to sound bright. I am also shocked to hear the Kantas are cheaper than the Electra’s. The Electra’s are on clearance here in the states and can be had cheaply.

You could look at the new Revel Performa3 BE floorstanders. They are the same price here in the states and would work well with Naim. I heard them driven by solid state Levinson gear and again thought they either need to be paired with a very warm amp.

My favorite in that price bracket today is the Spendor D9 but I would not pair Spendors with Naim gear. It sounded very laid back to me. With Musical Fidelity or some other Class A/B gear, they will sound spectacular.

The Uniti Atom is priced here at equivalent of USD 2,702. I'm not sure what you mean by Class A/B, but at the Musical Fidelity distributors an Musical Fidelity M6si
(an amp, at this point, I'm not familiar with) lists for USD 3,785. Have no immediate pricing info on the Spendors or Revels.

Thanks for heads up! Just listened to a pair of Spendor A7's driven by a Hegel H190 amp in a good but less than ideal setting. Quite nice! And Spendor d7's with the same amp. Impressive. Tomorrow I'll be listening to some Kanta 2's with Music Fidelities. Looking forward.

bierfeldt wrote:

To have the feature set as the Uniti Atom, you will need an M6 Encore 225 which will have built in streamer functionality. You don’t need the added power for the Focals or the Revels. You would for the Spendors.