Naim Arriva drive unit upgrades?

[perrin21]

hi all, I'm mark. I'm new to the forum and I'm a home cinema and music enthusiast. I've been using a system comprising 2x pair of Naim arriva loudspeakers with the Ncent center and B&W pv1 subwoofer. My processor is Denon AVPA1HDA and I'm using Myriad MA240 power amps.

my question is, I'm happy with the cosmetics of my system, however I'm interested in upgrading the sound quality of the speakers. The basis of the Arrivas are Vifa drive units and I was wondering what suggestions you might have for higher quality replacements. At the moment I'd say money is not an issue, and I will rein it in from there. I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas and thanks for your time :-)

[bambadoo]

What don't you like about the speakers?

I have had a pair at my home. The tweeters were broken. Had all the drivers out. (ok drivers though)..
Fixed the speakers.

But the speakers sound really bad. Lifeless is a word that come into mind.

You cannot just change the drivers into something "better". that demands a whole new crossover and tuning.
Expensive, takes alot of time.
My suggestion. Sell them.

[perrin21]

Originally Posted by bambadoo

What don't you like about the speakers?

I have had a pair at my home. The tweeters were broken. Had all the drivers out. (ok drivers though)..
Fixed the speakers.

But the speakers sound really bad. Lifeless is a word that come into mind.

You cannot just change the drivers into something "better". that demands a whole new crossover and tuning.
Expensive, takes alot of time.
My suggestion. Sell them.

I wouldn't call the sound lifeless at all. Actually I really like the sound of them, I just thought that the drive units used were relatively run of the mill and replacing them with something better would take them onto another level.

my musical tastes are dance and trance and I love the speed of a sealed enclosure. I use the Audyssey multi eq processing in my system to tune them for my room. They are a bit room fussy though so I understand why you could have found them a little flat. I'm just looking for better dynamics I guess. I have my processor set to 60hz crossover and anything lower is diverted to the subwoofer, this really lifted the dynamics. Also I have them mounted on granite plinths as I'm on a 3rd floor.

[perrin21]

I'm happy to upgrade the crossovers as well as the drive units. Surely the enclosures are good enough to keep? Some companies supply crossovers with the speakers, won't these be suitable?

[perrin21]

here is some further information about my speakers and the drive units within.

[lduarte1973]

you can route everything below 80hz to your subwoofer , that will help dynamics

[perrin21]

Originally Posted by lduarte1973

you can route everything below 80hz to your subwoofer , that will help dynamics

I have experimented with crossover settings using audyssey, i chose 60hz, dont you think 80hz is a bit high?

[lduarte1973]

no , it´s used in many sub + satelites configuration , i use it in my setup 3 ways (8" 4" 1" ) + subwoofer . bass only becomes direcional near 100 hz , but i dont like the sub higher , 80 is best , you just need to experiment with your subwoofer volume.

do you have Dave Matthwes band cd , behind these crowded streets ? tracks 4 and 4 are superb for bass tuning ( the intire cd is)

what size are your drivers ? 8 or 6 1/2 woofer + 1 " tweeter

[perrin21]

Originally Posted by lduarte1973

no , it´s used in many sub + satelites configuration , i use it in my setup 3 ways (8" 4" 1" ) + subwoofer . bass only becomes direcional near 100 hz , but i dont like the sub higher , 80 is best , you just need to experiment with your subwoofer volume.

do you have Dave Matthwes band cd , behind these crowded streets ? tracks 4 and 4 are superb for bass tuning ( the intire cd is)

what size are your drivers ? 8 or 6 1/2 woofer + 1 " tweeter

2x 6.5in mid/bass and 1x 3/4" Tweeter as pictured.

[perrin21]

Id like to share my thoughts on driver replacement. These are the units im considering.

2 X Scan-Speak 18W8531G
1 X ScanSpeak D3004/6600

I would have to upgrade the crossover to accomodate these and id like them to run in a 2.5 way configuration. What are your thoughts?