New speakers........and I know what is coming next....

[Ian7633]

I got hold of these mk1 Naim SBLs for a very good price. They do have a rather Marmite reputation but the secret is in setting them up. I had a pair brand new nearly a million years ago and learned the black art of positioning them to best effect. I was working for Harbeth at the time so was able to pick AS's brains about them ( I did have and still have a pair of Compact 7s as well ).
This pair are in very good condition and sound sweet although the very deep bass notes are very slightly " woolly " at the moment because the gaskets between the centre box and the bottom box are leaking, soon to be replaced along with the foam grills which are turning to powder. I think they are a good speaker but they are very fussy to get right.

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g345/ian7633/sbl1_zpsjczzcddp.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/ian7633/media/sbl1_zpsjczzcddp.jpg.html)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g345/ian7633/sbl2_zpsv4qsas3f.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/ian7633/media/sbl2_zpsv4qsas3f.jpg.html)

[Frazeur1]

Congrats! I owned a brand new pair for several years eons ago too. Fun speakers, they can surely make you pull your hair out though at times getting them right. The "building" of the speaker-gasket, spikes etc. isn't so much the problem as the right room/wall behind them. But once right, they do play music quite well. I suspect they are a lot like Linn Kans though, one will either like them, or despise them, seems very little mid-ground. Have fun!

[DSJR]

Nothing at all wrong with SBL's and I think the passive ones often sounded far better outside of a then Naim system, especially when the Naim amps (usually 250's or 135's) were a couple of years old and drifting way off, which they all did in time even if the current stuff doesn't. These have the earlier Mordaunt-Short made bass units (pressed steel chassis) by the look of it and it would be cool if you could get the later drivers, although if Naim still had any, they'd charge you a kings ransom for them sadly :(

By the way, it's my experience that 'esss beee ells' sound absolute shite when the gaskets are gone, so you haven't begun to hear then right yet ;) Take absolute care to fit them properly (I remember the use of washing up liquid was needed to aid future peeling away of the cabinet from one gasket surface for transport) and confirm the aluminium pads aren't pierced. You can toe them in slightly if you so wish, no law to say you can't ;)

I've never done this, as the passive crossovers had their covers securely glued on, but I wonder if these passive crossovers could be upgraded, as I remember an electrolytic capacitor or two in each.

Lastly, going active transforms the bass and mid clarity, although the spiky old Scan tweeter can spit and fizzle in this mode. I tended to take the tweeter level down a tad when setting up active SBL's, but that's a personal thing - and Naim loved their treble at the time..

Enjoy :D

[Ian7633]

Thanks for the info Dave, when I had a brand new pair in the late 80s they sounded amazing once I'd cracked the " enigma " style secret of setting them up. I only sold them as I had a pair of Harbeth Compact 7s, the very first ones with the S2 suspension and the rubber phase plug, still got them and they still sound lovely, at the time they were the only pair finished in natural ash which was not standard but as I was their in-house cabinet maker I could get away with it.
I've replaced the foam grills on the SBLs and the gaskets are ordered so they should be singing properly soon.
The SBL2 mid/bass drivers are over £800 the pair so really not worth the investment. The old MS one are working well and in good condition and the Scanspeak tweeters have mellowed with age, a free improvement. As for the crossovers I think they will come apart for servicing and I've read mounting them away from the cabinets helps too, worth a try maybe.
I shall update this thread when the work is done.

[Ian7633]

The gasket kit arrived today, two foam rectangles, eight thin spacer pads, one cardboard template and a tube of silicone sealer......£130 !!!.

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g345/ian7633/20160909_1614571_zps91gqwpmv.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/ian7633/media/20160909_1614571_zps91gqwpmv.jpg.html)

[karma67]

i might pay to change the electrolytics dave mentioned to save buggering the new gasket later on down the road

[Ian7633]

i might pay to change the electrolytics dave mentioned to save buggering the new gasket later on down the road

I'd thought that too, they do look a right sod to get apart but even the covers are damaged getting them off they can be mounted in separate boxes. Right, out with the chainsaw and the axe. :doh:

[YNWaN]

I would have them spiked directly to the floor rather than using an intermittent layer.

[Ian7633]

I would have them spiked directly to the floor rather than using an intermittent layer.

That's a good point, I have tried that but the problem is the floor is a somewhat wobbly floating floor ( something to do heat efficiency I'm told ) and the solid bamboo blocks do help with bass clarity. Once the service work is done I shall test it all out again and report back.

[Ian7633]

The new gaskets are fitted, not a bad job other than wrestling with all the silicone sealant the previous owner had poured over the old gaskets which had effectively glued the center box to the bottom box and the whole point of the gasket system is to keep the two boxes separate. Now I've got to wait about twelve hours for the sealant to set and then the big test, more to follow.

[jandl100]

:popcorn:

[Ian7633]

A quick update on the SBL saga. Still fiddling with positioning them, got a bit ham fisted and snapped off a banana plug in the crossover. So the cable has gone back to the manufacturer for a new plug, could fit one myself but I want to keep them original. I managed to extricate the broken end from the crossover without too much swearing, now just waiting for the cable to come back. Will I ever learn. :steam:

[Gazjam]

Aw dear..

We've all been there mate!

[walpurgis]

Similar. I just busted off two terminal posts on a pair of Tannoy Ascots by moving them around carelessly. Never mind, I was going to 'upgrade' them at some point anyway. I'll have to now! :D

[Bellossom]

I tried a number of speakers and eventually the new Spendor ST's; I was mightily impressed. I then added a NAP 300 and the bar moved up further.

I decided I liked what I was hearing, and given the limited time I have for endless hunting around, I ordered the Spendor’s and 300 amp.

To aid the decision, the other half also liked the Spendor’s, not least as they look a million dollars. They’ve been ordered with Piano Black insets to match the outer cabinet.

The 300 is here and sounds OK, but the SBL’s just cannot do it justice in my room, and I think that may be the real problem. We sit just over 6m away from the SBL’s and they just cannot fill the room. If you get really close they sound so much better and that may be why so many people like them so much.