Set-up and music
Contents
Amplifier
Naim Nait XS2
Unitra WSH-805
Ricable Dedalus Mk1 speaker cable
Vinyl
Rega P6 with Ania MC cartridge
Graham Slee Reflex C phono stage
Chord Shawline RCA to DIN
CD
Audiolab 6000CDT
Art Speak SPDIF
Streaming
Naim ND5XS
Raspberry Pi4 with Audirvāna Core Studio and SBooster power supply
Dlink DGS-108 switch with LHY LPS25VA power supply
Belden Catsnake Cat5e ethernet cable
Other cabling for testing purposes
Audioquest Forrest SPDIF cable
Audioquest Forrest Toslink cable
Audioquest Cinammon USB cable
Chris Cables Core Function RCA
Grimm Audio TPR RCA
Power
Audes ST900 balanced power transformer
Essential Audio Tools cables
Two sets of IsoAcoustic Gaia3 speaker feet were provided by the importer for the review.
The Unitra WSH-805 was offered for a listen. Review to follow in the future.
Music
While listening, the playback of the Audiolab CD transport, connected to the Naim ND5XS with the ArtSpeak SPDIF cable, proved to be a very pleasing combination with the Graham Audio LS8/1F speakers.
The review is based on the following list of CDs, which were listened to more than once to take notes. In addition, a lot of other music using streaming and vinyl was played back, of course.
- Peter Gabriel – I/O (the Darkside Mix)
- Van Baerle Trio – Beethoven: complete works for piano trio, vol. 4
- Talk Talk – The Colour of Spring
- Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Neeme Järvi (conductor) – Prokofiev, The Complete Symphonies
- A Perfect Circle – Thirteenth Step
Thanks for the review. I currently have a pair of Graham’s LS 5/9 and love the (midrange) sound for jazz, vocals, acoustic, etc. The LS5/9 is not very forgiving imo when the source is of average recording quality. I find they also struggle with other music genres (rock, funky, hiphop,…). So, I wonder if I should upgrade to the LS8/1f for a more forgiving and/or better all-round sound? Also, how do the LS8/1 floorstanders compare to the LS 8/1 stand-mounted loudspeakers? Thanks!
Hi Jan. I haven’t heard the monitors and the floor stander side by side, so I cannot comment on differences.
They are quite different from the ‘BBC models’ in sound, but not so much forgiving. The emphasis in the midrange, the vocal range of frequencies, is where you will notice the different characteristics.
I recommend an audition at home. Depending on your room size, either the monitor or the floor stander will be the better choice. The floor stander is big in physical size, but the sound is also ‘meaty’. If the room is too small, the sound won’t breath. A good dealer can help you out here.
You can send Hexagon, the importer, a mail if you like to get some advice. He’s an approachable man and will help you out.
Many thanks for your reply Martijn