User manual NAIM1 OVATOR S-400 BROCHURE

[. . . ] The story of the Constructed on the rigid foundation of a pressure die-cast aluminium plinth, the Ovator S-400 and S-600 comprise visually stunning leaf-spring decoupled enclosures fitted with two custom designed rigid paper cone bass drivers. Located above the bass drivers, within nested and decoupled enclosures, is a uniquely advanced Balanced Mode Radiator. The Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) drive unit reproduces the full bandwidth from the low midrange crossover point to well above audibility with a flat frequency response, minimal distortion and consistently wide dispersion. [. . . ] S-400 With twin 165mm bass drivers and a 46mm BMR in a 40 Litre enclosure, the S-400 is designed for more modest listening rooms and can be used with less ambitious Naim amplification. Low frequency response still reaches down to 36Hz however and the S-400 gives only very little away to the S-600 in terms of dynamics and maximum level. The S-400 gives nothing away in music making however. Surgical grade, antimagnetic, stainless steel M8 floor spikes define the vital mechanical interface between speaker and the floor of the listening environment. The Ovator up close The Ovator Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) constitutes its most visible technological advance, yet its performance is equally the result of painstaking refinement in numerous elements of design, construction and material selection. For example, there is so much more to the musical reproduction of bass than low frequency extension, so the Ovator LF drivers are designed not simply to play bass, but to do so with faultless musical accuracy. They incorporate a multitude of electro-acoustic details aimed at minimising distortion and compression, and the result is extended bass with peerless timing, dynamics and pitch accuracy. One vital element in the design of a high performance bass driver is its chassis. Great rigidity and an open structure are vital but potentially conflicting requirements, so the Ovator pressure die-cast bass driver chassis incorporates a triangulated framework, the product of finite-element analysis, that ensures both rigidity and unimpeded air passage. Ovator crossover networks are housed within the plinth and divide the audio signal between bass drivers and BMR with fourth order acoustic slopes at 380Hz in the case of the S-600 and 700Hz in the case of the S-400. Each component selection is Hardened Floor Spikes Incorporates features on its mating surface that consistently define its interface with the cabinet and help manage vibrational energy. FEA Modelled Driver Chassis The crossover incorporates state of the art components including laminated and air-cored inductors, and metallised polypropylene capacitors. the result of intense technical analysis and significant listening, and the component arrangement is fundamentally informed by the layout and earthing techniques developed for Naim power amplifiers. A crossover module suspension system and individual component decoupling ensures any chance of microphony is minimised. Conversion to either bi-amp or tri-amp active drive is easily achieved through removal of the crossover module*. Just as much as it is BMR technology, it is the fine detail and the sum of the parts ­ the result of decades of speaker experience and development ­ that make the Ovator S-600 and S-400 so remarkable. *Please note that the S-400 active crossover will not be available until late 2011. Computer-modelled Crossover A steel leaf-spring defines the interface between enclosure and plinth and decouples above 12Hz. Decoupling Leaf Spring Ovator bass drivers feature rigid paper cones, natural rubber surrounds and aluminium demodulations rings within their neodymium magnet systems. The S-600 bass drivers additionally incorporate generous pole-piece ventilation. [. . . ] The pressure die-cast chassis provides the rigidity necessary to ensure that every last note of musical detail is accurately reproduced. BMR Driver The S-600 BMR module, comprising the driver and its enclosure, is suspended within the main enclosure by circular front and rear duralumin leafsprings, while the S-400 BMR itself incorporates a high-Q elastomeric suspension system The resulting isolation in both systems decouples at a frequency many octaves below the BMR pass-band. BMR Suspension Inside the Ovator 1 Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) driver for mid and high frequencies Front BMR suspension plate Elastomeric decoupling system Rigid grilles with high percentage open area Pressure die-cast drive unit chassis with FEA-designed triangular rear section 6 7 8 9 Bass drivers with computeroptimised motor systems Low diffraction baffle Computer-modelled crossover High-pressure die-cast plinth 13 Rear BMR suspension plate 14 Mass damped multicomposite panel enclosure with internal bracing 15 Decoupling leaf spring between enclosure and plinth 16 Custom input terminal system 17 Rear spike adjustment system 2 3 4 5 10 Hardened stainless-steel spikes 11 BMR isolating enclosure 12 BMR suspension system to reduce cross coupling Specifications Ovator S-600 Ovator S-400 1 2 11 12 13 11 1 3 4 Ovator S-600 Frequency Response (in room) Sensitivity 28Hz - 35kHz 88dB for 2. 83Vrms i/p 4 (Minimum Impedance 3. 2) 25 - 150W (8 rating) 61 kg 1168 x 401 x 434mm (H x W x D) Nominal Impedance Suggested Power Amplifier Rating Weight Dimensions (inc. spikes and grilles) Ovator S-400 Frequency Response (in room) Sensitivity Nominal Impedance Suggested Power Amplifier Rating Weight Dimensions (inc. spikes and grilles) 36Hz - 35kHz 88dB for 2. 83Vrms i/p 4 (Minimum Impedance 3. 8) 25 - 130W (8 rating) 31 kg 1060 x 330 x 345mm (H x W x D) 5 14 4 14 5 6 6 Finishes* 7 7 Cherry Ash Black Zebrano Rosewood Satin White 8 9 10 15 16 17 8 9 10 15 16 *Please note due to the nature of wood, actual finishes may vary slightly to those photographed. NAIM AUDIO LIMITED Southampton Road · Salisbury · England · SP1 2LN Tel: +44 (0) 1722 426600 · Fax: +44 (0) 871 230 1012 www. naimaudio. com [. . . ]