The stars and moon aligned and I can finally say that I have heard this pair together. The equipment prior to my connecting the Naim XS was a Cary SLI80 (yes, tubes...) and a Cambridge Audio CDP; a superb digital transport and processor. I selected material I was intimately familiar with crossing various musical genres to include material from Anna Netrebko, Pavorotti, Sting, Dominic Miller; Marcin Wasilewski Trio; John Mayer; and Melody Gardot. My primary listening material always consisting of vocal; jazz combos; and acoustic material.
The quick and dirty: a superb match; that bettered my McIntosh based separates; Bel Canto separates; and hybrid to include a tube based pre and SS amplification.
There was plenty of details in all ranges; a non-fatiguing sound at all frequency ranges. Natural and never artificial or colored. A somewhat stuffy mid-bass section but easily attributable to some of my source material etc. What some would say was missing in low frequency extension; was made up for in tight low frequency reproduction and not bloaty-boomy' bass notes.
Vocals were clean and clear; but no one frequency range called attention to itself over another. If an album or artist performance was your desire; this speaker was made to deliver. Songs felt like intimate performances; and scale was appropriate (and expectations far exceeded) for an in integrated unit of 60 WPC and ideal for near listening fields.
Recommended highly... w/o reservation.
