Statement has landed
Posted by: Graham Clarke on 09 May 2015
So after three long months of waiting, my Statement preamp finally arrived yesterday. I managed to do pretty well in being patient until we got down to around the last ten days… This was the starting point:
Since my Statement home demo via UHES in January I’ve changed my two main interconnects to Super Lumina ones and have swapped out NAC A5 for Super Lumina, at a somewhat excessive cost, but with brilliant results.
To answer a previous question asked on the Forum regarding how these speaker cables are tuned, it is down to the resistor used. The resistor is soldered across the positive and negative cables and then surrounded in the metal box to protect it. This provides the correct inductance that the power amps require. The tuning is the value of the resistor and the type of resistor used (e.g. RS Components, Farnell etc). Required values were determined for specific lengths via listening and then other lengths were calculated via a computer program.
Anyway, onto the day. The plan was to check the torque settings on the S-600 speakers’ drive unit screws, break down, clean, tighten and reconfigure the Fraim racks, install the six Super Lumina DIN-XLR cables and oh, just add the Statement S-1 pre-amp to the mix, replacing the 552…
To complete this task we had four people. Ian and Norman from UHES of course, plus Jason Gould and Mark Raggett directly from Naim. It’s always enjoyable spending time with Ian and Norman but also getting to spend around four hours with Jason and Mark was the icing on the cake.
Ian first checked the speaker torque settings, which turned out to be fine since their last check nearly two years ago. Given I purchased these as ex-demo speakers from UHES it’s probably no surprise that they had already bedded in and didn’t need further adjustment.
I wish I could say the same about the Fraim racks. These were new a year ago and Ian had told me that I should check the tightness of the spikes after a few months because there is a degree of compression and expansion of the wood from new which will loosen them. Having assumed that they would just be slightly loose combined with a degree of laziness and a manic work schedule I’m afraid I hadn’t bothered. Well, when we broke down the power supply Fraim rack and lifted the base off the carpet, one of the spikes remained embedded in the concrete floor, to my embarrassment! So YES, you really DO need to check these with newly built Fraim racks.
During this time break down time, Jason and Mark had man handled the S-1 flight case out of Mark’s car. At least for the UK, these are delivered direct from the factory to the customer. “Man handled” is the correct term given the 102Kg shipping weight but this was slightly easier than in January as the case now has detachable wheels. Direct delivery is done to ensure that the unit turns up in 100% perfect condition both cosmetically and functionally. This was of course not a problem with mine.
While they were busy doing this, I kept myself busy by taking a look at the long awaited DIN-XLR cables.
Anyone familiar with Powerlines or Hi-Lines will recognise the packaging.
As you can see, both ends use the Air-PLUG technology that the other Super Lumina cables use via a set of interconnecting metal rings. The XLR canons are also metal, unlike the original ones.
Jumping forward slightly, the only glitch of the day was that when installing these cables into my Snaxo BMR, the far end of the Air-PLUG connectors on the top cable touch the one beneath. When the system has bedded in I’ll have to see whether this actually makes an audible difference.
There was another box which was unexpected, this turned out to be the Statement accessory kit, the finish of which was beautiful.
There were three layers to this box with the top containing the manual and a spirit level.
The second layer in mine was empty given I had not purchased the Statement power amps. Apparently I am the first person world wide that Naim have supplied with just the pre-amp, all other purchasers have gone for the complete system.
In the bottom layer of the box were a number of tools
Including some Statement Fraim chips (different from standard ones) and the remote control which is in the bag on the right. This is constructed of metal and is similar in weight and feel to the NARCOM remote.
Given the NARCOM remote is £300, I dread to think how much a replacement one of these would be. I better not lose it down the back of the sofa.
After completing the first Fraim rack, Jason and Mark unpacked the pre-amp.
Given the size, weight and space constraints this does need to be planned! With the protective cover removed it finally appeared for the first time.
Even unpackaged this weighs 60Kg so moving into position isn’t an easy task. This is what it looks like inside to help explain (no, this isn't mine!)
That's a lot of components!
Happily (for me) I left the task of moving to Mark.
No pressure there Mark, I’m sure you loved me taking pictures of you while you were doing this!
We agree not to put it flush up to the racks so that it could be easily cleaned. Getting the position right, ensuring it was absolutely level and parallel with the left hand rack easily took 30 minutes such was the perfectionist nature of Ian and Mark.
Installing the second Fraim was relatively straightforward after this, poor Ian was left to do this while everyone else chatted and watched on. Jason commented that normally with home installs they get involved directly but knew that they could leave this to Ian given his expertise. High praise indeed for UHES.
One added bonus of moving to two racks and separating them slightly is that cable dressing is now much better, with no Burndys touching the wall and all but a few cables off the floor.
Finally, after over four hours of work, everything was set up and listening was about to begin!
By now it was about 6:30PM and we had a dinner reservation for 7:30 as we were all hungry, so we only had limited listening time. I wasn’t too worried about this because the pre-amp is brand new and stone cold, the DIN-XLRs are also new and the rest of the system would have cooled down, so my expectations weren’t too high.
From the first track there was a slight degree of harshness around the sound. This was consistent with the from cold demo in January. High frequencies were also a little tight and I’d say that the pre-amp and system in generally was probably only at around 50% of its full potential. Despite that, some of the greatness from the January demo was already apparent: the super low noise floor (if it was any lower it would be sucking noise out of the room) along with the incredible detail and separation of every instrument being played.
Unfortunately Saturday obligations mean I won’t get to listen further until later in the afternoon, but both main sources have been left active playing into the system and with further warm up I’m expecting a big jump. So you’ll have to wait a while longer for the clichés and superlatives.
More to follow and thanks for reading if you got this far.
Dusty..Dusty...did someone call!!!!!
Great read from Miami guys. Good to read the the impact that the S1 is having.
Well done to Graham and his wife for the open doors for members to have a listen.
Dusty old bean - how dare you be in Miami!
Yours affectionally atc.
Blimey! That's what a few glasses of red wine does to your spelling.
You should have stuck to Rocco Bay " Soft, smooth red". 
ATB Peter
Sounds like you all had an excellent day. The return trip to my place to see how my new room with acoustic treatment impacts the soind ot a lowly NDS/552/300/S600'system is planned for later this week. I'm sure Graham and Debs will post their thoughts.
Indeed we will. USB memory stick already prepared
Dusty..Dusty...did someone call!!!!!
Great read from Miami guys. Good to read the the impact that the S1 is having.
Well done to Graham and his wife for the open doors for members to have a listen.
Dusty old bean - how dare you be in Miami!
Yours affectionally atc.
Blimey! That's what a few glasses of red wine does to your spelling.
Hi Tony,
We should share a couple of glasses of red wine and see what it does for our speaking!!
Yes, back from Miami for a special Birthday this year. I'm 18 years old this year with 32 years of experience
Great news to read you all went round to Graham's. Great read. Is there any limit to the S1....Statement: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Pre Amp....S1. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new rooms, to seek out new music and new interconnects, to boldly go where no pre amp has gone before!!!
No wine bottle was harmed during the making of this post!!!!!!!
Having heard the S1 at Graham's I've asked for a home demo on my humble passive 300 system. When I asked Naim and my dealer for opinions on whether I should go active first with 3x300 or drop in an S1 Pre and stay passive, the S1 got the vote. Seems it works miracles in pretty all systems tried so far.
What an interesting world we live in when a £45K+ system is referred to as humble! 
I'm sure the S1 will sound great in your system, Dave. I assume you're still thinking of changing to SL speaker cable too? Have they given you an ETA for the demo yet?
Please let us know how you get on!
Having heard the S1 at Graham's I've asked for a home demo on my humble passive 300 system. When I asked Naim and my dealer for opinions on whether I should go active first with 3x300 or drop in an S1 Pre and stay passive, the S1 got the vote. Seems it works miracles in pretty all systems tried so far.
What an interesting world we live in when a £45K+ system is referred to as humble!
I'm sure the S1 will sound great in your system, Dave. I assume you're still thinking of changing to SL speaker cable too? Have they given you an ETA for the demo yet?
Please let us know how you get on!
Yes, on reflection humble is probably the wrong word...
No ETA on the S1 demo yet. I've decided to trade in my 300 against the new 300 DR, as from what I have heard the lower noise floor and greater speed and detail will really let the S1 Pre shine through. I'll do this immediately so it will have a chance to run in before the S1 demo arrives. This will give me the best opportunity to really see what the S1 can do compared to the 552. I can then drop in the remaining SL cables - DIN/XLR and Speaker - and make my mind up.
Interesting times...
Having heard the S1 at Graham's I've asked for a home demo on my humble passive 300 system. When I asked Naim and my dealer for opinions on whether I should go active first with 3x300 or drop in an S1 Pre and stay passive, the S1 got the vote. Seems it works miracles in pretty all systems tried so far.
What an interesting world we live in when a £45K+ system is referred to as humble!
I'm sure the S1 will sound great in your system, Dave. I assume you're still thinking of changing to SL speaker cable too? Have they given you an ETA for the demo yet?
Please let us know how you get on!
Yes, on reflection humble is probably the wrong word...
No ETA on the S1 demo yet. I've decided to trade in my 300 against the new 300 DR, as from what I have heard the lower noise floor and greater speed and detail will really let the S1 Pre shine through. I'll do this immediately so it will have a chance to run in before the S1 demo arrives. This will give me the best opportunity to really see what the S1 can do compared to the 552. I can then drop in the remaining SL cables - DIN/XLR and Speaker - and make my mind up.
Interesting times...
Will be interesting to hear your thoughts on the 300DR upgrade given I'm not able to source a demo unit to try.
When you do the S1 demo are you going to try it with/without SL speaker cables so you can determine what difference each makes?
Having heard the S1 at Graham's I've asked for a home demo on my humble passive 300 system. When I asked Naim and my dealer for opinions on whether I should go active first with 3x300 or drop in an S1 Pre and stay passive, the S1 got the vote. Seems it works miracles in pretty all systems tried so far.
What an interesting world we live in when a £45K+ system is referred to as humble!
I'm sure the S1 will sound great in your system, Dave. I assume you're still thinking of changing to SL speaker cable too? Have they given you an ETA for the demo yet?
Please let us know how you get on!
Yes, on reflection humble is probably the wrong word...
No ETA on the S1 demo yet. I've decided to trade in my 300 against the new 300 DR, as from what I have heard the lower noise floor and greater speed and detail will really let the S1 Pre shine through. I'll do this immediately so it will have a chance to run in before the S1 demo arrives. This will give me the best opportunity to really see what the S1 can do compared to the 552. I can then drop in the remaining SL cables - DIN/XLR and Speaker - and make my mind up.
Interesting times...
Wow, great news Dave.
Can't wait to read your thoughts on the DR as well as the S1.
Well done you sir.
Having heard the S1 at Graham's I've asked for a home demo on my humble passive 300 system. When I asked Naim and my dealer for opinions on whether I should go active first with 3x300 or drop in an S1 Pre and stay passive, the S1 got the vote. Seems it works miracles in pretty all systems tried so far.
What an interesting world we live in when a £45K+ system is referred to as humble!
I'm sure the S1 will sound great in your system, Dave. I assume you're still thinking of changing to SL speaker cable too? Have they given you an ETA for the demo yet?
Please let us know how you get on!
Yes, on reflection humble is probably the wrong word...
No ETA on the S1 demo yet. I've decided to trade in my 300 against the new 300 DR, as from what I have heard the lower noise floor and greater speed and detail will really let the S1 Pre shine through. I'll do this immediately so it will have a chance to run in before the S1 demo arrives. This will give me the best opportunity to really see what the S1 can do compared to the 552. I can then drop in the remaining SL cables - DIN/XLR and Speaker - and make my mind up.
Interesting times...
The S1 Pre fundamentally changes the musical presentation. One forum member said 'it isn't there' when hearing it, as it did not add anything of its own character on first listening. This neutral presentation is not what I first noticed or was looking for, but I do hear that now in a very positive way.
Compared to the 552 in my home demo I was seeking a more confident, fuller and detailed performance in HiFi terms; in musical terms it was up the the S1 to show me what it could do.
Since I purchased one, it obviously delivered.
In musical terms it draws you into the performance more. Since there is lower distortion and noise across all frequencies there is less subliminal distraction. It is obviously more resolving in the higher frequencies: on things like female vocals there is more body and clearer shaping of vocals without any haze of noise. In the Bass it is deeper and fuller - in fact it can be a bit overpowering at first and makes the 552 sound rather lean.
The 552 is very good, but the S1 is in a different league. I do wish it were less expensive, but it is the price it is and the listener has to decide what they wish to do if they can do it.
As the S1 Pre continues to run-in it is still changing its character and becoming more detailed and fuller deeper bass. The latter has caused me a few problems, as combined with my S.800 speakers that injects a lot of very deep full-bodied bass that can cause problems if the system build is not quite right.
I found after getting some peculiar results for a while that I initially put down to run-in that it was in fact a 500 Burndy lead that had settled a little lower and was just brushing the floor - moving the supply to pull the lead off the floor and the system leaps into life again.
I did do an A-B comparison against the 552 for a forum friend who insisted - and it is so silly better; the S1 bass performance makes the 552 sound indistinct and vague.
DB.
Was that last sentence really nec....necce......neccesary DB?? 
ATB Peter
Peter, it's called a "clue-by-four", applied liberally to the back of the head.
When is your S1 being delivered? 
John
Peter, it's called a "clue-by-four", applied liberally to the back of the head.
When is your S1 being delivered?
John
Peter's currently on holiday in Egypt. He's in denial...
Was that last sentence really nec....necce......neccesary DB?? ATB Peter
Oops! I meant to say that although the S1 Pre cost more than twice the price of the 552, there really was not a lot of difference. Hopefully that is better!
I was more relating my experience for Dave's benefit, as he is considering a home demo. It is like discussing the difference between a 252 and 552, except there is a bigger upgrade from the 552 - for those that hear it.
Otherwise it is essentially the same. 
DB.
Peter's currently on holiday in Egypt. He's in denial...
He still wants an S1 pre-amp though ...
The sheer kindness and empathy on this Forum is heart warming. Even to see John coming out of the wood work speak volumes. Now, I think I need to see my dear wife for a counselling session and in this case she won't charge for her services. Naah maybe not, funny how I am feeling better already ! 
Dreaming on Peter