This upgrade makes my old system sound broken!

I thought this one was good, from a Stereophile interview:

"... his little winger went wang. His jaw dropped. He had no clue that anything could be that unbelievable"

Google 'My Lying Ears' and click on the very first link it brings up. Cracking article which I recommend everyone on here reads, if only for a bit of fun 

Incidentally, my latest up-grade has sent my system and listening experience through the stratosphere and like the late, great Syd Barrett, my mind is well and truly blown!!!  

Probably one of my posts.  Have you considered the possibility that the comment was ... a joke?  Didn't think I'd need to explain that... 

Clearly 500 series components are excellent regardless of whether something else comes along that betters it or not.

Due to tripping over speaker cables perhaps?

Graham, you should with all respect go and stand in a corner for introducing the word ' br..... bro...... broken' in you and DBs ruthless comparison between the S1/552. Clearly you are both having a laugh,........and as for ' pi.....pin.....pinging' ?!?  Rascals you Peter

My personal brow furrower on the forum is '..pulled the trigger..' meaning the individual has made a recent decision to buy the stated item.

Must have been that pesky, hard to position NACA5.  Maybe that's the real reason they introduced the more flexible Super Lumina speaker cable.

If I'm standing in the corner then either you're joining me or are sitting on the naughty step because I think you've repeated that more than me, Peter

"My jaw dropped!!"  when I was told to "open wide"

At least you put your money where your mouth was and purchased the S1.

That means you are part-forgiven.

DB.

Possibly 

primarily because we wish to describe the difference in sound for the benefit of others.

What your system produces in terms of sound is factual. 

How that sound effects you as a person, is emotional.

Rubbish (basically) and IMHO, of course !

Careful choice of words can and should covey the sound that a system produces. I'm (almost) certain that Naim's R&D team are looking for a "sound" as well as an "emotional" effect.

Even live music, played to a small audience affects them emotionally in different ways. The emotional effect is so subjective as to be almost meaningless. It confuses the type of music, the musical reproduction system in use and the state of mind of the reporter.............

Apologies for the "click-bait" introduction.

Well, there is that, not that I really feel any need to defend a joke!

Indeed.  For me the S1 upgrade was such a jump that I found it both exciting and occasionally emotional and through that excitement wanted to share my experience.

Maybe it's my brain that is broken

Actually I went back and took a look at the original thread: https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...atement-has-landed-1

The first mention of a 552 possibly sounding broken was YOURS Peter!  Your second post.

Here you go, I'll let you choose step 1, 2 or 3 

Bugger, you are right. Well well if we cannot have a giggle and banter with each other, what is this place coming to, eh? We are a loony bunch of nerds anyway with a seriously OCD- driven hobby, so allow me to take the first step.........AGAIN!  ATB Peter

Sure, why wouldn't he try to sell people on the Statement. What's a dealers profit on that transaction? If it's what I think it is you just guaranteed he's in business at least for the next five years.

See what I am saying...........................???

Agreed!

I think some terms are well understood. For example, I think we can all agree what "clarity" means (e.g., coherence, intelligibility, lucidity, clearness, and so on).  Any upgrade that does not improve on clarity is not an upgrade IMHO. To my way of thinking, improved clarity is what makes a voice sound more natural, or a saxaphone sound more like a...saxophone.

Beyond that, I think our priorities diverge, and pretty much everything else is up for debate. The soundstage was deeper? Who cares - it's just a stereo artifact.  More "in the room"?  Really, a full orchestra fits in your lounge?  More foot tapping?  Yeah, well, I get the same effect from my car radio...  

Beyond any improvement in clarity, beyond an audio system's ability to faithfully communicate what is in the recording, I agree with Richard.  All we can accurately describe is our own preferences, and the best way to do that is to describe how our listening experience makes us feel. Were we able to relax, and emotionally connect with our favorite music at a deeper level than before? Did we find some new way of appreciating the artist's musical message? 

For the record, I am just as guilty as the next guy of using florid audio prose. It is only natural to do so, and especially right after a large purchase. We all want to feel like we've spent our money well, and so we seek the concurrence of other forum members, and we recoil when we receive the opposite. We also bath in the warm afterglow of a positive magazine review. For example, I was never a big fan of TAS's Robert Harley. But ever since his over-the-top review of the NDS, I can help but hold him in the highest esteem!  

ATB.

Hook

Agreed. If we are all supposed to describe how a system makes us feel and the emotions a piece of music (reproduction) evokes then it will further stifle well intentioned descriptions of hifi music-making. It's bad enough trying to describe the factual (as Don puts it) dimensions of music reproduction without attempting the emotional description.

Us Brits are also a reserved lot and not inclined to show (or describe) our emotions - even though I agree that hightening our emotional response to music reproduction is the most important reason for spending large slugs of cash on an array of black boxes.

It is also unfortunate that there are one or two on here that would be inclined to ridicule an individual's genuine attempt to really describe how a new bit of kit has managed to produce an emotional response. So we are left with many ridiculous descriptions, many of which are quoted above.

Yours,

Tired and emotional of Chesham

Good to see you back Hook.  ATB Peter

This fascinating discussion reminds me, taking a lateral leap, of reading reviews of fine wine - another set of products on which I spend my children's' future inheritance with regularity and conviction. What I basically want to know is whether the person describing the wine is a) someone who's judgement I trust and b) thought it was good, or hopefully very good, of its type and price.

I'm less interested in the description of what he or she tasted in the wine.  I think with hifi it is often the same, even with Naim hifi. What listening to the music on it makes them feel is far more interesting and revealing I think.

best

David

... Us Brits are also a reserved lot and not inclined to show (or describe) our emotions...