new system new to Naim

Mixing kit up is the biggest source of problems and dissatisfaction I think

For 20  years I had bits of various manufacturers kit mixed together - rega meridian etc and I always wanted to change it - including various cables etc

9 years ago I got a CD5xs nac 200 /naps and 200 and naim speakers all with naim cables 

only changed the speakers in 9 years - now ovators 400. As for digital a mac mini goes into a Dac V1

which is excellent and more flexible long term I felt 

The end result is 9 years of pleasure and no dilemmas!

You need to hear what you are going to be using in the end to work out what direction to go in and focus on a clear path or it will cause frustration and cost money.

 With your dealers help you need to work out exactly what you need and what works best for you….

Interesting and logical sounding idea, to listen first to what you would see (hear) as the perfect system for you, regardless of cost, and then seek the shortest path to it.  Given the huge differences in sound of different speakers, and the subjective preferences of individuals, that initial demo should of course include several different options.

I suspect, however, that few dealers let alone purchasers  think of that when starting ou! As a purchaser normally has a budget that may easily be at least an order of magnitude or more less than the would-be-desired system (many discussions on this forum involve single items of equipment costing considerably more than I suspect most people spend on their entire first system) they may not even enter a store selling higher-rannge stuff, while dealers often start with the budget available, advising/demoing options (and try to push the budget up a bit). 

and given the importance of home listening especially for speakers, it would require dealers to offer to do that with the top of the range systems as a matter of course - including several speakers - knowing that at that moment its purchase is not an option...

as as for all items of the same brand, I'm not convinced. Yes it (should) guarantee comparability and ease, but not necessarily guarantee best performance, or best value for money, at any given price point.

+1

Pre/power should be of the same make. Source can be different though.

Not convinced this is so black and white. Most of us don't use Naim speakers event though they are designed with Naim amps specifically in mind. People tend to say this when it suits them.

Mix and match is perfectly fine and I used to do it before gravitating to Linn and then Naim. I don't think there is an inherent problem in mixing it up at all (though I agree that pre/power should be the same). It is just that some brands have such a synergy among their components it creates a very compelling reason to stay with them as much as possible. It "seems" to me that these synergies are more common in many brands from certain price points on but that is just my perception.

Whilst speakers vary from room to room etc  i would say that buying a full naim system with their cables has meant a largely hassle fee and very pleasurable experience compared with the box swapping before. Apart from adding the mac mini /dac v! the only change in 9 years has been an upgrade from arrivas to s 400.

Previous to this i was changing amps etc and cables and it was a pain without the great sound etc

My end system has lasted 9 years and i doubt i will change it again. I put my trust in one manufacturer and they have excelled with the end products!

until 2 years ago l had a stable system for 10 years, until CD player died forcing change. And all different manufacturers. Is now sorted apart from metadata, so I don't anticipate another change for a long while unless something else fails - or a lottery win tempts listening to things I know otherwise are out of realistic contemplation (those £20k speakers...)

Right I've bought a napsc just waiting for it to be delivered - hopefully I can hear a slight difference to the sound with this connected. Nearly bought a Hi-cap but I'm saving for Xmas as going to Vegas all this has come at the wrong time lol, anyway thought I'd just say that I've been listening quite a lot to Katie Melua CDs through my Pioneer LX55 via the analog outs to the nac 202 and I'm impressed with the sound but I know there is more to come from this system, I've got my eye on some PMC speakers now - heard these at my dealers and was blown away by the sound ( nac202 and nap200dr) 

biggest trouble with this hi fi stuff in my opinion is it relieves you of a month salary in an instant.

Would like some advise on what Nas to buy ready for streaming to a nd5 when I get one? Cheers guys

if it is to live in your listening room, beware noise! ditto really any living room - some people have in a cupboard or somewhere reasonably acoustically isolating, in which case noise may be unimportant. Noise is from two sources, the unit's cooling fan, and the disc drives. I had an NSA 325 NAS, and the cooling fan was too noisy in a living room from the start, and got noisier with time - so I don't recommend that one! Qnap do some silent (= fanless) NAS units. Others vary in their noise - others on here may be able to give their impressions. There's a list of Naim te ones somewhere on this site that confirms comparability - but not noise, and it doesn't mean untested ones aren't compatible. I was going to get a Qnap to replace my NSA, but ended up getting a Mac Mini (secondhand at similar cost to the cheapest Qnap new), which is virtually silent - I cant hear from more than a couple of feet away - using free uPNP server app (Serviio), which worked perfectly with my ND5XS, but gave me other options since utilized.

Disk drives can be audible, though in my case they were masked by the NSA's fan. Solid state disk drives are silent. 1TB SSDs are about £250 .

Cheers I'm looking at a qnap or synology as they seem to be recomended  here but don't know what one, yes I understand about noise but I will live in a BDI theatre cabinet so doubt I'd hear it.

I have a Synology DS214 in a small closed door cabinet in the listening room,  I don't hear a thing even in a completely silent room,  I don't even hear it start-up process unless the door is open.  Once running its more or less silent in practical terms even with the door open.  The specs say it has 19.9 dB(A) but they don't say at what distance,  but the average quiet room at night is 30dB(A),  that gives a comparative idea of its noise. 

Its a  2 bay & I loaded it with WD "Red" discs (another strong recommendation.

Most peeps in these parts use 2 bay units

You will find 2TB is big enough for all but the most extensive audio collection,  you will need more if you have a lot of video to load.

A 4 bay is added security as it gives more RAID options - but does not mean you can ignore the need for back up.  Some might have more powerful OS but more power is not needed for audio only use.  Add video, security & multiple users & more OS spec then becomes a question.  

QNAP v Synology ---- I don't know that much about QNAP.

Synology has a preloaded UPnP media server,  its own native Media Server & also Minimserver.

QNAP has (I believe) its own Media Server & Twonky preloaded,  plus you can load Asset.   

Sorry for the delay in responding... But yes you are correct on decoupling. I use a RaspberryPi 2 now.. I use to use WHSv1 box. Both these are seperate from my prime NAS and backup NAS.

Simon