If you could do it all over again .....

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. And without the actual experience of what has been done [in any sphere of life] hindsight would be different in any case.

But with the hindsight I have today, I would have gone straight to where where I am now without the intervening steps. 

Not only would this have cut out owning Naim, but also loudspeakers. 

On the accumulation [and distillation] of my collection of recordings, I would not want to have alterred those choices at all. 

These days my recording collection is worth more than ten times my replay hardware, and yet I still have quality replay though high quality if old fashioned designed headphones. All that is needed plus a bit! 

ATB from George

I would have settled on 2 systems, one naim, one tube based, and not the current 3.

Interesting

• I would definitely buy a record cleaning machine a lot sooner than I did;
• I would include SBLs in the mix when I did my Aro v Ekos demo;
• I would put my turntable on a wallshelf away from enquiring fingers;
• l would get a 552 in sooner. 

Chris

30 years as a Naim owner suggests that my route would have been little different from the one I have taken. I do agree that a record cleaning would have been better bought earlier than later (I am still only a fraction of the way through my collection as it is one of the least satisfying tasks to undertake, even worse than trying to converse with my wife's grandchildren when they come to visit; perhaps I could persuade them.....no too dangerous, far better to get them to clean the chimneys!).

I wish i had never sold my nait2 20 years ago .

christoph posted:

I wish i had never sold my nait2 20 years ago .

I kept mine  

As George so rightly says, hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing. In 1994 I had an excellent system, with Lp12, Ekos, Troika, CDI, 82, Hicap, 250, Nat 02 and black SBLs. Applying the aforementioned hindsight, I should have kept that system and then moved directly to what I have now, without all the fannying around in between. I got rather too much into upgrading and all the ensuing downgrading, upsizing, downsizing and general confusion has meant I've wasted more cash that the cost of a few nice family cars. The stuff I've had that I didn't need since 1994 includes, (in no particular order) 252, Supercap (both x2), 552, 300, cherry SL2, cherry SBLs, Nait 5i, 122x, 150x, flatcap, nSats, nSub, Spendor A5, Neat Motive 1, 102, 180, Hicap, another 82, another olive 250, Linn Kaber, IBL, SuperUniti, PMC GB1i, PMC twenty.21, Fraim, Isoblue, Hutter, Quadraspire Q4, some awful oak stand from Hifi racks, prefix, Armageddon, Aro, 202, 200, Chord Rumour, Chord Odyssey, NACA5 (a few sets), Tellurium Q Black, some Grado headphones that were never used, NAT05, Nat01, Nat101, another Nat02, a funny and massive mains block thing, a huge Ron Smith aerial that we had to get planning permission for, and probably some other stuff as well. If it was all in one room together I'd get a rival for a second hand Hifi shop. 

Never mind - it's helped to keep the roof over the heads of various Hifi dealers, and I've learned a lot along the way. Hopefully, 22 years later, I've finally leaned my lesson. There's no need for anyone to tell me I was bonkers - I know!! It's been quite cathartic writing out that ridiculous list.....

While one would argue that it would have been better to go more straight to an end point, I am not sure that would have been the answer. I think there is also a point in appreciating the steps and increasing insight in what matters. A last aspect is the fact that some solutions evolve - so not everything is available on the first moment.

So for me the conclusion is I wouldn't have liked to miss any part of the journey, while it would have been cheaper.....

I think the item I least liked was the CDS3.  It was an upgrade from the CDI (which I still have). It really lacked the pace, urgency and excitement of the CDI.  I didn't really see the benefit of its improved sound staging with the 52 that I had at the time and I didn't properly enjoy it until I upgraded to the 552.  But this was relatively short lived as I moved to the 555 which was a huge step up.  The CDS3 didn't really make the most of the 552 either.

Theoretically I would live with something basic and enjoyable and save for the system I now have. But that's with the benefit of hindsight. in a perfect world. When my A60 and Planar 3 arrived the 500 hadn't been invented. So how would I know? So back on planet Earth I'd do fewer and bigger steps - if I could reel myself in enough. Don't know how likely that is but I have my doubts.

I have only bought two things I didn't like. B&W DM14 - boring beyond belief and Phillips CD160 - like having my middle ear rubbed with sandpaper. What did they have in common? Inattentive or non  existent pre purchase audition . That's something I would definitely fix in my next life. If I had one. Which I don't believe will be the case.

As mentioned by others above, I wish I'd bought a record cleaning machine sooner.

And I wish I'd never sold my (beautiful) SBLs, dammit!

Chris Dolan posted:

christoph posted:

I wish i had never sold my nait2 20 years ago .

I kept mine  

sometimes i feel that a nait2,  a nice step up transformer, a big turntable and harbeth c3 would make me very happy... 

I haven't got as far as many but I don't think I would do it much differently except for starting a bit earlier.

Life is too short.  

Chag -

I too wish that I had invested in a record cleaning machine much earlier on, but otherwise not too many regrets. I simply could not have afforded the equivalent of my current system when I was much younger.

I do have a few regrets in respect of my purchase of individual bits of kit. Those that really disappointed me and didn't stay long include:

Acoustic Research A-06 amplifier - It had received good reviews but I only managed about a week with it before handing it back.

Mission Cyrus One - sounded sort of Ok, but the Audiolab I replaced it with after a few months was hugely better.

Musical Fidelity A1 - was ok but just not as good as the Audiolab 8000A

A&R P77 cartridge. Probably my most disappointing purchase. Bought to replace an ageing but fantastic Sonus Blue, and horribly dull & unexciting by comparison. I just could not understand the positive reviews it had received.

Revox B77 Reel to Reel deck - I just bought the wrong one. I bought the 3.75/7.5 ips 4 track version. Should have bought the 7.5/15 ips 2 track version. Still, it continues to look good as an ornament in my listening room.

Ahh, hindsight. I was quite happy messing around with NAD3020s, A&R A60s, Rega Planar 2s, Mission 770s, but then I got confused and went to Musical Fidelity Synthesis, LP12 (not a mistake) and Lins Kans which is where it went a bit wrong. I didn't understand how the Kans needed to be driven.

Sold the lot and embarked on entry level Naim stuff (NAP90, NAC93, entry Naim CD Intro speakers) which I then turned active with an Ixo, Flatcap and another NAP90. Unsurprisingly I didn't get the thing about active systems. At this point I should have gone passive further up the Naim hierarchy but I got bored, and traded it all in for a Home Cinema system. Unfortunately the family hated watching TV via a projector and explosions going off in the corners of the lounge. Bugger!

So we went back to watching normal TV (sans explosions) and I got into this new thing called music streaming with a Uniti. It has however taken me far too long with too many upgrades to be satisfied (well nearly satisfied - upgraditis never really leaves you). But the home demoing of the next consideration, reading others' experiences, dealer visits and experiencing what the next upgrade does in your own system is all part of the learning experience and part of the.....err....fun?....and I would not want to circumvent those experiences. There is also the very occasional free (or very cheap) upgrade you read about (mainly to do with system housekeeping) that just fills you with happiness when you hear the effects in your own system that often costs nothing except a few aches and pains.

When I started writing this I felt rather pleased with myself as I (mistakenly) thought I had made very few mistakes and had wasted very little. Reading the above back it appears that is not the case. But I am not sure I would have it any other way because it has been a very enjoyable journey.

Hungryhalibut posted:

As George so rightly says, hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing. In 1994 I had an excellent system, with Lp12, Ekos, Troika, CDI, 82, Hicap, 250, Nat 02 and black SBLs. Applying the aforementioned hindsight, I should have kept that system and then moved directly to what I have now, without all the fannying around in between. I got rather too much into upgrading and all the ensuing downgrading, upsizing, downsizing and general confusion has meant I've wasted more cash that the cost of a few nice family cars. The stuff I've had that I didn't need since 1994 includes, (in no particular order) 252, Supercap (both x2), 552, 300, cherry SL2, cherry SBLs, Nait 5i, 122x, 150x, flatcap, nSats, nSub, Spendor A5, Neat Motive 1, 102, 180, Hicap, another 82, another olive 250, Linn Kaber, IBL, SuperUniti, PMC GB1i, PMC twenty.21, Fraim, Isoblue, Hutter, Quadraspire Q4, some awful oak stand from Hifi racks, prefix, Armageddon, Aro, 202, 200, Chord Rumour, Chord Odyssey, NACA5 (a few sets), Tellurium Q Black, some Grado headphones that were never used, NAT05, Nat01, Nat101, another Nat02, a funny and massive mains block thing, a huge Ron Smith aerial that we had to get planning permission for, and probably some other stuff as well. If it was all in one room together I'd get a rival for a second hand Hifi shop. 

Never mind - it's helped to keep the roof over the heads of various Hifi dealers, and I've learned a lot along the way. Hopefully, 22 years later, I've finally leaned my lesson. There's no need for anyone to tell me I was bonkers - I know!! It's been quite cathartic writing out that ridiculous list.....

did you enjoy this extraordinary journey HH? you certainly have a lot of experience of different kit in the Naim range! been through a few, but nowhere near your list... glad you're happy now Nigel...

enjoy

ken

I forgot to include a CDX2, CDS3, XPS2, 555PS and a CD5x.... As to whether I enjoyed it, the answer has to be yes and no. I imagine it's like drugs - not that I've ever taken them - enjoyable at the time but the withdrawal is less so. 

Great topic.

Selling my Harbeth HL Monitor Mk III's in 1984 to "upgrade" to Pierre-Etienne Leon M2's

Selling my Harbeth Compact 7 ES2´s in 2007 to buy Sonus Faber Elipsas

Since I'm a slow learner, I did it again! But this year I sold my Harbeth 40.1's for... Harbeth SHL5 +. (The 40.1's just couldn't work in my room)

Claude

I would not have sold my CB Nait 2 for a UQ2 (I got the Nait 2 after selling CDX2, 202/200, Hicap2, NAPSC -  could have missed out this expensive step). I also got rid of my Logitech Transporter (with big knob) at the same time.

Happy ending - back with a CB Nait 2 and Aries Mini.

Hungryhalibut posted:

I forgot to include a CDX2, CDS3, XPS2, 555PS and a CD5x.... As to whether I enjoyed it, the answer has to be yes and no. I imagine it's like drugs - not that I've ever taken them - enjoyable at the time but the withdrawal is less so. 

there is no question that hifi can be addictive -- and i see this in myself an other similarly afflicted naim owners. if the addiction can be seen in the context of wanting some music in the home, then i guess its OK. There have been many a nights when i have gone to bed very late because i had been listening to my system... you know the sort of thing "OK, just one last one before i go to bed ...!" can play havock with your secadian rhythm...

enjoy

ken

Our bedroom is above the sitting room, so that never happens here, which is no doubt a very good thing! Oh, I forgot to mention the UnitiServe and a hiline.

joe,

is your question would you take the same route or would you (once more) arrive at your present system?

Max

It's the journey, not the destination.

I'd do 2 things differently:

1. I sold a Linn Mimik II CD player, Majik, Keilidhs with the Kustones when I emigrated 15 years ago. Only to end up with a 250 quid Onkyo micro system for the next decade. Oh man do I regret that. I should have kept the electronics and picked up Tukans. What the foxtrot was I thinking?

2. When I bought my current system I could have and should have done a 252 instead of the 282. Considering I bought the entire system on my profile in one go (which included a SCDR), the difference in cost for a 252 would have been negligible. Again, what the foxtrot was I thinking?