How did you arrive at your current system?

After many years going through combinations of CD players, integrated and AV amps, I had settled on an Arcam AV8 and P1000 power amp fed by a Squeezebox Touch and driving a pair of B&W CDM7NT.  The unfortunate demise of my AV8 had lead me to a sideways step of an Arcam AVR400 but music was more of a secondary entertainment for me.

Well a fortuitous (or is that dangerous) browse of a local HiFi Store lead me to a UnitiQute mk I but with 24/192 upgrade.  This added something which had been missing and started to bring me back to enjoying music more for its own sake.  A few months later I was fortunate to find ex-demo a NAP200 and pair of PMC 20.23 - a bit of a risk buying blind but at the price was almost as good as a home demo.

Earlier this year I got a good deal on the NAC-N 272 and bought blind.  Fortunately it's very much completed the system with a good deal of "rightness" to the sound.  Now at the tweaking stage - cables and a decent rack in my sights as well as a vaigue plan to split 2 channel and multi-channel which will allow a reorganisation of the room.

Bob (The Builder),

I certainly don't mind being quoted, I am honoured instead. I only want to add, very briefly, that the process I wrote of is the top of a pyramid that was built starting from the early 80s, with a peak of insane activity between 2006 and the present day.

So, to answer your post's caption directly: slightly tired, with money well spent and money wasted, with an irrational loath for couriers, with lots of experience and having often made a fool of myself, just here.

Best

M

Life takes funny turns. My mother-in-law died this summer just as we were due to jet off on holiday. As it was the result of a pre-existing condition the insurance was useless, so we lost thousands. I agreed to recapitalise some of the hi-fi to restock the family holiday fund.

Glad I did. Very happy with my '3 boxer'.

G

My audio career started with a Revox based system with JBL speakers. At the time I bought it it was quite a good system (1990). In 2009 I had to replace the speakers and was then also motivated to switch to Naim. My starting system was Verity Audio Speakers, standard Naim naca5, cdx2, nap200, nac282 with hi cap, and the CDX was powered by and XPS. First upgrade was the move to a NDAC added to the CDX2 and powered by the already mentioned XPS. Then I switched to a 252 a year later. The next step was the move to a 552dr, and shortly after that the NDS with the 555ps dr. A little later I switched my nap200 for a 300. Cables became superlumina speaker and interconnect. Then I had the luck of being able to switch  to a 500 due to a statement buy of somebody else. Then I moved to my Melco base version. I shortly after got my fraim in place. The last step was the change of the Melco for the bigger brother with 6tb. I am fine now, while I might once get to dr for my 500.

If money would become less of a topic I might want to finally add the second 555ps....., but will not happen as money doesn't flow in....

Massimo Bertola posted:

Bob (The Builder),

I certainly don't mind being quoted, I am honoured instead. I only want to add, very briefly, that the process I wrote of is the top of a pyramid that was built starting from the early 80s, with a peak of insane activity between 2006 and the present day.

So, to answer your post's caption directly: slightly tired, with money well spent and money wasted, with an irrational loath for couriers, with lots of experience and having often made a fool of myself, just here.

Best

M

+1 Max I have a very rational hatred of couriers with particular venom reserved for those self employed couriers who like  squeeze too many parcels into their Ford Fiesta's and leave expensive HiFi in amongst the plant pots!

I will add my own now as the thread has gone a bit quiet, I got back into HiFi about 13 or 14 years ago my Mrs bought me a usb TT so that I could download all of my old vinyl I went through a few integrated's an old Nad c370 that I loved kept blowing the left channel so I just tried lots of amps I even tried a Yaqin mc 10 valve amp (sparkly but no Bass) so I ended with a CB 32.5/90/HiCap which I loved and then added a modded 140 and UnitiQute 2 which I really, really like and then bought, sold and traded my way through UQ2/122x/150/FlatCap XS to a N5XS/202/200/Napsc and a CB HiCap I have tried a SuperCap an Olive 250 and a non-Naim PSU and a Nait XS I flirted with a Nat01 for a while. When it comes to speaker cables I have tried Chord Rumour, Naca 4 and 5 but have just added TQ Black which I really like. So far as Interconnects go I have tried Grey, Lavander and Black Snaics, Flashback, Chord Cobra 2 and also some others but have ended up with Black and Lavander snaics an AR Sound Lunar on my ND5 & Chord Chrysalis on my phono stage.  About a month ago I added my first Powerline I'm kind of one stop away from my final stop which hopefully will be NDX/282/200D.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

1981 Thorens TD 166, Homebrew Mk1 (current dumping) amp, QED 79 cables, Castle Tynes.
Homebrew Mk1 worked but wasn't that good: subsequent modifications taught me a lot.

1984  Replace the Homebrew Mk1 with Homebrew Mk2 - a heavily modified Hitachi Mosfet amp, used Belden twinax cables and used mechanically linked ALPS mono volume controls one for each channel.  This was a vast improvement.  Mods in 1985 & 1986 included better power supply (240VA) capacitors (4x 4700μF Elna Cerafines) and improvements to the quiescent current (increased to 42mA), overall a very worthwhile improvement.  This version bettered both the Audiolab 8000A and the Mission Cyrus II.

1985  Yamaha CDX2

1986  Spendor SP2s.  Listened to many speakers £400-£725 I still have most of the listening notes!  Origin Live speaker stands.

1996  Marantz CD63 KI sig.

2001  Partington Dreadnought stands

2002  Audiolab 8000s very slight improvement over Homebrew Mk2, but had remote control (for domestic reasons).

2006  Exposure CD 2010s.  This brought back the vitality that was missing from the Audiolab.

2013  Custom Design CS104 Signature stands & Audioquest 14/4 cable.  Added more clarity and vitality.

2014  ND5 XS and Nait XS 2.  Upped the game into a completely new ball park.

2015  Cuddly toy Cap and XPS, new cables based on Mogami W2534.

2016  NAC-N 272 - report to follow!

Per aspera ad astra.

JVC A-X2 integrated + Pioneer PL-2300 TT + JVC XL-V235 cd player + KEF C15

NAIT 2 + Cambridge Audio Azur 351C cd player + KEF C15

NAC62 + NAP180 + CD5X + INTROs

NAC82 + NAP180 + CDX2 + Rega P3 + SBLs

NAC82 + NAP180 + CDX2 + LP12 + SBLs

Bob the Builder posted:

I will add my own now as the thread has gone a bit quiet, I got back into HiFi about 13 or 14 years ago my Mrs bought me a usb TT so that I could download all of my old vinyl I went through a few integrated's an old Nad c370 that I loved kept blowing the left channel so I just tried lots of amps I even tried a Yaqin mc 10 valve amp (sparkly but no Bass) so I ended with a CB 32.5/90/HiCap which I loved and then added a modded 140 and UnitiQute 2 which I really, really like and then bought, sold and traded my way through UQ2/122x/150/FlatCap XS to a N5XS/202/200/Napsc and a CB HiCap I have tried a SuperCap an Olive 250 and a non-Naim PSU and a Nait XS I flirted with a Nat01 for a while. When it comes to speaker cables I have tried Chord Rumour, Naca 4 and 5 but have just added TQ Black which I really like. So far as Interconnects go I have tried Grey, Lavander and Black Snaics, Flashback, Chord Cobra 2 and also some others but have ended up with Black and Lavander snaics an AR Sound Lunar on my ND5 & Chord Chrysalis on my phono stage.  About a month ago I added my first Powerline I'm kind of one stop away from my final stop which hopefully will be NDX/282/200D.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Yeah.... that's what I thought six years and about £40k ago Bob  

Early 1970's 

AR turntable with some cheapish Shure cartridge; Rotel tuner amp; some cheap speakers of indeterminate make.

Then got 2nd hand Kef Chorale speakers - no memory of from where!

mid 70s - added Sony cassette player.

Knew there was hi fi stuff out there but it was "not for the likes of us" being expensive and nowhere to see or hear it in the wilds of NE Scotland!

1980s 

B&O system with TT, cassette and radio - no memory of the model but came with really swanky rubber belts for volume and tuning!

Bought because there was a shop in Dundee doing what seemed a good deal and it really looked lovely - I have a recollection of £699 for the lot including the system stand and speakers

These were the days when you bought in shops and would not consider sending away for stuff ...

early 1990s

Then replaced with a seperates system of all Technics - bought because that was the only "hi fi" gear in the only shop in the town that sold this kind of stuff. Included my first CD player, TT,cassette, radio, speakers and a really solid black stand that we used as furniture for a number of years afterwards.

Mid 90s

Found my current dealer in a nearby town due to a work colleague telling me about getting his speakers repaired there ... and, oh boy, has that conversation not cost me a lot of money !!!

Wanted to get into seperates with a CD player, amp and speakers ...

Since I now had a shop that sold such stuff, I even made a short-list from the hi fi magazines

Even at that first visit, with a restricted budget, I was given every help in listening to components; although at that time I was only in the downstairs room, didn't get upstairs into the room with the comfy chairs for a few years after that!!!

The dealer made me realise that digital sources had different sounds; I thought digital was digital and that was that (still haven't learned that lesson 'cause I'm still cynical about streaming).

So ended up with NAD CD player, NAD C32 (?) amp and B&W CD1M (?) speakers; the speakers were entirely at the dealer's suggestion and (over budget of course)  I still remember vividly him playing music on the speakers I wanted and then on the B&W - was like opening thick curtains from in front of the speakers. In fact those speakers are now doing sterling service in my son's system.

From there, Trust has been built and each step has been at his initial recommendation on my query as to where to go next ...

Technics turntable -> Riga P3 -> LP12 Majik/Klyde -> Krystal

NAD cd -> CD5X (my first Naim) -> UnitiServ/DAC v1

NAD amp -> 202/200 -> 250DR

CD1M -> 803S -> 803D3

I still remember that CD5X - what a revelation and what a conversation piece with guests - "It cost how much!!! ... and you have to put the CD in yourself with that silly little puck thing ..."

Where would I have been if a chance discussion with a colleague had not taken me to my dealers? ... I shudder at the mess I might have got myself into!

Long may dealers like Robbie, and his father before him, provide their services,

Allan

This thread promises interesting things- though some inevitable lengthy!

Through much of my system building budget was a prime consideration, particularly in the early years, so both DIY and secondhand have featured at times, while after the first few years I tended not to think about upgrading except when something has broken, or an unexpected opportunity has presented itself.

Started with DIY system when aged 15: Garrard SP25/Shure M3D +Sinclair Project 60 bareboard modular amp in DIY plinth, plus DIY speakers. My system was featured in a HiFi mag review of readers' systems, and praised for achievement on a tight budget, while identifying room for improvement (!)

Within a year or two I'd built a better pair of speakers with KEF drivers - definite improvement especially top end. Then rebuilt the amp to using bridged output for greater power and headroom, with separate power supply for each channel.

Starting full time work soon led to changing the turntable to Thorens TD150 (many later viewed it as the design that spawned the Sondek, and not vastly inferior) - significant improvement over the rumbling idler-wheel drivel Garrard. Cartridge changed to, i think, Shure M75.

A windfall in ~1975 and I went shopping with a whopping (for me) £300 budget (~ £2,000 - £2,500 in today's money I guess), at which fairly elevated price point I was amazed to find how every speaker sounded so completely different: not subtly, but mostly like chalk and cheese, though a few perhaps more like Comte and Brie. So having spent two solid days listening to a dozen different pairs - some for only half a track - I settled on IMF TLS50s, the one I kept finding myself returning to after others. Whereas many of the speakers I listened to were the top of the respective manufacturers' ranges -the best they could do - these were only halfway up the IMF range, yet they sounded so much better than all the others I heard: well balanced, while at the same time the only ones with clean, deep bass - I had fallen in love!

Shortly after I changed the amp to a Radford HD250 (but I can't remember why I settled on that one at the time).

Some 10 years after getting the Thorens I changed its arm for a Rega RB300 and rebuilt the turntable's plinth more solidly and gave it spiked feet. Cartridge changed to high output moving coil (Coral 777ex if memory serves)

Built a moving coil phono 'head amp' to enable low output MC cartridges, battery operated so no power supply issues.

I listened to, and rejected, CD several times, until hearing the Cambridge CD2 in about 1989. (Auditioning the CD2 had involved me taking my rather large and heavy IMF speakers to the dealer to be sure I was hearing as close as possible to at home - they were a bit taken aback at the size of things to carry upstairs, but happily did so!

Started to build a CD collection, and both CD and vinyl lived happily side by side.

Then I saw an advert for secondhand IMF Ref Standard Prof Monitors, which had been top of the range when I had bought the TLS50s. The price was ridiculously low so I went for a listen and couldn't help myself, I fell in love with another model, jilting the TLS50s...

The CD demo had also unintentionally shown me a better amp, though I couldn't afford to buy that as well - but a couple of years later I saw one secondhand, Musical Fidelity The Preamp2A plus P170 power amp.

Ten years or so (and many 1000s of hours) after getting the CD2 it had had enough, so I searched for a replacement and settled on Shearne Audio Phase 7, surprisingly similar in sound to the Cambridge, or perhaps not surprising as both were very good.

Then one day playing Deep Purple's 'Made in Japan' at concert level the MF preamp's moving coil input went into oscillation on one channel when, resulting in a speaker cone extraction from the far wall... Fortunately replacement drivers were readily available - however the preamp couldn't be trusted after that, so a quick search for a replacement came up with a secondhand TagMcLaren PM10.

Unexpectedly (not looking for one) a few years later I saw an advert for a secondhand Musical Fidelity P270, bigger brother to my P170, so got that.

By the mid 'noughties' I my CD collection exceeded vinyl, and some of the latter were showing significant deterioration which I put down to wear (though now wonder if might have been more to do with ingrained decades of dust). So I decided to rip all my LPs and make CDs out of them - which was great as it forced me to play every single LP in real time, so I listened to some things I hadn't done in years. I then sold the turntable and arm.

Then when the Shearne CD player pas a bit past 10 years of age it started to go the its predecessor had at the same age (pesky mechanical things!). In researching possibilities for replacement I came to learn about music streaming, and realised it was the future. Given I had backup copies of all my LPS on hard disk in .wav format, I could change to streaming and have an immediate collection and then rip CDs, so I could do without a CD player, and instead looked for a streamer. Some research led me to the ND5XS, which I found good, actually being very similar in character and SQ to the Shearne CD player.

And a short while later the dealer persuaded me to try the XP5XS, which did improve it further, though I didn't really feel the difference was worth the cost.

That would have been it, me sorted for a few years until something else died - except that through the ND5XS I discovered the Naim forum :-)

Then I started to learn about the Hugo: tried one and very quickly decided that selling the XP5XS to fund it would give me something surprisingly more satisfying, notwithstanding that the ND5XS had seemed right for me.

Meanwhile an unplanned opportunity to buy a Bryston amp at good price has presented an opportunity to assess if that is an upgrade (reputedly excellent at keeping the IMF bass under control, so it will be interesting to see if any different). It seemed great, but I keep listening and forgetting to switch back to compare! Must do sometime.

And seeking a less noisy NAS than the cheap NSA325 I had originally got to go with the ND5XS led me to consider various options, and I settled on a Mac Mini because in addition to being able to work well as a silent NAS, it would open the door to trialling something others had mentioned, which I did, and discovered Audirvana. The MM with Audivana through optical was similar to ND5XS as a renderer, but the supposedly better USB was worse - however received wisdom persuaded me that £120 on an isolator was worth the punt, so I bought a Gustard U12 to go between MM/A and Hugo, and sold the ND5XS. Brilliant! That was it, definitely me done for the forseeable future.

But the future of course isn't forseeable, and turning a sad event into something better led me to consider modernising/upgrading by replacing my now ~45 year old speakers -the part of the system I see every time I sit down to listen, meaning a new pair will therefore trigger memory every time I listen. My thinking was that something more modern might bring a tad more tightness to the bass, and possibly improve in other areas too. So came research and a mammoth audition trek (3 locations, 2 ferry journeys, 2 overnight stops and over 800 miles driving, lugging my large and heavy IMFs into each listening room to enable a proper comparison) culminating in me buying a secondhand pairs of PMC EB1i speakers. which do everything the IMFs do but a bit better. But I had earmarked a larger budget that they cost (I nearly went for some ex-dem PMC MB2s, but domestic practicality had to feature as well) so a few months later on another trip for something else I diverted and had an audition of HugoTT and Dave, against my Hugo and using my source - and am presently auditioning both more fully at home...

rjstaines posted:

Bob the Builder posted:

I will add my own now as the thread has gone a bit quiet, I got back into HiFi about 13 or 14 years ago my Mrs bought me a usb TT so that I could download all of my old vinyl I went through a few integrated's an old Nad c370 that I loved kept blowing the left channel so I just tried lots of amps I even tried a Yaqin mc 10 valve amp (sparkly but no Bass) so I ended with a CB 32.5/90/HiCap which I loved and then added a modded 140 and UnitiQute 2 which I really, really like and then bought, sold and traded my way through UQ2/122x/150/FlatCap XS to a N5XS/202/200/Napsc and a CB HiCap I have tried a SuperCap an Olive 250 and a non-Naim PSU and a Nait XS I flirted with a Nat01 for a while. When it comes to speaker cables I have tried Chord Rumour, Naca 4 and 5 but have just added TQ Black which I really like. So far as Interconnects go I have tried Grey, Lavander and Black Snaics, Flashback, Chord Cobra 2 and also some others but have ended up with Black and Lavander snaics an AR Sound Lunar on my ND5 & Chord Chrysalis on my phono stage.  About a month ago I added my first Powerline I'm kind of one stop away from my final stop which hopefully will be NDX/282/200D.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Yeah.... that's what I thought six years and about £40k ago Bob  

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Per Zafira ad Astra.  If my GP caught sight of this he would certainly section me:

Linn active system - Karik/Kairn/LK100s/Keilidhs - lasted me 15 happy years

Naimuniti + Spendor A5s (simplifying and downsizing.  This is the system to last me another 15 happy  years.)

Naimuniti + NAP250 + Spendor A5s (needed more power, as the Uniti overheated and shut down too easily)

Naimuniti + NAP250 + Ovator S400s (Ovators had more slam/liveliness than A5s, which were a bit boring)

nDAC + XPS + 282 + Supercap + NAP250 + Ovator S400s (great system - why didn't I stop here?)

nDAC + XPS-DR + 252 + Supercap-DR + NAP250 + Kudos S20 (Ovators too big for the room, but the S20s turned out to be too bright)

NDX + XPS-DR + 252 + Supercap-DR + NAP250 + Focal Sopra 1s (still loving the Sopras, but may have to move house to accommodate Sopra 2s or 3s)

NDX + XPS-DR +252 + Supercap-DR + NAP300 + Focal Sopra 1s (NAP300 S/H deal was too good to miss.)

Just need a DR upgrade on my NAP300 and everything will be complete (!!!).  Oh, and maybe an NDS, if one comes up at a reasonable price...  

Things went downhil after I bough my first NAIM - SuperUniti....
So in a way that's a relatively short story. However....
If I cast my mind back to 1991 I remember seeing strange boxes in a window of an Uxbridge shop - LINN and Naim. Looked at the prices - I thought they must have mistyped the numbers  20 years later I can finally afford them. Everything inbetween was a stop-gap solution (mostly Japaneese electronics - Pioneer, Denon).

Bob - I sincerely doubt you will stop at your curret system
I kept pomissing myself something along the same lines. No more changes, no more black boxes with that green logo. And...?
555PS arrived last week...

Started with a Creek CAS4040 amp (a gem, which I'm sad I sold) with a second-hand Micromega CD, Mordaunt Short MS10 speakers and Rega RP3 (which I still have).

Some upgrades later had a Naim Nait 3 ex-dem and CD3.5 with Dynaudio Audience 50 speakers. Loved that system. 

Sold it when I got into streaming with an ex-dem Unitiqute and B&W CM1s. Good, but not the same sound quality.

Added a NAP100. Better.

Sold the CM1s and got the ATC SCM11s ex-dem. Much, much better. Still not as good as the Nait/CD3.5 /Dynaudio though.

Changed the Qute for an ex dem NAC 172xs. Finally, the equivalent of the old system! Hurrah!

Changed the NAP100 for a second-hand (non-DR) NAP200. Wow, much better! Awesome.

 . . . . but somehow, a NAC 272 seems to be calling to me . . . .

Adam Zielinski posted:Things went downhil after I bough my first NAIM - SuperUniti....

So in a way that's a relatively short story. However....
If I cast my mind back to 1991 I remember seeing strange boxes in a window of an Uxbridge shop - LINN and Naim. Looked at the prices - I thought they must have mistyped the numbers  20 years later I can finally afford them. Everything inbetween was a stop-gap solution (mostly Japaneese electronics - Pioneer, Denon).

Bob - I sincerely doubt you will stop at your curret system
I kept pomissing myself something along the same lines. No more changes, no more black boxes with that green logo. And...?
555PS arrived last week...

Very similar story to mine, except no 555PS, congratulations on that purchase,   hopefully it's already starting to sing 

wenger2015 posted:

Adam Zielinski posted:Things went downhil after I bough my first NAIM - SuperUniti....

So in a way that's a relatively short story. However....
If I cast my mind back to 1991 I remember seeing strange boxes in a window of an Uxbridge shop - LINN and Naim. Looked at the prices - I thought they must have mistyped the numbers  20 years later I can finally afford them. Everything inbetween was a stop-gap solution (mostly Japaneese electronics - Pioneer, Denon).

Bob - I sincerely doubt you will stop at your curret system
I kept pomissing myself something along the same lines. No more changes, no more black boxes with that green logo. And...?
555PS arrived last week...

Very similar story to mine, except no 555PS, congratulations on that purchase,   hopefully it's already starting to sing 

It is - I deliberately searched for a non-DR version to power the nDAC (with digital transports being: NDX and CDX2.2). 
nDAC was one of the first NAIM boxes I've bought, initially to upgrade my CD5XS...

Will try to remember my "history"-

My dad surprised me with my first (I wasn't real pleased must have been around 12) as none of it was in the lafayette catalogs I was pouring over at the time. "Standard" integrated amp and tuner,garrard 40b,libertyphone 100( house brand ) speakers.Standard was the marantz sony/superscope company. 1 yr. later amp died and to fixit cost as much as it did "new" in the discounted pkg,when originally bought,so for $30.00 amp was changed to a kenwood Ka 2500. 

turntables garrard 40b,dual, thorens td-145 rega 3,linn lp-12

speakers (over time)- small advent,mission 710,ess,meadowlark shearwater,harbeth m30.1

amp and tuner to yamaha cr-820,then hafler pre-amp and xlr280 tandberg 3011a tuner

tape deck- bell & howell r to r,then traded for an old ampex (the b&h tape always squealed on the heads- no matter how much pads were adjusted) switched to tandberg tcd-340 (still have it).

Current system nac 202/hicap dr,nap 250dr,nat 5 tuner,naim 5I (?) cd w/flatcap2,linn lp12 (after rega 3) lingo,prefix,lyra cart.,harbeth M30.

Life long music fan... had abandoned any serious audio gear interest while my kids were little (i.e. birth to 15 years old). Had amassed a huge digital music collection though... listened primarily through my iMac using Harmon Kardon  Sound Sticks... which I thought were quite posh and good sounding :-)

Decided I would upgrade my desktop speakers... did some research. This lead to a pair of Bowers and Wilkens MM1 speakers with a built in DAC. Was quite the upgrade and I decided there must be something to this DAC thing.

Then my son... a budding music nut.... decided he wanted some good quality headphones for his birthday. Decided to do it right and went to the best hifi shop I knew of at the time (Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto). Whilst shopping with him for his headphones I started perusing the hifi gear... and I decided that I was grown up enough to have a proper stereo :-)

I knew I wanted a computer audio solution given my digital music collection and being rather tech savvy etc... was leaning towards the Peachtree line of gear. Then spoke to someone at Bay Bloor and he recommended something called a Naim Unitiqute. Did some research... ended up deciding I didn't want to settle, so got a Superuniti. Sounded awesome... loved it.

Wasn't really planning to upgrade, but I'd been watching a recent model 250.2 on an auction site and made a rather low offer on it. The seller told me he would consider it, and then emailed a few days later saying he'd accepted an offer closer to his selling price. Then a few days later contacted me to say the sale had fallen through, and he would let it go for the price I had offered. About 3 months later I came across an older 282 and a 3rd party power supply that I got at a very low price... and my Superuniti was pressed into server/dac duties exclusively. Shortly thereafter I found someone who wanted to reduce box count and I traded my Superuniti for an NDX straight up.

Those trades and 2nd hand purchases allowed me to build a solid classic Naim kit at quite a reasonable price (relatively  speaking). I've since worked my way up 252 / 300 DR level gear, and this is likely where my stopping point will be with respect to hardware (although I'd consider a gently used 552 but the price would have to be right :-)

I'm now at the point where I'm fine tuning with things like cables and other tweaks. 

Zipperheadbanjo posted:

Life long music fan... had abandoned any serious audio gear interest while my kids were little (i.e. birth to 15 years old). Had amassed a huge digital music collection though... listened primarily through my iMac using Harmon Kardon  Sound Sticks... which I thought were quite posh and good sounding :-)

Decided I would upgrade my desktop speakers... did some research. This lead to a pair of Bowers and Wilkens MM1 speakers with a built in DAC. Was quite the upgrade and I decided there must be something to this DAC thing.

Then my son... a budding music nut.... decided he wanted some good quality headphones for his birthday. Decided to do it right and went to the best hifi shop I knew of at the time (Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto). Whilst shopping with him for his headphones I started perusing the hifi gear... and I decided that I was grown up enough to have a proper stereo :-)

I knew I wanted a computer audio solution given my digital music collection and being rather tech savvy etc... was leaning towards the Peachtree line of gear. Then spoke to someone at Bay Bloor and he recommended something called a Naim Unitiqute. Did some research... ended up deciding I didn't want to settle, so got a Superuniti. Sounded awesome... loved it.

Wasn't really planning to upgrade, but I'd been watching a recent model 250.2 on an auction site and made a rather low offer on it. The seller told me he would consider it, and then emailed a few days later saying he'd accepted an offer closer to his selling price. Then a few days later contacted me to say the sale had fallen through, and he would let it go for the price I had offered. About 3 months later I came across an older 282 and a 3rd party power supply that I got at a very low price... and my Superuniti was pressed into server/dac duties exclusively. Shortly thereafter I found someone who wanted to reduce box count and I traded my Superuniti for an NDX straight up.

Those trades and 2nd hand purchases allowed me to build a solid classic Naim kit at quite a reasonable price (relatively  speaking). I've since worked my way up 252 / 300 DR level gear, and this is likely where my stopping point will be with respect to hardware (although I'd consider a gently used 552 but the price would have to be right :-)

I'm now at the point where I'm fine tuning with things like cables and other tweaks. 

NDS, NDS, NDS..... 

Oh boy reading this does not give the bank account any hope, but I could have told myself that already!

Winter 2015 - Enter a Sonos Play 3

Spring  2016 - Sony XBR850C that is when the problems started. The picture was exceptional but we could not hear anything. So the though to add a Sonos Playbar started to bubble up then about 2 weeks later I found myself at the Apple store on 5th ave and over the drone of tourists and little speakers hear what I thought was a 3 piece string in the corner... That lead me to find the futuristic egg shaped Devialet Phantom. Blown away by what I just heard coming out of a bluetooth speaker I jumped on my iPhone to find a dealer in the area so I could listen away from the crowds... Enter Innovative Audio where I am introduced to Naim as the Devialet was not working at that time.

Que the sound of money disappearing 

Retire the Play 3 to the bedroom add in a UnitiQute 2 and a Sonos Connect

1 month later (as some of you already know) I find my way into a deal that I can't turn away, a pair of Piano Black B&W 802 D2 exactly 5 weeks later I come to learn the pressure of the significant other as I am forced to sell the "giant black speakers in the living room"  (it was a great 5 weeks though!)

Feeling down I order a pair of Guru Junior Plus direct from Guru / Erik (very bad idea almost 2 months later and I still have yet to see the elusive Juniors)

Based on what everyone says that a NAP 100 really does improve upon the UQ2 and wanting a little more from the system I add a NAP 155XS... great move! sounding much tighter and full and spatial

Now what about the LP's so I went out and got a Pro-Ject - Debut Carbon Esprit SB but it just did not sound like everything I had hoped for so that is going back and tomorrow I am taking delivery of a Linn LP12

That brings us to the current kit UnitiQute 2, NAP 155XS, Linn LP12 w/ Grado Gold, Sonos Connect, Custom Built NAS & Still waiting for the Juniors

Stop here? Probably not I'm now looking for an NAC-N 172 XS to replace the UQ2 which will find a new home in the bedroom and push the Sonos Play 3 that started this whole thing 10 months ago right out the door

8 Months in = Musically enlightened & dirt poor! I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a very enjoyable and VERY expensive journey to somewhere

Rega RP3 + 92/90 + Harbeth P3ES2

add Flatcap

Upgrade to Linn LP12/Aro

Upgrade amps to 202/200

Add Napsc and Hi-Cap

Divorce, start afresh with Nv-i + Neat Iotas

Swap nv-i for Uniti

Upgrade speakers to Harbeth P3ESRs

Add 200

Change source to ND5 XS

Swap Uniti for 282, add Hi-Cap

Upgrade 200 to new 250.2 on bargain deal

Add XP5 XS

Add Chord Hugo, sell XP5 XS

Add Supercap DR (sell HC)

Upgrade speakers to Martin Logan Electromotion ESLs

Upgrade to 252 (sell 282 and - finally - the wretched Napsc!)

Upgrade to NDX

DR the 250.2

(Hi-Line and Powerlines on the way, also a Nat 02 at one point...)

I think the only new Naim boxes I bought were 92/90/FC, 202/200 and 250.2 (last on a great trade-in deal). 20 years of fabulous music!

It's interesting to read of people's journeys, and in particular the personal stuff - I like the way Nick drops in 'divorce' amongst a list of black boxes. 

The other interesting thing for me is where people seem quite blasé about potentially spending far too much. An esteemed forum member once said of me 'there is none so chaste as a reformed whore' : when I first joined the forum I ended up moving from a fully paid for LP12, 82, 250, SBL system to a CDS3, 552, 300, SL2 setup funded through an enormous loan. I then came to my senses and, with a few ups and downs along the way ended up with a lovely CD5x, 122x, 150x system, with nSats and nSub. I then stupidly went back to Olive, started on yet another upgrade spiral and finally thought 'bugger this for a laugh', sold the lot and bought a SuperUniti and some PMCs, which I lived with very happily for two years. 

Then, last year, my dad passed away and I inherited a bit of money, which is how I funded the system I have now, as quoted by Bob at the start of the post. The advantage of my long relationship with Naim, and the enormous amount of their stuff I've owned, is that I'm actually very knowledgeable and very good at putting effective systems together. The disadvantage (which far, far outweighs the advantage) is that I've wasted extraordinary amounts of money that could have been better used on other much more useful things. 

Now, as a 55 year old with no mortgage I can look back in this very rational way, but over the years my excessive Hifi obsession has caused real heartache. I'm sure that very few people here are as foolish as I was, but all I'd say to those starting out is don't look enviously at the big boys and girls with their 552s and their Super Limina leads and think 'I must have that' or, even worse 'I'd be happier if I had that'. I was knocked off my bike two weeks ago and nearly died, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to work again. When you are lying in intensive care you think about your loved ones, you think about the paces you've been and the places you want to visit. You think about the art you've seen and the concerts you've been to. You hope you'll pull through. You don't think about getting a new Powerline or another level of Fraim. 

We are all incredibly fortunate to have lovely systems, whether it be a £600 mu-so Qb or half a million pounds worth of Statement. Be happy with what you have, and don't hanker after things you cannot afford. This is not supposed to be preachy or to imply any special knowledge, but it's just what I've learned along the way, and something that Hilary wishes I'd learned thirty years ago!

It would be great to hear of others' experiences and learning, not just lists of equipment, in this very interesting thread. 

As mentioned at the start of this post "sometimes things just come to you". And I think if you want them badly enough they do seem to have a habit of doing just that!

My early aspirational system was the CB six pack system with Isobariks featured in Naim's 1980 advertising campaign posters. Then subsequently (and indelibly) stamped on my audio memory when I finally heard the system at the sound organisation in London.  It took a few years but it eventually came to me. A house move, kids and school fees meant a downgrade to a passive version that remained pretty much constant for the best part of two decades.

The next house move put my system in a rather large room and although Isobariks did a good job of filling it I'd unfortunately heard DBL's in a mates room that just did It better. Then, to my surprise, a call from a friend of a friend who was moving to a smaller property and couldn't accommodate DBL's asked me if I was interested.

Trouble is DBL'S need power as the screaming fans on the 135's would often tell me! As luck would have it another friend of a friend was in the final throws of purchasing a Statement system and had a spare 500 up for grabs.

This, and a number of front end upgrades, pretty much ends my story. What I can tell you for sure is that the reality of owning this wonderful equipment is, for once, better than the dream of owning it! And in my experience of life life that doesn't often happen!

Some great reading and fun stories in this thread.  My contribution is just the facts (at least, as I best remember them, some of the earlier dates were  bit fuzzy when I started to write it all down about 5 years ago).  I've just made sure its fully up to date.

http://audiophilemusings.blogs...ystem-evolution.html

 In summary, there have been the following number of changes during 36 years of enjoying music:

6 cartridges

5 tonearms

4 turntables

5 turntable psus

2 CD players

4 streamers

5 DACs (some in the streamers)

3 tuners

3 cassette decks

7 pre-amps (one in a streamer)

4 AV processors

1 integrated amp

7 stereo power amps

5 pairs of stereo speakers

5 centre power amps

3 centre speakers

7 rear power amps

6 pairs of rear speakers