How did you arrive at your current system?

• 1978
  • Rotel RP830 Turntable
    
    • Rotel RA-414
      • Rotel 50W
• 1987
  • Linn Axis Turntable
    • Naim Nait
      • Linn Kan
• 1991
  • Nakamichi CDP2
    • Naim NAC 62/140
      • Linn Kan
• 1992
  • Micromega T-Drive, T-DAC
    • Naim NAC 62/140
      • Sonus Faber Minuetto
• 2006
  • Naim CDS3 | XSP2
    • Naim NAC 202 / NAP 200 / HC
      • Sonus Faber Cremona
• 2011 (Arrived at final system!?)
  • Naim CD5X[ Transport ] + Mac Mini + Weiss Minerva DAC
    • Naim NAC 252 / SCDR /  NAP 250.2
      • Sonus Faber Electa Amator 2
• 2016 - Under consideration (Improved SQ, Tiny Footprint)
  • Naim CD5X[ Transport ] + Mac Mini
    • Devialet LE 250
      • Boenicke W8 SE+

cheers!

Hungryhalibut posted:

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. 

Great post HH, well said and written.

For me it has been like chasing the dragon.. and over the years have probably spent far too much on buying and selling of Naim and other brands, but a bit like HH it leaves you rather experienced, a resist  the word 'knowledgable' on putting systems together.

My appetite for audio was whet in the early 80s listening to a neighbour's high end japanese hifi system.. I can remember the brand .. I was only a kid, but there  severeal chunky silver boxes .. It sounded impressive and fun.

I got a Sharp VZ2500 when I was about 16/17 it was great .. It play 12" singles fantastically. and at that time most of my music was in that format.

I went to Uni, and I designed and built my own amps and speakers... because I could ... it was fun and a achievement... but my eyes opened further when my uni flat mate bought a system based on a NAD 3020 and Tannoy Mecury speakers and a Yamaha tape deck and a TT I can't remember the brand.. It sounded fun and punchy...and I contributed the 14 bit Marantz CD player.. which wasn't really a match for the tape deck or TT.. I was learning.. Also my homebrew started sounding lacking by comparison. hardly surprisingly....

I then had a short internship at the BBC with Studio Engineering, both vision and sound... that set my references of what does good sound like.

My first few pay cheques as a post graduate had me buying my first seperates system.. NAD, Tannoy and Yamaha... I still had my Marantz CD player.. It sounded great esp on vinyl and survived a few rented house parties...

But after a while I decided my CD player was sounding too lacking... What to do.. We were early 90s now, a lot was happening with digital audio.. A work colleague introduced me to this 'hifi dealer' that operates from his house and does home demos... I was introduced to an early Alastair Gardner ... who has remained my main dealer ever since.. I bought an Arcam Alpha+ CDP through him.. that was fantastic and a revelation .. CD actually sounded good and fun.

I progressed through Arcam amps and then Cyrus mono block amps.. Audiolab DACs and various de jitter methods.. My Alpha5+ became simply a transport...

Around 2004 the Alpha5+ packed up... Alastair introduced me to Naim .. I bought a CDX2 and then an XPS2. My amps were all Cyrus mono blocks X series.. My speakers, again thanks to Alastair were ATCs.. It all sounded fantastic, punchy and lively.. this lasted a few years. I listened to Naim amps at the time, but only through Naim speakers.. I didn't like it... I stayed with Cyrus, but did later buy a used CDS3... 

Whilst all this was happening I was playing with streaming. I first started in the late 90s, biut it was predominately PC bound.. going through the 2000s I played and owned various Squeeze box products, discovered the effects of RFI on audio etc...all good fun but took a lot of effort and customisation to get sounding good...it also looked all a bit Heath Robinson... but it did encourage me to have some very informative discussions with Denis Morecroft, probably one of the leading lights on RFI and its effects on hifi audio equipment.

Then Naim brought out the NDX.. There was a lot of buzz and ecvitement.. I listened to it ... I was underwhelmed compared to my CDS3.. I then heard a NDX feed a Naim DAC/555PS... now we were cooking... I home demoed with my Cyrus X amps. It was superb.. I sold my CDS3 and bought the NDX and NDAC and a pre loved 555PS. 

However I had by now started to participate in the forerunner of this forum... , my curiosity on Naim amps rose.. I borrowed, from my accommodating dealer, a little Nait XS .. But used my speakers.. It was a hopeless match, but I could hear something I hadn't heard before, a kind of bounce to the audio... I was hooked.. but at this time funds were a little limited.

i bought a used 202, my dealer provided the 200 and HiCapDR.. ... I had to sell some of my Cyrus to fund, it was initially great but after a while just ok.. but I had a nagging doubt it was not where I was with the Cyrus X series system.

Discussion ensued, and I borrowed a 282... Yes this was it.. I had something definitely at least as good as and almost certainly better than my Cyrus X system and had that added Naim bounce ..I bought a new 282, then the 250.

This was really enjoyable and lasted a couple of years until the next disruption came out ... My dealer let me home demo a Hugo... this was quite a revelation... and had upset the norms I had started to align to with Naim.

The NDAC and 555PS were sold, the Hugo bought, and then slightly later I sold my 282 and bought the 252 again after a lengthy home evaluation... It was a good place to have arrived...

So do I stop here? Probably not... I am interested in active ATC speakers... and if I don't get there I will probably focus on a 552 just because it's there..... but I do now like the idea of simplification and active speakers achieves this for me... 

Sorry all a bit rambling and I have omitted some parts like tuners and DCC... But I assume if you are still reading this it was of some interest..and sorry for any typos.. This was all tapped out on the iPad.

HH - very sobering and puts all this stuff into perspective.

Every one of us is coming to this forum and hi fi from their own personal perspective which constrains or extends their  personal relationship with the sound ... might be money, aspirations, geekiness, time or whatever ...

I have always loved music and had to have something to play it on but initially ignorant and not particularly interested in SQ other than it at least sounds ok.

Early on, like many others, children and other family commitments constrained opportunities and I was happy

My B&O purchase was pure desire for the design and build quality, we all learn ...

Then my sight started to fail and this totally limited my activities; no more driving, TV watching, golf, rugby or squash. Unable to continue model-making, etc.

Sound became my focus, playing my guitar more and listening to music which then naturally turns to getting the best out of it.

Children graduate, move out and funds become more available ... nice timing with the new interest in hi fi equipment

So no money spent on cars, golf fees/equipment, TV/cinema systems etc ... well where else shall I put it

Holidays became more numerous, from 1 to 3 or 4 a year but this wanes and travelling is such a chore!

When I retired I bought my B&W 803D3 with much heart searching on what I considered an extraordinary high price that I couldn't possibly justify ... but then my dear wife put it this way,

"other people buy cars when they retire but you can't so why not buy something that gives you pleasure".

So my journey has been driven by my own situation, but then isn't everybody's?

In terms of what boxes I've bought, I posted earlier that this was driven by my relationship with my dealer but also by my geographic location ...

I am not in a large conurbation with people selling kit and I don't trust 2nd hand postings so I am really limited to new boxes.

I am now in a good place in terms of family, HiFi and finance but then that brings its own issues ...

as someone quoted in an earlier post, he had bought something "... because it was there ...", I have to resist this very hard, but luckily my dealer is good at bringing me down to earth

We all have had different journeys, travelled for different reasons, moved in different landscapes, and are heading to different destinations

... but we all want the best sound we can achieve and it is interesting indeed to follow the stories;

... thanks to the OP for this thread.

Allan

Good, a memory test; something I need at my advanced years.

My years at university were marked by an increasing interest in playing records. Early attempts at building Sinclair DIY amplifiers were pretty poor and I finally persuaded my parents to buy me a Cambridge P50 as a (early) 21st birthday present. I had worked through the summer and that bought me a pair of MA5s. A Connossieur BD1 and a s/h Transcriptors Fluid arm (plus ADC 26) completed a system that I used for a few years.

The MA5s gave way to IMF TLS50 speakers and the Connossieur to a Technics 120 and SME (plus V15).

Getting together with a girlfriend and my first foray into home ownership released funds to get a better deck. We auditioned something (cannot remember) but were persuaded by the dealer to try an LP12. We ended up with that plus an Audiolab 8000 and some Gale speakers (not the sexy ones of the early1§970s).

A few years later I attended the first Bristol hi-fi show and that started my interest in Naim (it was one of those early Linn/Naim joint demonstrations). At the time my girlfriend and I were splitting up and I took the opportunity to upgrade my amplifier and speakers to 62/HC/140 and SBLs.

At this time the Roksan Xerxes was making waves and a demonstration of that deck with an RB300 against the LP12/Ittok showed the clear superiority of the Roksan. I kept with Roksan through many upgrades and now have a TMS3.

SBLs pushed the amplifiers ever upwards and by the late 1990s I had active 250s fronted by an 82.

I hankered for a 52 and saw a 52/135 set-up for sale. The 82/250s were sold and I also took the opportunity to change the speakers for Focal Micro Utopias; these are still in the system.

The 135s morphed into a 300 (subsequently DR'd) and the 52 was traded for a (ex-dem) 552. Somewhere along the way a NAT03 appeared (I know exactly when that was as my wife bought it for a 'significant' birthday) along with a SuperLine/SC.

From a lowly 62/HC/140 my amplifier system has stayed decidedly Naim. With age and years against me I am not sure I shall be making any further significant changes, unless something fails catastrophically.

Hungryhalibut posted:

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 a few minor corrections (I never reached Nigel's level of equipment, and am 8 years his senior) this applies to me too, at perfection.

M

Must have been late 60’s early 70’s for me. Listened to a lot of radio programmes (old valve radio – huge !) and remember hearing bits of operas, and some pop & rock programmes along with the inevitable Sunday evening “Pick of the Pops” with Alan Freeman

I got a Sony tape recorder and started recording lots of radio programmes.

Early 70’s got a Thorens 150 with Ortofon cartridge, Rogers Ravensbrook amp + tuner and home built speakers ( design from a Hi-Fi magazine)

Then bought a Tandberg tape recorder from the designer of the LP12, as it had an output to feed through my amp

Changed speakers to (I think) Lentek – not sure of model -- bought from shop –– no demo rooms in these days!

Then went back to Mr Robertson’s house where I heard his top setup : Thorens 125 / SME 3009 / Shure V15 / Sugden pre/power amps and B&W PH2 speakers  ( which I vaguely remember being told were eventually taken off the market as they produced fumes ???)– they sounded great !

Later heard same setup with B&W 70s – different class to my system – hooked!

Bought Sugden pre/power and LP12  with SME 3009

Added Revox A77 – that was me done !?

After moving around quite a lot between mid 70’s – early 80’s decided after being to a few hi-fi shows in London that my system was not up to the mark

I sold my LP12/Sugden to a friend

New LP 12 / Akito / K9

Started on Naim route 62 /140 – 32 – 82/180 – 82/2 x 135/Hi-Cap – 2^nd Hi-Cap Linn Kans

Various upgrades to LP12 – now Ekos Audio Technica OC9 Lingo I

Had I known more I would have realised the weakest  link in the system was the Lentek speakers, I had thought the Sugden amp was the problem, as soon as I changed the speakers – sound cataracts removed !

Now having recently re-setup my system in detached house (used to be flat) I am really enjoying it, possibly for the first time, as can now play at more realistic volume levels. The quality of sound and musical joy is just wonderful!

HH – your post is of course true, we are all VERY fortunate to be able to listen to music at this level – would I do it all again, all that cash spent – probably, can’t help being human – and what a wonderful hobby! (a lot cheaper than cars !?)

Anyway I think I am now finished !?

P.S. Supercap arriving next week – speakers ?

I started out with a Thorn music centre bought as a Christmas present in about 1975.

That lasted until i was in the 6th form at school where I bought my mate's Pioneer receiver and B&O speakers and a new Technics SL-Q202 turntable from one of the shops on Tottenham Court Road.

This lasted until I was 20/21 when I bought my first "proper" hi-fi from The Sound Organisation by London Bridge: Manticore Mantra/ Linn LVX/ Nagaoka MP11 cartridge/ Rotel RA820BX/ Heybrook HB1's.

At the end of the demo, Hamish powered the HB1's with Naim NAC 32 (i think)/ NAP 250. I have wanted to own the NAP 250 ever since.

In 1988, I bought a Denon CD player and Arcam Alpha tuner with my first student grant cheque. I also added Technics RS-BX606 and RS-BX626 cassette decks in the early 1990's.

I then upgraded my Denon CD player and Rotel amp with Arcam Delta 290 amp and Alpha 5 CD player in about 1994.

There have also been various cartridge upgrades as I still have Linn L9 and K18 cartridge bodies.

My next upgrades were to the turntable, Musician arm, Megabearing, motor upgrade, fibrelam subchassis, MB6 power supply and Goldring GL1042 cartridge.

A couple of years later I met my (now) wife and when we moved into our current home, she said my HB1's and their (TBH pretty ugly) stands had to go. Also, my CD player packed in about this time so I bought a Cyrus CD6 CD player and a Cyrus 6 amp driving Quad 11L's. These were bought "blind" as there isn't a hi-fi dealer near where I live and TBH, if I had auditioned them I wouldn't have bought them!

Finally, I received some money from a legacy so earlier this year I bought my 1st and 2nd Naim systems:

1. QNAP HS-251+ NAS drive and my heavily upgraded Mantra through Stageline/ Hi-Cap DR/ NAC-N 272/ NAP 250 DR driving Neat Momentum SX5i's.

2. UnitiQute 2 driving Neat Motive SX3's.

Both systems sound superb and are well worth the long hi-fi journey to get to my Naim systems.

The "big system" may be upgraded with an XPS DR power supply, SL cables and powerlines, but that's probably about as far as I'll go.

I cannot really remember the years - bar when I began and when I 'went Naim' - but here is a brief history of the 'systems' I have enjoyed from start to finish.

1980 - Thorens TD160 II + SME IIIs + Ortofon VMS 30 + Sansui 217 mk2 amp + Mission 710 speakers

Upgraded the amp to Audiolab 8000A and added the first Philips Bitstream CD player (840 if I recall)

Upgraded the CD player to a Cyrus dAD7 and PSX-R.

The amp broke so I purchased a TAG McLaren pre and a pair of their power amps at a sale price and also acquired some B&W P4 speakers that I bi-amped with hefty Van den Hul cables. All very exotic and a right pain wiring wise. I then purchased a Roksan Caspian tuner in a sale - very nice.

2008 - Went Naim. CDX2+XPS+NAC282+HiCap+NAP200+Headline+Stageline + PMC GB1i speakers with NAC5 cables. I wanted a final system (little did I know!!). To my amazement I did not listen to anything else - there seemed no need as it blew what I had into the long grass and gave me the sound I was looking for - essentially energetic.

I had always fancied a Roksan Xerxes deck (the Thorens was looking a bit dated) and saw an unused 10 for sale at a great price on eBay - so took the plunge. It came with an Origin Live modified RB250. I bolted in my current Goldring 1042 (Ortofon had long since ceased selling replacement styli) and started buying vinyl again.

Currently I have the following Naim electronics: CDX2+XPSDR+NAC252+SCDR+NAP250DR+Headline+Stageline. I now use Chord Signature TA interconnects. I also have a Squeezebox Duet streamer that I output digitally into a Cambridge Dacmagic I have recently purchased KEF Reference 1 speakers and some Chord Epic Reference cables though these are not installed yet as the system has been out of action since April due to building works that are now thankfully coming to a conclusion.

The purchase of the KEF's is the end of the Hi-Fi road for me. I really like what the system does (or will do once fired up again) and could never financially justify (to myself) moving up to the 500 series - or beyond (help!!). I am not interested in computers / music servers as my main source (too much hassle) or hi-res (too many formats and not enough product that I might want). I'll continue with CD's and Vinyl and the wonderful way that Naim (and the other bits) presents what is on them  - and using internet radio / streaming services to uncover new artists / albums.

Thanks everyone for some great posts it is really nice to read the more personal stuff and some great advice from HH regarding priorities.  There is one golden rule we should all stick to and that is DO NOT break the bank on this stuff if you can pay for it and you can afford it fine but do not borrow money to buy it EVER! It will sound so much better if its paid for I promise.

Hungryhalibut posted:

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. 

You sound younger

Due to an audiophile friend at work I got interested in Naim 16 years ago and bought a Nait 5. Before that I had several other brands, Cambridge Audio, Micromega.

Since then the system has evolved more or less steadily, details are in my profile. Major turning points were the switch to a Linn streamer in 2009, conversion to an active system in 2013 and the arrival of a used pair of SL2s in 2014. Should I have to repeat this journey I would probably follow a similar path except for the SuperNait, which was fun to listen to (didn't like a 202 in my system) but a bit of a dead end upgrade-wise, especially when aiming for an active system.

I believe that many small upgrades lead to higher, continuous satisfaction than a single big one. The hobby should last for a lifetime, so spread the upgrades over as much time as you can. And don't get into debt because of hifi (although with the current interest rates ...).

We did some serious auditioning -- repeatedly at HiFi Centre in Vancouver in 2007, shortly before our big move to Europe. Got the Fidelity Acoustics, the Supernait and the cabling there, with the dealer converting the whole power thing in the Naim for us; we picked up the Rega Apollo in from a dealer in Italy. We added the Dune HD server when we were living in MC.

Nine years (and one major board replacement in the SN) later, so far so good....

jfritzen posted:

I believe that many small upgrades lead to higher, continuous satisfaction than a single big one. The hobby should last for a lifetime, so spread the upgrades over as much time as you can. And don't get into debt because of hifi (although with the current interest rates ...).

Interesting! I've always felt that making fewer, larger jumps is the way to go. Mainly because it costs much more to stand on every rung on the Naim ladder, so I prefer to miss a few out, and get more of a wow factor with each change. My last was from Superuniti to NDX/282/200DR.

Bob the Builder posted:

There is one golden rule we should all stick to and that is DO NOT break the bank on this stuff if you can pay for it and you can afford it fine but do not borrow money to buy it EVER! It will sound so much better if its paid for I promise.

That should apply to most things in life: hifi, cars, Christmas presents for children, holidays - except for critical things where in reality there is no other way, e.g mortgage for a house. But alternatively, provided you budget properly and the interest rate is not obscene (many are!), then nothing wrong with a loan if the caost of the interest is worth it for The longer period of enjoyment of whatever it is.

jfritzen posted:

 

I believe that many small upgrades lead to higher, continuous satisfaction than a single big one. The hobby should last for a lifetime, so spread the upgrades over as much time as you can. 

Alternatively maybe, if the hobby is primarily the outcome rather than the hifi upgrades, as few bigger steps as possible may give more satisfaction with playing the music while possible costing less overall... 

al9315 posted:

Changed speakers to (I think) Lentek – not sure of model -- bought from shop –– no demo rooms in these days!

S4?

C.

jfritzen posted:

Due to an audiophile friend at work I got interested in Naim 16 years ago and bought a Nait 5. Before that I had several other brands, Cambridge Audio, Micromega.

Since then the system has evolved more or less steadily, details are in my profile. Major turning points were the switch to a Linn streamer in 2009, conversion to an active system in 2013 and the arrival of a used pair of SL2s in 2014. Should I have to repeat this journey I would probably follow a similar path except for the SuperNait, which was fun to listen to (didn't like a 202 in my system) but a bit of a dead end upgrade-wise, especially when aiming for an active system.

I believe that many small upgrades lead to higher, continuous satisfaction than a single big one. The hobby should last for a lifetime, so spread the upgrades over as much time as you can. And don't get into debt because of hifi (although with the current interest rates ...).

That's an interesting viewpoint. In my view, many small upgrades lead to continuous DISsatisfaction because you are always thinking about the next upgrade and hence not enjoying what you've got. Ultimate satisfaction, to me, comes from having a stable system and getting your enjoyment from the discovery of new music, as well as enjoying the music you've already got of course. 

S4 ?  - I have no way of finding out now, but images on the internet look about right - long gone

I do know that when the Kans arrived I had treble for the first time !

Perhaps they were faulty, I just do not remember, but they were a bad purchase, they were just dull - I would have thought my Sugden amp was sufficient to power them ?  (C51/P51 )

I would consider changing y speakers now, but finding (new) any which will perform well - back against the wall seems like an uphill struggle?!

Thanks

Al

Thanks Al. The failed academic in me is trying to eek out a little system-matching wisdom from the past. The Lenteks could have worked very nicely with another amp rather than the Sugdens. And the Sugdens could have worked very nicely with different speakers. But not together. All imo of course. Nothing wrong with either product per se.

But as you say there were no dealers. And 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Chris

No *demo rooms*

C.

Hungryhalibut posted:

jfritzen posted:

I believe that many small upgrades lead to higher, continuous satisfaction than a single big one. The hobby should last for a lifetime, so spread the upgrades over as much time as you can. And don't get into debt because of hifi (although with the current interest rates ...).

That's an interesting viewpoint. In my view, many small upgrades lead to continuous DISsatisfaction because you are always thinking about the next upgrade and hence not enjoying what you've got. Ultimate satisfaction, to me, comes from having a stable system and getting your enjoyment from the discovery of new music, as well as enjoying the music you've already got of course. 

Well, it's only a belief on my side. The happy sensation after an upgrade wears off after some time, and, I claim, faster than proportional after a big update. One takes the system for granted after some time, even an excellent one. And the upgrade itch is always there, triggered by unexpected tax refunds, visits at dealers/friends, this forum, a recording that doesn't have the emotion that it used to have etc. The assumption that after a big upgrade the urge for further upgrades will vanish is probably a self-delusion. On the other hand, giving in to the upgrade itch with continuous, smaller upgrades keeps the limbic system happy. Small upgrades may even be simple cable redressing, tidying the rack etc, ie actions that don't cost much money.

But it's only my theory and need not apply to other people.

Christopher_M posted:

No *demo rooms*

C.

If Mr Robertson had survived - he actually had a large lounge with a fair selection of equipment (mostly beyond my means) in which customers (bringing their own LPs) sat down and were treated !, comparing various speakers and amps etc. This was in the early 70's ! A bit before his time, but sadly died.

The first time I went to a Hi-Fi shop with a demo room was probably in the 80's ?!

Al

ChrisSU posted:

jfritzen posted:

I believe that many small upgrades lead to higher, continuous satisfaction than a single big one. The hobby should last for a lifetime, so spread the upgrades over as much time as you can. And don't get into debt because of hifi (although with the current interest rates ...).

Interesting! I've always felt that making fewer, larger jumps is the way to go. Mainly because it costs much more to stand on every rung on the Naim ladder, so I prefer to miss a few out, and get more of a wow factor with each change. My last was from Superuniti to NDX/282/200DR.

Chrissu lovely system.

I'm pretty chuffed with it, thanks, Bob. Went to my dealer last year thinking I'd probably go for 272/XPS/250, but despite the 'inferior' power amp, this setup just sounded more musical to me. Still a bit more tweaking to do, but 3 boxes is my limit.

Compared to many, mine is a simple and short list!

1972: Pioneer PL12D turntable, Shure M92ED cartridge, Yamaha 50W amp, Yamaha cassette deck, Yamaha NS625 speakers.

1981: Replaced all above with Technics separates and B&W bookshelf speakers

1995: Upgraded the Technics to Teac with KEF eggs and sub surround speakers.

2015: Cashed in an old pension fund and bought my first (and so far only!) Naim systems.

With 18 months serious listening under my belt and an imminent inheritance, am now seriously considering what I hope will be my final move, much along the lines of what Hungry Halibut has arrived at. The SU/Proac combo thrills me every time I listen to it (at least 3 hours a day), but I know there is achievable improvement to come.

My only regret is having not built upon my earliest system, instead allowing myself to be seduced by fashionable mini separates and, worst of all, selling my collection of 500+ albums in the early '80s.