How did you arrive at your current system?

ChrisSU posted:

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.

Yes I can't speak for the DR versions but I preferred the 200 over the Olive and Black 250's that was with a 202 though I listen to a lot of Reggae and Jazz and to my ears the 200 lends itself more to those genres of course that is with my setup.

The 202/250 was never a happy partnership. 

Early years for me included Mission, Gale, Exposure, the usual suspects really. Once Naim got under my skin I had a nice CDI 82 180 SBL set up. Loved it too. Thing was my family paternal side seem to kick the bucket young. I had a dream of a system for retirement and decided to remortgage to have it before pushing up daisies!

So, 2004ish I bought my current system, CDS3, 252, 300 into my original SBLs. Added a new Akurate LP12 and newer SBLs this year. 

55, retired, alive and over 10 years of listening to my dream system. Not bad in my eyes. Downside? I am about to start a programme of getting it all serviced as funds allow. No upgrades though, love what I have.

Stu

Bob the Builder posted:

ChrisSU posted:

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.

Yes I can't speak for the DR versions but I preferred the 200 over the Olive and Black 250's that was with a 202 though I listen to a lot of Reggae and Jazz and to my ears the 200 lends itself more to those genres of course that is with my setup.

As HH says, 202/250 is not considered to be a good combination, but I've never tried it.

I'm a little surprised you preferred the 200 to the 250 for reggae, as I'd have thought the extra clout of the 250 would have coped with pounding bass better then the lighter sounding 200. In fact, my one regret about the setup I chose is that I can't run a 250 in it because I'm not prepared to add more shelves and boxes (although I do have a little plan up my sleeve to get round this problem )  

Had a previous basic lp12/cd2/72/hicap/chrome250/IBL system I had to sell to cover medical bills for a chronic illness a few years back. Just recently downsized my lifestyle sold house etc and had some extra cash. Had an idea of what I wanted so I went to online sites and made ridiculous offers on items since I was on a fixed budget. Ended up with a Demo RP6, Stageline (total whim but got it dirt cheap) flatcap2, Nait5i2 and Rega RS1's over a period of three months. Hated the RS1's but luckily stumbled on a pair of NSats.

Ironically, this system is more fun and musically engaging than the previous one, which makes no sense but I'll take it. 

Wow, Funny How Time Flies!

GAS

Great American Sound

Thorens TT/Thallia /Son of Ampzilla/Polk Audio 

LINN

LP-12/Linn LK 1 / 280 /Kans 

LP-12/Nakamichi 680/Linn LK 1 / 280 /Kans 

LP-12/Philips CD960X CD/Nakamichi 680/Linn LK 1/280/Kans

LP-12/Karin/Genki/LK 280/Briks

LP-12/Karin/Genki/Spark/280/ Bi-Amped Briks

LP-12/Karin/Genki/Dirak/X0/Bingo Card/3 x 280s/Briks AKTIV 

*Linn Gear went out, Linn doesn't service older components

How did you arrive at your current system?

Present Systems:

Primare Pre 30/Arcam P1 Mono Blocks/ Vienna Baby Grands

NAIM  

MM/282/HCDR/200/250.2/Bi-Amped Briks  System 1 Flat Earth

MM/Emotiva Dac 1/Primare Pre 30/Arcam P1 Mono Blocks/ Vienna Baby Grands  System 2 Round Earth 

MM/Cdx2 Mk I/282/HCDR/3 x 250.2/Tri-Amped Briks

Naim Dealers are far and few in my Neighborhood, All gear purchased 2nd hand, Canada, USA, Netherlands. 

Joined the Forum January of 2015, getting up in Age, most likely, my last go around, hence thanks to the Forum, This is where I jumped in. 

Hence no experience with Naim Gear, but you know what, to me, its all Hi Fi.  

Funny Thing, the same individuals who suggested I jump in At this point, are the same individuals suggesting I made a blunder, and should continue to Upgrade. 

2007 CES debuts Naims CD555

CD555/282/Snaxo’3 x 250.2s/DBLs

If the the 282 was good enough for the above System, It will work fine for me! 

Next stop, SCDR & Snaxo 362

Nice to have a End Game.

Enjoy the Music, the Why, The How will take care of itself. 

Allante93! 

Started with home theater and changed speakers way to often. Ended up with a pair of Totem Dreamcatchers and Peachtree iNoca for a second system. That started my stereo bug. Upgraded speakers up to Midel 1 Sigs then to Forest. Tried some different Amos from different companies. Ended up with an XS 2. From there I saw the upgrade path was going to get expensive and with a friend going with a Uniti 2 I liked the idea. Talked to my dealer and he agreed so now I have a Uniti 2. Traded in the Forest for Scansonic MB 2.5 and have great synergy with my current system. Added NACA5 and Power-line, both secondhand. Going on 2 years with this system and after my initial reasons for going with the Uniti 2 and reading HH's post I think I'll keep this setup for a while longer and just enjoy the music instead of trying to get to the top of the Naim ladder. I'm sure there is better out there but for now I can't ask for anything else. 

ChrisSU posted:

Bob the Builder posted:

ChrisSU posted:

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.

Yes I can't speak for the DR versions but I preferred the 200 over the Olive and Black 250's that was with a 202 though I listen to a lot of Reggae and Jazz and to my ears the 200 lends itself more to those genres of course that is with my setup.

As HH says, 202/250 is not considered to be a good combination, but I've never tried it.

I'm a little surprised you preferred the 200 to the 250 for reggae, as I'd have thought the extra clout of the 250 would have coped with pounding bass better then the lighter sounding 200. In fact, my one regret about the setup I chose is that I can't run a 250 in it because I'm not prepared to add more shelves and boxes (although I do have a little plan up my sleeve to get round this problem )  

My Guru QM10's and a Sub connected to my HiCap give me more than enough Bass and the double bass on some Jazz recordings is plentiful although Im not saying that once I add a 282 that a 250 won't be my preference because I have yet to have had the pleasure.

Bob the Builder posted:

My Guru QM10's and a Sub connected to my HiCap give me more than enough Bass and the double bass on some Jazz recordings is plentiful although Im not saying that once I add a 282 that a 250 won't be my preference because I have yet to have had the pleasure.

I cheat as well, as I have an N-Sub lurking behind the sofa. Adding the 282 was the final stage of my upgrade, and I found it was letting more bass through. I haven't yet reconnected the sub, as the different cabling required is going to be a bit tricky to instal, but when I do, I'm expecting to have to turn the sub down a bit.

Wow this is testing the grey matter for memory recall;

1992ish...legacy Sony midi system.

added a Denon DCD580 CD player.

added JPW Sonata speakers.

added Denon PMA350 amp, out goes the midi system.

fast forward a few years of working at Sainsburys whilst at University and...

upgraded to Rotel RCD965bx CD player

then Mission Cyrus 2 amp

KEF K140 speakers.

that was a wonderful system actually, and the following few 'upgrades' we're definitely not!

Musical Fidelity E100 amp in (looked great), Cyrus 2 out - mistake.

Pioneer PDS901 CD player in, Rotel out (sideways move).

Heybrook Trios in, KEFs out, definite upgrade.

a few years later, post a demo...

Naim CD3.5 in, Pioneer out...got the Naim bug

Later...

NAC102/NAP140 in, MF E100 out...sounded amazing...

a few months later...

Dynaudio Contour 1.3mkii in, Heybrooks gone to my dad.

fast fwd 9 years - though I would downsize. Sold all my Naim gear (mistake).

various Cyrus box combos, CD XTSE, 8X Pd, moving to SE+ and eventually, having decided I needed a power amp, Pre XPdQx and a NAP 200!). Actually a good system.

eventually, sold Cyrus stuff for the NDX and 202...

recently Dynaudios out, KEF LS50 in to save space.

24 years of hifi up and downgrades...

The thing is, my favourite tunes are still my favourite tunes whether I'm listening to them on my Naim system or a Sonos Play 1.

What HH says is so true and I'm determined to keep my hi-fi journey sane (my family and friends would probably dispute this) which means it is about as interesting as a SAGA coach tour. 

Olly

It all started in late 1985 with LP12/basik/K9 and Creek amp can't remember the speakers. I thought I had reached the end when my 300 was DR'd. Then my dealer mentioned their ex-dem 552 was for sale.

I had never heard the 552, so with the blessing of my good lady wife a home dem was arranged. It never went back. The 252/supercap was sold privately, the 552 DR'd.

The End!!!

Or is it, new speakers next?

Having lost my job following the double whammy of the dotcom bust and recession following the 9/11 attacks I spent the next few years traveling around Asia with only an iPod as my hi-fi. Upon returning to the States and some kind of normalcy I fancied a system. Bucking the trend of home theater systems I opted for a simple integrated amplifier and discovered the joys of the Nait 5i-2. Paired with some B&W CM1s it was the perfect system for my very small living room.

Since my source was an Apple TV I was eager for a DAC and settled on a Cambridge Audio DacMagic which improved the sound a bit, though when the Naim DAC was released I purchased it immediately. I was very much Captain Digital at the time and wanted a simple no-fuss server solution as I was getting tired of ripping CDs via XLD. The Naim UnitiServe delivered the closest "it just works" experience to my Apple TV so I added that.

I was going to stop there. The Nait drives the Wilsons better than one might expect and as long as I sat in the sweet spot it provided all the power I needed. However, once I started moving around my space having moved to a larger apartment I wanted more power. Unfortunately, the kind of sound I wanted from Naim was prohibitively expensive, but I found the kind of engagement I wanted in tube amps, particularly a LAMM LL2.1 preamp and VTL S-200 power amp. They deliver the tight, time-domain sensitivity I love in Naim electronics while avoiding the euphonic coloration normally associated with tubes.

At this point I was pretty near my goal system with only a 555PS for my DAC outstanding. Fate had different plans as I heard a record at a demo that was only available on vinyl. I had to have it, which meant getting a turntable. Not planning to do too much vinyl listening I got a reasonably priced Pro-Ject Debut Carbon for my record. I enjoyed that until I happened to listen to an album I have both on digital and vinyl and my UnitiServe WALKED. ALL. OVER. that turntable!

Upset by this disturbance in the force, I suggested to my dealer that I might be ready for a real turntable. He lit up at the suggestion, I wound up using the funds for the 555PS to buy his LP12 with Ittok, added a Lyra Delos cartridge and a VTL TP2.5 phonostage.

My record collection exploded and I pretty much only listen to vinyl now, using the digital side for parties and dates.

1978 had a Philips Stereo and was going to upgrade to a Trio stack system when this friend of my Dad who was a real music lover had a Thorens 160 S, Quad amps and Rogers speakers invited me round to hear what a separates system could do invited me over and wow.

Went to this specialist dealer in Eastcote (Middx) and he had Linn, Michell, Arcam etc but I could only afford a Pioneer 512D, Pioneer Amp and Ditton speakers but oh it sounded good.

By amazing coincidence at the time I was working with David Hendon on this forum and he was regularly waxing lyrical about his Nakamichi (I never had one!!) and BW speakers and Quad amps.

Roll forward 1985 - upgrade to Ariston RD 80/Linn LVX/K9/Rotel 840BX2/Rotel 850T/Heybrook HBS1.

1990 add Arcam Alpha CD - what a bargain for £400!!

Stayed with that until 2001 - children growing up school fees etc

Moved house in 2001 and decided over time I would invest progressively in a Reference level system - all digital would retire vinyl

The Arcam and Ariston both died so purchased a Rega P25/Aecam CD93.  Loved the Rega (yeah giving up vinyl right) bought a Arcam A85 and then in 2004 the Dyna Contour 1.8s.

Roll forward 2006 recognised that the speakers deserved better amps so went on a never ending round of auditions and after a home demo ended up with the CDX2/202/200but good as it was?  Quickly added a XPS and upgraded to the 282/HC.

2009 - Turntable time another round of demos - Linn/Rega/Michell/Roksan/Avid and got down to a final shortlist of Avid Volvere/SME vs Roksan Xerxes 20+/Artemiz and the latter won out.

Last year 250DR.

On the way loads of records and CDs - also in there a NAT 05, a dedicated radial spur and a few wires and cables.

Job done.

Regards,

Lindsay

In all that in 2014 overlooked swapping out the CDX2 for a CDS3!

For me, It all started as a teen about 18 years ago when my dad gave me his old Sansui stereo integrated with inbuilt DAC, connected digitaly to my (for the time) high-end creative soundcard for PC audio and gaming purposes. Speakers were a pair of Bose 301 series III. Back then I was very impressed with the quality (or was it quantity) of full bodied and hard hitting sound generated in my bedroom.

Real stereo and Hi-Fi aspects such as staging, phase and frequencey response gained my interest several years later when I was into the car tuing scene. Being different from my friends in every way. Whilst everybody was driving Impreza's and VR6's sporting noisy exhausts and big subwoofers for massive bass effects, I had a humble but very fast Peugeot 306 gti in which I had built and tuned several, more sound quality oriented, installations with which I was planning to do competition. This never happened but eventualy translated to a more mature stereo set up at home, with several B&W speakers but ended up with dutch built Driade speakers mated with Marantz electronics in the end. This set lasted several years until an offer came by for my current pair of speakers. Ex-Dem from the Belgium importer of Sonus Faber, beautifully styled and sounding, but never a great match for the Marantz set. This was 5 years ago and together with moving out the house kickstarted a 3 month listening journey which eventualy and gladly led to Naim, making me forget anything Hi-Fi and started bringing back the joy of listening to music as a whole.

My purchased Nait5i2 and CD5i2 system had served me very well for about 4 years before being replaced with a pre-loved Supernait last year. Just last week finally, a much wanted CDX2 (2nd gen) was added. Now this is a system which truely shines and brings back some of the initial musical magic of the 5i2 set as a whole. The CDX2 really is the perfect partner for the Supernait. Synergy of sugested systems and all that, in which I very much believe.

During this whole proces I have only been realy wow'ed once by the aspects of HiFi sound I was chasing all those years when I was in car-audio. This was a demonstration of a pair of modest Totem Rainmaker speakers with unknown Rega electronics, probably equal in price range. This set displayed true holographic imaging in the demo room, and till date I have not heard anything better.

I still have a modest but well matching Marantz PM8200 (one of the best but very underrated Marantz integrated amps) and Driade passive Sub+Sat set playing in the bedroom, and have donated the Sansui to charity when I had the chance.

My story is to long to relate  1957 10 years old listening to records with my older uncle and his mate .1958 saw Buddy Holly hooked , 4500 lps and cd's later without what has been discarded .

Present System LP12 Armageddon Cadenza Red, CDX2 Dr XPS2 Dr , !02 (with Phono Stage ) Hicap , !40 all recapped SBl's  , Apple I Pad ;

Not the best System in the world ,but to me its great ,

It's all about The Music

Bob Walker posted:

 

Not the best System in the world ,but to me its great ,

It's all about The Music

 

 

Been saying this for years,

Doesn't matter how good the hi fi system, it's all about what arrives at your ears, and how that affects you...........speaking as a kid who used to be hunched down under the blankets, (pre duvet days), listening to Radio Luxembourg........... it's actually about how we've arrived at where we are today............possibly with a bit more money to spend on our habit............nevertheless, it remains, as you quite rightly say..............all about the music.

Absolutely - it can be easy to lose sight of the point of buying hifi, so that it becomes an end in itself. I too remember listening to Radio Luxembourg in the early 70s under the blankets on a little portable radio with an earplug. I'm sure the sound quality was abysmal, but at the time I certainly didn't notice. 

dave marshall posted:

Bob Walker posted:

 

Not the best System in the world ,but to me its great ,

It's all about The Music

 

 

Been saying this for years,

Doesn't matter how good the hi fi system, it's all about what arrives at your ears, and how that affects you...........speaking as a kid who used to be hunched down under the blankets, (pre duvet days), listening to Radio Luxembourg........... it's actually about how we've arrived at where we are today............possibly with a bit more money to spend on our habit............nevertheless, it remains, as you quite rightly say..............all about the music.

 

 

Hungryhalibut posted:

Absolutely - it can be easy to lose sight of the point of buying hifi, so that it becomes an end in itself. I too remember listening to Radio Luxembourg in the early 70s under the blankets on a little portable radio with an earplug. I'm sure the sound quality was abysmal, but at the time I certainly didn't notice. 

When I was 11 I used to have a little ITT mono cassette player which was a1 watt in output power.I used to play tapes recorded from my father's stereo.It was a magical.

It was only hearing a girlfriends father's system about 3 years later with a LP12 and Quad 44 -405 amps and ELS 57 ' s that the seeds of what was possible from a sound point of view was planted in my my mind.

So in a way ignorance was bliss.

No regreats about getting into our hobby though.Its always evolving with new products and refinement on product like the LP12 etc.

I keep having to remind myself of the sentiments expressed by HH and Dave Marshall when reading much of the content of this forum. The constant search for 'perfection' which seems to afflict so many forum members is a corrosive thing, detracting from the enjoyment of what, for most people, would be a top class hi-fi. 

Not wishing to get too philosophical here, but it strikes me we would all be much happier were we able to get off the 'upgrade bus'. When I read of people proposing to spend double the value of my entire system on cabling I'm inclined to think I've fallen down the rabbit hole!!

It is all about the music, but for some it's about the kit and the journey too. If you're having fun then that's the main thing. If it's a constant worry (doesn't sound right, chasing the next upgrade fix or your bank owns more of the system than you do) then perhaps it's time to get another hobby...

Timmo1341 posted:

I keep having to remind myself of the sentiments expressed by HH and Dave Marshall when reading much of the content of this forum. The constant search for 'perfection' which seems to afflict so many forum members is a corrosive thing, detracting from the enjoyment of what, for most people, would be a top class hi-fi. 

Not wishing to get too philosophical here, but it strikes me we would all be much happier were we able to get off the 'upgrade bus'. When I read of people proposing to spend double the value of my entire system on cabling I'm inclined to think I've fallen down the rabbit hole!!

Looking at your profile, I think you have got things exactly right. It's the sort of thing Hilary and I would like to do, and having now experienced what being on the verge of death is like, my priorities are now much clearer. 

Crikey, this has been a real memory test 

In hindsight there have been more changes over the years than I realised. No wonder the CFO gets exasperated!

It's been a slow burn, culminating in a rush of activity in recent times. I've highlighted each component that changed at every step. All dates are approximate 

1982 - Sansui SR-222 Mk2, Sony TA-333, bell-wire, Goodmans no-name speakers - the only time I ever had a vinyl-based system. 

1989 - Arcam Alpha 5+ cd, NAD 3225PE, QED 79 strand, Mission 760, atacama SE24 - my first 'proper' hifi

 1999 - Arcam Alpha 5+ cd, NAD C370, QED 79 strand, Mission 760, atacama SE24 - beefed up the amp 

2000 - Arcam Alpha 5+ cd, NAD C370, Nordost SuperFlatline, KEF Concerto 2 - moved house so bigger speakers for a bigger room

 2005 - Rega Jupiter cd, Rega Cursa 3 pre, Rega Maia 3 power, Atacama Equinox rack, Nordost SuperFlatline, Kef Concerto 2 - my first 'serious' hifi 

2009 - Sonos ZP90, Naim Supernait, HiCap, Powerlines, Atacama Equinox rack, NACA5, Kef Concerto 2 - dispensed with cd format and immersed myself in to streaming

 2010 - Sonos ZP90, Naim Supernait, HiCap, Powerlines, Naim Fraim, NACA5, Kef Concerto 2 - a proper rack

2011 - Sonos ZP90, Naim Supernait, HiCap, Powerlines, Naim Fraim, NACA5, Anthony Gallo Ref3.1 - very special speakers 

2012 - Naim NDX, Naim Supernait, HiCap, Powerlines, Naim Fraim, NACA5, Anthony Gallo Ref3.1 - big investment in streaming upgrade

Bah! not at all happy with it, so a big change... 

2014 - Naim UnitiQute, Teddy Pardo DAC-VC, Teddy Pardo MB100 monoblocs, Powerlines, Naim Fraim, TQ Black, Anthony Gallo Ref3.1

OMG! What did I do??! Back to the fold...

2015 - Naim NAC-N272, Teddy Pardo MB100 monoblocs, Powerlines, Naim Fraim, TQ Black, Anthony Gallo Ref3.1 - Bliss 

2015 - Naim NAC-N272, Naim NAP300, Powerlines, Naim Fraim, TQ Black, Anthony Gallo Ref3.1 - An opportunity too good to miss 

2016 - Naim NAC-N272, Naim XPS-DR, Naim NAP300, Powerlines, Naim Fraim, TQ Black, Anthony Gallo Ref3.1 - adding refinement

Who knows what 2017 will bring 

Hungryhalibut posted:

Timmo1341 posted:

I keep having to remind myself of the sentiments expressed by HH and Dave Marshall when reading much of the content of this forum. The constant search for 'perfection' which seems to afflict so many forum members is a corrosive thing, detracting from the enjoyment of what, for most people, would be a top class hi-fi. 

Not wishing to get too philosophical here, but it strikes me we would all be much happier were we able to get off the 'upgrade bus'. When I read of people proposing to spend double the value of my entire system on cabling I'm inclined to think I've fallen down the rabbit hole!!

Looking at your profile, I think you have got things exactly right. It's the sort of thing Hilary and I would like to do, and having now experienced what being on the verge of death is like, my priorities are now much clearer. 

+1 for this :-)

I'm sort-of interested in the word 'hobby' as applied to hi fi. I'm not sure I regard it that way; for me, a hobby is something requiring my active contribution, but hi fi is really just a question of taste and money. When people on the forum congratulate others on their latest purchase, what exactly are they celebrating? It's not as if they built the hi fi themselves, they just went a shop and bought it. It's like congratulating someone for buying a new boiler.

My priority is the music. Only and always the music. The hi fi is a means to an end, and the end is the greater enjoyment of music in my home, because I love music and it makes my life better.