Wot to do next?

Hungryhalibut posted:

One can spend as much time as one likes summarising what others have said but with no practical experience of one's own, and it adds virtually nothing. It's the experience of those who have, and have had, 552s that is actually useful. 

What we need now is for the OP to try some options.

This is true teacher, and I'm sure, the OP will take the Advice of hands on experience gentleman, like your self, and try some options.

 Those options being:

"0ne thing I learned from you gents, when spending that type of Cash, always demo, in house, if possible."'

Allante93!

Looking at the system from a weaknesses point of view, I'd say it's 52/olive SC followed by isoblue and finally 400.

Now, if you really can't consider the 552, which is the obvious step really, then the 252/supercapDR should be firmly in your sights...but the 552 is heap loads better, especially as you have such a strong source (assuming you have an equally strong server solution).

Moving up to a Fraim should be in your sights next, provided you can fit it in. Do not consider this option until you've changed preamp since the 52 is more old school Naim and I'm not sure how well it would take to Fraim.

In truth, the next step after that would depend on the effect of the new bits, and DR-ing the 300 might be a better and more expedient option over changing speakers which is always a long rather fraught change given the speaker is the final 'voice' of the system.

That's my view anyway.

Frank.

Many thanks to all for your comments and sorry I have been unable to respond due to business trips this week.

Frank - a couple of comments, firstly I have some extensions for the Isoblue and I placed fraim glass under both NDS and 52. Can't say I did many a/b comparisons, but I decided I liked the difference (being biased as I had already coughed up for the glass...). Secondly, I use a hp micro server with asset, this is on the normal house mains with a standard cat 6 via a netgear switch then under the floor to the NDS. I've never really been able to hear any difference between this and the same files played from a memory stick into the NDS. On that basis I've assumed there is nothing to be gained with a more expensive solution such as a melco or indeed any fancy Ethernet cable. Am I right with that thinking, or do you have other experience to the contrary?

I'm a great believer in fancy Ethernet cables, but only as icing on the cake once you have got the boxes that you want. In your case I'd forget about wires and servers, and bite the bullet with a 552. A million miles of diamond Ethernet cable will not give you what a 552 can.

I've just realised I keep saying the same thing, so please would you go and buy the 552 so that I can stop repeating myself!

Nigel,

you're beginning to convince me... Only, as you know, I can't change gear for one year.

Max

552 is the only Naim product that has taken my breath away. When i owned it, from new, it was staggeringly good from day one, got better for three months and stayed there. All this DR blah, Super Lumina blah, forget it, just changes in direction (the wrong one). 552 is where the hifi stops and the can't wait to sit down for a performance, starts. 

Perhaps you should get another one, Gary. I have to say that I think DR and SL are great, and have lifted my modest setup to a level I never thought was achievable for the amount I've spent. But, in the OP's system, they would never be a substitute for the box I won't mention again. 

Unfortunately Nigel, Photography is not quite as well paid as it once was, so i can't see it happening again, but you never know.

gary yeowell posted:

Unfortunately Nigel, Photography is not quite as well paid as it once was, so i can't see it happening again, but you never know.

Tell me about it! One of the reasons I was so happy to find the microRendu. NDX/S performance for a 1/7th the price (even with linear power supply). No way could I have gone up the Naim streaming chain being a freelance photographer....