OMG moments with 250DR

Posted by: Allan Milne on 11 October 2016

 

In a previous post I said I don't do OMG moments - I just have great big smiles instead.

I've read a few posts lately with OMG (particularly the 552 comments) and thought, 'oh yeah, right'.

 

... well I've just had 2 OMG moments with my 250DR (now well run in) playing from my UnitiServ

 

I was reading some forum stuff on here with the system playing in the background (but still loudish) and I had to stop and just listen ...

... OMG, that is just incredible ...

The music was Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue played by Leonard Bernstein and the LA Philharmonic ...

OMG ... this piece has all come together with emotion, clarity and substance.

I had enjoyed this piece but now somehow it all made sense with the piano and orchestra in total harmony.

IMO thepiano is the best instrument to show off upgrade improvements (that and the human voice) and with the 250DR I can now hear the melodic line the pianist is playing, rather than all the 10 fingers hitting notes (beautiful as that might be) I can now hear that one line that the other notes are supporting.

Along with this the orchestra is now, contradictory, both more distinct and more together

 

The other OMG moment I had this afternoon was Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side from his Transformer album ...

those "coloured girls" started their do ti do as normal in the back and came forword ... and came forward ... and came forward ... right out of the speakers !

and then of course their is that magic stand-up bass playing that is now so clear along with every instrument and voice

... just exceptional, the stand-out track of this album IMO, and I think every track is great..

 

so a couple of OMG moments and a huge smile all afternoon ... you can't put a price on that,

thank you 250DR.

 

Allan

 

Posted on: 19 October 2016 by Bodger

All,

sorry for hi-jacking the thread with the bass gossip. DM is indeed correct. I've never heard a 250, DR or not so all I could add.

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by ryder.

I don't know what is going on with my system but it started to sound really different since yesterday. It is sounding marvelous today and I couldn't fathom what exactly is causing the unbalanced (or not very outstanding) sound during the initial stages when I got the new amps into the system about two to three months ago. I first got the NAC 282 into the system, followed by the Hicap DR and NAP 250 DR. I also recently got a new pair of speakers about a month ago.

Long story short. It might be the 250 DR that has (finally) opened up, or it might be the new speakers that are now starting to break-in. Another possibility is the system might have "settled down" after some equipment swapping and plugging/unplugging of cables. The lean, thin and rather 2-dimensional presentation of the previous system has now transformed to a very nice sounding system - full, coherent and 3-dimensional. I just spun some familiar recordings which have not been played for years since the NAC 202 / NAP 200 days. The music now sound bloody excellent at the end of the new (presumably now broken-in) gear. Music sounds very balanced. Instruments sound like real instruments and the details are all there. I kept turning the volume up and tapping my feet to the beat. I thought to myself after all this years I have finally managed to achieve this result.

At one point I thought the new speakers were the culprit and entertained the possibility that I might prefer the sound of the old speakers. I also explored other possibilities in an attempt to improve things and ordered the Chord Epic Twin speaker cables just to see if they could help transform the uninspiring system. It appears that the system self-adjusted by itself before I could figure out what went wrong with the system. I am still unsure what exactly went wrong with the system though.

Anyway, since this is the NAP 250 DR thread, I suspect that the 250 DR might have just opened up and I am currently having OMG moments with the amp. Wonderful sounding amp.

 

 

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by ryder.

I can't resist this. For those who like guitars, I have just played this CD album on the system. It's just heaven. Very good quality recording.

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by Allan Milne

 

Hi ryder,

 

Lesson to be learnt by us all is to have patience ...let everything settle down before making judgements.

With so many changes in your system it would be impossible to determine what causes what ...

... although, if you are up for it, now that you know what the system sounds like you could start swopping components out ...

 

Could you please tell me what the guitar album is ... can't see album covers.

 

Keep on foot-tapping,

Allan

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by ryder.

typo in the previous post, after all *these years

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by ryder.

Hi Allan,

Yes, patience is the key. I am glad it has finally paid off. The Chord Epic speaker cable will be interesting. I will only get to listen to it after I get the cables terminated sometime next week. The better sounding cable will get to stay in the main system and the other one will go to the NAC 202 / NAP 200 in a second system.

The guitar album is by Pat Metheny titled "One Quiet Night". I have most of his albums and this one is high quality. The music is nice too. I am currently listening to the album.

 

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by Adam Zielinski

Allan - it's PATH METHENY 'One Quiet Night'

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by Allan Milne

 

Thanks guys,

Allan

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by Adam Zielinski

Allan - if you like that sort of thing, do look up Manu Katche 'Neighbourhood' (American spelling).
Great album with top notch musians and really well recorder too. It's part of the ECM catalogue.

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by nigelb

Just had a bit of an OMG moment with my 250DR (ooh, err, missus) listening to this:

Foy Vance - Hope. The whole album is stunning IMHO but the track entitled 'First of July' brings tears to my eyes. Don't really know why, just does.

It is on Tidal if you fancy a listen.

Posted on: 22 October 2016 by Allan Milne

 

Hi Adam and Nigel,

 

Sorry I wasn't listening to you ... engrossed in my Steven Wilson vinyl mix of Jethro Tull's Aqualung

... but the dear old lady has returned from shopping so no more music for the moment

 

I have added these to my Xmas list, haven't come across either before.

Trouble is I don't have enough family - looks like a long list of purchases after Xmas ... whoopee

I'm banned from buying anything before then

 

Thanks (I think),

Allan