Barbie dem poll

I heard the dem system making good music, despite being at the back in the corner. I've also heard DBL's in that particular room before, and noted large improvements this time. Such tautness in the bottom end was most notable - probably the best I've heard yet from a DBL setup.

I won't be talking to the bank manager, despite being impressed.

Rico - let them eat Kans.

I could be wrong about that, it was just the feeling I got when it was playing - it seemed to me to be slightly overbright and a little impersonal, usually trates I find when my equipment is cold.

And, of course, I just don't like surround sound, so I wasn't really impressed there. Although the idea of a Naim PSU for a DVD was fascinating

All this is IMHO, of course.

Chris L

P.S. None of the above is to take away from the fact it was a terrific day, and very well organised, especially considering the numbers involved - BIG thumbs up.

I expected more from that much kit, it was good but not what I expected from 60Ks worth of kit, I know the dem room isn't very good but I thought the sound seemed to come from the two speakers, well just the one that wasn't blocked by some ones head, maybe if I was in the front row it might of been better. I am used to my Arcs throwing a wide soundstage so may be that is another reason. I bought the Jeff Beck CD and tried that track out and it didn't sound that much different, o/k the bass is deeper on the DBLs
but I would say it was about 80-85% as good.

pete

p.s. any one like the T shirt?

Andrew

I think your table is not really doing that. What about a "very good given the circumstances and taking into account pumped up expectations and a difficult listening position". This would have been my vote and probably many others.

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p.s. any one like the T shirt?

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Top t-shirt, mate. tres excellent.

Rico - let them eat Kans.

I liked the T shirt....showed originality. Also liked the subtle font........nice one

Regards

Regards

Mick

[This message was edited by Mick Parry on WEDNESDAY 25 July 2001 at 12:22.]

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What about a "very good given the circumstances and taking into account pumped up expectations and a difficult listening position".

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So that would be 'Other' then

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Give 'em a break .

When was the last time you set up a system capable of those levels of resolution and put it in front of 15 pairs of critical ears.

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I'm not trying to give anyone a hard time!

Not sure about the numbers of ears, but the last time I heard a system remotely close to this was at my dealers. A top-spec LP12 feeding actively driven SBL's - it's a memory that still lingers after all these years.

The difference, I guess, was that I had a whole afternoon to play and therefore longer to become accustomed. Oh, and I suppose the LP12 might have been a factor .

It hasn't affected my opinion of Naim in any way - I've never been let down or felt disappointed with anything I've heard under the right circumstances, I was just curious as to whether it was me or whether others had a similar experience on the day.

Andy.

The sound didn't have the depth and clarity it should, and the bass didn't seem quite right - especially the deeper stuff which was noticeably slower than the rest of it.

This was particularly noticeable on the MI2 demo, but if the REL was being used on the AV tracks this might be understandeable!

I know that DBLs are capable of a lot more than this.

Martin

I'm not too sure about the move into AV at all to be honest.

I find it all a tad ...confusing.

Now a dedicated centre might have been nice - but an SBL? with a REL Stentor sub too? With DBL's???

Hmmmmm...

I'm not sure where all of this is heading.

P.

I was sitting quite close to one of the rears - I suppose it is entirely possible that this was part of the problem.

Certainly if this is a compromise necessary for an AV system I won't bother until I have a seperate room available for it - my music comes first.

Andy.

enjoy

ken

it was active.

Martin

a top flight naim active system should have blown everyones socks off.

in that case i can only guess that it was mains quality variation. i know my system has become much more sensitive to this since i went active. but this is just a guess.

enjoy

ken

Believe me, the system was great (maybe a little shouty on the Steely Dan track)... if anything let it down then it was either the room or the extra 'speakers in the room.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

on my last visit to naim in 1984, i was completely bowled over by a 32.5/hicap/250/sara system sourced by lp12/ittok/karma on one of those ikea tables

enjoy

ken

I think most people will inevitably 'expect more' from a system that costs so much more than they would ever contemplate spending.

in my view, the systems at this level must deliver. period. i know naim delivers in general, well i own a naim system dont i?? -- i am just surprised (judging from the reports) that other factors may have been allowed to "get in the way".

I though the sound came very much from the 2 very large black boxes on the end wall.

i am hearing different perceptions of the demo now. i guess not surprising really. some people say it wasnt involving (in my view, this would be a serious fault). you say the sound wasnt "out of the box" enough for you?? i have to say, i worry little about things like this. but i know what you mean, sort of.

perhaps, as someone said, unfamiliarity didnt help, but 2/22 is a poor scrore --- unless as i surmised, the demo wasnt really an important part of the event.

if i ever visit naim, my musical expectations would be very high indeed. i would expect a top flight dem to be the ultimate musical system experience. and by a huge margin over anything else i have listened to before.

wish i was there, but then again, maybe not...

enjoy

ken

i understand. however, come to think of it, an active system is supposed to allow one to sort of "tune" it to the room, using the trim pots in the active crossover.

I doubt Naim regarded it as the most important element although I'm sure they would have wanted everyone to be impressed.

thats my suspicion too.

i understand the "unfamiliar music" point, but i have to say quite a lot of records that i have bought was as a result of listening to unfamiliar music at a show or dem, liking what i hear and going to buy the record st away. a good system is meant to draw you into music, especially unfamiliar music, i would argue.

Anyway, I think Naim are probably on to a winner: those that loved the system are talking to their bank managers now, the rest are really chuffed with their 'budget' Naim systems because they didn't get blown away by the comparison.

i guess i see your point. but i sort of suspect that a lot more people talking to their bank managers would have been a better result. however as you say, i dont think people are juding this system and concluding thats the ultimate naim are capable of. i know the said system is a stormer. it simply wasnt demo'd to best effect thats all. i sort of suspect that even those who didnt like the demo are have been planning upgrades for some time and a little issue like that is probably not going to change anything.

as an aside, i cant wait for the sbl replacement. nbl and dbl would not be allowed anywhere near our house by the two women in my life.

enjoy

ken

However, there was a character to the sound at that demo also - I suspect that that room is not as neutral as the best. This is something I'm sensitive to, as I suffer from it VERY badly myself.

One other point about the demo - I suspect that there is no system that resides in there permanently. That would make it harder to set up a "killer" demo in a couple of days.

cheers, Martin

cheers

Nigel

It was a plain white T shirt with Mad Bad and Dangerous to Know in creepygirl font on the back.

pete

I was sat on the front row though and this may have helped. Conversely I did not find the surround demo such a great improvement over my home set-up fronted by SBL's and using an REL Storm III sub, Yamaha processor and Sanyo projector.

Top marks to Naim for letting us listen. The DBL's blow me away more than anything I have ever heard from Naim - they are quite simply the pinnacle of the audio designers art and I seriously have to get me some of those and to hell with domestics!! I will probably make the jump before I get to the CDS2/52 level - perhaps at CDS1/82/NAXO2-4/250/250 because they give you the 'live concert' or live instrument feel like nothing I have ever heard and it's that which makes them so communicative.

Jonathan

I have to agree with majority vote here. I was very surprised with the demo. I realise that I had my hopes up very high since it was set-up by Naim and maxed out with 500's and Fraim's which I have not heard before. But most of all because this is Naim's demo room. The place where all the goods have actually been developed and should sound at it's bests. The guy's at Naim should be able to set up their kit in there in their sleep.

As stated before the control and sheer scale of it all was obviously impressive but I did not connect with the music and during long periods I thought it was unpleasant and aggressive. I actually preferred the surround demo! (Maybe I am a round earther after all!) If this was the only Naim demo I had heard I would have concluded that Naim is not for me.

I did like the arrangement very much though and had a very nice day in Salisbury. The barbie was excellent with a very good performance by Antonio Forcione. If Naim decides to do this again, despite all the slagging in this thread , I think it would be a good idea to have nametags on everybody to make it easier to socialise during the evening.

Tomas

PS. Ungratefulness is the thank from the world! (Old Swedish proverb)

My intention was not to start any kind of slagging off, and I don't really see any evidence of that from those who attended, just suprise.

I'm guessing that more time spent with the system would have revealed more, particularly with some more familiar tracks.

To that end can anyone list the three CD's played, since I didn't make note. I'd be interested in buying them for comparison purposes.

As Patrick has suggested one has high expectations of 'more' from such an expensive system, and I was genuinely suprised it didn't click with me immediately. One of the big features of a very musical system is that even unfamiliar music becomes easy to follow - it's direction is revealed very clearly. It may well be that the same tracks played at home will be harder for me to follow at first listen, so I'm open to some experimentation here, although I don't believe any track played was particularly difficult.

The Jeff Beck got my toes tapping so it was working!

The poll probably reveals more about the danger of a quick audition than any inherent qualities of the system.

My first listen to an LP12 years ago (I was buying a Rega Planar 3 at the time) didn't immeadiately impress me either - BOY was I wrong about that one. No single piece of Hi-Fi has given me more pleasure than my LP12, and it keeps getting better all the time.

Andy.

With the benefit of hindsight...

I think everybody there was expecting this to be thee Dem of all Dems - so to speak. Talk about a captive audience.

Personally I felt a little let down with the choice of source material to be honest

It wasn't exactly toe tapping was it?

Thats Naim though I guess, always expect the unexpected.

Maybe next year they could run a poll to decide what we, out here, would really like to hear.

Roll on

P.

BTW Pete MBetc What did you do with that skipping rope you whipped through the canvas?

I fed the end back through and after a couple of seconds it was pulled back.

pete