The Epic Continues...
Posted by: Mike Hanson on 30 July 2001
NAC52
It started with the arrival of my 52 on Friday. As to those who say Naim gear sounds "bad" before it's broken in, I would like to say that they're full of it. I realize that it will improve over the coming days, but out of the box it sounded far better than my 82. My initial perceptions have been reaffirmed after 1, 2 and 3 days. It's improved a bit, but it was showing its colors immediately.
In a nutshell, the 52 sounds very sophisticated, controlled, capable, smooth, clear and communicative. In contrast, the 82/Super sounds youthful and exuberant, sometimes in a rather uncontrolled fashion. It can be loads of fun, but sometimes it can be too extreme in its presentation, and I suppose you could even miss it occasionally. (This is probably why some people prefer a 3.5/Hi to a CDX. That exuberance can be enjoyable, even those it's "wrong".)
Neuance Platform
At friend visited, and brought his Neuance platform. This board is sold as a replacement for the Mana glass shelf, and we tried it under my CDS2 head unit. Suffice it to say that I didn't like the effect. It did a wonderful job of smoothing the highs and making the overall presentation much fuller and warmer. Annoying aspects of the performance (like overly bright cymbals) were greatly improved. However, it seemed to lose some of its life energy, and didn't have quite the same snap and punch. Once the Mana glass was back in place, the system regained its lust for life.
Speaker Platforms
As soon as I moved into my room a few months ago, I realized that I had a problem with my speakers transferring bass energy into the floor. I solved most of it by placing the speaker stands on MDF platforms, each of which was supported by three cones. This didn't solve all of it, though.
A friend helped create a replacement for the cones. A small 12"-square metal frame is used to hold some Vuk-style foot-balls, which support the MDF slab. This gives us one more layer of isolation, and now very little bass gets into the floor. As a result, the low frequencies seem significantly tighter.
I can see how Mana Sound Bases really help speakers, and I may have to consider those in the future. For now, though, these home-made isolation platforms seem to be doing the trick. Once I get used to all of these recent changes, I'll probably yearn for more improvements.
BTW, I was pretty happy with the sound of my system in my old apartment (19x19 foot living room, in the shape of an "L"). When I first setup my system here at the house, I thought that there was too much bass in my room. However, as the days and weeks went by, I started to believe that the bass was preferable this way. Then I heard a few other "good" systems (like the CDS2/52/500/NBL system at Innovative Audio in NYC), and I realized that my bass response was just right. The key issue was stopping it from overhanging and booming in the floor. Now that that's been solved, I think the bass level is pretty darn close to perfect.
Dedicated Mains Line
I often listen to music played quite loud, but my system seemed to get somewhat "shouty" as I climbed the dial. After having a number of individuals comment that this might be a problem with the Albions, I resigned myself to the fact that they just couldn't play as loud as I wanted. I was all set to upgrade my speakers sometime in the next year or so.
However, the former Royd distributor here in Canada told me that it definitely was NOT a problem with Albions. He said that my system sounded bad because of problems upstream. He said the Albions were very detailed and good at showing any problems with the source, amps, etc., while lesser speakers would mask these issues.
He suggested that it might be the Naim amps causing it, and urged me to try Exposure. However, I knew that I had heard many Naim systems without this problem, so I wasn't ready to blame the amps. I also found that it improved each time I upgraded a component. However, even with CDS2/52/250/Mana, it was still quite "searing" at higher volumes. This seemed rather silly, considering the value of electronics.
Well it turns out that rather than the amps causing troubles, it was noisy mains. Before proceeding with the installation job, we tried plugging a contractor's large-gauge extension chord into a wall socket next to the breaker box. This was fed up to my stereo room, and my custom power bar was plugged directly into extension chord.
I could not believe the difference in clarity and the reduction in noise! As soon as I heard it, I realized that we had to install the dedicated line. Five hours and $135Cdn later (approximately $90US or £55), the job was done and the system was sounding amazing.
We had to run the line in a conduit outside the house, which meant drilling through the wall in two places. (The in-house path from the breaker box to the stereo room was fraught with many insurmountable obstacles.) We also had to rearrange the breaker box a little, so that the dedicated circuit wasn't on the same rail as the "noisy" equipment (like the furnace, air conditioner, water heater, etc.)
We used individual 12-gauge wires, rather than a single cable. This made it much easier to fish it through the conduit. One of the wires is a spare, in case I decide to add a second circuit later. (I had only one spare breaker in the box, but I may upgrade my service in the future.) I've got my power bar plugged into the single hospital-grade socket. The system is plugged into the bar in order of amps-to-source, starting with the end nearest to the cable entrance on the power bar.
The dedicated spur has pretty much solved the shouty problem, and now I can play it with wonderful clarity to almost deafening levels. If you haven't already done this yourself, and if it's at all possible, don't delay! It's obscenely cheap, and the improvement is astronomical!
In Conclusion
I am amazingly happy with my system right now. The PRaT seems spot on, and it has amazing resolution and tonality. The instruments sound very natural and "pungent". The soundstage is comfortably ensconced in my room, not too close and not too far.
I still intend to upgrade to 135s at some point, and to get a Mana rack for the rest of my gear, but I can't imagine it sounding any better than it does right now. I'm sporting a grin from ear to ear, and I don't expect it to disappear any time soon.
-=> Mike Hanson <=-
quote:
interesting post mike. isnt it just amazing how sometimes we blame speakers for a problem that may be elsewhere in the system???
The only thing that hadn't changed (I mistakenly thought) was the speakers. All other components had been replaced with better versions. The stands were also improved compared to my apartment. I figured that the speakers were the only thing that was left. David Antonelli remarked on similar problems with his Albions, as did another fellow whose name I can't recall.
I didn't consider that it might be dirty power (the source of all evil 
). Curiously, I've heard that David's power is also attrocious, which would explain his own complaints of the Albions.
quote:
are performers in your room now?
In a wonderful and natural way. I don't think I've ever heard a Naim system sound better than this. Yes, I've heard better Naim gear, but I suspect that other things (power, room setup, etc.) were conspiring against them.
-=> Mike Hanson <=-
quote:
My power is not a problem with the MUCH more transparent ACT 2s, not even close, so why would it have been to blame for the albions?
I hope I didn't offend you, although I knew my comment would get a response from you. 
I'm not suggesting that the Albions are better than your Act 2s. I'm merely saying that I used to have a problem with shouty sound, and I was thinking the Albions were to blame (partially because of your own comments). Then I fixed my power situation, and the problem disappeared. Since you also had problems with power, there seemed to be a pattern, and I wasn't sure when you improved your own power situation (pre- or post-Albions).
Woodface said:
quote:
Is the forum turning into a Bragathon, some contributors seem to buying equipment so quickly they will soon run out of upgrades. What then? Will their life lose all meaning?
Let me make it clear that I'm not bragging. I'm just trying to share my excitement and pleasure. As most of you know, my wife is utterly disinterested my music/stereo passion, so I can't discuss it with her. Since we're all here to talk about the benefits of Naim gear, I figured it was the appropriate place to voice my pleasure, et al.
I've often mentioned that I was "happy" with CDX/102/NAPSC/Hi/140, and that every system since then has been icing on the cake. However, I've also recognized the comprimises that I was accepting at each upgrade level. Now I believe I truly feel "no pain" on the hardware side; all music sounds great on my system, whereas my lesser systems would occasionally falter in some way or another. This new freedom means that I will enjoy my existing music collection even more, as well as any new purchases that I make. My continuing upgrade has always been and will always be music.
Simon Matthews said:
quote:
For God's sake stop having so much fun!
Thanks for the vote of confidence!
Mike Parry said:
quote:
Yours is on Mana.....I got taste and put mine on Hutter.
Hey Mick, you know I've got taste too. That's my mine's hidden away in the closet. 
Mike Parry continues:
quote:
could you let me know if you think upgrading to the 52 makes sense
I believe so. The 52 has a sophistication and finesse that is hinted at by the 82, but not fully delivered. The 52 never falters, and the tonality and depth is astonishing. The instruments seem utterly natural and "right". In contrast, the 82 seems a touch exaggerated. Sometimes the 52 can seem more relaxed than the 82, almost as if it feels that it isn't necessary to show off. I could easily see you stopping your upgrades after the 52, as the CDS2/52/250 sounds very complete. I'm still planning to upgrade to 135s, though, just because the Albions were designed with those amps in mind. Otherwise, I would probably stay where I am right now. I really doubt, though, that I would upgrade to the 500. My room is only 8x12 feet, after all.
P said:
quote:
I hope you enjoy rediscovering your music collection as much as I did mine.
Every month or so I get in a music rut, where I can't get excited about my existing CDs, yet I can't imagine what I might purchase to enjoy. This happens most often after I've really enjoyed a particular album (in this case Kevin Gilbert's "The Shaming of the True".) It usually takes a few days and some research to get the ball rolling again. Coincidentally, I've hit one of those ruts just as my system has hit its peak. Any suggestions for really stunning music (any genre will do just fine)?
Stephen Barnard said:
quote:
it was a big as an improvement as any of my equipment upgrades
I've been tempted to say that myself, but I've resisted the urge, as I don't think the spur has given as much of an improvement as going from the 82 to the 52. It's certainly a joy, though, as it's finally eradicated a longstanding annoyance. The clarity is an amazing breath of fresh air. Imagine learning that you've been unknowingly living with asthma for the past two years, and now the affliction is gone.
-=> Mike Hanson <=-
I've seen this on other forums as well.
"My point about Mr Hanson's steep upgrade path was just that it must be difficult to actually listen and enjoy his music collection while constantly mulling over his next purchase. I think it is best to appreciate what you have fully before looking to upgrade."
It's certainly more cost effective. I would have done the mains first, setup the Mana, and then digest that for quite awhile. He would also have been more informed on what he did. I only like to change one thing at a time and live with it for awhile, maybe even changing back before making a strong judgement one way or the other.
"By the way I am not 'green' about Mr Hansons system as I have an LP12 running through my 82/hi/250/sbl set up."
As Vuk's earlier post implied, Source First!
"It's hardly slumming it is it? Oops maybe I have just contributed to the bragathon?" 
quote:
neither Mike or Dave own a proper high-end source, although when that Planar 3 is finished being butchered it will represent a step in the right direction.
Since when is the CDS2 not a proper high-end source?!? Well all I can say to you lot is that you're all a bunch of stinking vinyl lovers! 
Speaking of vinyl lovers, I'm looking forward to starting my own tentative love affair. I don't know why it should take over six weeks to get a stupid Dynavector cartridge from Japan. I've got about 200 albums waiting for a spin on the platter, and I'm getting a little crazy.
-=> Mike Hanson <=-