A sistem, a plan, an up/side/down -grade
Posted by: JeremyD on 02 March 2003
The sistem: LP12/Lingo/Ekos/Super Elys; Rotel RCD965BX; 102/90; Kans. [Please keep this thread a stands-free zone - you know it makes sense].
The plan: sell the Super Elys, Lingo, RCD965BX, 102, 90 and Kans, and buy a LingoII, Adikt, cheap amp (with an MM input and a headphone socket) and possibly a new pair of headphones. I've been thinking of doing this for months but I've finally decided to do it, if possible. (I haven't heard a LingoII yet, so it will also be dependent on my finding it as good as others have reported).
The rationale:
1) I am dissatisfied with my system* for two reasons:
1a) My Super Elys turned out to be a case of poverty-induced self deception. Unlike my previous K9, which responded well to the upgrade from Ittok to Ekos, the Super Elys is not good enough to benefit (musically rather than sonically) from an Ekos.
1b) My hi-fi keeps reminding me how much better it could be. My Kans say, "Please, get us a 140, get us a 140." My 90 says, "How do you expect me to sound great when I spend all my time powering your 102?" And, of course, my 102 says, "I'm soooo thirsty, listen to my hoarse voice, get me a Hi-Cap and NAPSC before I dehydrate."
2) I'm tired of having furniture distributed between my two rooms in such a way as to suit my hi-fi's needs rather than mine.
3) I'm tired of having to undertake a procedure reminiscent of a Thunderbirds launch sequence every time I listen to a record. [It involves moving my bed into a corner, putting one table onto my bed, collecting all exposed transducers and placing them somewhere they won't affect the sound (not that I can hear their effect much, if at all, these days), rotating a desk through 180 degrees and pushing it so that the desk-top covers the bed, wheeling a portable radiator across the room and wheeling my listening chair across the room. If you found that boring to read, imagine what it's like to do!]
4) All changes must be paid for by the sale of existing components.
5) I can do without a CD player for a few months - I can still listen to CDs on my PC or my DVD player.
6) There's probably going to be a limited market for s/h Lingos - best sell mine now rather than in a few years time.
7) My 90 is old and probably due for a service. I could envisage a 140 as being my final power amp but not a 90. Spending money on it would do little for its resale value.
8) I love the sound of the new generation of Naim amps. I haven't heard a 202 or 282 but judging by the NAIT5, 112 and 552 I expect to prefer them to the 102 and 82 by a considerable margin - hence it makes sense to sell my 102 while there's no downward pressure on the price due to wealthy people selling 202s and 282s atlow prices.
I've no time to write, now, but that seems to be everything. Any comments, attempts to talk me out of it etc. are welcome (I think).
*So disappointed, in fact, that I couldn't bring myself to spell system with an "i".
--J
The plan: sell the Super Elys, Lingo, RCD965BX, 102, 90 and Kans, and buy a LingoII, Adikt, cheap amp (with an MM input and a headphone socket) and possibly a new pair of headphones. I've been thinking of doing this for months but I've finally decided to do it, if possible. (I haven't heard a LingoII yet, so it will also be dependent on my finding it as good as others have reported).
The rationale:
1) I am dissatisfied with my system* for two reasons:
1a) My Super Elys turned out to be a case of poverty-induced self deception. Unlike my previous K9, which responded well to the upgrade from Ittok to Ekos, the Super Elys is not good enough to benefit (musically rather than sonically) from an Ekos.
1b) My hi-fi keeps reminding me how much better it could be. My Kans say, "Please, get us a 140, get us a 140." My 90 says, "How do you expect me to sound great when I spend all my time powering your 102?" And, of course, my 102 says, "I'm soooo thirsty, listen to my hoarse voice, get me a Hi-Cap and NAPSC before I dehydrate."
2) I'm tired of having furniture distributed between my two rooms in such a way as to suit my hi-fi's needs rather than mine.
3) I'm tired of having to undertake a procedure reminiscent of a Thunderbirds launch sequence every time I listen to a record. [It involves moving my bed into a corner, putting one table onto my bed, collecting all exposed transducers and placing them somewhere they won't affect the sound (not that I can hear their effect much, if at all, these days), rotating a desk through 180 degrees and pushing it so that the desk-top covers the bed, wheeling a portable radiator across the room and wheeling my listening chair across the room. If you found that boring to read, imagine what it's like to do!]
4) All changes must be paid for by the sale of existing components.
5) I can do without a CD player for a few months - I can still listen to CDs on my PC or my DVD player.
6) There's probably going to be a limited market for s/h Lingos - best sell mine now rather than in a few years time.
7) My 90 is old and probably due for a service. I could envisage a 140 as being my final power amp but not a 90. Spending money on it would do little for its resale value.
8) I love the sound of the new generation of Naim amps. I haven't heard a 202 or 282 but judging by the NAIT5, 112 and 552 I expect to prefer them to the 102 and 82 by a considerable margin - hence it makes sense to sell my 102 while there's no downward pressure on the price due to wealthy people selling 202s and 282s atlow prices.
I've no time to write, now, but that seems to be everything. Any comments, attempts to talk me out of it etc. are welcome (I think).
*So disappointed, in fact, that I couldn't bring myself to spell system with an "i".
--J
Thanks for the suggestions. 
Re Ekos: I could never sell my Ekos (personal reasons).
Re 102: I am very much tempted to keep it. I bought it ex-dem from my dealer, and judging by how much it has improved since I got it I suspect he had hardly used it.
Re Super Elys: I first heard mine through a 552/500/SL2!!! Rega cartridges take a long time to run in and sound awful until they do, so my Super Elys was not at its best. But even with the horribly non-linear sounding dynamics the system was able to get an impressive sound out of it, bringing out its best quality (vivid tonal colour) without exaggerating its faults.
However, the Super Elys doesn't do the things that my system is good at and the failings of it and the system combine to make a sound that's great with a limited range of records but makes a lot my collection less than enjoyable.
--J
Re Ekos: I could never sell my Ekos (personal reasons).
Re 102: I am very much tempted to keep it. I bought it ex-dem from my dealer, and judging by how much it has improved since I got it I suspect he had hardly used it.
Re Super Elys: I first heard mine through a 552/500/SL2!!! Rega cartridges take a long time to run in and sound awful until they do, so my Super Elys was not at its best. But even with the horribly non-linear sounding dynamics the system was able to get an impressive sound out of it, bringing out its best quality (vivid tonal colour) without exaggerating its faults.
However, the Super Elys doesn't do the things that my system is good at and the failings of it and the system combine to make a sound that's great with a limited range of records but makes a lot my collection less than enjoyable.
--J
quote:
Originally posted by Rico:
I'm a little concerned that you are heading toward a system entirely populated by kit operating on principles of "sins of ommission".
...On the other hand, you're right: a system containing a non functioning LP12 is certainly based on the principles of "sins of omission"!
quote:Whoever told you that was mistaken: my Super Elys certainly works - in fact on a limited range of records my system sounds better than ever before - it's just that it doesn't major on the things that the LP12 and Ekos are particularly good at, which is inescapable with a lot of music. It's true, though, that Rega turntables, arms and cartridges work well together. A Rega Planar 3 with Super Elys would be great VFM but nowhere near the standard of LP12/Lingo/Ekos/Super Elys.
My understanding of the Rega carts is that they just don't work in the Linn arms.
quote:With Mk1 Kans, a 140 makes a big difference, and I'd recommend that prospective Mk 1 owners get one if they can. However, I've used my Kans for 16+ years first with a NAIT 1 and then with a NAP90, and I don't regret it. Actually, for a decade I attributed some failings of my system to the 90, only to discover, eventually, that they were due mostly to the 32.5 and partly to the Ittok. Upgrades from Valhalla to Lingo, Ittok to Ekos and 32.5 to 102 each dealt with weaknesses in the former components that a 140 could not have solved.
The 90 is unlikely to be man enough to drive the Kans - unless perhaps you had a 52 betwixt LP12 and 90?
quote:
A fresh 140 and napsc (you should be able to buy these with careful shopping with funds from the Lingo disposal) should be the shot-in-the-arm your system needs.
£Lingo = £NAP140 + £NAPSC? I'd have to be very lucky. Besides, a NAPSC and 140 would not compensate for the loss of the Lingo - I think we must have somewhat different musical priorities. And, of course, I would not be able to get the new PC. quote:
Computer for music? Shop the computer fairs, upgrade your existing machine - should cost a lot less.
A lot less than what? I'll salvage as much as I can from my existing PC to use in the new one but the case, power supply, motherboard, memory, and CPU will have to be new - there's no way around it. Further, depending on what software I decide on, it will be difficult to get away with using Windows 98 and my existing sound card.quote:You may scrap your two year old PCs, but I wouldn't dream of it. I've had my current one for 7 years [I upgraded the memory from 24MB to 80MB four years ago, and the processor from 100MHz to 166MHz more recently] and expect the new one to last longer, first as my main PC then as my Internet PC.
AFter all, where funds are tight, the PC stuff will end up in a skip in 2 years time,...
quote:It's not a must - I could always start off with - gulp - my awful-sounding PC speakers.
If you must buy "a respectable integrated" - Nait 5 or Nait 2 would have my vote.
--J