Is it better to travel than to arrive ( at Hi Fi Nirvana? )

It's the Yellow Brick Road for me. Not for the thrill of the chase but rather for the education.

I bought my Series 5 Sistem a year or so ago after shopping around a lot and listening to lots of brands. Although I loved the Naim sound, got lots of information off this Forum and found a great dealer I was shocked at the prices - I mean $2250 for a CD player. Give me a break.

The more I shopped and listened the more I enjoyed the sound and the more I could bring myself to accept the price. But at that time I'm not sure I could honestly have heard enough difference in the Series 5 gear and the next step up to justify the price difference.

Well I just traded the 112 in on a 202/PSC and the difference is huge. I also see a 200 and Highcap in the near future. Maybe my ears are more attuned to the music after listening to a good sistem or maybe I just have the dreaded upgradeitis.

I too could spring for a higher end sistem but I doubt I'd enjoy it as much as moving up slowly. I can only take this path however because my dealer (Brian at Whetstone Audio) has a great trade-in plan. And he knows I'm hooked.

Tyler

Mike,

I really like Emerald city. Once you get there the fun never ends because they keep releasing great new music all the time. I don't like the yellow brick road - it's long and boring and those bloody Munchkins are a pain in the arse. I prefer warp drive. That way I get to avoid agonising over what that funny noise is and how many more hicap's I am going to need to stop my ears bleeding and get on with the business end of the deal - listening to music.

Nick, I can assure you that there is an arrival. In my case I got a system that so outweighs my expectations of what a good system should sound like that I doubt that I will ever be less than thrilled with its performance.

I see where this downgrade thing is coming from now though. Much cheaper to be unhappy with a Nait than unhappy with a 552/500.

At the end of the day though the art of happiness is in knowing when you have enough.

I think for most of us the enjoyment comes from the journey. That said if I had no mortgage and a lump of cash in the bank I can see the temptation of taking a very fast track!

For me active is great (I have chrome bumper 250's recapped about 3 years ago) but active 500's is way down the line and probably a place I'll never get to.

My journey is at a junction do I upgrade my CD3 to CDS3 or my 82 to 552 and if I do one first how long before the other - I'm enjoying the home dems at the moment. Then maybe a speaker change .....

Smike

Having the best system in the world (what ever that is) would of course be gratifying. For a while. No more upgrades to dream of or even think about. That would be boring!

It is like stop buying records and decide that the current collection is enough. That would be boring!

I'm a car fanatic and would consider having to use the same car for the rest of my life a nightmare. Even if it was my dream car.

Quote, from Nick S:
"look at us, blokes, we're just in it for the toy factor really"

Yeah, and are girls content with using the same lipstick for ever. Aren't they dreaming about that lovely (and very expensive) dress/fur/sofa?

Most of the fun is in getting there.

JohanR

Cool.

Looks like there is a degree of consensus, but as per usual, there is also another....

I told myself last year that I would not make another purchase for a year or so after getting the 82. Bit of a purchase frenzy since then; I think that one "problem" with increased satisfaction of wants is that expectations increase - "This sounds so much better, the 52/active/300 etc etc must sound even better and I will enjoy it even more..."

This then poses the question of music vs.listening; I think I have a relatively small number of albums ( 600? ) and CDs (250? ) but I thoroughly enjoy what I have. Every time I upgrade, I dig out the old faves. Having said that, having discovered the joys of decent 2nd hand vinyl, I have increased my collection.

Regards

Mike

Mike,

Given that you have a system that you like, put your money into music. Seriously. The VFM, especially with LPs, is significantly higher.

Most of my system is from the '80s. But I buy about 400 titles a year. Absolutely no regrets.

Eric

Mike,

I like listening to music. The only reason I ever bought a Naim system was, that for the money I could afford to allocate to hifi, it gave me a greater insight to that music.

I now have many calls on the little discretionary income that I have, but i've always bought the best hifi I could afford, providing it sounded good enough.

If I had more money to allocate to Hifi, I would just buy the cds3/552/500 then get on with listening to the old and new albums/cds.

The walk through the woods to the lake is beautiful. The lake is even more beautiful. But the music covers both the walk and the lake. The hifi is mearly the walking boots.

Cheers

Don

Don

Can you express that in 17 syllables?

Sounds wonderfully Japanese to me

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and happy

quote:

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Originally posted by alexgerrard:
Ramble ramble ramble waffle. I know what I mean.

Alex, who is kind of becalmed on the YBR

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Ooo Alex

much giggling in downtown Readingshire!

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and happy

Mike,

Can you express that in 17 syllables?

I recall eating (magic ?) mushrooms last night.

Perhaps I simply meant

I would just buy the cds3/552/500 then get on with listening

Hope that is no more than 17 sylables....

Cheers

Don

Hi,

I have a CDS2/NAT01/52/500/ACT2, very close to the top 18 months ago, but now quite far from the top (see my 552 thread), but I still feel great joy every day in endlessly listening to CDs. Getting to this point involved a lot of headaches and feelings of vexation because upgrades only seemed to bring temporary satisfaction. But finally the system is fabulous and can be made even more so with an even bigger investment (CDS3, 552, Chimera). So yes, there is an audio Shangrila and once you get there the journey will pale in comparison. The depressing thing is that Shangrilla always moves higher and higher. But you have the choice of being happy with the old or moving on to the new.

But if I guess if your are an audio hobbyist rather than a music lover (not that these are mutually exclusive) maybe the journey is the best part. There are a lot of people who build, sell, build, sell etc moving on to different brands and never finding peace in what they have. I am not of this type, that's all I know.

dave

Mike

The road goes ever on...

There is no Emerald City. It's just that the stops along the way become further spaced and the view on the road improves along the way. The view is of the same thing of course.

Therefore, all you're doing is taking the occasional broomstick ride/hyperspace jump/teleportation when you jump a few steps up in the audio chain.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

The road goes ever on...

There is no Emerald City.

The view, which improves with each step, IS the Emerald City.

It is placed at infinity

They haven't finished building the road yet.

Mike,

Spend the money on the cds3/552/500........and invite us over to listen.

Cheers

Don

Better still, lend it to me for a couple of years to get it fully broken-in/warmed-up......

Don

quote:

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Better still, lend it to me for a couple of years to get it fully broken-in/warmed-up......

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You really are too kind

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and happy

Mike,

You really are too kind

Just my nature. Anything for a friend in need.....

Cheers

Don

Hockman,

Beautifully put.

quote:

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Originally posted by mike lacey:
Don

Can you express that in 17 syllables?

Sounds wonderfully Japanese to me

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and happy

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How about

"The walk to musical nirvana requires only a naim"

I think that's 17 syllables if I counted right and it only took 10 seconds to think up.

Steve.

Mike,

If you are buying/selling second hand, (so you don't loose big-time on the depreciation from new) there might (might) be some pleasure to be had in listening to albums and 'appreciating' the improvement at each step. Most of us follow this 'upgrade' route because of cash flow and the certainty that we will peg it with nothing if we wait till we've saved up for the 'ultimate' system.

You have the cash to make a 'quantum leap'. If instead, you follow 'small' upgrades, buying new each time, eg 82>252>552 you will splash more cash in the process and might not enjoy each step.

OTOH, based on listening tests at your friendly dealer's you could buy the cds3 today (top of the range), the 552 at Xmas, and the 500 this time next year etc. This way you won't waste your hard earned dosh (in depreciation from new), and, who knows, you might feel happy enough with the sound to justify stopping half-way and spend the outstanding money on something else.

With your system I would go s/h52>500>cds3>552 but Colin will give you better advice.

Cheers

Don

quote:

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Originally posted by Don Atkinson:

With your system I would go s/h52>500>cds3>552 but Colin will give you better advice.

Cheers

Don

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Don

I have taken the first step you indicate.....

Regards

Mike

Spending money I don't have on things I don't need.

quote:

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Originally posted by Ancipital:

quote:

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Originally posted by mike lacey:Can you express that in 17 syllables?

Sounds wonderfully Japanese to me

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How about

"The walk to musical nirvana requires only a naim"

I think that's 17 syllables if I counted right and it only took 10 seconds to think up.

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"Designers
Also walking to musical nirvana
Move goal-posts"

- Just to throw in my 2 cents of Haiku

Steve Margolis
defy convention - make music

Afraid I'm rubbish at poems/haikus, etc. so I'll just limit myself to answering the question at the top of this thread:-

For me, an unqualified YES. Why? Because I know that when the time comes for me to shell out for my shiny, brand new CDS3/552/500/etc. I'll be far more satisfied knowing that I took the journey and stopped at all those intermediate points along the way. Plus it makes reading this Forum much more interesting because I know that other Naimees are on a similar journey.

Oh, and then there's the cashflow of course, or lack thereof....

Regards,

JonR

Hy there!i would say the travel is nessecary to f i n d a target.Today my target is clearer
than years before.Knowing today a lot more about real supersounding stuff than in the past, my targets make me thinking less about the travel.
O.J.(prefering now music to other drugs,as there were: harley davidson,depht and height of soundstage,marihuana,platine verdier,tranqualizer,audio research,madonna,musical fidelity,richard clyderman,abba,accuphase.....and so on.)