The new Naim DAC

quote:

Now you've lost me, and I think that is out of context.

It's OK AllenB I have problems with my memory too
If you re-read your own origional post it might help you.

Barrie

Folks,

The high end DAC market (top end Lavry, Weiss, Stahl-Tek, Berkley) - seem to start around the $5K then go upwards from there to $20K (Stahl-Tek).

IF - Naim are intending to release a reference DAC at £2K with the ability to upgrade with the usual power supplies - AND - the resultant performance level is generally accepted to be peer with the above alternatives - THEN I think NAIM will do well even in this climate.

This will still be too much for many of us - but such is life.

Cheers

Richard

quote:

Originally posted by baz100:

quote:

So assuming you eat fish all year, will you budget for salmon or sardines, or just rely on whatever you catch?

like many people my budget is what it is, it is not elastic, and if all I can afford is sardines then that is all I can buy, whether the salmon looks great or not.


Barrie

Personally I've Haddock up to here with this topic, but I'll say my piece just for the Halibut.

Naim have done what we've all wanted, and chances are the new DAC will be very good indeed. I'll borrow one from my dealer, try it out in direct comparison with my Lavry, and if it sounds better to me I'll likely as not buy one.

"No, I am not implying that at all, I have two very expensive power supplies in my system."

excellent then they won't be wasted and the naim upgrade model is alive and well

"I would also like the DAC to stand alone, and beat the competition on it's own. Not likely though, is it?"

I have no idea, you obviously have access to better information than anybody else on this forum

Barrie

quote:

Originally posted by baz100:

quote:

Baz, are you related to Gary?

Can I assume this isn't intended as a positive comment ?

Barrie, you should be taking this as the highest form of compliment!!!

quote:

Barrie, you should be taking this as the highest form of compliment!!!

I am suitably impressed

****

Gary - don't.

quote:

Time to invoke everyone's wrath again.

Absolutely not :-
1) you've actually heard it so are perfectly entitled to express your opinion
2) We know it was a pre-prod unit so maybe some differences with the final production model as per the HDX, or maybe not

Barrie

Well done Naim!

If you have already made the psu investment this is going to sell like hot cakes. My advice is to not skip on functions and inputs, but become a really strong offering for retail and pro users.

Cool banana!

quote:

ou have assumed you know what salmon is on offer

Doesn't matter what type it is if my budget can't meet the price

quote:

No, do not assume, it just depends which way you look at it.

Thank, I'll take it as a positive then

Can we keep this going, I'm getting close to my senior membership and you are helping so much

Barrie

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The pointers / roadmap I ask for relates to the overall branch of products emerging, called 'distributed audio' (insert your own description if it helps)

My mistake, I thought you were fixating on when the DAC came into the "roadmap", but I have obviously misread your post (as I mentioned I may have done in my previous post, which you may have missed)and it's just the future roadmap you are interested in


Barrie

I am so looking forward to reading a report of this product from one who has purchased it with their own money but until the product has been released I realise that is not possible. So like others I make do with speculation until the real producth its the shops and is purchased by a real buyer.

quote:

Originally posted by marczed:
Hello all.

At the end of this demo, Doug said how much more emotion and feeling had come over with the 555. Virtually all the heads in front of me nodded with agreement. [QUOTE]




[QUOTE} This made me feel bad because I really concentrated and listened as hard as I know how to and I heard absolutely zero difference. Marc

Trust your ears, Marc - they are the only ones you get in this life.

Gary -

Since your such close mates with Dan - let him know that I'll be listening to the DA11 as soon as it reaches UK's shores.

Some solace for his destroyed order book.

I just hope that it doesn't take Naim too long to work out the kinks in this "very pre-production model" so we can all have a listen and decide.

quote:

Originally posted by baz100:

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We just need details: input types and number, bitrates, supported encoding etc.

Why

Well a mere black box is hardly interesting in of itself is it? I need to know whether it's going to do what I need a DAC to do. That's common sense really.

quote:

No, I don't think you misread my post, just that you conveniently miss the point and attempt to crap my post. But fine, you think a roadmap is irrelevant and of no interest. Your perogative, keep sucking up.

Your response seems a little aggressive, and I really don't know why - but hey-ho, each to their own. I do feel the need to reply to your accusations though.

Point 1 - I genuinely got the impression that you were talking about the history of the DAC Roadmap, which as we now agree is of no interest to you ( or many others in fact )

Point 2 - I didn't intend to "crap" your post, as you delicately describe it, I did however feel OK about debating some of your points as did several others. However I may have misunderstood the basic tenet behind how a forum works - my mistake

Point 3 - "sucking up", what a strange phase, could I ask to whom, have I missed a secret prize competition or something ?

I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing Sunday

All the best,

Barrie

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Well, you helped me yesterday achieve 500 posts, quite happy to return the favour

My pleasure, and having just read your post regarding your chest infection, I wish you a quick and complete recovery

Barrie

By Allen B

quote:

I would also like the DAC to stand alone, and beat the competition on it's own. Not likely though, is it?

I would suggest here, that most of us on this forum know that any naim stand alone components out perform other competitors products in their respective range. That is why we are naim owners, and people migrate from other manufacturers products. The PSU ugrades are a "fantastic" addition to the sound refinement. I would venture to say the a stand alone naim DAC will out perform other average DAC's in the price range.

Just my opinion.

rega1

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Well a mere black box is hardly interesting in of itself is it? I need to know whether it's going to do what I need a DAC to do. That's common sense really.

I know but look at the amount of discussion just the box is causing, the servers would crash if we actually knew what was in the Black Box - by the way is the black box confirmed now

Barrie

quote:

Originally posted by AllenB:

quote:

Originally posted by baz100:

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But I don't think they will be doing it twice or three times (a stand-alone DAC range)

I agree AllenB which is why Naim may have gone down the PSU upgradability path, it allows owners of existing PSU's to re-allocate them within their system, and allows new starters to begin with a capable DAC and then upgrade through PSU's rather than having to but a replacemant DAC V10 becomes V11 etc. It's actually a rather clever approach and continues their current upgrade model.

The level of the "buit-in" DAC PSU will be known when it's launched, until then ........?

Barrie

Take off the blinkers.

Why does a stand-alone DAC need a whole series of PSU upgrades ending in £4.5k extra?

For those that have better sources than Itunes. joke. If you believe any $1k or $2k DAC has the best supply avilable built in and couldn't be improved than you're the one in denial. Just like a pre. Those circuits will be quite sensitive to an internal X-former. Listen to the stand alone before damning it.

This presumption is entirely based on your personal view of your favorite DAC being a world beater when in fact others here have discarded it for similarly priced DACs and other forms of playback. Of course you are also not alone but it is a minority view that shouldn't be approached as fact but instead as preference. I believe there's few significant levels of improvement still available from a DAC format but will have to wait and see how things fall out, what is cost effective and for who. I'll be comparing it to the DAC in the NAGRA VI with Highcap. Not any of the $1k DACs.

Barrie,

it will be interesting to see which way you eventually decide to go once the DAC is released, ie. HDX/HDX + DAC/ DAC. Interesting developments and potential options depending on how this DAC turns out.

Surprised to only have 3 comments,so far, from people who attended the show would have expected more at this point with a few little nuggets on specs, connections etc..., but c'est la vie.

I think, unfortunately, at least from the few comments so far, that we are unlikely to get a consensus just based on the already significantly differing opinions expressed even when the final product is released. I am well aware that no matter how good you try a demo show is not ideal for proper set-up and listening so ultimately best done at your dealer and then at home in your own sytem/environment.

Time will tell.

quote:

Originally posted by js:
I'll be comparing it to the DAC in the NAGRA VI with Highcap. Not any of the $1k DACs.

Absolutely! That in itself is a $9KUSD combo.

Hey JS, Scott--- munch awarded me post of the year and we are only in February.

PS: guess he hasn't seen my "Dan Lavry" email. Maybe I'll be in the running for the top two spots! Hope he likes it.

A dubious distinction, no doubt. Fortunately there's plenty of time left to to be topped.

The VI as set up makes truely superb dubs of analog masters. Better than any analog copy and this with both a/d and d/a in the chain. It's a known quantity and not a flavor or preference.

*****

Sorry Adam.