happy chap

Posted by: Matt Gear on 14 November 2001

well...

after a few years of procrastination i have finally got round to setting up my first naim system. i really wanted a 72, as i love the design of it, so bought one of the last to be produced at salisbury. in heinsight i could have saved a bit by getting a 2nd hand one, but nevermind.

i've purchased a 180 off of my dad, since he has just uppgraded to a 250.

i set the whole lot up at the weekend, using my old pioneer pds-801 cd player as source, and running into my castle avon speakers. i had a smile on my face from the second the fascia on the 72 and 180 lit up, and it only got broader as the music started to come out of the speakers.

the 72 / 180 replaces my old pioneer a-400, which had done a good job for a number of years, but was beginning to show it's age. even with just an old pioneer cd player at the front end, the naim combo was immediately better in all areas. the sound was more controlled and focused, but at the same time less "hifi" and more musical. i spent a happy weekend ploughing through my old cd's.

the sound is still far from perfect, though much (if not all) of this blame can be pointed at the source, as i do seem to have something of a "mullet" system. it can sound a little shrill in the treble when played loud, and there is some smearing of the sound, but overall this pales into insignificance compared to the benefits from the new amps.

a CDX is on the horizon for early next year, and when that comes, i expect i'll be even happier. in the meantime though, i'm happy to enjoy what i've got.

cheers!

matt

Posted on: 14 November 2001 by Mike Sae
72s are killer. Don't let anyone here tell you otherwise hehe.

I thought I had one of the last 72s @ 148xxx.
What's yours? I'd be pleasantly surprised if they made another batch after mine.

FWIW, they're probably at the high 170's or low 180's now. My fresh outta the box CDX is 177xxx.

[This message was edited by Mike Sae on THURSDAY 15 November 2001 at 01:23.]

Posted on: 15 November 2001 by Matt Gear
mike

off the top of my head i think it's a 169*** but i could be wrong. i had a real desire to get a 72, and as i'll probably be using it for a while decided to go for a new one rather than a 2nd hand one.

what really impressed me was that baring in mind the comparitive age of the product (72 was brought out in 1989 i think) it is comprehensively better than the a400. not that i'm surprised at this, as the naim kit is more expensive, but in terms of the number of different products brought out over time, pioneer / marantz et al must have brought out a good 5 or 6 products at the same price range as the a400 in the last 10 years, each of which should have been an improvement on the previous model. naim on the other hand developed 1 product, which over that 10 year period has continued to produce incredible quality of sound. same goes for all the naim kit. i'm preaching to the choir i know, but it's just something that impresses me.

juan

as for getting an xps for the cdx, that will definitely be high on the list of "next" upgrades once the cdx appears, but i'm sure i'll be enjoying the bare cdx for quite a while. maybe then a hicap for the 72? decisions, decisions!

cheers

matt