Essence of Linn, Essence of Naim?

Hmmmm perhaps this wasn't such a good idea given the length of my list (you can fit so much more on a stick rather than a cassette!) Anyway here's my list - including notes - all of which now seems horribly predictable (my wife was right!)

Dead Can Dance

1. The Wind that Shakes the Barley (Toward the Within)
2. Rakim (Toward the Within)
3. Yulunga (Wake)

Shelby Lynne - widely used at HiFi shows

1. Just a Little Lovin’ (Just a Little Lovin&rsquo
2. Willie and Laura Mae Jones (Just a Little Lovin&rsquo

Kate Bush

1. Misty (50 words for snow)

Steely Dan Hi-res FLAC. Sounds great but seems compressed compared to my original vinyl!

1. Gaucho (Gaucho)

Peter Gabriel Hi-res FLAC from the re-master of So. Crucially they went back to the original tape rather than the digital re-release (which was rubbish)

1. Mercy Street (So)

Chris Jones  No Sanctuary Here has become something of a Hi-Fi show standard to demonstrate whether the bass cones work –great album!

1. Roadhouses and Automobiles (Roadhouses and Automobiles)
2. No Sanctuary Here (Roadhouses and Automobiles)

Nils Lofgren Thanks to Peter

1. Keith don’t go (Acoustic Live)

Alan Parsons Project

1. Sirius (The Definitive Collection)
2. Eye in the Sky (The Definitive Collection)
3. Psychobabble (The Definitive Collection)

Goldfrapp Trivia: Alison Goldfrapp used to sing backing vocals in a group with Beverley Craven

1. Voicething (Head first)

Fever Ray

1. Keep the Streets Empty for Me (Fever Ray)

Maria Mena OK so this is a Norwegian version of Bjork, recorded in Germany backed by a Country and Western Band….. and used to demonstrate mains devices!

1. I was made for loving you (Cause and Effect)

Phantom Limb

1. Don’t Say a Word (Phantom Limb)
2. Witherin’ Bones (Phantom Limb)

Massive Attack The thermo-nuclear device of Hi-Fi Demo tracks!

1. Angel

Nouvelle Vague How’s your French? This only works if you were around for Punk and New Wave

1. Teenage Kicks
2. Making Plans for Nigel

Herbie Hancock Herbie Live with Joni Mitchell – what’s not to like

1. The River (The Then and Now)

Laura Marling

1. Blackberry Stone (I speak because I can)

Rodrigo y Gabriela

1. Orion (Rodrigo y Gabriela

……. Now for the sequel I’d add Madelaine Peyroux, Mary Black, Tania Maria, Leftfield, Agoria, Black Umfolosi, Carpenters, Neu, FC Kahuna, Coldplay, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Diane Krall, Grover Washington, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Satriani …….

(….. I lied about Coldplay)

I'm a hybride Naim user who isn't into prog.  I have a Vivid Naim Johnson. :-)

yet......

Fever Ray

Nouvelle vague

Massive Attack

Kate Bush, all appear in my collection.

interestingly, my sister was visiting from 2500km away in Tasmania, wanted her first demo of the system.  My sister got me into audio proper when i was about 11 when we went to collect her Rotel vinyl setup with Bose 301s.  i remember being about to pick up a box and the dealer said, "whoa there, wrong box, that ones worth much more than your sisters".  no it wasnt a naim box.    Anyway, back in 2012, I player her a few known tracks, Fleetwood Mac Rumours in HD to take us back to the Rotel vinyl days, bit of Fever Ray and a couple of dynamic sounding rock tracks......no specific reaction.  

Then I played Estate from Naim's 24/192 Meet me in London reissue (Via the Naim DAC of course)

Ok, she said, now I get it, that sounds amazing. The vocal on that track is sublime.

Thats the Naim sound.

What a complete load of old bollocks.

Sorry, but this is a really stupid thread and shows why audiophiles or hi-fi buffs (or whatever they're called) are so despised and mocked.

Well I read the lists hoping to recognise some music that I had heard before myself. Well I might have heard some of it I suppose, but if so, none left any memory.

I assume that classical music, especially Bach and Haydn as my two favourite composers is definitely not Essence of Naim, Linn or anything else!

ATB from George

Jan-Erik: 3 new names to me - i'll investigate with interest!

george: my colleague doesn't listen to classical so none on the list but it's a good question. My first audition of a naim system was with another punter who brought along Saint-saens symphony number 3 (Louis Fremaux - city of Birmingham). The upshot was my wife and I walked into the nearest HMV and bought the LP. I would definitely add it to the list along with scherezade and all of rossini's overtures! Other than that I'm a work in progress having recently bought the Decca and Phillips box sets for a bit of education. seriously tempted to add the Wiener Philarmoniker Symphonies but that would add another 50 CDs to the 100 I'm working through! Any pointers on where to start with Bach would be appreciated - he was rather prolific!

Kevin - chill out mate I'm not actually being serious just trying to start a conversation or two ...... Feels like the forum could do with a bit of colour / controversy

M (from my !?!?! iPad)

Dear Kevin,

I think we usually come to quality replay with the idea of listening to our favourite music replayed as well as possible within the state of the art and the possible budget!

I know of no electronics that replay classical music better than selected Naim models, and no speaker that goes on the end better than ESL 57s - for classical music I mean. I know the demands of amplified instruments generally put the old ESL 57s out of court, but they still make clear what was recorded if not with quite the chutzpah of conventional coned speakers, whereas the situation is reversed with classical music of any type.

But really I don't see how a list of music - mine, yours or anyone else's - could quite define the essence of the philosophy in design and characteristic of any Hifi manufacturer. 

ATB from George