System Pics 2015

You're almost right, FT. It's actually what you might call a fully maxed-out Ace Space deck, equipped as it is with a factory-fit Heavy Kit, Ace Anna 10" tonearm, and a Wave Mechanic power supply just like the one in your picture. The cartridge, as you correctly surmise, is a Lyra Delos.

All in all a wonderful combination to my ears and as soon as I first heard it I decided it would be mine! I could detect no obvious flaws and not once did I feel I was missing anything. So I part-exed my Xerxes 20. A good deck, don't get me wrong, but I'd owned it for nigh on 10 years and, to be honest, was just getting a bit bored with it. I've been an admirer of Nottingham Analogue turntables for some years, and always felt that one day I would own one. Now that this has finally come to fruition, I couldn't be happier  

Excellent Jon, a great tale with a happy ending.

I've just played the current Sufjan Stevens LP on mine for the first time.

First play of this record.

And it's going back.

Perhaps I'm being unreasonably picky, but this album wows like b*ggery.  It has lots of sustained notes, so any wow screams at you.

I looked at it on the turntable.

The centre hole is more than 2mm off-centre, which moves the tonearm head by more than 4mm per cycle.

Time for another copy and fingers crossed that the hole will be in the right place.

One advantage of a Xerxes.  Touraj knows all about off-centre LPs and designed one of the few decks that can handle this manufacturing defect by allowing you to withdraw the centre pin and deliberately move the LP to correct for it.

The CD version doesn't wow. I think I'll only play this album on the CDS3 for now. CDs: wonderful things 

Best regards, FT

They are on a CDS3, I'd agree, having owned one myself once upon a time. A part of me still misses it, but I think I've got a reasonable substitute in the more diminutive shape of my Meridian 506.24.

Gosh! Now that's a turntable and three-quarters.

Do I spy a Ikea CD rack in the background? 

Yes indeed - Ikea Benno racks. There are actually three in that position, plus I have another two up in the spare room.

I'm liking all the turntable pics. Let's have more!

This has the look of a well-used listening room.  (As in a listening room that is used well.)

No issues with the NACA5 running under the rug?  How did you get it to lay flat enough?

Mark,

Heavy Tibetan rug and padding keep them flat under the carpet. This is not the optimal way to dress NACA5 but the domestic politics prevent me from drilling two holes on the floor to route them through the basement. 

Haim,

That's not true. You had your amp recapped and serviced since 1999.

I can't believe your cartridge still holding up all these years, tho.

You have been invited to our semi annual party but it's indeed a hike from where you are. But you are always welcome if you decide to make a long day out of it!

We've been playing jazz a lot lately. One of our friend is a south side hard bop old timer.  He and I usually listen together those old Miles and Parker ( his hero ) records.

Kuma,

A very nice system, in a comfortable room.  If I may humbly make a sugegstion:  in my experience, the music benefits greatly when the passive crossovers are given the same protection as the black boxes from vibration and sound.  I would put them in boxes (to avoid acoustic excitation) and support them as if on frame, with points and balls.  Or possibly elastomeric pads (not my first choice).  Perhaps you have tried this?

Charlie

Chalie,

Thank you for your suggestion for Xover stands.

I was more concerned about later vintage Xover working properly with my older PMS in that I haven't given much thoughts what the final arrangement would be.

These xovers have been recapped so they are still in running in. And oh my they sound soooo different from the DMS I was used to. Once settled, I have to experiment with several combination of platform and footers.

Putting them in the box is a good idea but I haven't got the clue yet.

Thanks, Kuma. You are very kind. And I thought that your guest was getting into a Sviatoslav Richter mood..

"Domestic politics" - now THERE'S a keeper phrase!

Oh dear....

Hopefully in about three weeks time we will have a room worthy of the 272/250, with repaired and skimmed walls, skimimed ceiling, a new carpet and a splash of Farrow and Ball. Until then, system No. 2 (the Roberts radio in the kitchen) will be pressed into action and the evenings will pass in the company of a paint brush. This has been long overdue, and when we have visitors we will no longer need to apologise for our squalid living conditions!

Im sure it will be lovely when its done HH, but I didnt think it looked too shabby in your other pics.

New carpet too?

Whats wrong with that one?!

If I lived nearer to you I might have hired a van and collected it off you for my place where several carpets really do need replacing 

Sounds like a plan - it will be a lovely listening room (even better) for enjoying your new gear once its done.

Look forward to the pics when its all up and running again.

Nice room indeed. Has that old school warmth to it. I sometimes get tired of looking at unimaginative setups in drab rooms that all seem to look the same.

Good to see you are going the DIY approach, HH!  Saving on a decorator to put towards an XPS?

David

We could buy a 555PS for what we are spending: we are also having doors blockedup, ceiling insulated, new electrics in the garage, skirting boards..... Thank heavens we will be in France when it's all going on - we are leaving the builders in charge.

That must be the most compact, least intrusive Naim system I've ever seen.  How does it sound?

I'm in a similar position. Had a damp problem on outside wall. So end of June had old plaster and render hacked back to brick. Chemical damp proof, re-render and plaster. Told to wait 4 weeks to dry before decorating. Just got to put new skirting in, with another 2 weeks for skirting paint to dry before new carpet laid. Then hopefully put back my system by mid September.

But has given time to rip cd's and check file tags.

I can only imagine a very transparent sound