Fulfilment - A Beautiful Blend of Equipment AND Music

Adam,

Now that is fulfillment ... great HiFi, great music and a pet dealer

... I suppose you could call the dealer "source first"

I am jealous,

Allan

Nice , thoughtful thread Nigel.

Agreed, music is (or surely should be) why we spend money on equipment. If a system narrows musical horizons then it's all gone wrong somewhere.

Having said that.... I've just listened to this ripped CD....

..... it's the first string quartet I've listened to on my 'new' system fronted by a 552 preamp and I've got to say that that it's the first time I've heard a HiFi get anywhere close to the experience of a live quartet recital. It still isn't the same as live, but it renders this form of music enjoyable and accessible in my listening room perhaps for the first time.

i know well that 500 series systems are in the tiny minority, but the principle holds true as you move from high street HiFi to your first Naim system and on up through the range - more and more music makes sense and starts to move you, so system investment is still important. 

But totally agree that using that system to investigate new music is what that system should be bought for!

In many threads the copyuing of covers makes the thread useless if you cannot see the covers. I see no reason why people cannot type album and artist name! It cannot take more time than uploading a picture. 

Claus-Thoegersen posted:

In many threads the copyuing of covers makes the thread useless if you cannot see the covers. I see no reason why people cannot type album and artist name! It cannot take more time than uploading a picture. 

Point taken Claus (and Allan). I hadn't appreciated how the thread would read to you guys. 

Sorry Claus - didn't realise it may not be visible. Album was Naxos 8.553371 Dvorak string quartet opus 106 by Vlach quartet.

Allan Milne posted:

 

Wenger posted about having more time "... when I retire ..." .... ..... ....

sorry I had to lift myself off from the floor with laughing there ... what time

 

I must agree with the post about putting in title and artist in your posts - it would be much appreciated - I very rarely visit the music room now as it seems to primarily consist of images of album covers

... I'm blind and am only reading this via a screenreader that only does text

 

New music is a relative term and therefore absolutely meaningless to anyone else since they don't know the music I already know.

This is why I am still buying a lot of music from the late 60s and 70s since I didn't have the money to buy it myself then. It is new to me now.

Similarly jazz was not a genre I appreciated at all but am now getting into the groove with the Jazz at 33 vinyl series ... although Ornette Coleman still leaves me icily cold !

Let's face it a Beethoven symphony is not new music either ...

 

Recommendations from Music Room, radio, family etc vastly overwhelm my time resources to follow-up; different from 40 years ago when it was the funds that were the constraining factor

I make it a rule not to buy anything that I can't listen to over the next day, otherwise I would have a huge pile of albums that I just wouldn't get through.

I also appreciate that this is a rather old-fashioned approach where the album, not the track, is the listening unit,

 

Allan

 

Allan (and Claus), I always try to get the best possible image of the album I am posting about in the Music Room (usually on the 'What are you listening to......' thread) to ensure the artist and album names are clear. But I must admit, I hadn't thought about the difficulty this causes those with poor sight or the blind. In future I will try to remember to also post the artist and album name.

I do always make some attempt to explain why others might be interested in my selection though.

Many of us are guilty of buying so much music that some albums hardly, if ever, get a listen. With the advent of Tidal, my buying and listening habits have changed. I select some albums that look interesting from the Music Room on here and save them on Tidal for checking out later. When I get round to listening, I am quite tough and only keep the ones in Tidal I really like. In time, I might seek out the CD or a hi res download of my absolute favourites. I have found this approach saves me money on buying CDs (and now Hi res downloads) that might get only one or two listens and then ignored entirely. It also avoids amassing a huge collection, much of which is so-so. I believe my collection is now of a higher quality to me and this smaller collection is much more rewarding. There of course is the 'discovery' potential of The Music Room and Tidal when I feel the need for a 'top up'.

One thing that hasn't changed is, like you, I still listen to one album at a time, rather than a collection of tracks from different albums. Some habits never change.

nigelb posted:

Allan, I always try to get the best possible image of the album I am posting about in the Music Room (usually on the 'What are you listening to......' thread) to ensure the artist and album names are clear. But I must admit, I hadn't thought about the difficulty this causes those with poor sight or the blind. In future I will try to remember to also post the artist and album name.

 

As far as covers are concerned, since my cover art website went down a few weeks ago, I find it easy to "lift" the cover from Amazon.

Agree 100% Nigel, will try harder from now on. 

kevin J Carden posted:

Nice , thoughtful thread Nigel.

Agreed, music is (or surely should be) why we spend money on equipment. If a system narrows musical horizons then it's all gone wrong somewhere.

Having said that.... I've just listened to this ripped CD....

..... it's the first string quartet I've listened to on my 'new' system fronted by a 552 preamp and I've got to say that that it's the first time I've heard a HiFi get anywhere close to the experience of a live quartet recital. It still isn't the same as live, but it renders this form of music enjoyable and accessible in my listening room perhaps for the first time.

i know well that 500 series systems are in the tiny minority, but the principle holds true as you move from high street HiFi to your first Naim system and on up through the range - more and more music makes sense and starts to move you, so system investment is still important. 

But totally agree that using that system to investigate new music is what that system should be bought for!

Yes indeed, after all my new-found discipline in balancing time/money spent on equipment vs music, I still have an urge to spend a disproportionate amount of money on a 552/500 combo. I thought I had banished all such silly thoughts and then you 'kindly' remind me of how stupendous these amps are.

You really should have more consideration for those of us who are trying to be sensible. 

nigelb posted:

kevin J Carden posted:

Nice , thoughtful thread Nigel.

Agreed, music is (or surely should be) why we spend money on equipment. If a system narrows musical horizons then it's all gone wrong somewhere.

Having said that.... I've just listened to this ripped CD....

..... it's the first string quartet I've listened to on my 'new' system fronted by a 552 preamp and I've got to say that that it's the first time I've heard a HiFi get anywhere close to the experience of a live quartet recital. It still isn't the same as live, but it renders this form of music enjoyable and accessible in my listening room perhaps for the first time.

i know well that 500 series systems are in the tiny minority, but the principle holds true as you move from high street HiFi to your first Naim system and on up through the range - more and more music makes sense and starts to move you, so system investment is still important. 

But totally agree that using that system to investigate new music is what that system should be bought for!

Yes indeed, after all my new-found discipline in balancing time/money spent on equipment vs music, I still have an urge to spend a disproportionate amount of money on a 552/500 combo. I thought I had banished all such silly thoughts and then you 'kindly' remind me of how stupendous these amps are.

You really should have more consideration for those of us who are trying to be sensible. 

Nigel - don't you go demoing 552/500... it's not fair  it really is not fair at all...

Adam Zielinski posted:

nigelb posted:

kevin J Carden posted:

Nice , thoughtful thread Nigel.

Agreed, music is (or surely should be) why we spend money on equipment. If a system narrows musical horizons then it's all gone wrong somewhere.

Having said that.... I've just listened to this ripped CD....

..... it's the first string quartet I've listened to on my 'new' system fronted by a 552 preamp and I've got to say that that it's the first time I've heard a HiFi get anywhere close to the experience of a live quartet recital. It still isn't the same as live, but it renders this form of music enjoyable and accessible in my listening room perhaps for the first time.

i know well that 500 series systems are in the tiny minority, but the principle holds true as you move from high street HiFi to your first Naim system and on up through the range - more and more music makes sense and starts to move you, so system investment is still important. 

But totally agree that using that system to investigate new music is what that system should be bought for!

Yes indeed, after all my new-found discipline in balancing time/money spent on equipment vs music, I still have an urge to spend a disproportionate amount of money on a 552/500 combo. I thought I had banished all such silly thoughts and then you 'kindly' remind me of how stupendous these amps are.

You really should have more consideration for those of us who are trying to be sensible. 

Nigel - don't you go demoing 552/500... it's not fair  it really is not fair at all...

I simply cannot afford to demo the 552/500 as I know what it would lead to and I have insufficient organs to sell in order to fund such a misadventure.

Sorry Nigel.. yes, that's what I thought too ... 

still not sure why/how the wife agreed to let me risk our financial future. Maybe I've yet to find out  but whatever it is it was worth it. All The 552 hype elsewhere on this forum is categorically not hype I'm afraid.

sorry again ! 

Yes, my only hope is Naim bring out a new pre amp range (including a replacement for the 552), prices of the old 552 plummets, and then I strike.

Does the phrase 'clutching at straws' spring to mind?

nigelb posted:

Yes, my only hope is Naim bring out a new pre amp range (including a replacement for the 552), prices of the old 552 plummets, and then I strike.

Does the phrase 'clutching at straws' spring to mind?

Desparate times call for desparate measures... With the 4th kidney gone, I really see no other option Nigel 

kevin J Carden posted:

Sorry Nigel.. yes, that's what I thought too ... 

still not sure why/how the wife agreed to let me risk our financial future. Maybe I've yet to find out  but whatever it is it was worth it. All The 552 hype elsewhere on this forum is categorically not hype I'm afraid.

sorry again ! 

Kevin - please stop this....  or if you must torment Nigel and I at least do share how you've managed to convince the CFO.

Sorry guys. Wish I were on a commission! 

I have to say that I lived extremely happily with my 52 for 15 years. It is a superb machine. in all seriousness, the thing I think I did 'wrong' was to buy a NAP500 in 2003 and run that with the 52 for so long. I had no idea I was choking it due to the mismatch between the 2 units. It still sounded great, but I do remember a long time ago sitting in front of a CDS3/252/300/Obelisk system at Grahams HiFi and thinking how incredibly well matched, well sorted, synergistic and musical that sounded.

 I feel strongly that these components are defined into classic/500 ranges by Naim for a very good reason.

From what I hear/read here the 552 is happier to work with lower range power amps than the 500 is with lower preamps, but as I write this ( I still haven't got off the Jerry Douglas album yetbp, so may be a long night !) my fiscally unhelpful advice is that if you do one, do both 552 and 500 (sorry yet again ) . Haven't you got a car/house you can sell ? 

We all know how great the 552/500 combo is, no dispute from me about that. What you haven't said however is how you got the CFO's approval for this sizeable purchase - possibly the more crucial bit of information you have entirely omitted.

Really don't know mate! For a number of years it was ' we can't afford it '  then one day it became ' I know it's important to you ' and there it was !

i think sterlings dip oddly helped as a large part of my pension is in offshore equities and we suddenly look a bit more comfortable than pre June 23rd! An ill wind that blew  me/Salisbury some good !?

Nigel,

Hi Fi magazines have very good music reviews, that's the main reason I subscribe to them. Stereophile comes up once a year with a topic of "Music to Die 4" where all their writers post three (new or old) exceptional recordings they own so you end up with quality recommendations of dozens of albums.

Go through the pages of each year to read their recommendations, there is a wealth of music there.

I also visit the sites of my own favorite labels (ECM, MARecordings, Alpha music, Hyperion, Venus Jazz) and investigate new musicians and compositions. Sometimes I surf youtube and uncover there delicious stuff. You just have to be in a mood for exploring.

As for Hi Fi gear, personally (I know, I am in a vast minority here) I believe that sound is way overrated and beside, it is never perfect. The more I act like sound engineers the more distracted I become and the less attention is being paid to the music which is the essence. It is so much easier to find synergy and and immediacy of sound (in other words: joy) in small systems that I wonder why people bother with the bigger stuff. My Naim dealer had said to me at the time that a good sounding music system should cost as much as a car. I did not argue. I just went for a Yugo and not a Jaguar and never had any regrets. The money saved went to music.

Haim

I like that idea from Haim - we have a middle sized stereo and a middle sized car (a Golf). I've always used the benchmark that the value of the music, at £10 per album, should significantly exceed the value of the system. Completely meaningless, but works for me. It went the 'wrong' way once, when I had a big system, but is now well within the self imposed limit and I feel very comfortable with the system I have. I'd certainly agree that the bigger the system, the harder it is to get it sounding its best. 

The car analogy is a good one!

in my case I wouldn't have a Yugo unless I couldn't possibly afford better. And I wouldn't have a Rolls because I don't like them. I choose cars on my assessment of "good", though the criteria are obviously different: reliability - must unfailingly get me from a to b; performance - must be able to do so in a timely manner and I do prefer driving fast to slow; comfortable; fuel efficient, sufficient carrying capacity; and stylish but in an understated way and preferably not too common. Of course every car is a balance of these, and in many cases a compromise between factors, and also of course it has to be affordable - however I have never bought a new car, nor do I ever intend to do so as I can get so much more for my money buying secondhand (in my case that usually means buying young, high mileage but well serviced). And, as with hifi a test drive is nigh-on essential as it can make or break a decision because it either is or isn't right.

I also have never bought a new car - I would rather let someone else with more money that me pay the huge levels of depreciation over the first year or two.

Funnily enough, I haven't bought brand new Naim kit for quite some time, preferring pre loved (usually trade-ins from a dealer) or ex dem, again with the confidence and backing you get from buying from a dealer. That is the great thing with Naim gear - rock solid residuals, incredible reliability and great back-up service from both dealer and HQ. My wonderful Naim dealer specialises in pre-loved Naim gear. I have saved huge slugs of money building my system in this way, with absolutely no compromise in terms of SQ. Indeed the gear comes already run in, so no frustrating roller coaster rides either.

Hungryhalibut posted:

I like that idea from Haim - we have a middle sized stereo and a middle sized car (a Golf). 

Not sure you've got a common equivalence there, HH.  While I'm reasonably confident that if you wandered around, say, Chichester or Emsworth shops and asked a few dozen people in the street they would agree that a Golf could be considered a middle sized (and cost) car.  If you asked them if they thought a three box hi-fi (separate from speakers, and not counting your IT boxes to get the data to your 272), I think many people would question whether that was middle-sized. Tell them the cost of your 3-box system and I'm very confident most people would not be thinking of the words "middle sized".  

Of course for us on here your description works, but then we're not 'normal people' on matters of music and hi-fi.

Mike