552 obsession or stupidity

Hungryhalibut posted:

Complete bollocks. Holidays and meals out enrich one's life extraordinarily. Who wants to sit by themselves listening to music all the time? I'm always saying this, but a 552 won't change one's life. 

Crap   A 552 (in a matched system) is guaranteed to provide great music -so will most certainly "change your life".  A once in a life time holiday yes okay but most holidays and certainly meals out here today gone tomorrow.

I was simply reflecting on the choice between being a middle aged bloke sitting alone listening to an album that I'd heard a thousand times before, in slightly better quality, or going on holiday to a new place, seeing new things, new art, eating in new places. I look back over my 31 years married to Hilary and can remember all those holidays we've had and things we've seen, and the memories give me great pleasure. I look back on when I had a 552 and listen to my scummy 272 now and I enjoy music just as much. That's why I say a 552 won't change your life. I spent 10 hours listening to music two days ago, and it was a real pleasure. I did this solely because I couldn't leave the house because I was preparing for a colonoscopy, but I wouldn't want to listen to that much music every day, it would be like wasting my life. Anyway, it is simply a matter of priorities. Bollocks is probably my favourite word, so it's good to deploy it once in a while. 

The Strat (Fender) posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

Complete bollocks. Holidays and meals out enrich one's life extraordinarily. Who wants to sit by themselves listening to music all the time? I'm always saying this, but a 552 won't change one's life. 

Crap   A 552 (in a matched system) is guaranteed to provide great music -so will most certainly "change your life".  A once in a life time holiday yes okay but most holidays and certainly meals out here today gone tomorrow.

It's a bit more complicated than that isn't it? I'm sure we all know people who love music who don't have great systems. One mate of mine writes, produces, has played in bands all his life, had a recording contract at one point but does his listening on a pretty inexpensive system. It's not that he can't hear that stuff sounds better on my (low-mid range Naim) system. I think in many ways though he needs less stimulus to trigger the deep memories of what live music sounds like - his brain fills in the gaps more. All I really mean is that I think we should be wary of saying only by spending £50k can you get great music - it's very personal.

Beyond that, I'm a huge believer that EXPERIENCES give more lasting pleasure than STUFF. Experience are temporary but the memories of great experiences last a lifetime. I'm sure most of us have experienced how quickly the pleasure of a new car fades. 12 years ago I dropped the cost of a fairly expensive black box on a few days heliskiing in Canada. Definitely worth it for me - I can shut my eyes and relive some of the sensations today. Great meals and great holidays can achieve that too and they don't HAVE to cost a lot of money.

For me STUFF that enables EXPERIENCES is the grey area. In this era where so many people split their attention between the TV, their smartphone and the people around them, it is quite magical to be captivated by music alone - that IS an experience. That is surely the test of whether a system is good enough - does it draw you in to the point you can happily spend a couple of hours just listening to music. I don't think most people need a 552 to achieve that (although for most people who are not enthusiasts no amount of money would ever achieve that).

Maybe this thread should be merged with MangoMonkey's thread wondering whether to keep his 552...  

Or at the very least there is a potential trade on the table!

"Beyond that, I'm a huge believer that EXPERIENCES give more lasting pleasure than STUFF".

Just so Jed. How often do we see people at live events trying to cram a massive experience into a tiny SmartPhone. Turn the damn thing off; drink in the vibe and store it in the grey matter - the best analogue recording device known to mankind.

For those who need and appreciate it, a good sound system provides soul food, plain and simple. It cannot be rationally justified in terms of financial cost but it might just improve your quality of life.

I choose to own what most folk would consider a ridiculously expensive sound system, and a relatively ordinary/inexpensive car because the latter is far less important to me.

John.

Nothing beats travel, live music, and other enjoyable new experiences.  But I find that, as I get older and have to deal with more health issues, having a really nice home audio setup can be a great tonic. 

How many experiences, how much stuff, where we live, what we drive, the causes we support - it's all down to personal choice. We all want to pursue happiness on our own terms, but life is all about tradeoffs. Everyone has their own unique short and long term goals, but the fundamentals of sound financial planning should not be ignored.

Just my long-winded way of concurring with those who have said buy what you want, if you can afford to do so!

the number of the 500 series and above is so relatively small their views are not valid

 for the vast majority of customers.  never been to any dealer were the top end is ever demoed daily. the only time ive heard it is at hifi shows .  nowerdays  hifi shows I talking shops.   bring back shows like harrogate

What is a relative sane index of money spent on single product/  monthly income? Or as a % of yearly income for a working man

I know there are milion variables age,kids etc but ball park figures and opinions i am curious about

buying 552 with a single month income or 4 months or a year...

Where does crazy starts? Just your toughts for sake of conversation 

The Strat (Fender) posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

Complete bollocks. Holidays and meals out enrich one's life extraordinarily. Who wants to sit by themselves listening to music all the time? I'm always saying this, but a 552 won't change one's life. 

Crap   A 552 (in a matched system) is guaranteed to provide great music -so will most certainly "change your life"...............

Ahhh  but so does a NAC72  !   

The pleasure one obtains from ones system/music is inversely proportional to the amount of time wasted posting on this forum. FACT.

Draw your own conclusions.

Bought my dream system in 2002. Remortgaged to get it. Early retirement present. Circumstances were that I had become a single parent and spent a lot of time at home. I still have that system and it has given immense pleasure over 16 years. It's good enough not to upgrade, just the odd service. It's not a 552 based system but money very well spent IMHO.

I still love music on this system and have no compulsion to get 500 series stuff. It's more than good enough! It's paid for now and I view it as a real investment in my personal access to culture.

Stu

Personal access to culture..... I like that 

audio1946 posted:

the number of the 500 series and above is so relatively small their views are not valid

 for the vast majority of customers.  never been to any dealer were the top end is ever demoed daily. the only time ive heard it is at hifi shows . .  

If so that is a travesty, as there is no way any Hi-Fi show will allow you to truly savour and appreciate a true high end system (IME)

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

audio1946 posted:

the number of the 500 series and above is so relatively small their views are not valid

 for the vast majority of customers.  never been to any dealer were the top end is ever demoed daily. the only time ive heard it is at hifi shows . .  

If so that is a travesty, as there is no way any Hi-Fi show will allow you to truly savour and appreciate a true high end system (IME)

Yes indeed Simon, you're so right... I believe I'd mentioned the 'sharp intake of breath' results from plugging a 552 into your own system for the first time. 

As you rightly say, forget shows, and as most folks would also say, don't purchase on the strength of a dem in a dealer's premises... take one home to try. BUT don't do this unless you have recourse to sufficient funds to keep it there 

At half a meter, a sharp intake of breath is about 55bB 

rjstaines posted:

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

audio1946 posted:

the number of the 500 series and above is so relatively small their views are not valid

 for the vast majority of customers.  never been to any dealer were the top end is ever demoed daily. the only time ive heard it is at hifi shows . .  

If so that is a travesty, as there is no way any Hi-Fi show will allow you to truly savour and appreciate a true high end system (IME)

Yes indeed Simon, you're so right... I believe I'd mentioned the 'sharp intake of breath' results from plugging a 552 into your own system for the first time. 

As you rightly say, forget shows, and as most folks would also say, don't purchase on the strength of a dem in a dealer's premises... take one home to try. BUT don't do this unless you have recourse to sufficient funds to keep it there 

There's no real excuse not to. My dealer was never going to have a demo unit on the shelf so they got Naim to send them one which arrived in around a week. I had it at home for a week, could have had it longer but was going on holiday (bad timing). The one I had was a very well used 2008 model and sounded fantastic from the moment it was plugged in. I must say I didn't have the sharp intake of breath, I got the giggles instead which I understand others have also experienced. 

Drewy posted:

rjstaines posted:

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

audio1946 posted:

the number of the 500 series and above is so relatively small their views are not valid

 for the vast majority of customers.  never been to any dealer were the top end is ever demoed daily. the only time ive heard it is at hifi shows . .  

If so that is a travesty, as there is no way any Hi-Fi show will allow you to truly savour and appreciate a true high end system (IME)

Yes indeed Simon, you're so right... I believe I'd mentioned the 'sharp intake of breath' results from plugging a 552 into your own system for the first time. 

As you rightly say, forget shows, and as most folks would also say, don't purchase on the strength of a dem in a dealer's premises... take one home to try. BUT don't do this unless you have recourse to sufficient funds to keep it there 

There's no real excuse not to. My dealer was never going to have a demo unit on the shelf so they got Naim to send them one which arrived in around a week. I had it at home for a week, could have had it longer but was going on holiday (bad timing). The one I had was a very well used 2008 model and sounded fantastic from the moment it was plugged in. I must say I didn't have the sharp intake of breath, I got the giggles instead which I understand others have also experienced. 

Unless you live across the Pond! 

Allante93! 

PS. My Authorized Local Naim Dealer won't even answer the Phone! 

But he did do A Seminar with the Statement, about 16 months ago! 

Manu was the Esteem Host! 

He is online, and does sell, if you order brand new, and does have demo Naim! 

One or Two Pieces! 

You Lucky Gents! 

If you're even asking the question, the Upgrade Camel has his nose under the tent. Go for it!

What happened next Zoot?

Was discussing with another Naim owner today the 282/252/552 and agreed that the 282 was a paradigm shift over the 202, the 252 was a further gain over the 282, and the 552 was a further paradigm.   But we thought a discussion point was how close does a 282/DR get to a 552?   No definitive answer of course.  

Regards,

Lindsay

The Strat (Fender) posted:

Was discussing with another Naim owner today the 282/252/552 and agreed that the 282 was a paradigm shift over the 202, the 252 was a further gain over the 282, and the 552 was a further paradigm.   But we thought a discussion point was how close does a 282/DR get to a 552?   No definitive answer of course.  

Regards,

Lindsay

Funny, even though I'm not on the Queens side of the Pond, I feel connected with Forum!

Especially those who owns the 282 DR.

If you happen to need unity gain on more than one input, it is practically your only good option, in the Naim stable.  Assignable inputs are a handy perk, too.

Nick 

Hmmmm.  The previous affordability questions are stating the obvious IMHO.

You have a super system and assuming it's well set up it's good enough that I suspect a 552 will lift it at least two notches.   In terms of bang for your buck (and not all will agree with me here) you might want to look at cables however.  I'm a Chord fan (and a 552 owner) but others prefer SL, and not saying I'm right and their wrong, just that I think cables can match a black box upgrade at less cost.  I think many are blinkered when it comes to spending money on cables rather than boxes.  I also think that if you went for the 552 you might think you need to upgrade to 300DR and you are tri-amped (I have a single 300)!

After living with my 552 for a few weeks and additionally installing a newly serviced supercap it's on a new level and is pure enjoyment didn't really get it for a long while , money can't replace have much fun I'm having-