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Your amp history...

Solid State up until about 1992

Rotel something
Linn Pre / Power Tek - most probably the very worst amplifer combo in the world ;)
MF A100 with Fans - come fry an egg. Still working.

Then from 1992 valves all the way, far too many to list here. Some comercial, the majority DIY kits and a couple of my own ground up designs...

Tell a lie dabbled with them SS GainClone thingies some years back.....
 
All sorts of Salisbury black boxes, none of which ever bettered early bolt top 12/snaps/250

Then introduced to Dynavector, and no plans ever to change
 
Amstrad IC2000...............yes I know, but in 1971 it seemed pretty good to me!
Sansui SU3900
NAD 3020A
Onix OA21
Naim NAC62/SNAPS/NAP 90 olive
Naim NAC62/HICAP/NAP140 olive
Naim NAC62/HICAP/ZAP250
 
Naim Nait Mk1 (Fabulous, totally blew everythign else away for £150s/h in early 90's)
Crimson 640C Pre (used this into the Nait believe it or not...was only just worse than dedicated Crimson Power)
Rega Cursa 3
Crimson 640B & 640 Power (just 'cos it was ebay & I was bored)
Rega Exs Stereo Power (Clamshell)
Rega Exon Mono Power (Clamshell)
Moth Passive Pre
Michel Iso/Hera
Tom Evans Microgroove
Naim NAP140 x 2
Naim NAP250 boards in case with DIY Power supply.
Starfish Pre!!

Audio Innovations S800 for about 1wk...it just couldn't do modern stuff well enough.

I still have everythign except the S800.......
 
Kenwood Receiver (can't recall which one exactly...)
Kenwood KA-4020
Creek CAS 4040
Creek CAS 4140
Naim Nait II
NVA AP20
Naim Nait II
Naim Nait III w. flatcap
 
Eagle International TSA-151
Rogers Ravensbourne
Cape Electrophonics VL-1 valve monoblocks
Armstrong 525 receiver
Yamaha CR-820 Receiver
Yamaha A-09
JVC AX-1
Arcam Alpha 7
Quantum Electronics 102/202
Quantum Electronics 102/207DA

and now -

Naim SuperNait.
 
NAD 3020
Musical Fidelity A1
Naim Nait 2
Naim 32.5 & 140
Naim 32.5/Hicap & 140
Naim 32.5/Hicap & 250
Naim 72/Hicap & 250
Linn Kairn & Klout
Linn Kairn & 2 Klouts
Linn Kairn & 2 Klimax Solo 500's
Linn Klimax & 2 Klimax Solo 500's

Never disappointed with any combinations. However, never felt that the Naim changes were big upgrades. Listened to an 82 and thought the Linn combo was much better!
 
Pioneer sa 506
Nad 3020
Creek cas 4040
Naim nac 62/nap140
Avondale Nac62/3-aps/Avondale nap140
Avondale Nac 42-5/3-aps/Avondale160 monoblocks
Avondale Nac 42-5/3-aps/Avondale active x-over/Avondale 160/Avondale C1 monoblocks
Linn Kairn smps/Avondale active x-over/Avondale 160/C1 monoblocks
Avondale Grad 1/APX1?Avondale active X-over/Avondale 160/C1 monoblocks

AV Amplifier-Denon AVC-A1D to be changed shortly for Denon's AVR 4308
 
Technics (can't remember the s/n but it was a 30w integrated still doing sterling service for my mum)
Many years in the wilderness with various mini / midi and lifestyle systems.
naim nait 5
naim Nap 250
naim nac 82
Vincent SP t-100 Mono's (now in storage awaiting a larger venue)
B&O 5000 (sounds as good as the 82/250 - sorry, but it does).
 
Shiny Rotel/Sony/Marantz (Rotel still going strong in My Dad`s `system)
Nait Mk1
Intek
Wakonda/LK140
2xActive LK140
 
JVC something-or-other - AX222 or summat
Audiolab 8000A
Rega Mira 2000
Naim NAIT3
Naim 72/180
Naim 72/180/Hicap
Naim 72/180/Hicap/640p

All I want now is the 180 serviced (at the end of the year) and some 821 boards. This amp is "good enough" for my needs :)
 
A&R A60E
42/110
42/Snaps/110
42/Hicap/110
42/Hicap/250
42/Hicap/135s
42/Hicap/Audio Research D70 mk 2
Musical Fidelity MVT/Audio Research D70 mk 2 (the MVT was MUCH worse than the 42/Hi)
MVT/Analog Research (built by a friend)
Analog Research pre/power..ditto
Analog Research pre/Exposure XVI monos ( superb power amps)
82/supercap/Exposure XVI (the 82/SC was really very similar to the Analog Research in sound).
52/Exposure XVI (one of the biggest upgrades in the naim line was the 82/SC to 52).
52/6x135 active
52/300/4x135 active
52/500/300/2x135 active
552/500/300/2x135 active
552/500 passive
552/2xmonoblock tube amps

And this leaves out brief flings with models such as Classe et al that found me waking up on the morning with a sense of disgust and a bad taste in my mouth.
 
My first amp was a Sinclair Stereo 60 -
project60_ad_1.jpg

(It's OK to be jealous)
Yamaha receiver
NAD 314
Nait 1
62/140
102/140
 
My first amp was a Sinclair Stereo 60 -
(It's OK to be jealous)

Not jealous - I had one as well!

Sinclair Stereo 60
Leak stereo 20 (Fed from Sinclair pre)
Pioneer Receiver of some type
Naim 42.5 / Snaps / 110
Naim 32.5 / Hicap / 250
Aksa GK-1 / 55N+
Aksa GK-1 / Lifeforce
 
Yamaha A320 - Good reviews at the time, later a guy in Hughes TV told me it compared well to his Naim Nait. The yamaha was a nice smooth sound, was very satisfied.

Cyrus One - Again suckerred in by the rave reviews, an improvement on the Yamaha, and sounded good, but there was just something about the sound that I did not get on with.

Naim Nait 1 - I heard a 250 and Nait at a demo and discoverred the naim sound, very different to anything I had heard before and wanted to have that sound in my home. I bought the Nait secondhand from guy in Hughes TV, the same one I heard in the demo. The guy told me a few months later he regreted selling the Nait.

Naim Nait 2 - Loved the Nait 1 so much, but wanted a nice shiny new hifi after getting a new job. I was fed up with all the upgrading so decided to stop there and has been my main system since 1989. Wise choice as I would have been dissapointed with the Nait 3, the pre/power combos were out of my reach financially.

I have the upgrading bug again now I am in better financial situation and the price of secondhand gear make the equipment accessible. Will be keeping the Nait 2 as a second system, probably looking at a modded 72 with Avondale power supply, matched up to one or two 250s.

Regards,
Paul.
 
Rotel 820A
Creek 4040
*Mini Crescendo
*Maplin Mosfet
*Michel Alecto sort of copies
*Borbely DC-100 copies
*JLH 80W Mosfet copies, modded PSUs
*Pass Aleph 3 Clone
LK140 pair (Aktive)
*AKSA 55N
*TDA1514
*AKSA100N (upgraded to N+ then back to N)
*Leach Low TIM
Leak Stereo 20
*SKA GB150
*LM3875
*NCC200
Grant G50 EL34
*NAP140 Clone

* = DIY

Probably built loads of others that I can't remember. The Leach is my favourite.
 
Hola!

1999 - Pioneer A400
2000 - MF X-A2
2001 - MF X-A2 + Sugden A21aP power amp
2002 - MF A308 Pre + Sugden A21aP power amp
2005 - MF A308 Pre + Krell KSA-80B power amp
2006 - MF A308 Pre + MF F15 Power amp (Krell broke!)
2007 - Chord CPM2600 Integrated
2007 - Gryphon Callisto 2200
2008 - Krell KAV-400xi with/without - Westinghouse 300b Power amp (depending on volume)
 


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