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Thoughts on my HiFI and why I think I enjoy it more, and no it's not the best you can get.

pjdowns said:
Na, Naim amps are just naturally forward, it’s the way they are toned.

Also I can’t believe anyone would use a 552 with a 90.
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I ran an 82 through a flat cap & nap90, in the old days you could make big jumps through using the 2nd market. This was mainly why people climbed the ladder it was pretty manageable, think I did one upgrade a year over a period of time.

Much more difficult now.
 
I now think that all any of us need is a decent intergrated (which could be a supernait) with speakers of choice plus whatever sources you run.

The alternative is active speakers which is where I am now.

All down to preference.
 
Woodface said:
I now think that all any of us need is a decent intergrated (which could be a supernait) with speakers of choice plus whatever sources you run.

The alternative is active speakers which is where I am now.

All down to preference.
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I completely agree. Up until recently I always thought that Integrated amps must be weaker than pre/power, but I have found since the not to be the case.

My Belles integrated is light years ahead of my previous (well respected) Exposure XVII and XVIII pre/power combo.
 
pjdowns said:
Saying something is forward sounding though isn't knocking it.
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That's very true.
And why you can use that characteristic in a balanced system.
My Yamaha 801 amp would give me more neutrality but in my system the more driven sounding Naim amps make it sing better.

To my ears.
 
Minio said:
That's very true.
And why you can use that characteristic in a balanced system.
My Yamaha 801 amp would give me more neutrality but in my system the more driven sounding Naim amps make it sing better.

To my ears.
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It's all personal choice ultimately. I like a certain sound, but you or Joe Bloggs down the road might find it boring, or dull, or lifeless or even forward/bright.

We regularly debate and argue on here and other forums about what sounds what, but ultimately it doesn't matter what others think, it only matters about what you think of your own system.
 
Eyebroughty said:
I wonder how many on here have found the same on their journey into HiFi, with whatever equipment used and would accept that in fact the best HiFi is the one you have.
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Joe Hutch said:
(It's advice I've never followed myself, but) when you've found a system that you're happy with, that you can listen to day in, day out, on different types of music, stop buying hifi mags and visiting hifi forums. The temptation to tinker around is fed by such things, and if you do tinker you'll probably only upset the synergy of what you are currently enjoying, then spend ££££s trying to recapture it.
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I seem to have stopped changing things now and I’m perfectly content with my three systems (counting the simple 303 & Spendor S3/5R TV rig). I lost interest in the new market and current fads/trends about 20 years ago after getting both bored and poorer via the endless stands and cables wars, plus I really started to reconnect with vintage kit. I’m now in a place where if I were to change anything I’d be taking something I really like and likely painstakingly rebuilt/restored out of a system. As such I’ve kind of painted myself into a corner as whilst there are things I’d still like to explore (e.g. Quad ESLs) I don’t really have anywhere to use them! The real key was grasping I need both a main-monitor and nearfield presentation, i.e. no one system is ever going to do it for me. I just need both and I wasted far too much time trying to find a middle-ground. Once that was nailed down building really good examples of both just organically happened over time. Some of it has happened at a snail’s pace, e.g. I first started work on my TD-124 a good decade or more ago and a lot has happened in that time-frame. The Tannoys and JR149s both being very long journeys too. I guess vintage kit is very far from plug ‘n’ play box-swapping, it is a whole different mindset really. Restoration is certainly a big part of it, and that clearly takes time to do right.
 
My second system is settled now, but it’s a lot younger than the main one.
I tried various small speakers, including different makes of LS3/5a.
Now I’ve definitely settled on the Stirling V3s.

Amplifiers were rarely changed, but now I have a Marantz model that Doug Stirling recommended.
Nice to have remote volume.

The system has always had an AR XA turntable, which is so much better than I expected.

I tried a Naim CD player, but it didn’t quite suit and I bought a little used expensive Sony
model for about a third of its original price.
 
wylton said:
I think it's great having a second system and I wouldn't be without mine now; the AR XA is a very good turntable btw.
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It only cost me £25, plus about the same for a new belt & mat.
A Denon DL110 works really well.
The arm looks unsophisticated, but it works...
 
James said:
Happiness is not having what you like, but liking what you have.

I wonder if it is any coincidence that I'm really liking my late 70s / early 80s era kit, which is roughly when I got smitten by the hifi.
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I think there is a lot in wanting what you couldn’t afford as a kid, I have a quad 303 for upstairs, not because it’s a fantastic amp but because I thought they looked really cool in 70s, for younger readers we had a Morris marina at that time the bar was low, very low. I am currently listening to a hitachi mosfet amp circuit from the late 70s, it’s fine and I normally listen to class A amps or current dumping designs, it seems to get a lot right and not a lot wrong, maybe it isn’t the greatest amp ever designed but for listening to music it’s more than good enough. However I am older now and my ears are not what they used to be, maybe I could listen to a Naim today and not climb up the wall like a scalded cat as I would in my younger hifi days.
 
russel said:
I think there is a lot in wanting what you couldn’t afford as a kid, I have a quad 303 for upstairs, not because it’s a fantastic amp but because I thought they looked really cool in 70s, for younger readers we had a Morris marina at that time the bar was low, very low. I am currently listening to a hitachi mosfet amp circuit from the late 70s, it’s fine and I normally listen to class A amps or current dumping designs, it seems to get a lot right and not a lot wrong, maybe it isn’t the greatest amp ever designed but for listening to music it’s more than good enough. However I am older now and my ears are not what they used to be, maybe I could listen to a Naim today and not climb up the wall like a scalded cat as I would in my younger hifi days.
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And that’s the thing. It gets many things right for your own ears. We all have different sounds preferences. It takes a while to assemble your preference but if we can get near to this then we’re winning. Regardless of cost or looks or name. I’ve listened to a range of equipment over the years, some well outside my affordability, but nothing has given me more pleasure and communicated more effectively than the jumble I now have in front of me.Getting near enough is enough. Chasing the rainbow gnaws away at your love and enjoyment. It’s not a technical exercise for me, it’s a musical.
 
Completely agree with both the above posts, and ultimately it is all down to personal taste.

My preferences have changed over the times. I used to like forward sounding immediately impressive systems which after a while could become tiring, but now prefer easier to listen to systems which allow me to listen for extended periods without fatigue.

I have also found the way I listen to music since the introduction of Streaming has changed. Preiously I might listen to a whole album, whereas now I am more likely to listen to a couple of tracks and then move onto something else.
 
Woodface said:
You can probably always buy better but it probably doesn’t make you any happier.
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Indeed.
Hence the silly accessories that sell in truckloads. Silly DAC’s, supports... Not for me though, I’m cured for good now, after long erratic years.
 
chartz said:
Indeed.
Hence the silly accessories that sell in truckloads. Silly DAC’s, supports... Not for me though, I’m cured for good now, after long erratic years.
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I personally like to improve my hifi as much as possible within the limits of my available budget. If that is via cables, DACs, Grounding Boxes etc. as long as I hear a difference I will consider it.
 
Del monaco said:
And that’s the thing. It gets many things right for your own ears. We all have different sounds preferences. It takes a while to assemble your preference but if we can get near to this then we’re winning. Regardless of cost or looks or name. I’ve listened to a range of equipment over the years, some well outside my affordability, but nothing has given me more pleasure and communicated more effectively than the jumble I now have in front of me.Getting near enough is enough. Chasing the rainbow gnaws away at your love and enjoyment. It’s not a technical exercise for me, it’s a musical.
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Having said what I said earlier, the second system is used when I am working but the main system is more for relaxation, I have spent a few hours listening to the hitachi circuit and it is very, very good, it’s just the current dumping amplifier sounds better.
 
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