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Compromising for less clutter and more style

I’ve recently gone from a pre/monoblocs amp to an integrated Accuphase and, in the process, removed 2 mains leads and a pair of interconnects from the rats nest. Which has helped.
 
mrlamonta said:
... The amp (Quad Vena II) was mostly chosen as it fits into an Ikea Kallax shelf and I think it looks quite nice. Altough I am annoyed with the volume knob.
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I have a Quad Vena 1 - love it, but if you are talking about the (in)visibility of the volume knob indent, I feel your pain - it used to drive me nuts when using the remote.
I solved it by squeezing a tiny bit of White-Tac into the groove and smoothing over with a credit card - easy to remove if desired and makes it just visible enough from a distance
 
Notice that quite a few of us have ditched multi box Naim setup's. I had Naim amps for most of my life but recently realised that it is all a bit of a con and the multi box setup is really just a marketing idea to get your money.

Maybe 30 years ago it was a good strategy, not now.
 
matt j said:
I don't think good style is a compromise of sound quality
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^ this.
A couple of years ago I went from a mana oil rig stuffed with Naim (inc CDS), an LP12, cables everywhere etc. to a Pi/digione and pair of Kii3s.
Far, far less clutter and it sounds better in every single way possible.

Of course, there is usually a compromise somewhere and that was price: only my LP12 and cartridge were purchased new (the LP12 in 1985). In contrast, I had to stump up for the Kiis/Control new since they were scarce used (and without significant savings). I'd never spent anyway near as much previously on a single piece of kit (but, in reality, that got me speakers, pre and power amps, & DAC all in one)
Money well spent.
 
You don’t have to compromise to have less clutter and more style. For many years now I’ve had active ATCs of one kind or another, a DAC of one kind or another and a digital source, either a Squeezebox Touch or a netbook. Very simple, no need even for a hifi rack, just use any handy shelf or surface. And even expensive high quality floorstanding speakers like my current SCM50ASLTs only have a footprint of 304mm x 470mm, less than many stands, and are nicely veneered wood all the way to the floor rather than industrial looking ugly black metal stands. Active speakers mean the cabling to your speakers is discrete too, and can be of any length, so you can put what little electronics you need out of the way. And instead of spending a couple of grand or more on Fraim, you could spend the same money on some nice stylish furniture or art or carpet or wine or music.
 
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miktec said:
I have a Quad Vena 1 - love it, but if you are talking about the (in)visibility of the volume knob indent, I feel your pain - it used to drive me nuts when using the remote.
I solved it by squeezing a tiny bit of White-Tac into the groove and smoothing over with a credit card - easy to remove if desired and makes it just visible enough from a distance
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Partly. I think I just like a longer knob. Plus, it turns itself down all the way when you switch it on. I seem to let little things like that annoy me.
 
PhilDick said:
Notice that quite a few of us have ditched multi box Naim setup's. I had Naim amps for most of my life but recently realised that it is all a bit of a con and the multi box setup is really just a marketing idea to get your money.

Maybe 30 years ago it was a good strategy, not now.
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Yep, I think it’s fairly pointless now. There’s absolutely no need for it although no issue with those that do, it’s still great kit. The whole 10 year service thing is annoying, you feel as if it’s another built in design feature to ensure a contact point with your dealer to up sell (used to be able to send stuff straight to Naim).
 
Ponty said:
(used to be able to send stuff straight to Naim).
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Indeed.
My first Naim preamp was bought by me used for a great price, directly from Salisbury.
Surely that wouldn’t happen these days. I sent stuff to them directly for decades.
 
Not sure the Naim approach is a con so much as others have demonstrated that the same can be obtained for comparable or less money; less boxes and definitely less cables. Life is too short.
 
I have done the system de-hydration thing ...

We had a Naim pre power CB system and a mix of floor standers and standmounts in the front room, later decided to move to the back dining room and sold the old Naim kit and got a Muso that was bashed into existence somewhere in a factory from China instead of the artisan hands of Salisbury - then I even had a LP12/ARO plugged into the audiophile approved 3.5mm input jack for the sheer (source first!!!) irony and surprisingly good noise it made and wasn’t too critical of the sound knowing and accepting the limitations of a one amp/speaker box system.

Then one day a few years on, my ex suddenly wanted back the sound that you can only get from a pair of speakers - so the Muso demoted into glorified Kitchen boom box, and the main system was a Naim Uniti, but now Pioneer Nc50 amp/streamer with a pair of Monitor audio speakers.

I buggered off back to Jap gear, with 90’s era speakers & Cable talk 3.1 speaker cables. I have so far resisted buying a DAC or streamer, so I have retained an element of downsize somewhat
 
wylton said:
No criticism intended, but it amazes me how quickly these threads turn into Naim bashing!
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I think the reason for that apparent impression is that most multi-box systems are probably Naim. The only other brand that went down that road is maybe Cyrus.
I'm down to three boxes and one of those is the PSU for the LP12. Active speakers were the way to reduce box count for me, with absolutely no compromise in sound quality - in fact, quite the reverse
 
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Nero said:
I think the reason for that apparent impression is that most multi-box systems are probably Naim.
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Yes, I get that; my main system is at 18 items right now, but my love of vintage turntables makes it worse, so I don't see how I can reduce it! I certainly understand, that for some folks, neatness is a priority. I only discovered recently, that my wife has a picture of my system on her phone, so that she can show people what she has to put up with! If you cater for LPs/CDs/cassettes/streaming, then your box count is bound to go up, then out course once you add thousands of LPs/CDs and cassettes, the clutter gets worse still! Mind you, in my defence, when you look at the thousand of DVDs that she has collected over the years taking up house space!

So, I look with envy, at some of the lovely looking rooms and hi-fi that you see on the system pictures thread!
 
I was never under pressure to reduce box count, hifi has its own room but I just found it overly complex in the end. Almost like a parody of what hifi should be.

Naim make great gear but casework costs money & the pounds start to spiral.
 
I don't think a multi box system has to necessarily look cluttered, most of the time its down to the furniture it's housed in or the lack of a back board on the furniture or suitable way of neatly routing cables, using a piece of furniture with a back or successfully hiding cables results in a much neater appearance.
 
Years ago you could add a Hicap to your system and it seemed like a good upgrade. I did this and heard improvements. But when I look at the current range and do wonder? The ndx is a prime example, only at its best with two massive external power supplies. The whole package costs thousands. This is clearly a marketing decision, any decent designer could make this work in one box.
 
wylton said:
No criticism intended, but it amazes me how quickly these threads turn into Naim bashing!
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A touch defensive? 99% of mid-to-upper range of audiophile gear (including Naim) manifests itself in multi-box form, more people these days prefer a de-cluttered living space. But if you are fortinate enough to have a man cave or exile his wife/family into an outhouse, then stack away!
 
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