Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
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Hifi News Review of Naim Statement
- Thread starter John Channing
- Start date
Alan Sircom
I dü werds, me
Yes, except a mid-priced Creek of the day would struggle to work with the Gale 401, and the Yamaha NS1000 would sound better with something a lot better (and IMO, preferably something that would bring out the mid and top rather than just make it bark).
Also, I wouldn't put either speaker as relevant (or in the case of the Gale, available) 25 years ago.
A typical £2,000+ system of 1990 would have been an Linn LP12/Akito/K9 and an Arcam Alpha into a Linn Intek and a pair of Indexes or Heybrook HB1s. I think that wouldn't be too hard to beat.
When the technical performance of the product is no better if not actually worse than products costing 10% of the price it is pretty safe to assume the purchase is being made for reasons more to do with status than getting a job done well. Personally I don't see much of a problem with this and wish all the British companies that are trying to grab a piece of the action good luck.
Suffolk Tony
Aim low, achieve your goals, avoid disappointment.
There's an assumption here that the Naim Statement (and other bits of hi-fi exotica) are designed mainly for bling value rather than their sound quality. For sure, the Statement is rather more attractive than the monolithic black boxes of old (and some new) such devices, but that doesn't stop its design being prioritised around sound quality.
Seems as usual people are judging without hearing.
Seems as usual people are judging without hearing.
Alan Sircom
I dü werds, me
But Krells and Tannoy Autographs weren't 'statement' grade in the 1980s. They were just 'high-end'. Statement was Goldmund and Cello and Infinity IRS. By those standards, the Naim Statement is both cheap, and understated.
S-Man
StrivingON
We still haven't seen mention of this £2K system that is supposed to be better than whatever 1990 system at far more than £2K we might consider to be pretty good!
So looking at WHF let's go for:
Marantz CD6005
Arcam A19
B&W 685S2 or PMCTwenty22
I've no problems with very expensive gear and I have no jealousy for those who aspire or even buy them. I'd love to listen to a "great" system, but I would never buy one.
It's for the same reason that I have no problems with people who can afford to run a Ferrari, Lamborghini or the like. I could buy a ferrari if I wanted to, but I don't because my little VW up! is much the better car for my circumstances. My bmw stays on the drive most days and only comes out for motorway drives.
I have a great deal of enjoyment from my mid-priced systems.
It's for the same reason that I have no problems with people who can afford to run a Ferrari, Lamborghini or the like. I could buy a ferrari if I wanted to, but I don't because my little VW up! is much the better car for my circumstances. My bmw stays on the drive most days and only comes out for motorway drives.
I have a great deal of enjoyment from my mid-priced systems.
pure sound
Trade: manufacturer/distributor
It wasn't hard to beat it back then either!
Suffolk Tony
Aim low, achieve your goals, avoid disappointment.
"Normal audiophiles" - an oxymoron.
Alan Sircom
I dü werds, me
How about an Arcam CDS27 player, A19 amp, and PSB Imagine X1T floorstanders? That comes to a little over £2,200 list as a complete system (excluding cables and tables).
I'd happily put that up against a system that cost around £2,000 in 1990.
Alan Sircom
I dü werds, me
Fair point, but they used far stronger drugs for Linndoktrination back then, and more people took to the programming. It was a fairly typical system of the time.
S-Man
StrivingON
Alan you are still missing the point (perhaps deliberately so) - david said
"something costing far more 25 years ago!
For the hard of understanding, that means - a lot more than £2500 in 1990.
Pinky
In suspense, not compressed
Speaking of beating something costing far more than £2K 25 yrs ago how about from 1991:
PT Export / RB300 / Denon DL304, £1000
Exposure VII/VIII, £800
Epos ES11's, £300
It's not even far more than £2K - it's just £2,100
Wonder what would beat that now for <£2,000?
PT Export / RB300 / Denon DL304, £1000
Exposure VII/VIII, £800
Epos ES11's, £300
It's not even far more than £2K - it's just £2,100
Wonder what would beat that now for <£2,000?
davidsrsb
pfm Member
But not quite what I meant
I was excluding vinyl from this comparison as many modern decks and cartridges are not good value for money
Alan Sircom
I dü werds, me
Yes, I didn't necessarily say that. My take is a system costing £X today is very likely better than a similarly priced system of 25 years ago.
I could very easily put together a system that would sound truly awful and cost more from 25 years ago. How about Audio Research and Naim IBLs? Late Chrome Bumper Naim and B&W Silver Signatures? Or an Ongaku and Apogees? I could even create a system that wasn't stacked in my favour that didn't sound any good that cost a lot more and won't sound as good as that Arcam/PSB system I mentioned (anything that ends with the words 'Linn Sara 9', for example).
If you are determined to be pedantic about this, remember that we are in 2015. 25 years ago is 1990. Not 1979. By 1990, a pair of Gale 401 were long gone, and the NS1000 were already an anachronistic throw-back to the 1970s by then, so hardly relevant to the 'of 25 years ago' comment. A loudspeaker of 25 years ago isn't a loudspeaker of 37 years ago, and I think if you are wanting to take this to task you should stick to designs launched within a few years from the relevant date.
Alan Sircom
I dü werds, me
A Pro-ject Xpression Carbon, with a Creek Evo 50a, and a pair of Russell K Red 50s would give this a run for its money.
The Export would sound better when on song, but the Pro-ject will be more consistent. And the amps would be less likely to go up in flames, compared to early 1990s era Exposure.
adamdea
You are not a sound quality evaluation device
Go on...