advertisement


Your amp history...

Quantam IA100
Cyrus 2 with PSX
Nait 5
82/200/hicap
Bel Canto Evo2i
Canary CA608
Meridian 568.2 (pre and dac), Bel Canto Evo2 (power)

Some intersting lists here. Probably my worst amp was the Cyrus. Massively overhyped, and frankly completely outclassed by say a Nait, which was similar money. Have to say that I wished I'd listened to both side by side, instead of buying based upon a review. Never again.
Going tripath was a serious change from the Naim gear. IMO Naim gear works best at the Nait 5 level, where it's fun factor really make it stand out. Going upmarket does make it better, but puts it into competition with some genuinely serious kit. My Evo was miles better than the Naim combo, despite costing less. It also suited my system better than the Canary I tried.
Finally got to the Meridian/Evo2 combo. Simply awesome. The Meridian may be a processor, but does a stunning job as a stereo dac and pre-amp and integrates well via balanced to the Evo, which has wonderful control and a huge soundstage.
I really would put my home system up against anything I've heard in anyone else's home, ever.
 
Markus S said:
What's the rest of your system?
Click to expand...

SB Touch with a Welbourne labs PSU. The Meridian and the Touch are plugged into a Trichord balanced mains conditioner. Impulse Ta'us 3 way horn loaded speakers. Quadraspire stand along with stillpoints. Coherent power and speaker cables.
If you're ever in south London. Feel free to give me a shout.

You might think I've talking garbage, and chances are that my own preferences are different to other peoples, but for me, I really have yet to hear anything I'd rather have, and I've heard quite a lot of systems now.
 
Armstrong 521
NAD 3020
ITL pre-power (utter shite)
Cyrus 1 (good until it blew a fuse within days so returned thankyou)
Musical Fidelity B200 (why did I ever sell it? - a lovely amp)
Naim Nait 3 - yes one of those and kept for well on 14yrs!!!
Exposure X - like the B200 but much better - a really lovely amp I hope to keep for years.
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
SB Touch with a Welbourne labs PSU. The Meridian and the Touch are plugged into a Trichord balanced mains conditioner. Impulse Ta'us 3 way horn loaded speakers. Quadraspire stand along with stillpoints. Coherent power and speaker cables.
If you're ever in south London. Feel free to give me a shout.

You might think I've talking garbage, and chances are that my own preferences are different to other peoples, but for me, I really have yet to hear anything I'd rather have, and I've heard quite a lot of systems now.
Click to expand...


How are you using the Still Points, on which units?

They are expensive no?

I have heard good things about them.

I would be interested in how you feel the Still Points improve things.

Have you changed the Impulse, I thought you had H2s which were great.
 
Pioneer SA-7100
NAD C320BEE

that's it.

i have so much trouble deciding what amp I should try next, the NAD will probably stay as long as I do.
 
Rotel integrated from the mid eighties
Arcam a40 (I think it was called something like that?)
Musical Fidelity A1 (first really good amp - class A and you could cook on the waffle top - it eventually cooked itself...)
Naim 72/140 (better again)
Naim 150x (more of the same - a little smoother)
Cyrus 8vs (bought deaf from ebay - back on ebay within a week. Dire)
Ear 509's (Blooming brilliant - should never have sold them)
Meridian Active speakers (curates egg - good in parts. Also, quite unreliable)
Hypex ud180 class D home built integrated (far better than it has any right to be - 2nd to the 509s so far)
Plinius SA - 100 (best by a country mile - though give the price it should be. Power, warmth, detail, dynamics, clarity and completely effortless. I'm not on the lookout for another amp!)
 
I keep an open mind about the Naim stuff having heard various demos over the years and how spending so many thundreds will give such and such an improvement. I wasn't drawn in cos a) I haven't got the cash and a) I haven't got the cash. I've always fancied a Naim Nait but never got around to it - the unusual DIN sockets of old not being condusive.
It might be more sense than running the single ended 211s I currently have in my system which pull 300 watts from my electricity supply:eek:. More than ten times as much as a sensible solid state design.
 
...I was with you in sympathy and thought when you were speaking about cash, and cost of Naim gear.

Both in terms of A) and A) (did you mean B?)

... but a 211 valve amp ??

Hardly a budget alternative ?
 
I like DIN connectors - so simple, correctly make ground before signal contact, and the construction inherently pus off the fancy cable gurus ;)
 
Robert said:
I like DIN connectors - so simple, correctly make ground before signal contact, and the construction inherently pus off the fancy cable gurus ;)
Click to expand...

Robert I fully take your point but when one or two manufacturers like Naim and DNM swim against the mass availability of RCA connectors, that's a barrier to swapping in their stuff into an existing system. They will never know how many potential customers they froze out as opposed to the number they know they locked in.
 
TheDecameron said:
Robert I fully take your point but when one or two manufacturers like Naim and DNM swim against the mass availability of RCA connectors, that's a barrier to swapping in their stuff into an existing system. They will never know how many potential customers they froze out as opposed to the number they know they locked in.
Click to expand...

Oh yes I agree completely.
Just think they are a nicer and more user friendly connector.
 
Robert said:
I like DIN connectors - so simple, correctly make ground before signal contact, and the construction inherently pus off the fancy cable gurus ;)
Click to expand...

I utterly detest the things, they are just such a complete PITA to solder (I did two of the damn things yesterday). It's not a 'fancy cable' thing, you can't even get a bog standard stereo pair of mic / instrument leads into the things without stripping about two inches of casing off and replacing it with thin heat-shrink and throwing away the strain-relief grommet. Given the choice I'd go for standard mono 1/4 inch jacks (TRS if you want balanced) - if they are good enough for a mic, guitar, mixing desk etc then they are good enough for home audio. XLRs next, then Bantam jacks, then RCA plugs, and last of all BNCs and DIN, both of which are hideous IMO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top