An open post to the forum's Naim representatives

Re: Marco

That's fine, Mick, but all you have to say is: "I'll try the EA-2 when I'm in the market for a new power amp".

Surely that's not too difficult?

I'm sorry to be so pedantic about this, but I can't help feeling your being deliberately evasive.

Merlin, you're another one... what was your dealership called?

Regards,
Marco.

(Who you should know by now won't back down until he gets his questions answered)

 

Marco,

I think you need to learn that this is a public forum where you can ask whatever you want but no one is under any obligation to provide you with an answer.

As for your question to me, because of your attitude I do not feel like answering. It has been mentioned before, so if you are that keen, why not do a search

 

Merlin, what axe are you trying to grind? What percentage of big box american crap has made it successfully in large volume on these shores?

Its a fair question because I don't actually know.

 

Gary, I don't know is the honest answer, although Absolute Sounds don't seem to be doing too badly.

As for big box american crap, I am unaware of anything fitting that description being imported, certainly in the hifi field, unless of course, by "crap" you really mean "hifi that's not to my minority tastes"

 

Why that amp? An amp with a future as uncertain as its past.

What other amps did you try? For instance there's a new Linn technology just announced at CES that looks interesting, the right sort of power and nice and small.

Paul

 

What was it my English teacher said?

'He who goes against the fashion is himself it's slave'

I applaud Merlin's original post, although I wish he hadn't then carried on trying to prove some kind of point

It think it should be remembered that the vehemence amongst Naim owners is matched by that of its detractors, It think both sides should open their minds and also bear in mind that everything is situation dependant.

I've spent several hours today with a Linn Ikemi - a very good CD player that I've enjoyed immensely, but unfortunately one that has a rather unpleasant effect on the rest of my Naim kit when it's plugged into the mains.

In a different system though...

Andy.

 

I see that the year has changed but the debate on Naim hasn't. Let it be said then for the Naim kit that what is controversial maybe something good


regards

 

Merlin, I should have put a smiley at the end, because my comment was very much tongue-in-cheek

For those who hate smileys, please take note!

Mick, just seems unusually evasive over this particular issue, and I'm curious as to why...

Marco.

 

I think its fair to say that 'big box american hifi' .. by its very name is 'big' and therefore expensive.

Expensive high end audio whether large box or small - US or UK only sells in small volumes. That is my point really.

Chris

 

Paul

In my opinion, it has all the qualities of 135s (Mick's current amps), with bags more detail and refinement, and as such, would slot in nicely with the rest of his system without upsetting the balance.

Furthermore, IMO, it is also far superior to a 300 (which I don't rate even as highly as 135s), is £750 cheaper, and it has much more power, which is useful not only to be able to play music louder (should one wish to do so), but at low volumes, allows one to hear deep into the music. In my experience this is not achieved to the same degree with 135s or a 300. It is also known to work well with Briks - and it looks sexy as ****. However, I think he should also listen to Dynavector, Bryston, and Spectral, amongst others.

That's interesting, Paul. What makes you say that?

ECS made the Stealth amps for long enough, and as far as I'm aware, those belonging to long-time users such as JW, Hermann, Ian Wright, fox, etc, are still running just fine, so why should the EA-2 be any different? Furthermore, ECS have been in business for years making bespoke PCBs, so even if they pulled out of the hi-fi arena, they'd still be able to service the amps.

Oh, and just in case you try telling me the Stealth amps were different, I've already checked with both ECS and JW, and they're identical except for the casing. Btw, the reason Neat are bad-mouthing ECS and the EA-2, is because Bob S has fallen out with ECS.

Paul, I listen to different gear all the time, as I know dealers who allow me to home demo whatever equipment I want whenever it is mutually convenient. One cannot make knowledgeable comparisons otherwise, and nothing has sounded better in my system than the EA-2.

I never dismiss anything until I've heard it myself, but if it's on the same level as their current range of gear, then I think I'll give it a miss thank you very much!

Marco.

 

Re: What was it my English teacher said?

Andy, it just goes to show how opinions differ. I demo'd the Ikemi against a CDX about three years ago, and in my opinion, the CDX wiped the floor with it - and this was in a system containing a Bonnec amp and Shahinian Arcs.

IMO, Linn haven't produced a good CDP since the Karik/Numerik; which was truly excellent.

Marco.

 

But what other amps have you tried in your system?

I think buying the ECS amps requires quite a leap of faith, compared to a Naim or even Dynavector. It's to do with track record and confidence rather than performance.

What Linn amps have you tried in your system? I'd have thought the Klimax setup was an obvious choice, especially since you would reduce the box count to two, which means more Mana.

Paul

 

Hi merlin,

if I ask nicely and without attitude, would you tell me what your dealership was called? Even more interesting, which makes did you sell, why and with what experiences?

 

Paul, for me, performance is the most important thing above all else, as long as it's backed up with reliability.

I have no reason to believe the ECS amps lack reliability, and their performance is, in my opinion, of the highest order.

Marco.

 

Marco

Quote..."Mick, just seems unusually evasive over this particular issue, and I'm curious as to why..."

I am not being evasive, I am just posting less these days.

My own view is that the 135's are good and that the 300 is nearly as good as the 500 but for less cost. Therefore I could put the cash difference into a 552.

As regards to the 300 v ECS thingy, I like the Naim sound so my inclination is stick with what you know. I accept that I should give the ECS's a dem and will probably do so when I am in the market.

One thing about Naim is that you can be confident that they will be around to service the amp in 10 years and I need to be sure that the same applies to any other manufacturer. I do not want to invest in an expensive amp just to find that I am on my own in 5 years time. But, then, these things can be checked out.

Regards

Mick

 

Mick

What you need to do is forget all that other rubbish and swap out your 52 for a 552 and then remove the 135s and replace them with 3 x 300s and an active crossover. You know it makes sense and Salisbury can do with the money to make up for poor US sales.

 

Sorry, I replied whilst you were editing your message!

Since when exactly? Within the last few months it's mostly been Naim stuff. I've tried the new 250 and a 300, and I'm also looking forward to trying a 500, and comparing it to the EA-2 - now that will be interesting!

Paul, what you should know is that I wasn't in the market as such for a new power amp, so I hadn't been doing any auditioning. However I had always liked Stealth amps, and knew how well they worked with a CDS and 52. I was round visiting JW just before Christmas, and he said: "Here's a toy for you to play with over Christmas; let me know what you think of it." I did, and the rest is history.

None have been good enough for me to get that far.

Marco.

 

Not necessarily, I wasn't comparing the Ikemi to a CDX!

Andy.

 

I didn't say you were; I was relating my own experience of the Ikemi, which is priced similarly to a CDX. What were you comparing it to, if anything?

Marco.

 

Re: Marco

Hi Mick, thanks for answering!

Sure, but that's insular thinking is it not? If you do that, how will you ever know if you're missing out on something better? You say you like the best, but you can't say what's best if you don't know what else is out there.

That would be a very smart move, old chap. Trust me on this one, Mick, you will thank me for it one day...

Regards,
Marco.