Sonic Nirvana - Have you reached it?

More out of curiosity, who reckons they have reached their ideal sonic nirvana, given their current domestic and financial circumstances?

I reckon I've definately got to the stage where my system sounds just the way I'm after. After a stage last year of a bit of box shifting, since I got my current CDP, it definately seems to have settled down. Only changes have been with speaker cable to QED Micro from QED Original, as I needed a longer run, due to re-arranging my room and it seemed pretty cost effective. It actually had a positive effect after a bit of bedding in, by taming some of that bass boom.

To be honest, the only thing I'd really change would be to add some speaker stands if I had the room, but space doesn't permit that. As it stands, I'm enjoying a warm, detailed, punchy sound which is definately to my liking.

So all that's left to do now is to enjoy the music with a few beers :beer:

 

nsherin,
if you are using your speakers on a shelf it may be worthwhile looking at spikes, cones or some other sort of isolation (siesmic sinks? if you've got the dosh). if you've not already.
glad that you're happy with your system. i feel i'm 90% there, just the mains to sort out and maybe some interconnects and it'll be sweet. that's one thing about the naim route (if you go for it totally), you just don't have to worry about all that sort of thing.
cheers


julian

 

My system is complete now. It does everything I want in the way that I want it. It costs a little more than I consider entirely sensible so I definitely don't want to spend any more. Now when I switch on the hifi, I just enjoy the music rather than picking holes in the performance. That's why I haven't been posting much here lately. I've turned my attention to other interests now (specifically motorcycling )

 

[SMUG MODE]Me Too![/SMUG MODE]

 

Its the nature of man to constantly seek more!

 

I'm there. I'm hoping that in a couple of years' time I'll be able to afford something like B&W N802s, but I'm happy with what I've got just now.

 

I'm pretty much in smug-land too :Quad:

Michael.

 

Glad to hear others have reached the same stage. Julian - thanks for the advice - I think I might look into something there - some squash balls cut up would be a good start, i think.

 

I'm very happy with my setup now. Is it perfect? No. Is it the best in the world? No. However, it's pretty damn good, and right now I'm looking at buying a house, so the hifi isn't getting any more money.

 

I have realised that a lot of it is just the constantly seeking for more sonic gratification.

An amplifier is largely an amp., moving coil speakers are much of a muchness,
its just the different presentations they give, they are all as valid, and that's the wonderful thing about this, the constant variety and approaches.
You just get what you like, I know for certain that a 10k pair of proacs, will not give me more 'joy' than a s'h pair of tablettes.
Though I still do appreciate valves for what they do, I can still enjoy music on a s'h 30 watt naim, and cheaper speakers, I don't think spending 10k on a naim 500 amp will really give any more, perhaps more solidity, but the naim sound is there, the musicality. Its realizing that, and that spending a fortune won't give more joy, just listening to music, which is what its all about.
Indeed I would go so far as to say, the great hifi lie is to do with uprgrageitis, the commonly held view that you have to spend more and more to get more pleasure from music, and TBh that really is largely the antithesis of the whole thing.
Downsizing definately rules. Plenty of oter things to spend cash on, that give more enjoyment. Indeed I am starting to get more joy from a good tv drama or film, or red dwarf, simpsons et al.
Of course if I had millions I would play with a few things, just for the hell, but now I am mature enough to know it wouldn't give me any more pleasure from my music, that is the crux of it.

 

I'm nearly with the smug folks...
Or at least I will be once I've finally bought a new pre-amp - currently thinking about the Nagra PLL and Acoustic Research LS25.. As soon as I have the wedge it's demo time!
But the hifi still projects bass lines to the fore, which is exactly what I want. Too many so-called hifis have beautifully enunciated mid-band and that tizzy treble that hifi nuts often go for, but bass that's low enough to shake the floor but has only one note - bit like a nite club system! Nowt worse than not being able to tell the difference between a bass guitar's low B and a bass drum!

 

Tee hee
I'm not there by any means: just one more amp upgrade, a new phono stage, TT and cart, then maybe a DAC for the CDP - just to see how it sounds you understand, then maybe bigger Harbe...
NEarly there, just a leedle bit further now. Like me, you'll all be back in 3, 6 or 12 months time, don't worry

 

Yup I am there too

A huge part of it was completely treating my room though, not just the system I have.

 

I expect I'll be tinkering trying and thinking about it until I keel over as an old man!

trying different kit is a bit of a hobby, so I'll expect every once in a while I'll find something better for the right money - forever!

 

for me part of my 'journey' has been due to my tastes changing / evolving. when i started out i wanted something that communicated and grooved. this was satisfied by my 1st all (except speakers) naim system. i then had a listen to other peoples kit and went to a few hi-fi shows and realised that i wanted a bit more presence and detail to the sound so i've been trying to get that without compromising the immediacy or getting too 'hard' a sound. as i said before i'm about 90% there and hope that my mains fiddling and a different set of digital and analogue i/c's will do it.
unfortunately i wouldn't be surprised if after i've lived with my 'perfect' system for a bit my tastes will evolve and i'll be at the bottom of the ladder again. as they say perfection is a journey not a destination.
cheers

julian

 

No sonic nirvana here, yet! I will need to get my DAC modded first (in the pipeline ), a new transport that works all the time, and then at least try some mains kit to see what it does (if it improves the sound then I'll invest, if not then I'll be happy with how i is).

Problem with the latter (mains kit) is few dealers seem keen to let me home demo things that to them are relatively cheap items, but I don't want to risk splashing £100 on an Olson filtered block or similar and find it does bugger all!

After trying out mains kit and having the DAC done it'll be fine as far as I'm concerned - part of me wants some new speakers, some floorstanders like the Quad 22L or similar, but I won't have space come september (off to uni)so it'd be a total waste. My cables are fine too, what I have now works pretty nicely as far as my ears are concerned.

 

Julian,

You are right about the 'journey'. I posted a story about my particular 'travels' under the title 'My Audio Odyssey' here :-

http://www.the-missing-link.net/Readers systems.htm

Since that post I have added a pair of Townshend Supertweeters and a bespoke six tier granite and maple equipment rack from HNE Systems.

I am also feeling a bit queezy at the moment having just sprung for an ex-demo Conrad Johnson Premier 350 power amp which the importers, Audiofreaks are trying to prise from the reluctant grip of Roy Gregory!

Steve

 

What is 'Sonic Nirvana' ?
Hearing voices in your head?

Bush and Blair had that experience. It led them to invade Iraq.

 

Oh yes, definately. Over the last month or so my hifi has taken a massive leap in performance. I bought the Tannoys hoping they would solve my boomy bass problem(big spaker/small room) and not only do they give bass to die for, the level of detail and liquidy midrange top it off nicely. Oh and once positioned correctly they image like no other. Finally, the Black Rhodium was just the icing on the cake, it unleashed teh full potential of my cd player. I never knew a cheap system can sound this good. being a student i cant really afford to spend anymore and im convinced that i would have to spend alot more than i have to get a worthwhile improvement. I think my system as it is will protect me from upgraditis for the longest time yet....maybe a year??

Ultra

 

Weeellll..... if you add up the list price of all your kit now, it's not actually all that cheap.

I'm really, really not going to crack and upgrade again in the next few months - it's 2006 at the earliest for me. 'Ave it!