Where to go from here......

I'll stick myself out on a limb here, but......

I know a lot of people rate Naim. Having never heard any, I've no idea what they sound like. Would the 5i sound worthwhile in my system ?

 

I imagine a Nait 5i would be a massive improvement over the C350 you've got but I would see if you can demo it, preferably in your system first. The Naim sound isn't to everyone's taste.

Michael.

 

The Naim pre/powers are a better choice than the 5i. I have a 62/140 combo and my friend has a 5i. I know which I prefer, the pre power has more guts, more detail and ultimately makes a better noise. It has more bass, instuments sound more natural, and voices sound more natural. It should be cheaper too. My mint serviced combo cost £425. They mostly come with a phono stage, with a 5i you would need a separate one.
I bought Naim because i wanted something my system wasn't, and I knew I would be able to get my money back if I didn't like it. It has been the single biggest upgrade to my system ever, and has made all the other components sound much more their money.

 

on a tangent (as usual :roll: ) each to their own and all that, but the Quad 11ls are quite frankly the closest taste to high-end you'll find under £500 imo. I was shocked by how little they detracted from the music. The 21ls imo are not a patch on them.

 

Not in my opinion. I preferred the Dyn 42's over the Quad's when I demoed them last year.

 

IMO the Quads (11L's) are probably the most overrated speaker of the last couple of years, with the exception of the higher models, which for me actually had some bass to speak of and a very natural sound. The 11L's sound so weak, they dont sound realistic at all to me. Then again, with a feeble 5-inch midbass driver and a tiny cabinet, what can you expect...

 

If you think it's good now, try putting it on some Mana... [heh heh].

 

It'd never be allowed. I'd die if I put some of that in lounge 2. I'm fancying a snaps actually at the moment, I think that would make the most difference

 

If you can stretch to it, I'd go for a s/h hicap or a LesW (Avondale) equivalent instead of SNAPS.

Mana actually looks very good in the flesh, and there's always the silver version if you don't like the black. It's utilitarian in exactly the same way that the old Naim boxes are. I really don't undertand the aesthetic objection to Mana: Sound Organisation stands look very similar, but I don't recall all this 'waf' nonsense about those. Still, it's your house, your system, your call.

Regards,

James

 

You see the compromise is......
I get my toys, she gets to hide them away
It works for me. One day I might put it on a proper stand, but it will have to pass muster from SWMBO

 

james,
i think the objections are more about mana racks that have grown rather than just a simple 'n' tier rack on it's own.

lordsummit,
avondale have just introduced a new cheapish (300 quid iirc) hi cap equivalent. you may also want to rattle the fair wadia miesters cage too as i believe he might have been playing about with psu's. there is also the russ andrews option too which is not half bad as it happens and probalby cheapest of the lot at <200 quid.
cheers


julian

 

I didn't know RA had a power supply option or WM. To be honest the Naim stuff seems really dear and out of my reach at the moment. I've seen the odd cheap snaps around, and the bloke I bought the 62 was swapping it for an olive 62 his sounded pretty fine, he was using a snaps. I will look into the options. If I could afford it I would probably go for the avondale option, but if RA's is £100 less I'll have a look at that

Edited to add:
Do you mean the RA power pack 3?

 

russ andrews has the power pak III. i think tony was just dabbling, he kept threatening to come down and give my cd player a shot of nitrous at 30v instead of 24 but i think he's been a bit busy.
cheers


julian

 

I would go Avondale, rather than RA, purely on reputation. LesW really knows what he's up to, whereas RA sells a lot of very dubious ideas & products.

 

i've not tried the avondale however i have tried the ra pp3. it was on a par with the flatcap 1. better in some areas not as good in others.
cheers

julian

 

So what will it do to my 62. I'm also bearing in mind the RA is on special offer at the moment. About £150. Les's is £295 and is out of my league.

 

My views...

1) Its a common misconception that you MUST upgrade the CD player in line with other components. Sometimes its suprising how far you can take a budget front end. I'd point to Merlins example of a budget CD spinner in front of expensive speakers.

2) Consider second hand. If you buy well, you will get a LOT more for your money.

3) Budget speakers (like budget CD players) can often be used out of their league with excellent results.

With points 1 and 3, its my view that magazines like 'what hifi' with their clumsy facile reccomendations...like spend 1/3 on each component... spend 3,2,1 on source, amp, speakers etc can lead to a circle of upgrades, when a carefully chosen change can be all thats needed.

Given these views, its the amplifier that I would look at trying alternatives to at home, preferable second hand equipment for the most sound per pound.

Speak to Rory about what his second hand Plinius sounds like through 100 pound speakers, or lord summit about his second hand amplifier.

I just dont think its possible to build great sounding amps for budget cash. Speakers and CD players less so IMO.

 

IMHO it's relatively simple. Buy yourself a good source, get a good amplifier, and then the speakers are the least important link. I've got a Rotel 991 CD which was dear in it's day and to my ears is very good. A P3 with an Ortofon MC3 both being played through Naim Pre-power. The speakers are relatively humble Kef 35.2's. Altogether it makes a lovely noise.
I've heard it many times at demo's most noticably when my mate went a few years ago and the dealer started off with a cheap pair of B&W's and a Nad 521/350 and worked his way through mid-price Rega up to the Naim CD5/Nait 5i. Then when my mate liked that sound we started playing with speakers. They were to my ears one of the least differing variables. I didn't like the B&W's but I did like the baby Rega's, in fact I liked them so much I bought a pair. Only getting rid of them when I moved house and they went into a much larger room.
If I were you based on my experience I'd get the source and the amp right and then work on the speakers to fit your room and your gear. Speakers are really room dependant. I've swapped and changed far too many times, and only now am I becoming happy with what I'm hearing. It's really tempting to go into shops and listen to hi-fi. What I want is a system where I can listen to the music without the hi-fi getting in the way, I love the visceral rush of live music in any of it's forms, and the closer my system gets me to that the better.
My current system does everything from a string quartet to the Red Hot Chili's better than anything else I've owned. I've generally played with the classic end of the market, and I reckon a good design stays a good design. My favourite amps are the Nad 3020, the Creek 4040 and the Quad 33/303's for cheap thrills you can't do much better I don't reckon. But if you step up a class with your amp, it don't half make a difference. A good amp will grip your speakers and make them sing. The more control the better. That amp needs good sources, so make sure they are as good as you can afford. When you've got that right play with the speakers.

 

lordsummit,
in the context of my cd5 and put very simply the russ andrews cleaned up the mid and trebble whilst the flatcap cleaned up the mid and bass. the hi-cap did the lot although if i was splitting hairs the ra had slightly clearer trebble than even the hi-cap. this was also with r/a's cheapest power cord used on the pp3.
the big thing about the ra solution is that there is no signal out on the pp3 this means that you'll need to connect the pre to the power directly which will mean another lead (not sure which type you'll need but ra do do them although if you have skils with a soldering iron and a couple of din plugs you could diy quite easily). ra do a 60 day trial iirc which they honoured with no problem when i sent mine back.
cheers


julian

 

Ah, the old source first/speakers first conundrum. I'd always go for CDP and amp uprgades before the speakers (unless the speakers are really dire)