Hi-Fi systems

[Kev The Rat]

Naim 282 pre amp, Naim 250 DR power amp , Hicap DR, CDX2, XPS DR, Rega P6 TT with Ania MC cartridge and Rega Neo PSU, Trichord Dino , Wilson and Benesch Arcs and Chord Odyssey cabling.
It's a very good system but doesn't come close to the system of @Kev The Rat

I think I may have upgraded a bit further since I last spoke about my system

Now:

Naim 252
Naim Supercap DR
Naim 300DR
Naim NDX2
Naim PS555DR
B&W 804 d4 speakers

I sometimes use my Chord Hugo 2 as a DAC as it provides a slightly more detailed sound when its in the chain.

Sarum T cabling throughout (including mains cables) - which cost me an outrageous 15k total but overall an improvement over Super Lumina.

 

[jazzy]

I think I may have upgraded a bit further since I last spoke about my system

Now:

Naim 252
Naim Supercap DR
Naim 300DR
Naim NDX2
Naim PS555DR
B&W 804 d4 speakers

I sometimes use my Chord Hugo 2 as a DAC as it provides a slightly more detailed sound when its in the chain.

Sarum T cabling throughout (including mains cables) - which cost me an outrageous 15k total but overall an improvement over Super Lumina.

The cost of your cabling is indeed outrageous!

 

[jazzy]

Sorry to jump in on this thread, but does anyone know anywhere in Liverpool that will repair hifi equipment? I've got a NAD stereo amp I need looking at and richer sounds won't look at it as they don't sell NAD stuff...

We used to have P&A Audio here in Crosby but it shut down years ago...

P&A still have a branch in Princes St Southport. I've never stepped into their shop let alone dealt with them so no idea what any repair service is like
I use Class A in Sheffield but they are pretty high end
Doug Brady in Warrington used to have a decent engineer, no idea if he's still there

 

[chrismpw]

I think I may have upgraded a bit further since I last spoke about my system

Now:

Naim 252
Naim Supercap DR
Naim 300DR
Naim NDX2
Naim PS555DR
B&W 804 d4 speakers

I sometimes use my Chord Hugo 2 as a DAC as it provides a slightly more detailed sound when its in the chain.

Sarum T cabling throughout (including mains cables) - which cost me an outrageous 15k total but overall an improvement over Super Lumina.

At the risk of starting a cabling war debate ....

Last year I spent £100 getting some solid silver uninsulated wire (lab grade 99.99%) from a chemical supply company, silver solder, ptfe sleeving and screening to make up my own interconnects. Well worth it, even though I ended up a couple if feet short and had to order another roll of silver!

Yours looks a great setup. I never rated naim after having tried a pre-power set about 20 years ago and couldn't see what the fuss was about. Then last year I listened to a mate's new (2nd hand) naim integrated amp and was so impressed I bought the power amp (nac 90 I think) version off ebay while still at his house, collecting ut in the way home. It now powers my woofers and I'm a total convert to naim amps. I still have valves for the top end though. Valves work faster than transistors!

 

[jazzy]

I think I may have upgraded a bit further since I last spoke about my system

Now:

Naim 252
Naim Supercap DR
Naim 300DR
Naim NDX2
Naim PS555DR
B&W 804 d4 speakers

I sometimes use my Chord Hugo 2 as a DAC as it provides a slightly more detailed sound when its in the chain.

Sarum T cabling throughout (including mains cables) - which cost me an outrageous 15k total but overall an improvement over Super Lumina.

Any reason you haven't changed the 300 for a 500?

 

[bigjonny]

Sorry to jump in on this thread, but does anyone know anywhere in Liverpool that will repair hifi equipment? I've got a NAD stereo amp I need looking at and richer sounds won't look at it as they don't sell NAD stuff...

We used to have P&A Audio here in Crosby but it shut down years ago...

I don’t know any in Liverpool, I’ve used this bloke on the outskirts of Bolton twice, if you can drive there

http://www.mpavservice.co.uk/

 

[Kev The Rat]

Any reason you haven't changed the 300 for a 500?

the next move for me would be either a ND555 or 552 preamp I think. I nearly pulled the trigger on a 4 year old 552 for 10k last month, but thought better of it. Most of my upgrades have come in small increments (took me near a year to get all the Sarum T cabling together for example)

 

[Brownie]

Sorry to jump in on this thread, but does anyone know anywhere in Liverpool that will repair hifi equipment? I've got a NAD stereo amp I need looking at and richer sounds won't look at it as they don't sell NAD stuff...

We used to have P&A Audio here in Crosby but it shut down years ago...

These might be worth a go. Haven't used them for repairs but have bought from them and they've been good.

Service: Home

The Studiocare Service Department caters for a wide variety of the professional audio market’s repair needs. We service and repair most high end audio equipment including microphones outboard, loudspeakers, DJ equipment, audio interfaces, mixing consoles, recorders and more. Our service...

studiocare.com

 

[chrismpw]

the next move for me would be either a ND555 or 552 preamp I think. I nearly pulled the trigger on a 4 year old 552 for 10k last month, but thought better of it. Most of my upgrades have come in small increments (took me near a year to get all the Sarum T cabling together for example)

Do you try things at home before spending this kind of cash? I certainly did before replacing my Sabre Matrix Pro DAC with a chord Dave - just to see how big a difference there was ... and whether it was worth the considerable extra ££££.

It was

 

[Bedfordblue]

Sorry to jump in on this thread, but does anyone know anywhere in Liverpool that will repair hifi equipment? I've got a NAD stereo amp I need looking at and richer sounds won't look at it as they don't sell NAD stuff...

We used to have P&A Audio here in Crosby but it shut down years ago...

Have you tried putting it in a box of dry rice?

 

[Kev The Rat]

Do you try things at home before spending this kind of cash? I certainly did before replacing my Sabre Matrix Pro DAC with a chord Dave - just to see how big a difference there was ... and whether it was worth the considerable extra ££££.

It was

Cables yes, I was actually selling an xps dr privately to a guy who had an all Sarum t cabling set up and he offered to let me demo it in my system in place of my super lumina/powerline setups when he came over to pick it up. The difference was big so I gradually made the change. Not easy when the Sarum T is double the price of the already exorbitant Super Lumina!

The only thing I’ve bought totally blind was the 555dr ps which was a huge upgrade over the xps dr, so no regrets.

The Hugo 2 I use mainly with the 2go as a portable solution but as I said sometimes I prefer the extra detail it gives in the Naim chain.

Never heard the Dave but imagine it is above the ndx2 + 555. But next step for me could be an nd555 which I have heard and is a big jump from the ndx2.

 

[chrismpw]

Cables yes, I was actually selling an xps dr privately to a guy who had an all Sarum t cabling set up and he offered to let me demo it in my system in place of my super lumina/powerline setups when he came over to pick it up. The difference was big so I gradually made the change. Not easy when the Sarum T is double the price of the already exorbitant Super Lumina!

The only thing I’ve bought totally blind was the 555dr ps which was a huge upgrade over the xps dr, so no regrets.

The Hugo 2 I use mainly with the 2go as a portable solution but as I said sometimes I prefer the extra detail it gives in the Naim chain.

Never heard the Dave but imagine it is above the ndx2 + 555. But next step for me could be an nd555 which I have heard and is a big jump from the ndx2.

As far as mains go - my reputation never really recovered as a student when someone walked past my open flat door and saw me fertively polishing my mains plugs with brasso back in the 80s. I was a weird hifi nut from that moment on - but it DID make a difference. Equally replacing the gnarly 20 year old ex-kitchen socket that now feeds my system with a shiny new switchless mk made a difference, as did shielding all my mains leads and putting rf chokes in them.

Have you had any experience with power conditioners? Do they make the improvement people say they do?

 

[jazzy]

Do you try things at home before spending this kind of cash? I certainly did before replacing my Sabre Matrix Pro DAC with a chord Dave - just to see how big a difference there was ... and whether it was worth the considerable extra ££££.

It was

A good dealer will always agree to a home demo. Last year Acoustica lat me have a pair of Kudos speakers for 3 months before I returned them.

 

[Kev The Rat]

As far as mains go - my reputation never really recovered as a student when someone walked past my open flat door and saw me fertively polishing my mains plugs with brasso back in the 80s. I was a weird hifi nut from that moment on - but it DID make a difference. Equally replacing the gnarly 20 year old ex-kitchen socket that now feeds my system with a shiny new switchless mk made a difference, as did shielding all my mains leads and putting rf chokes in them.

Have you had any experience with power conditioners? Do they make the improvement people say they do?

no not really, i try and plug straight into the wall but I have heard great things about this:

The Chord Company PowerHAUS M6 Mains Distribution Block | Hifi Pig

THE CHORD COMPANY POWERHAUS M6 MAINS DISTRIBUTION BLOCK REVIEW Chris Baillie takes a listen to The Chord Company PowerHAUS M6 Mains Distribution Block

www.hifipig.com

and this:

Chord PowerARAY Noise Reduction UK Mains Plug

The PowerARAY noise reduction plug is the latest addition to Chord Company's range of noise reduction and absorption devices. It provides a low-impedance escape route for HF noise, reducing the amount entering a hi-fi system, lowering the noise floor and leaving more space for the music.

www.futureshop.co.uk

 

[jazzy]

no not really, i try and plug straight into the wall but I have heard great things about this:

The Chord Company PowerHAUS M6 Mains Distribution Block | Hifi Pig

THE CHORD COMPANY POWERHAUS M6 MAINS DISTRIBUTION BLOCK REVIEW Chris Baillie takes a listen to The Chord Company PowerHAUS M6 Mains Distribution Block

www.hifipig.com

and this:

Chord PowerARAY Noise Reduction UK Mains Plug

The PowerARAY noise reduction plug is the latest addition to Chord Company's range of noise reduction and absorption devices. It provides a low-impedance escape route for HF noise, reducing the amount entering a hi-fi system, lowering the noise floor and leaving more space for the music.

www.futureshop.co.uk

The Chord will be my next purchase. At the NW Audio show last year I listened to an AB demo of the power block and without. I was stunned at the difference. I've always been quite cynical about the benefits.