Reply With QuoteGood to see another Naim freak on the forum :D
Nait XS
CD5XS
FlatCap XS
Clearaudio/Sumiko
Primare R20
Castle (pre-Chinese)
A massive interest in my life is also music and hi-fi. I think that watch lovers and hi-fi lovers have alot in common, like a great eye for detail and its those little things that matter, even if nobody else gets it!!....so just wondering what your using? :drunken:
Ill kick off.
Front end
Musical Fidelity FCD CD player
Clearaudio Tangent Turn-Table with Ortofon Rohmann Cartridge
Amps
Naim Nac 72/ Flat-cap, Pre-amp
Naim Nap 140, Power-amp
Phono stage
Michell ISO HR
Speakers
Quad ESL-63
Cables
Mixture of Nordost Blue Heaven, Red dawn and some of my own made solid silver cables.
Good to see another Naim freak on the forum :D
Nait XS
CD5XS
FlatCap XS
Clearaudio/Sumiko
Primare R20
Castle (pre-Chinese)
Nowt special here... watches took over from this equally as expensive hobby... which took over from golf... which... you get the idea!
Arcam A65+ Amp
NAD C540 CD Player
Pro-ject Debut II Record Player
Bi-Wired Kef Cresta 2's on Atacama SE24s
All QED cables
One day i'll get around to upgrading it, but need a better room first.
^Not quite in your league but I've just started building a small system for my study. It's taking a while. :)
So far, I've a pair of these.
The sound is excellent - looking for an amp and a source now so should be finished by 2015 at this rate. :)
Mine is another budget setup I'd say!
Mac
Arcam rDAC
Marantz PM6004
Dali ikon 2 Mk 2
All my cables are Chord :D
Hallmarked?Originally Posted by pembers
Best wishes,
Bob
Borrowed DCS but normaly Naim CD5, Chord 845 and Neat MFS, the Neats and the Chord work as the front of the AV system as well.
Well, i love Hi-Fi too but at the age of 40, and 14 years after the last one, we've recently found out we're going to have another child so i've had to slim things down somewhat:
Until recently i had:
Living room:
Meridian G08 CD player
Meridian G02 balanced pre-amp
Meridian G56 dual mono power amp
Pro-ac studio 110 speakers
QED silver anniversary speaker cable
VDH Mk III D102 balanced interconnects
Graham Slee Novo headphone amp
Grado RS2 headphones
Bedroom:
Unison research Unico CD player
Linn Kairn pre amp
Linn LK85 power amp
B+W CDM1NT speakers
QED silver anniversary speaker cable
Linn black interconnects
All of this (bar the Pro-acs and the Grados) will be going on the Bay of fools shortly though :(
So i dragged a trusty old friend from the loft and snagged a BNIB bargain from the web and now have:
Marantz SA701 KI CD player
Sugden Audition-C integrated amplifier
Pro-ac studio 110 speakers
QED silver anniversary speaker cable
Linn Silver interconnect
And to be honest i'm pretty happy with it although i suspect a lot may be down to the speakers, which sound sublime whatever you put through them.
SME Model 10, SME IV, Koetsu Rosewood Signature via Linn T-cable into an EAR 834P into an Audio Research LS26 into a McIntosh 275.
Speakers are PMC Fact8's.
CD playback is via a PS Audio Transport into a PS Audio DAC.
Valves in the system are a mixture of NOS Mullards, TJ Full Music, Genalex re-issue Gold Lions and a couple of Reflektor 6H30 'Supertubes' in the LS26. (Bought at vast expense, but not worth the money, sad to say).
I have a Fatman iTube connected to the TV / PS3 / iPod and also run the Airport Express through it, produces a substantial sound for the money
RIAC
I feel your pain. I also wasted a lot of money experimenting with various NOS tubes for the Unico. In the end i bought some brand new JJ electronics tubes for seven quid each on a whim and suffice to say they sounded substantially better than the vintage tubes. I can only imagine it's because they were new, quality tubes rather than old, quality tubes. Lesson learned 8)
Vinyl and valves here - proper HiFi and none of that digital malarkey :)
Mark
Not at all, we all have different hearing, and what we want from hi-fi, so no real wrongs and rights as such.
definately a budget setup
Downstairs
Mac
Creative X-Mod to stream
Fatman itube amp
Kef Q somethings
Upstairs
Rotel amp RA920AX
Rotel CD RCD-965BX
Infinity Reference speakers
Very impressed with the Fatman for beefing up MP3's
Mines as basic as you can get....Sonos S5 (Play5), i'm happy with it tho :D but i know thousands can be spent to chase that perfect setup.
Musical Fidelity A3.5 Amp and CD
Naim Ovator S400 speakers
Michell Gyrodec / Tecnoarm w/ Sumito cart
Graham Slee phono stage
Various Merlin interconnects and Tellurium Black Speaker cable.
Pretty much happy with it now, although another PSU for the phono stage might be along soon. Just wish I had more time to actually listen to it!
One question though, I need to get hold of a power amp to power a Sonos ZP90 into a Artcoustic Superstar in the dining room but know nothing much about them... Where's the best place to get a cheap(ish) secondhand one. Thinking Cyrus 6 series would be perfect.
I only live in a 2 bed flat so....
Sonos Play3 in bedroom
Sonos Connect
Arcam Alpha 7 amp
Bose Acoustimass 5 speakers
Works for me and is still plenty loud enough to annoy the neighbours :lol:
Naim into Tannoy Glenair 15s via wire here :wink:
No, dont think so :lol:Hallmarked?
Best wishes,
Bob
They are 99.997% Silver, with a Teflon outer, sound great for the money, and I enjoy getting the soldering iron out.....usually fit with Eichmann or Neutrik RCA's
Wow, nice setup....
Did you listen to the SME V arm and decide to go for the IV instead? Ive got a mate who did just that, rare that you save money in hi-fi :lol:
Lounge - Bose Lifestyle 38
Study - Trends Audio class T amp, NAD phono stage & Linn Sondek LP12, plus iPod dock.
(Sondek still needs isolation platform though)
z
Get over to Debenhams and buy one of there 'Rubberwood chopping boards' they are fantastic, I use one under mine. Because they are made of blocks glued together it cuts down on vibration, plus sorbothane feet help, ill post a pic if it will help give you an idea of what I mean?(Sondek still needs isolation platform though
z
I can't hear a lot of difference between the two TBH.
The IV isn't all that much different from the V in the things that matter - bearings, materials, construction etc. The V has a nice easy to use dial to set tracking weight - on the IV you physically have to move the counterweight around, and the V has that silicone damper thingy (and better internal wiring as standard), but I didn't see it as being worth the extra. Plus the dealer warned me off the silicone damper - he told me the stuff wicks everywhere if you use it........
Others probably disagree :D
Bang and Olufsen throughout the house. I like how it's all integrated, minimalist, and also the extra house automation stuff I can do with it.
Have downgraded from a Marazntz KI Sig cd player and my HHB circle 5 monitors to a lowly Onkyo all in one affair.
Sad thing is I really miss my circle 5's which are sitting in my parents garage gathering dust - I move country too frequently to justify moving it all around. Am tempted to go for a Linn Classik as I've been after one for years
Fatman iTube 452
+
AVI Series 21 CD player
+
AVI Positron floor standers
=
Bliss
Cheers,
Gary
No your right, I seem to remember that the V is better if you are changing cartridges frequently and has more 'knobs' for easier set-up.I can't hear a lot of difference between the two TBH.
The IV isn't all that much different from the V in the things that matter - bearings, materials, construction etc. The V has a nice easy to use dial to set tracking weight - on the IV you physically have to move the counterweight around, and the V has that silicone damper thingy (and better internal wiring as standard), but I didn't see it as being worth the extra. Plus the dealer warned me off the silicone damper - he told me the stuff wicks everywhere if you use it........
Others probably disagree :D
Mine is a liner tracker so quite easy to setup......in Tone-arm terms anyway!
Its strange I hated Naim when I was a lad, found it so dull, strange how your hearing changes over the years. It works so well with the quads (grabs them by the neck :lol: ), Ive not had a pairing so good infact, not even quad 405's drive them like Naim's and they were built for the job!
The push-pull EL34 power amp I had before (built by myself from kit, very satisfying!) was good with them (amazing considering they were about 25-28 RMS) but it was a little inconvenient as I have the system on 24/7.........looked amazing in the dark thou, and you could turn your central heating off :lol:
Yes please - that would be really useful - I've been putting off making one myself - so that may prove idealGet over to Debenhams and buy one of there 'Rubberwood chopping boards' they are fantastic, I use one under mine. Because they are made of blocks glued together it cuts down on vibration, plus sorbothane feet help, ill post a pic if it will help give you an idea of what I mean?(Sondek still needs isolation platform though
z
cheers
z
Bose accoustic wave system. :)
Arcam FMJ A28 integrated amp, FMJ P38 power amp (bi amped), FMJ CD37 player, B&W CM9 speakers, Linn Axis deck which I may upgrade to a Sondek at some point, Atlas speaker cabling & interconnects, Black Rhodium mains leads.
Here you go, some quick iphone pics, but gives you the idea.Yes please - that would be really useful - I've been putting off making one myself - so that may prove idealGet over to Debenhams and buy one of there 'Rubberwood chopping boards' they are fantastic, I use one under mine. Because they are made of blocks glued together it cuts down on vibration, plus sorbothane feet help, ill post a pic if it will help give you an idea of what I mean?(Sondek still needs isolation platform though
z
cheers
z
I'm sure I saw them before Christmas, so should still be in stock, If not 3X12MM of MDF does a good job.
The 3rd pic is a little mod I made, the motor unit works independently of the main chassis so I helped isolation even further by mitre sawing out the rear section and supported it on 4 sorbephane feet, works a treat!
some nice kit here :) , mines nothing special but sounds good to my ears.
ditched the cd player a few years ago and transferred to .flac (got tired of looking at cd's stacked everywhere)
i stream from pc or notepad via squeezebox with cyrus 3i amp and B&W s1 speakers , cabletalk interconnect+silver anniversary cables.
Real old-school here....
Cyrus Two Amp, Mission PCM II CD player into Tannoy sixes via Monster cable.
Just realised the amp/CD are over 25 years old........ :shock:
Anyone got B&W Zeppelin streaming music via cloud from iPad.
If so any good as toying with getting one :?:
Good man! I used to have 'sixes'.....605 I think, my kit is 85-95, so same vintage as yours really.
arcam solo
B&W cm1
partington dreadnought stands
chord rumour 4
russ andrews power cord
Main system comprises:
MicroMega CD F1 + DAC
Linn Sondek LP12
Audio Innovations Series 300 Valve Amp
Triangle Scalene Speakers
Sonos multiroom system attached to.a Buffalo Terastation 2TB NAS for streaming.
Jake
Hmm not nearly in the league of some here but
Marantz CD67 OSE
Cambridge DAB
Ipod through a Arcam iRdoc
Rega Mira driving a pair of Ruark Sabre's in the kitchen
acting as a pre for a NAD C270 power
driving a pair of Celestion Ditton 66's in the lounge
Also have a pair of Ditton 44's too
Front end of my main system is SME 20 with V arm with Clearaudio gamma S cartridge through a Conrad Johnson PV 11 valve preamp, this has a built in phono stage which I have never felt the need to upgrade. I don't use the silicon damping trough in the SME V arm ( messy to refill )
I also use a Zeppelin for digital.
Amp: Cyrus 7 + PSX-R
CD: Cyrus CD7Q + PSX-R
Phono: Michell Mycro / Origin Live arm / Ortofon Kontrapunkt A cartridge.
Phono Stage: Musical Fidelity X-LPS
Cassette: Nakamich DR2E
CD-Writer: Pioneer PDR-609
Minidisc: Sony MDS-JB940
Tuner: Denon TU-260L-II
Digital: Squeezebox Duet
Speakers: Dynaudio Audience 62
Rack: Ash Design, Cosmic 7.
sounds like something I'm after... would you say that the sonos connect plus a separate amp is a lot better than the connect:amp plus speakers?
thanks
Jack
Sounds like quite a front end.
OK... Here we go... :mrgreen:
TTs: Linn Sondek LP12, Thorens TD 160MK2, Lenco L75
CDs: Exposure 2010S, Marantz CD63, FASE CDP
Preamps: Audio Research LS 16 Mk II, Rotel RC 970, different sorts of DIY valve preamps (5 of them)
Amps: Pass Aleph 5 (DIY), Pass AlephM (DIY), Pass Aleph 3 (DIY), Pass Aleph 30 (DIY), Rotel RB970 Mk II (X2), different sorts of DIY valve amps (7 of those)
Spkrs: DIY Audio Nirvana 12" horn, Rogers LS6p, Vandersteen 2ce
My main rig is over 14 years old now but I still enjoy it
Arcam 7 amp
Arcam 8 power amp
Arcam 7SE cd player
Headphone rig (powered by the Arcam 7SE cd player)
Matrix Mini-I DAC
Musical Fidelity X Can V2 valve amp modded by Mike@Rock Grotto
Headphones:
Audez'e LCD2 revision 1 planar magnetic headphones
Sennheiser HD 600
Given up playing CDs and DVDs/Blu-Rays, gone properly digital:
HP microserver running iTunes for audio (Apple Lossless), and SMB sharing for video (DVD and Blu-Ray rips) and music wav files.
The main AV system has a Denon 3312 receiver, supplemented by Linn and Naim amps bi-amping the front 3 channels, driving a set of Quad L-ites with Quad 11L2s for the front left and right.
Dune HD D1 streamer for video and audio from the server (external DAC for stereo), and the Denon's built-in Airplay for iTunes playback.
2 other micro systems in the kitchen and workshop, streaming via Apple Airport Express.
The Airplay streamers are controlled by an iPod Touch and an iPad, using the Apple Remote app.
Nothing too fancy:
Sonos Conect
Pair of B&O 8000
Thats it, does the job, my hearing doesnt justify anything beter
Some seriously proper stuff listed here, so perhaps I should beg forgiveness for my unashamedly digital, and simple, set up:
FLAC (mainly) files ripped using Exact Audio Copy (EAC) software, held on external hard drive in the study, streamed via Squeezebox Duet to AVI ADM9.1 active speakers and matching sub (speakers have built-in DAC as well as being active). Not much to tinker with, or look at, but sounds rather marvellous.
System also wirelessly connects to Squeezebox Boom which does kitchen duties (music and radio only, not cooking and dishes, sadly). I may replicate the sitting room set-up (minus sub) in the extended kitchen once finished, although I did promise my wife I'd buy her a watch (and myself that I'd buy one for me too) with any leftover cash... Expect the children will continue to need feeding too :) .
Matt
I`m a hi-fi traditionalist but maybe I should consider some multi-room digital alternative at some point.
Main system (lounge) for me is: Arcam A85/P85 biamped . Arcam FMJ CD 36. Castle Severn 11 speakers (lovely dark mahogany), Can`t remember what speaker cable I used, some silver-plated stuff that wasn`t a silly price and fits under the carpets OK. Solid silver interconnects bought off eBay. This system sounds great, plenty good enough for my 54yr old ears. I could upgrade/improve on this but I`m happy with it; my ears are definitely past their best so there's little point.
Dining room: Arcam Alpha 9CD and Alpha 8R amp, a pair of Castle Kendal small floorstanders (which I don`t recommend, but they're OK in a small room), and a second pair of Castle speakers in my kitchen/diner. My trusty old Thorens TD 166 mk 4 turntable is hooked up to this, but it doesn`t get much use.
Study/watch repairing: Arcam Alpha 7SE CD player, Alpha 7R amp with a pair of Gale speakers (Richer Sounds) in the corners.
Fair to say I like Arcam and I did like Castle stuff....till they went bust. Most of my items were bought second hand or in sales. My house is full of dark mahogany furniture and the Castles mach perfectly, besides sounding good. Just wish I`d bought some spare parts when Castle were going bust.
Matching speakers to the room is vital IMO, and trying to manage the acoustics of the room is important. I have an angular bay window in the lounge and removing the curtains (pending replacement) ruined the sound completely, too bright with a faint echo effect! Put new curtains up and the problem went away :)
Paul
If we are doing lists :D
Naim:-
CDS3 + XPS2
NAT01 + XPS2-T
NAT05
NAC552 + 552PS
NAP500 + 500 PS
Squeeze box + custom power supply
Apple airport express
Tannoy Glenair 15s
Not a lot has changed in the last 4 years except the speakers
The only change I am likely to make in the foreseeable future is a good quality streamer to replace the Airport express but I can't decide what to try / buy.
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