Dear Forum members, with all the crazy sale prices going on, I can purchase an ND5 XS 2 for AUD 3,450 new. My wife has said no to any new audio boxes, though she will allow me to purchase HQ LPs, such as MOFL One Step. I should point out she has no idea of the price of these vinyl discs.
I suppose I have to stay out of the dog bed, and we all like adding a new piece of equipment when the time is right.
I also missed the opportunity to purchase an nDAC for my CD5 XS as I did not know what it was and had recently spent AUD 10k on three black boxes from NAIM over the last couple of years.
Will I be satisfied with the odd, expensive vinyl purchase or rely on a QoBuz HiRes subscription?
I have been disappointed with some cheap re-releases from MOFL. Havings said that the three labels I have grown to trust are Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, and endeavouring to trust MOFL, as they cost so much.
TT is an Linn LP12 Akurate. Please see my details for more details.
Vinyl and streaming have different sound characteristics, so which one you will prefer is a personal choice. Buying so called high quality is a hit and miss, just as with streaming. Most things on offer, being it both streaming and modern vinyl pressings, are remastered and the result isnât necessarily better sounding.
Look up John Darkoâs piece on his website about the new Talking Heads âStop making senseâ remaster.
(Ow, and, btw, have an honest conversation with your wife)
If you can Mitch Iâd go for the nd5xs2 at the very attractive discount price and it matches your current gear and will open up a whole new world of music to you
Different sounding to Vinyl but great to have the variety
Not sure what retailer you would be purchasing this streamer from but I believe only a one year warranty
The timing is not suitable for me yet as Shelley and I are revisiting the 4WD and Caravan purchase to escape the Southern Cold here in Victoria, Australia.
I have popped over to the topics @jmtennapel has recommended and have learned that I may be better off purchasing the ND5 XS 2 not for streaming, though playing back ripped CDs from a NAIM Unitserve.
There is not enough money to go around at the moment.
The dealer that I would be making the purchase from is Addicted to Audio here in Oz.
As Shelley says I am always wanting something new/more.
I would keep a very balanced system, would resist the temptation of streaming platforms - which tend to give a sort of bored musical bulimia - and would buy as many 2nd hand LPs as I can find. It depends on whether you want convenience & abundance, or selected pleasure. I have LPs aged 50-odd, theyâre sometimes my greatest, more relaxed, more innocent fun.
Hard decision. I would think about what music you like listening to and decide based on the best, or most rewarding, or most convenient, or most cost effective way of obtaining and replaying it.
I would definitely try a streamer, somewhere, before deciding.
I also own a NAIT XS, for the money a ND5 XS2 costs I think my own Chord Hugo/Primare NP5 sounds mostly better. I have compared the two in my system, albeit at a dealerâs premises. But my setup is two boxes and is much less convenient to operate in comparison to the ND5 XS2. As a result I wonât even be thinking of swapping my own streaming setup until the NDX2 dips below ÂŁ3k on the used market here. And Iâm not even sure I will do then, I listen to more vinyl than streaming.
Also, keep an eye on the hours on your Delos (of which Iâm rather admiring!), thatâll need replacing at some point.
I have embraced all 3 primary music sources now. My most recent source purchases being a DAC V1 for the media room system that my MacMini streams through and my ND5 XS 2 on the main system.
I now have an abundance of choice from my 600+ Records to my 1000+ CDâs to the myriad of choice on Qobuz.
All 3 sources are used all of the time and as a result I am never without options. Streaming was definitely my least sought after source option, but I am so glad I finally took the plunge.
Iâve been mainly streaming for the last 2yrs after exclusively listening to vinyl for the previous 10yrs. I had a few days back on vinyl last week and can hand on heart say that it pips streaming at the post but not that by that much in my system. However, Iâm now back on streaming. Why? For several reasons:
Selecting vinyl, putting it on and flipping it over is a faf
I own about 400lps and would play only around 20% regularly
Spotify gives me a huge almost infinite catalogue
I listen to new streamed music more often than stuff I know now
New vinyl is too expensive and more often than not of poor quality
Used vinyl is too expensive and more often than not of poor quality (although I have good experiences with Discogs in the main)
Iâm not putting a downer on vinyl and I have decided I will retain it for the foreseeable future for special occasions but I simply find listening to great quality audio just as rewarding as listening to âthe bestâ quality audio these days and discovering new music takes me back to my youth.
For those interested, Andreas Vollenveider and Alumnia are my latest discoveries amongst many over the last few months
Iâve just looked up those MoFi One Step vinyl releases and see that they cost at least 100 USD. Thatâs a lot to pay for a fancy pressing of something you very likely know well and have already as a normal release. Itâs got to raise the question of why you want it - does it really transform your enjoyment to the extent that itâs worth the asking price? - or do you like just collecting stuff?
I was doing something similar when I had my Rega, getting very excited about the latest Blue Note Tone Poet or Acoustic Sounds release. I was buying them because they were these particular albums, which to me was the wrong reason. It was all getting a bit addictive so I sold all the albums and the turntable too. The deck, the record cleaner, albums, replacement sleeves etc were taking over the place.
From what youâve said you are clearly not awash with money. Is it really fair on Shelley to splash so much on a single album you donât really need? Tell her the price and see what she says. A few of those albums would pay for a nice break away together.
I have no physical albums at all, no CDs and no records - other than a few signed ones that live in a cupboard. I do have over 4,000 albums on my NAS, which is more than enough for me. Iâve tried online streaming but donât like it, it confuses me. I like looking through my collection and picking something out. Online streaming works well for most, it seems, and it may work for you. Itâs worth remembering that a streamer gives you access to some wonderful radio stations from all over the world, which we find really enjoyable.
IIRC when the XS range was launched, Naim said that the way to get more from our CD5XSs was to add their DAC.
Iâve not done it because Iâm happy with the synergy of CD5XS, FCXS and XS amps, but it is out there. I mention it because it looks like streaming doesnât necessarily appeal to you.
It is true we are not flush with cash after a prolonged battle with my multinational company employer. After a 6.5-year battle, we won, though we lost the war. Even with the payout, we ended up severely out of pocket to about AUD 400k in wages. Though it was win or lose completely, suicide was an option that I lived with for ten months, every moment of every day. I apologize if this causes any triggers to forum members out there. It is where I was at the time.
On a lighter note, Music has been a desirable release where I can relax and let the dayâs troubles float away. I chatted with Shelley this evening, and her expectations of an expensive album were twice what I looked at around AUD 500.
I have purchased the SACD for the Thriller album to test whether I liked it enough to lash out at the vinyl albumâpossibly an irrational choice. After my initial lust for new vinyl, I have returned to earth and am now looking at the soon-to-be-released âHotel California,â which I genuinely enjoy. However, I have this album on CD and vinyl on 33 1/3, just a standard release.
Iâd look at streaming from QoBuz, though everything I have on vinyl and CD is accounted for, and I would only be tripling up in some situations. So my hands are back in the pockets and off the credit card. I will continue to enjoy what I have and maybe with Shelleyâs permission, which she has given to purchase one or two notable albums a year.
I have read about Steve Hoffmanâs Forum from this forum and have joined it to learn more.
Retail therapy is a mental health issue that both Shelley and I suffer from after all the intense medical mental health examinations from my employerâs psychiatrists and GPs.
Having your mind, choices, and words questioned and examined over 6.5 years to find you at fault was an examination in which I finally broke down in sobbing tears. Both Shelley and I had enough and accepted what was ever offered.
Church and Music and not forgetting Shelley and our friends have been a great place to rest our emotions.
Thanks for sharing that, Mitch. Youâve been through a hard time I know, and we all need a little solace in our lives. For many years, Hilary and I have pooled our money in a joint account. My pension is bigger than hers because she, like so many women, took time out to look after the children and then worked part time. So both our pensions go into a joint account, and we each get the same amount of pocket money, transferred to our sole accounts on the first of the month. (Thatâs today - hurrah!). We can then do exactly what we like with it, with no reference to each other. It works really well for us, and may possibly work for the two of you.
Donât forget the bike 8) Definitely therapeutic too.
Hopefully itâs good to talk, even if it is on a relatively impersonal internet hifi forum. If the two of youâre ever in the UK thereâs a hospitable drink of your choice waiting.
FWIW Iâm slowly appreciating little good things over larger ones. Iâd rather keep my daily cup of decent coffee than buy that used NDX2 for example. Or more relevant to your original post, I think I would rather buy the occasional new/used album than have the outlay of a new streamer.
Difficult though, as I can change my mind often. But weâre all works in progress
I have three other grim tales to share for another day. It has not all been doom and gloom. There has been much happiness as well.
Yes, the motorbike, I have received much pleasure and continue to do so. Though its days are numbered, Shelley may let me place a VHF/UHF amateur radio in her car for trips into Melbourne or further afield. Though not for around town, I would like to make the distinction that the car is hers and not to be taken over by my hobbies.
I have decided not to purchase an ND 5 XS 2 as I could not find enough Aussie content on QoBuz for the bands I like, which is a good thing.
The âThrillerâ CD arrived in the mail yesterday, and this morning, while Shelley was out with her girlfriends, I gave it a whirl. I must say I enjoyed it with the bass setting up the foundation and another bass dubbed in doing some pops or, however, it is mixed.
It is 80âs music, and I can hear why it is so popularâexpensive vinyl purchase, maybe not.
If youâre streaming from Spotify, which your post suggests, which I donât think even offers CD quality yet let alone hi res, there is better available! And downloading/ripping CDs and streaming from your own local store offers the highest potential.
