Yeah of course. Lesser systems don’t sound as good but they always sound a lot better for the money. I have no problem with spending silly money if I had it (I don’t) but the fact is, it is much harder for an expensive system to please than a more modest one.
The bang for buck ratio is just totally different.
Neil, what a great post. While you say your system is lowly it’s important to remember that it’s £7,000’s worth of stuff. If it’s not good for what is, in the real world, an awful lot of money to spend on a stereo, then something is wrong. You can be sure that it’s better than the systems that 99.9% of people will ever own. The ND5XS2/NaitXS 3 is a brilliant pairing and the Rega a superb turntable.
I don’t think I’ll be upgrading unless something major happens, I’m quite content with my humble 272/XPSDR/250DR/Royds as my primary system. I’m lucky enough to have an Atom/Kef in the lounge room and a 1st gen Muso in my office. You can get depressed reading some of threads here, there’s people that have spent 10s thousands and are still looking for another tweak (and good on them). Think we all need to find our sweet spot, stop wishing and just listen after all music is what it’s all about.
I don’t think there is anythjng humble about any of our Naim systems or all in ones. I would be content with what I have if my income/value of savings dropped through the floor tomorrow. The joy of sitting and listening though is worth exploring potential improvements, even if they are small for the relatively high additional costs. I think I may have hit my nadir with the 252/250 but how will I know if I haven’t tried the 300? 
My system is almost identical with ProAc speakers and AT LP5 turntable. I’m over the moon with my Naim so I will try to avoid thinking about any changes there. So from now on only tweaking: need to find something to unstack my amp and nd5xs2, check some speaker cables (not sure if current wireworld is the right one). I would love to get a better turntable. One of current technics models would do.
I hope for your sake you meant zenith, not nadir!
Oops!
I’m with you on this - I started with these plus a flatcap and a CD5, it was fine (a big improvement on my earlier Technics, or the Arcam FMJ I tried out), but with a highcap and an nDAC/XPS it really came to life.
Not exactly in the same league as my current 252/250, but I had many hours of pleasure from them, and the price wasn’t in the same league either.
Yep I’m done as well now.
Nac52/supercap/Nap300 non dr/LP12/CD3.5/Neat Mf7 Speakers.
I will service things as required but it all sounds decent to me. Apart from the LP12 & CD player everything was bought second hand.
I have happily owned my Nait 5i since new when this model was first released. That was long enough ago now that I can’t recall the year, maybe 2003 or 2004? Not long after that I added a CD5/Flatcap 2 to the mix which is also still with me today. I did make a some changes back in 2018 when I switched to a set of Rega RX3 loudspeakers. Then my Dynavector P75 phono stage went bad which resulted in the purchase of a Parasound JC3 Jr. phono stage. With that added capacity I then replaced my Rega RP3 with a Rega P6 (w/Ania cartridge). My Magnum Dynalab MD-90 FM tuner predates all of this gear by quite a bit. I’ve owned it for more than two decades now.
The last notable change to my system occurred earlier this year after the pandemic hit. Being more or less house-bound at the time I finally decided to add streaming capabilities to mix by way of a Sonos Port running into a Naim DAC-V1.
This gear all works wonderfully together, and just as importantly it works wonderfully with the room it is placed in. I anticipate that I will stick with this setup for quite some time until repair or replacement is necessary. I had thoughts of adding an Innuos Zen Mini MK3 after obtaining the DAC-V1, but have placed this on hold due to a lack of interest. I’m honestly really content with where things are as they sit right now and am not feeling the need to do anything other than listen to more music.
Maxed out XS system here, XS2, CD5XS, NDac and Flatcap XS, Powerlines on everything and recently added Witch Hat Morgana and Phantom everything’s on Fraimlite and a dedicated mains circuit and it’s all sounding pretty fab to my ears.
Perhaps a Karousel on the LP12 when I have the funds next year but at the moment I’m in a good place hifi wise.
Thinking longer term and I’d like to try a Supernait 3 possibly with a pair of Neat Ekstra’s and then that would be the ultimate end game for me failing a massive lottery win, I’ll keep buying the tickets!!!
It is mostly because of feedback and posts on this very forum that I’m not planning an upgrade, despite probably not upgrading for longer than anyone here.
I bought my Nait 2 CB in ~1989 and connected it to my existing B&W speakers; sounded better than the previous 100wpc amp and even if it didn’t, I had no more money. And that’s still my system.
Pulled the Nait out after ~15 years of not listening, fully expecting to upgrade to something newer, shinier and more powerful. But many on this forum counselled me against that, and countless posts of “I upgraded from a Nait 2 to a _____ but the Nait sounded better” or “I wish I’d never sold my Nait 2” seemed to back that up. So I added a new DAC for streaming and keep listening.
Admittedly, I often think about better-matched speakers. But I don’t know what and it’s a huge pain to try speakers with your own amp. Plus most of the common recommendations are for semi-obscure (or fully obscure), often older, British speakers that are near-impossible to find, especially on this side of the ocean or in good condition. So until I can identify a justifiable improvement, no upgrade plans.
Does recapping count as an upgrade or just regular maintenance?
maintenance
I had the LP12 upgraded to Klimax level with Keel and Ekos SE at the beginning of 2020…3 weeks before Karousel was introduced. So I may decide to complete the upgrade in 2021.
Other than that the system is perfect to my ears as it is and I don’t plan any upgrade in the foreseeable future.
Claude
I’m happy with NAC82, NAP 250, CDX2 + XPS, Aro/Armageddon LP12, and two hicaps (all recently re-capped), and SBLs. But if I were to upgrade, where should I start? And, any interesting recommendations for a different set of speakers for an 3.4m (w) x 5.5m (l) 3.7 (h) room?
I upgraded a few times until I got the 52/SC/135’s and that’s it as I don’t like the look of the later models.
I mainly play records and am not interested in a streamer so I couldn’t see the benefit of upgrading anyway.
Oh boy, MF7’s with 52, 300, now I can understand why you don’t need to upgrade… just wow, fantastic system. Just wish I could shoehorn some of those Neats into my room!
I was debating trading in my 252/SC/250.2 (which were in need of recapping/DR-ing) for a new SN3 as “the other half” would like to cut down on the number of boxes. But then figure for the cost of the servicing, I would have a much better system. So here I am in the 4 month queue to get my gear serviced. It will probably outlive me now!
Hi Jason. Yep only had MF7s for a couple of months but I love them.
The final piece in the jigsaw.
That’s a great find, I think they are quite rare; I I would have loved a pair of MF7’s but they are unfortunately too big for my room. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them for many years to come, particularly as they’re in the company of the 52 and 300.