Best and Worst Upgrades

Also wishing you a great day! :grinning:

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My best ever upgrade was changing my then Quad FM4/34/606/ESL63 to a Naim system. Then it comprised CDSII/NAC52/NAP135x2. Initially I kept the ESL63s.

The whole thing was managed expertly by the lovely Jude Martens of Grahams in Canonbury Yard, Islington. I took along some favourite LPs (including Jeff Buckley’s incomparable ‘Grace’) and we used a well specc’d Linn LP12 as source, progressing through the Naim gear until I ended up choosing the top of the range Naim system. I took along my then-early teenage son, who told me that the whole thing was a waste of time and that I should just have ordered the top of the range Naim system from the onset. To which I replied that at least I had satisfied myself that the top of the range system was the best.

I still have all of what I bought then, although the LP12 has been greatly upgraded over the 30 or so years, and I now have three pairs of ESL57s rather than one pair of ESL63s.

Sadly, the CDSII is sick at the moment, and needs a new mech (any news, Naim?).

And, when on song, the whole thing sounds ruddy marvellous!

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Jude was an absolute joy - much missed.

How have you mounted 3 sets of ESL57s?

My CDS II is fine for now, but I worry that it is only a matter of time before it isn’t, so I have been ripping my CDs. When it finally dies, I’ll probably get a Core or similar (eBay is great), but I may or may not get a CD transport to plug into the NDX2 as well.

If yours is already sick, can I suggest calling Naim directly for an up-to-date position on what they can and can’t fix?

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I was pleased to see you rated the switch to a Klyde as a ‘best’ upgrade.

Having had two of them & reading nothing but negative reviews of it for years I always felt I was in a minority of one for enjoying it.

Having had the LP12 with an Ittok & then Ekos for the past 40 years I didn’t bother listening to other cartridges once I could afford an Asak, on the basis that Linn presumably know what works well with their deck & arms. Can’t say I’ve ever felt that I was missing out by taking this limited view & none of the dealers I have dealt with (OK, only two admittedly) ever felt the need to point out the error of my ways.

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I feel the same way about Spotify, I tried upgrading to Tidal for the 30day trial but was underwhelmed and I am still enjoying Spotify. Nobody wants to know this of course.

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I wish you hadn’t said this.

Please look at the thread I started last night titled ‘Qobuz Query’ over on the streaming Audio forum.

Hello, there, Nick. I have a stacked pair of ESL57s (on either side of the equipment on custom made aluminium shelves) powered by two NAP135s. This all sits in front of a leather sofa, which is the listening position. The third pair of ESLs is suspended upside down from the ceiling behind the sofa, powered by a Naim AV-1 rear sound processor feeding an NAP250. All Olive.

The ESL57s were made some 20 years ago by Quad Musikwiedergabe in Germany, who bought the manufacturing jigs from Huntingdon when the Quad factory closed.

I have posted photos on this site, which you may be able to find and flag up (I’m not at home at the moment).

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Wow!

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Utter crap! :wink:

BTW, your dealer is a d1ck.

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Hit you in the face holy crap upgrades

Klimax Radikal 1 to 2
Cirkus to Karousel
282/HiCapDR to 252DR
Lejonklou Entity to Rega Aura

Great upgrades

Kore to Keel
Ittok LP12 to Audio Origami P7
Rega Aria to Lejonklou Entity
NAP200 to 250DR
Standard Naim cables to Witch Hat Morgana/Phantom

Good upgrades

272/XPS to ND5XS2 (streamer side only)

Meh to Ok Upgrades

XPSDR on NDX2
272/XPS to 282/HicapDR (Preamp side with LP12)

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Agreed. I think the two upgrades work very well together.

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The crap fronting my system currently retails for the price of one kidney and the extraction is performed with a ceremonial blunt axe. I have admittedly survived the procedure (by the skin of my teeth) but it is not recommended for those that are challenged follicularly (sadly Mohawks seldom survive). Wishing you a lovely morning :relaxed:

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Source first has been my experience as borne out by the following changes.

1A Best;Valhalla to Lingo 4 and Goldring Elite MC to Dynavector 20xL in one fitting.

1Aa Best Cirkus to Karousel and Cirkus sub-chassis to Kore in a second fitting.

Worst: Magnepan 1c to Revel F35 for room aesthetics-which I grudgingly agree.

Good: Audiolab 8000c with Rotel 870 to Supernait 2. It might be time to audition a HiCap DR.

Worst upgrade - replacing original Arcam Alpha CD with Arcam CD93, went from rich vibrant sound, to flat and lifeless.

Best upgrade - Kudos S20s > Titan 505s. So good that desires to replace 282 with a 552 have pretty much faded away :astonished:

Best VFM/biggest surprise - blind eBay purchase of Nat 05 replacing Arcam T91. No fancy aerial but on R3 just sublime.

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Best and free upgrade, to use agressive toe in (about 40-45 degrees toe in) for my Kef Q550 (like Ken Ischiwata from Marantz does with demo’s). Sound is rock solid in every way.

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In my system:
Very good upgrades.

  • Vovox Excelus powercord to Uniti Atom
  • Glass plate with silicon nitride ball bearings and brass feet on a bamboo base for the Uniti Atom ( Link here)
  • Solid Steel SS6 speaker stands with Isoacoustics Gaia 3
  • Tellurium ultra black II speaker cable (bought used)

Medium upgrades:

  • Cisco 3560 Ethernet Switch
  • Vovox Sonorus Power Cable to Cisco Switch
  • Audioquest Cinnamon Ethernet and digital cable

Bad upgrades:

  • Meicord Opal Ethernet cable (being sold)
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Best upgrade for me was ND5 XS 2 to XPS DR/NDX 2 - it was like getting out of a Renault 5 GT Turbo and stepping into a Mercedes-Benz AMG C-Class Coupe.

Ok maybe i’m exaggerating a little…

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You’re going to upset a lot of Renault drivers. :grin:

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You can read his sentence two ways. He does not indicate a preference - well ‘upgrade’ maybe. I’d go for the Renault.

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Dynaudio Evoke 50 > Kudos 707 big difference at big cost.
NDX2 > ND555 once again big cost difference.
252DR > 552DR also big cost difference.
Witch Hat cables significant difference at reasonable cost.

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