Just thought I’d give this thread a quick update… After much thought I’ve decided to hold fire looking for a new streamer and amp for the moment. With the input and contributors to this thread (a great big thank you for all the fabulous suggestions) I do have a good starting point and list of gear to test and dem for the New Year. Pausing for a couple of reasons…
First off, my head is spinning somewhat with the possibilities - so many current options in Naim world! A little time over the hols will help clear the mind and focus a clean sheet direction.
I started packing up the work room contents over the weekend - a few record boxes filled, and the big job of boxing up all books and dismantling the shelves, all now in the loft. Listening to music today I could not quite believe how drastically the room acoustics have changed with just the removal of a few shelves and contents - now echoey and stark. Wow, quite an eye (ear) opener. Therefore any realistic comparison of new kit with the current set up would be meaningless in the echoey void.
Also, there is potential for the layout of the room to radically change, so I’d rather work around the new space once complete, just to see how it all fits together with the work room needs to the fore.
And finally, the builder came round today and went through the rather daunting (to us) list, so I think I have enough on my plate to concentrate on for the minute, plus Naim black box shopping will be a lovely project to look forward to when all is done with the rebuild!