Can a one box set-up compete with a multi box system

Hi-Fi Corner
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Well we all hear things differently. From the person with 3 sources, 4 box pre/power and 2 Fraims this might sound strange but I’ve been very impressed with Linn Selekt and Nova with Titan 505 and 606s. BUT not enough to make a change.

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@Oxfordian Hello . I think it all depends on what World you’re in. There are numerous ways to play this. Devialet makes great all in one systems, there are many super integrated amps… Bolder Audio makes the wonderful 866 amp , Auralic makes a really good preamp, Dac, streamer in one box… Naim has the new Nova PE… that has real power to drive a lot of different speakers … lot of choices. Good Luck and have FUN !

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Yes…although I still use power amps into passive speakers rather than on board power amp modules. I have 2 less boxes and vastly better music. But, bear in mind that the 2 options you mention are VERY different. Feel secure in whichever option you go for, you can trust either company. They both care about what they deliver.

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100% it can, and better it, just not naim, you will have to look elsewhere.

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Thanks, nice to hear of someone having moved to a one box system and most importantly enjoying it.

The fact that you haven’t missed anything in terms of sound quality is a confidence boost if I head that way.

About time I had a demo of a Linn Selekt.

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So the SQ was more than comparable between Linn/Naim and your multi-box set-up, if you were setting out to buy now for the first time which way would you go?

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Thanks, I think my ears are going to be well used in the forthcoming weeks.

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I went from a top level olive system to a Uniti then Superuniti and now have a Nova.
I have had the Nova more than 6 years and it gives me immense pleasure - I haven’t regretted downsizing for a nanosecond in all that time. It’s not going anywhere near a skip for the forseeable future!
Of course I can hear differences between the Nova and a higher level system in a direct comparison but for me the differences are not enough to justify the cost and the complication.
My system sounds great to me in my home and that’s all that matters to me.

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Great to hear from a one-box user, thanks for the reply, you are giving me more confidence in going down that route.

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…be prepared for a bit of a shock when listening with Space Optimisation implemented. You might like it, you might not. You will need an excellent dealer if you are thinking about comparing the offerings from Naim and Linn.
We’re pretty lucky here in the UK, where this is an expectation.

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I have a Linn / Naim dealer not far from me, so i’ll book a few auditions.

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Aurender have a new streaming integrated amp out that has an analogue pass through if you have a TT. It’s not cheap but could be worth a listen

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[quote=“Oxfordian, post:15, topic:33653”].
Oxfordian

![|25x25](/user_avatar/community.naimaudio.com/lindsaym/50/687_2.png

1h

So the SQ was more than comparable between Linn/Naim and your multi-box set-up, if you were setting out to buy now for the first time which way would you
go?
[/quote]

Who knows? By “starting out now”do we mean no vinyl and CD collection, not being committed to R3 FM?

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Oxfordian, I’m reading of a rather confused dilemma. This may or may not help. Best not to be impressed by what others do, you will have unique preferences.

First - decide sources.
Second - decide budget.
Third - if you are contemplating multi box, to get the best results, a decent stand, maybe Fraim is a pre-requisite - can your domestic / living environment accommodate that - if not one box is the only answer, placed on a piece of furniture to your liking?
Fourth - determine preference for speakers - not the make, simply size based on room and other factors - book shelf versions may be ill suited in a decent size room; oversize can compromise the sound.
Fifth - if you don’t already have a brief list of favourite tracks, curate one. This is almost a must when audditioing different systems.

On the one box issue, while the Nova is good, it is well surpassed by NC2* range - back to budget.
None of us have yet heard Nova PE, but it my not represent vfm.
For a second system, I replaced Nova with NSC222 + NC250 - significant improvement, despite the fact that I would have preferred a single box - adding an NPX is a matter of preference / budget; not a prerequisite!
No experience of Linn Selekt. Linn is a very different sound from Naim. I long ago stepped away from Linn as a result of their unwillingness to service their products, once discontinued; ymmv…
Apple music is not a feature of Naim streamers (not sure about other makes), due to Apple’s unwillingness to interact with manufacturers; search the forum for more info.

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We went from a Linn Klimax DS/3 Katalyst and a nine box Naim system to a one box Linn Selekt DSM: Edition Hub into Kudos Titan 606 (Active).

Best upgrade we’ve done in a long time. Plenty of detail, grunt and very engaging.

DG…

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Thanks for the feedback.

I am very much aware that the decision to go left or right is mine and mine alone, it was really trying to get views from people who have gone on this journey and either completed it or decided it was not for them.

Having a two box Naim set-up is appealing as is going to a one box set-up, whatever I end up with it has to be my last purchase which may give a Naim set-up the edge as they seem to be more customer focused in the long term.

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This will come down to personal choice, as you know, and in various ways lots of us have been there.

We were deciding about hifi for the holiday cottage.

We compared a Nova with ND5XS2 (we tried NDX2 with and without XPSDR too) plus 82 plus Hicap plus 250. We used B&W 804D3, Neat Xplorer and Shahinian Compass speakers.

We all agreed that the multi-box option played music fractionally better. For me, that was enough, given that I already had 82/HC/250 lying around after an upgrade to the main system, so we shipped the individual boxes.

My girlfriend has better hearing (and is vastly more musical) than me, and she heard what I heard.

However, she had picked the Nova and is still very happy with it. To her, given her living room and how she usually listens to music, 1 box and 1 socket convenience, far fewer wires and visual appeal together add up to more than an extra 1% airy treble or crisp and controlled bass when playing loud or the extra 1% ease at picking out lyrics.

There is now a turntable attached to her Nova. Purists can sulk about the A-D-A conversion and we remember the 82 with a turntable from years of use and I am pretty sure it was better than playing a Rega Fono into the Nova. However, the Nova worked well, and a Rega P6 and Exact cartridge was a very appropriate match.

Does that help at all?

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One-box is the future :wink:

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Switching to one box feels like swapping the push bike for an electric bike. Probably inevitable but to be avoided for as long as possible.

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It helps a lot, thanks.

I agree that often we are chasing the 1%, sometimes it’s real and sometimes not.

The Linn Selekt is very hard to ignore, it will create space within the home, kick the cable monster into touch, it looks the business and most importantly appears to work well with a range of speakers.

But I am concerned over longterm reliability and Linn’s commitment to look after the products long term, indications are not overly promising both from comments on this forum and surprisingly from a dealer I spoke to who was disappointed with Linn refusing to service a discontinued item. On the other side of the coin there are a lot of very happy Linn devotees out there with nothing to offer other than praise.

I do like the idea of a Naim set-up, it has been something I have wanted for years so a two box Naim outfit plus TT plus CDT wouldn’t be too imposing.

I’ll get there in the end, not sure which way though.

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