Over the years I had a variety of bases, cones, pucks, blocks, roller balls etc. While I could hear differences, i was never sure what was “correct”. This was before I had Naim. This drove up my audio compulsion and after a while, made me very uneasy. When I switched to Naim, Chord cables and A4 speakers, I gave up on tweaks and allowed the system, as is to make music. My audio life is simple and better.
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I think any naim component is perfectly setup and it works super out of the box. I m focused on turntable and loudspeaker
My comments were not directed at you. My experience was during when I had Spectral and then Ayre. The tweaks made my life unmanageable. In theory, I am sure I could benefit from isolation. There is a subway line running under us and we are on the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. I am sure there are low level vibrations, but the tweaking process drove me nuts.
This is exactly the point 
Often, tweaks create a different sound, not necessarily better.
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That statement could apply to a lot of “upgrades” as well.
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When I get the S3 that will be the best one I have and used for my turntable. The other one (R3X) will be used for the Boulder phono-stage. Everything else is on Naim Fraim glass shelves.
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I don’t have much to add, except to say that you and I are probably the only people in this forum who went from Spectral to Ayre to Naim (in my case only for the streamer - I’m still using Ayre amplification).
Which side of the Brooklyn Bridge are you on - I’m in Manhattan.
I’m on the Brooklyn Side. Did you purchase from Innovative? I moved from AYRE to Rega. I liked the sound of AYRE but the tweaking with their wood blocks and Cardas tweaks drove me nuts. I really love the Naim gear. Got me away from equipment footer compulsion
As an update on my stuff. I just received a windfall and ordered a new turntable, that will 16" high and 140+ lbs. I don’t want that sitting on top of a Naim Fraim, so I also ordered a HRX EXR three-shelf rack (21" x 19" x 26"). That will support the PSU for the turnable, the Boulder phono-stage, and the turntable.
Isolation is TBD, but it will either be a 21" x 19" HRS M3X2, or something else in the same budget range (~$4K, or even higher). I have a US $35k budget for everything.
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Innovative in Manhattan (along with a lot of other stores over the years). I live two blocks from the original location of Sound by Singer. I was in there a lot. Bought my first high end digital stuff there. I also frequented Lyric Hi Fi.
Except for my Naim streamer I haven’t upgraded my main system in 15 years. But I did redo my apartment, organizing a much better set-up for my speakers. A huge improvement.
Sound by Singer and Lyric HiFi rings a bell from my past. In the mid-80s I worked for the US Rega/Goldring importer/distributor at the time (Import Audio in St. Louis). I remember shipping them product (and handling accounts).
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We redid our kitchen which ended up trashing our Rega system in the LR, which got us to Naim. When we upgraded to our new series 300 system, we also upgraded our racks to 5 shelf Solid Steel Series 5 to allow for eventual power supplies.
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How?
DG…
Blimey, that’s bit like puncturing the tyres on your car as a result of changing a lightbulb in the hallway. Your builder was a bit over-enthusiastic, perhaps?
Remind me not to engage their builder. Sounds like a right Cowboy.
DG…
When we redid our kitchen after 34 years of owning the apartment, we slightly widened the opening into the kitchen and moved outlets.and added new outlets. Walls in our apartment are not Sheetrock but plaster and cinder block. lots of vibration was created and the plaster ceiling began to come down in the living room.
That’s not good, trust the builder repaired the damage and paid for the repairs to the Rega system.
DG…
@DiggyGun The Rega system was 15 years old. The CDP stopped initializing discs long ago. We had trouble seeing how to operate the Rega stuff b/c of vision. My Rega dealer could no longer offer home support. It was time to move on. The contractor gave us a really good price to rebuild the living room ceiling so we did not quibble. It was not the contractor’s fault. The building was constructed in such a way that the stability of the plaster ceiling was unpredictable. Some owners have ceiling issues and some not. We should have redid the ceiling long ago.
I bought an HRS record weight quite some time ago. I’d just had bellows feet fitted by Townshend to my mk2 Rock turntable and I’d also bought an upgrade platter for it made of some sort of plastic. By then I’d already moved to an Aro and dispensed with the damping trough. The plastic platter wasn’t a success, it might work with a gimballed arm but the Aro wouldn’t keep the stylus in the groove without reintroducing the outrigger and trough but even then the timing was messed up. I bought the HRS weight to try and tame it, and it helped but the Aro head shell collided with it at the end of the side. I went back to the plaster filled platter with screw on clamp and enjoying my music again, the bellows feet were a good move though.
Over the years I’ve tried that HRS weight with a couple of other decks and arms but with the exception of when used in combination with the original Lenco L75 rubber mat I’ve never found it of overall benefit but it lives on an unloaded Fraim lite shelf between my 552 and PTP Lenco and may be helping to damp it but it keeps it handy if I want to stop a disc slipping while it’s cleaned with a brush, which does occasionally happen with slightly dished discs as I don’t clamp or weigh down records with my currently preferred mat (TEAC Washi pater, white side up).
Did Steve Gutenberg advise you on any of your purchases, at Sound by Singer?
If so, did he get it right!?
(Just idle curiosity!)