Have I Finally Arrived?

Hi-Fi Corner
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After 34 years of hi-fi, admittadly with an interlude, I may have finally “arrived”…

…for now, at least; we all know how that goes :wink:

I listen nearfield and the room is imperfect, but the Naim Nait 5se (new last year), ProAc Tablette Reference 8 Signature (used) and REL Strata 3 (new to me 25 years ago) sound amazing across the board, and that’s with Qobuz on an inexpensive CA streamer and DAC.

I listened to Opera Arias on Decca last night and was astonished by the soundstage, imaging and detail resolution of the tiny ProAcs. The music moved me deeply and I found myself wishing that my father who passed away a few years back was around to share the experience.

I had expected these speakers (the latest addition) to be a compromise, but have to say, in this setup they’re anything but. Who would have thought that the most pleasing speakers I’ve heard are also the smallest? Well, I guess that it makes sense, as these would have been pretty expensive new.

(Admittadly, I haven’t owned many speakers, these including Tannoy Mercury, Mission 733, B&W CDM-1NT and Dali Spektor 2 most recently).

Best wishes to all. Hope that you are enjoying music as much as I am right now :slight_smile:

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Yes, small speakers can be very surprising , I find that they are better for simpler music .

I have a Nait 50 and P3ESR it can be a very beguiling combination .

best wishes

Ian

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Hi Ian,

Those P3ESRs look great.

I was astonished yesterday when I listened to Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles from Wandering.

Not my thing, really, but I found it when searching for music to demonstrate soundstage.

Interestingly this combination works really well for piano music - Currently listening to Art of the Fugue (Angela Hewitt on Hyperion).

Best wishes,

Giles
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Yes, I listened to some Mozart Piano works last week, I didn’t enjoy the Requiem for other reasons

Ian

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I purchased a pair of Proac Signature 10s in January on a whim and was blown away.

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You never arrive in Hifi. It’s like trying to reach Proxima Centauri in a VW.

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ProAc ‘s are amazing near field speakers and the REL Strata 3 is my favorite REL

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Do you listen to much classical music, Ian?

I love it and my son is a classically trained pianist.

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Fantastic. Mine were from eBay: A whim, like yours, but I did some web research to figure out how they might sound in my room with the Naim and REL.

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The soundstage and resolution are just staggering.

I had read that they can be bright, but in this system they’re not, and the speaker cables aren’t high end (they’re QED Silver Annisersary 2).

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Some, I very much like to keep my music simple , so the likes of Alexandra Whittingham , Jacqueline du Pres as well as the likes of Diana Krall

The P3ESR or the likes of the LS3/5A are the sort of speakers that appeal

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:slight_smile: