In that case, it was far from the best AKM implementation I heard. Thank you for the correction. 
EDIT: I wouldn’t rank the A8 any better than my close buddy’s RME ADI-2 with the AKM4493 chip (before the ESS switch due to the AKM factory being consumed in flames). Honestly that’s a pretty good analog for me. My buddy uses an iFi Elite 15V power supply with his RME and that was very similar to the A8.
There is so much truth in what you just wrote.
Great post and so true, awesome advice as well.
Sit back and enjoy the music - perfect suggestion.
By this weird logic all his reviews would thus be negative or controversial in some way. And yet… no they’re not. He has given great reviews to products made by very small companies and great reviews to products made by very big companies. Equally it’s not hard to find his positive views on previous Naim products nor his negative views on products also made by large and small.
There are undoubtedly plenty out there who do exactly as you describe but he patently isn’t one of them and I find it reductive that stuff like this can be dismissed with sweeping generalisations about the format and intent.
Profit in itself is not an incentive to write something negative. Not all YT reviewers are rubbish and indeed many mainstream and respected hi-fi reviewers for many of our fave mags are also there looking for clicks, or, maybe just expressing an honest view.
I think it’s a valid observation re: the location of the power supply but I’m not convinced it’s that simple. My XPS2 had to survive a month directly under a CDX2 until I got my shelving sorted. Despite this the uplift was profound. A tad better again on its own shelf but not to the extent that I was instantly convinced that a lack of dedicated shelf space was fatal to the impact of the power supply. Here we’re talking about a much more expensive box. I would expect to hear the difference no matter where you sat it.
Similar with the hiss really. My efficient speakers hiss with Naim. Better matched amplification reduces them to total silence. I have heard them hiss though with at least 1 amp where that ought not to be the case. Again, I think it’s a reasonable point to raise. A response of “my speakers don’t hiss” doesn’t really tell us anything or move things forward. Clearly he would be stupid to make such stuff up. It’s hardly unreasonable to then ask “okay, what’s going on?” rather than just “Oh it’s YouTube.”
Thanks for your opinion.
I’ll have no problem hooking my 222/555 up to 350s as the 555 transforms the 222. Re these reviews of “this is better than that” I just don’t place any value on them. Listen for yourself and decide.
Of course. I rarely read reviews at all, and certainly wouldn’t use them to decide what to purchase. My dealer is happy to let me spend as much time as I want listening to anything I am thinking of buying, so that is how I make my choices.
I heard the Eversolo at Bristol and I would fully agree with cb01.
The system it was in was challenged by the room but it was hugely inferior to the other streamer in that set up and I’ve heard a Wiim Pro sounding far better elsewhere.
If you want a lower price point streamer assembled in China you’d be far better off with Cambridge Audio - at least you’ll be supporting a UK design team.
There are reputable Chinese companies though which do proper design and production. Holo audio comes to mind.
I look for a streamer at Nait50 size, not as costly or redundant as my Atom HE. ES may be that kind of product and I don’t challenge it’s quality. What bothers me is that it’s a 100 % Chinese product.
I even struggle with my Muso which is also produced/ assembled in China.
Anyone considering purchasing an Eversolo or similar needs to consider the non kit aspects.
Buying Chinese products supports the Chinese state. This is not something I want to do. OK, Chinese components can be difficult to avoid, However, a complete product can easily be avoided.
What happens if support or repair is needed? Back to China? Naim in particular has good after sales and long term support for their products. Eversolo?
Can you be sure of component quality? Safety? China does not operate in the same way as the West. In my professional life I deal with Chinese products on a regular basis. Just because it says ‘x’ on an item it doesn’t necessarily mean that the item is indeed ‘x’
Doubtless these products perform reasonably well and are relatively cheap. People need to look beyond the headline price.
ive got an a6 for streaming duties into a separate dac and looking under the hood its well built with tidy layout and decent quality parts, assuming they are not fake parts of course! oh and im replacing the powers supply board with a linear one.
Wow, looks like there’s a whole aftermarket industry. I see at least three different ones being offered. Which one did you get?
And, perhaps more importantly, did you have any issues or are you taking a punt that it will bring audible improvement?
I find that interesting every bit of naim amplification I have had over the years resulted in an audible hiss from the many speakers I have also owned. Impressive you don’t have any or is this part of the new kit?
The one from pd creative in Poland as it had a better transformer and was only £156 delivered. Plus they have a good reputation with their blue sound mode psu… should be here today
No issues with the unit but the linear supply is supposed to take the edge of the highs and flesh out the mids which are a bit lean using the inbuilt ess dacs.
I am unable to hear any hiss from my speakers even with my ear right up against the speakers. I also don’t recall any hiss when I had my XS2 either.
Maybe I’m just deaf (
) or maybe it’s environmental factors (mains quality, EMI etc.)? I live in a new build in a rural location.
Well I think it’s fair to say naim gear famously had a hiss, just wondering if they had mitigated that.
To be fair - I often included subliminal baldness-cure links into my conversations when in retail.
Thanks for your opinion.
Do you still have Naim kit and the hiss or have you moved on to something else?
