Yep, moving on from 552/300DR 
ā¦ theyāre great amps but donāt gel at all with my Martens (& donāt have that Class A sound)
Just had a quick check on the Sugden Sapphire DAP-800 and FBA-800. No wonder they are good. They cost Ā£11k and look fine.
The Marten Duke 2s clearly need the right amps (and ancillary equipment / cables) to shine.
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They really are superb and sound great with the Martens. If you ever want to move on from your Luxman to separates Iād recommend checking out the Sugden Sapphires.
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I looked these up and they look super. Are you going for black or silver? I rather preferred the silver ones for some reason. While they may cost Ā£11,000 thatās a lot less than the 552/300 at Ā£30,000 so if you prefer the sound thatās got to be a great result all round.
You mean your former Naim rig was to pushy and āyellingā compared to your new setup?
I have the silver amps on loan and was tempted but went for black in the end. Theyāll need to blend in (almost) with my remaining Naim boxes & Matrix Audio DAC.
The only thing is the Sugdens are way too big for a Fraim so theyāll have sit on a Quadraspire next to a Fraim rack. Looks a bit odd but will do for now
Yes, exactly. The Naim transistor amps were just too full on for my Martens, whereas the Sugden Class A is spot on.
Iām now just listening to music and no longer worrying about whether the system is sounding right or something is offā¦
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Iām showing a bit too much interest in this thread.
I was just pretending what a Naim pre and power combo would look and sound like in place of my Musical Fidelity combo. Then I started doing the sums. 282/250dr. Or maybe a 300dr. After all Iām driving a pair of PMC 20-26ās. And then there is a better psu for the 282.
Actually what I really need to do is reduce box count. Not increase it.
And my head turns back to MF. After all, power amps they do know how to design and build.
Taking Ā£4K would get a Nuvista 800 pre owned. Or what about a nice kw550 for Ā£2k. Spend a modest amount having the 550 serviced or even upgraded.
So for less than Ā£4K you could have a good sounding monster of an integrated amp. Ok, so pre owned. What would a similar amount get you with Naim?
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Is it really a massive improvement over Luxman L-590AXII? The Luxman is supposed to be my final destination. Nevertheless, I take note of your recommendation. Right now I just want to enjoy the tunes. I just received my āhigh-endā Mexcel cord and will be replacing the wall receptacles very soon to reap the full benefits of the cord.
To be fair I only heard the Luxman L-590 briefly at a dealers demo room, and that was driving the Marten Miles 5. I like both the Luxman L-590 & L-509 but for me the Sugden Sapphires work better in my room and system, compared to the L-509 I had on demo.
Iād be interested to hear your thoughts on the Mexcel cordā¦
Would the Luxman on just 2x30W really be able to get the SHL5 going? My Supernaits couldnāt for sure.
The Luxman is rated conservatively. Itās actually very powerful. 2x30W (8 ohms) and 2x60W (4 ohms). The tested output of the Luxman is 2x95W (8 ohms), 2x165W (4 ohms).
I used the Luxman to drive the SHL5+ and to my ears it didnāt sound better than the 282/250DR. That was the reason I kept the Naim. The Harbeth sounds slightly soft with reduced dynamics and sparkle at the top end when driven by the Luxman.
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The Mexcel cord is showing a lot of promise even though the connection is compromised. Itās connected between the power strip and component whereas the standard Naim cord that came free in the box is at the upstream between the wall outlet and power strip. The highs are more delicate and bass sounds punchier. Overall clarity has slightly improved.
According to owners who have this cord, the background is supposed to get blacker and more fine details will reveal. Iām not surprised I didnāt get that experience too much as the wall outlet, standard Naim cord and power strip are limiting the full potential of the cord. Once I change the wall outlet I can connect the Mexcel cord straight to the component (or to the power strip). I am optimistic things will improve after that. Power strip may be replaced to a superior model but I need to take it slowly due to shortage of funds.
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There is life after Naim, and there is life after āfootballāāie soccer!
Well done Bongoman. If I wasnāt committed to ATC Actives I would love to have tried a Class A set up.
Always wanted to dig deeper and find out what it is that attracts people to Class A.
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Bongman, thank you for uodate. Nice you like it. Sugden not often mentioned.
I see you use Tellurium, how it did work with Nime ? When you decided on them, did you compare to other make ? If yes, what you like about Tellurium ?
Andre, Iāve found Tellurium works well with Naim amps. Iāve used TQ Black 2 with a SN2 and later TQ Ultra Black 2 with 252/250DR and 552/300DR. Itās a great cable although pricey at Ā£310pm. Its gives a very smooth and wide soundstage, with lots of detail and top end sparkle.
Iāve tried it with a few speakers now with good results. The only exception was the Naim SL2s (which would work best with Naim or Witch Hat cables)
Indeed, I did use for some time humble Black (still first) with Unitilite and it was also good
Ultra Black pricey, but Naim SL is not cheap as well 
Ahem, itās football and thatās it, Iām a fan of American Football, but letās not call it Soccer, clues in the naim ā¦, only thing worse is Vinyl vs Vinyls ā¦,
Does āLife After Naimā really count if your source (arguably the main event) is still Naim? A bit like a divorce with separate houses, but continued intercourse.
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