I feel at a loss. I purchased my first Naim system in October 2023. I rapidly upgraded from an ND5XS2 to an NDX2 plus XPSDr. I upgraded my interconnects to EpicX. I upgraded my speaker cable to EpicX. I kept my Rega P9/Exact. My integrated is a SN3. I added Focal Utopia headphones going into the SN3. My SN3 has a HicapDR. I have Spendor A4 speakers and love them. Our room is very challenging and we have tried many speakers who all have had problems until the A4. I have no more rack space for other components.
How do you adjust to no longer needing to upgrade and just listening to music?
Hey JB, welcome to the club.
I started my Naim journey in October 2022 and have also finished.
It has been a huge amount of fun, with a little pain mixed in due to some disappointing choices, but here I am at the end (please see profile) and I couldnāt be happier.
The advice I have for you is simple, enjoy the music.
Itās what the journey was forā¦
This is a very fair question, as for many of us this hobby consists of two rather distinct elements ā (A) listening to music, and (B) Iāll call it āattention to the hardware.ā Any one personās interest in and dedication to each of A and B varies ā the ratio varies greatly from individual to individual.
I make no value judgments; I do not condemn those whose ratios skew in favor of B, even far in favor of B.
B can be a means to A. It also can be a very valid interest and hobby in and of itself.
Whatās the adjustment? Surely even when thinking about upgrades one is mostly listening to music? If not then whatās the point of the upgrades?
Important to remember that barring significant system imbalances or issues then few people āneedā to upgrade. Itās just a thing you can do if you have the inclination; can hear differences and have the money.
I have a couple of further changes to make as I am downsizing but itās always only ever about the music. If you find yourself with itchy feet a few months down the line then consider whether that is from some real deficiency or simply because you can and there āmust be moreā. There is always more but it costs far more than the time and money spent on music.
My dealer feels that my system can support better speakers, but otherwise does not recommend any changes.
However, given our history of many speakers not working in our challenging room and finding the A4 to work without issue and fitting in visually, we are extremely reluctant to change. Assuming we keep our A4 speakers, I think we are set.
Sometimes one enjoys the process of selecting hardware and/or of experiencing different pieces in the home. Given that no one brand or piece within a brand has an exclusive license to āmakes lovely music,ā it can be fun to experience different brands or models within a brand over time. At least for some.
Some like to look at the hardware even when itās not playing music!
(I had a friend who over time leased many different Porsches. He drove them VERY little. But he did like looking at them in his garage, and washed them very often. He seemed to get a lot of enjoyment out of this.)
The situation is more complex because home audition is generally not possible in NYC if one wants to purchase from oneās dealer. Therefore, you are more likely to follow oneās dealer regarding the lack of need to upgrade. I am at this point very satisfied.
I live a few hundred miles north of NYC, but I really donāt know why this is.
Home auditions here certainly are possible. For speakers that I can move myself or with a helper, my local āHigh Endā shop has let me borrow them. My current Magicos are 220 lbs each, and I had to pay ā2 men and a Truckā to help with them, but the dealer still would have taken them back if I didnāt like them.
From what I can tell, your dealer has steered you well. My system is about at the same level as yours. Iām pretty content right now knowing it would take a boat load of cash for any ānight and dayā improvements.
As @Bart says above Iām now firmly in the (A) column and just listening to more and more music than (B) thinking about āwhatās nextā. My aha moment came while listening to a full NC 200 level system and realizing my system is not bad at allā¦
I have settled on a new phono-stage I want to buy, to support the two tonearms I have. Otherwise, I feel no desire to change anything else in my system.
Donāt worry, upgradeitis, or urgius tweekius involuntorius as itās medically known, is a particularly pernicious, long-lived affliction, only treatable with regular visits to your dealer and, occasionally, your builder, plumber and electrician.
Sadly, there is no known permanent cure, although symptoms may, I stress may, become less with the passing of time.
Mild treatment, such as new mains cables or magical power blocks may offer short term relief.
