I’m not discouraging anyone from doing anything, but not having an open mind about the savings that can be had on the secondary market for products (no matter the brand) which are highly over priced is pure ignorance.
Paying double or more for a product simply because it has a warranty doesn’t make much rational sense especially if a problem arises that will cost you less to repair than the amount you saved by purchasing used.
I’m also not concerned about paying other people’s bills and keeping them in business just as they don’t care about my well being. This is business and your focus should be on keeping as much of your own hard earned money as you can versus worrying about someones else’s.
There are plenty of used Naim power amps from places like 2ndHand Hifi to Tom Tom if you don’t want to risk eBay .
The great thing with Naim is that you can service most things and a second hand PowerAmp that has been serviced by Naim or Class A is a very worthwhile proposition . I had my CD player serviced and can vouch for the sound quality post service
I would not try and use it other than as a source (I actually use my UnitiQute into a Nait 50 that way)
All sorts of options , but Mr Halibut’s suggestion of active loudspeakers such as Acoustic Energy or PMC may be another viable alternative
What are they suggesting now? If you are about to buy the new B+W speakers from a dealer than surely ask them about power amp options and test together before finalising the purchase(s).
Buying the speakers secondhand or ex-demo would give you greater buying power, so better speakers if you want and/or better amp, They generally last for decades.
I assume you’ve tried the speakers and they give you what you want? Every speaker model sounds different from every other, and this is one area I believe is important to get right for maximum enjoyment. Then the amp has to be good enough to control the speakers.
The B&W 706S3 is rahter a £1550 model, close to the PMC. I need a sealed box as have limited space. Indeed, the active speakers have extra function over the XS3 like digital and optical connection, however I can manage it throuh the Atom HE as well. I will check the NAP250 DR version.
I am sure you have more experience to buy audio gear on secondary market than me. I would never buy a new car from a dealership, but somehow an audio device is different for me. There is always an equlibrium as in any markets, but the defintion of the market(s) which is critical. I do not want to waste my hard earned money, but I have also the emotional elements as well (unboxing, being the first to swithch on and burn etc). I appriciate your opnion, but this purchase on my end won’t go to the secondary market. I still have my full Onkyo Integra stack bought in 1998 and it is hard to put on eBay.
Yes, I know the rule of the game. As mentioned before, I have limited space (40cm high) in a new bookshelf, so only front loaded or sealed passive boxes I can consider. I tested some speakers, but not with the XS3. I didn’t like the Focal Aria and the PMC prodogy1. I loved the Sonus Faber Lumina II with a NAD Mv10 (IMO huge mistake, doesn’t headphone wired connection!). I tested the B&W 607 S3 with the NAD C658 and was very nice.
I am a bit confused. When you tested the loudspeaker options at the dealer for 5 hours, what was the rest of the system ie source/pre/power?
It seems to me you’ve decided on your speakers but don’t have an amp to play them, and cannot have tested them with your source therefore. I think I’d approach the source/speaker/amp together and ensure they work together before committing to one or the other. Just feels a bit piecemeal, and that doesn’t always go well.
So that opens up any number of speakers …as long as the shelf is very solid! However you’ll want ones that work well close to wall - though there is a potential option if the shelf has others above and below, and to fill the shelves with books/lPs/CDs etc, so that front faces of speakers are flush with their surroundings, approximating “soffit mounting” - but maybe that is going too far for you.
First I tested NAD options MC, M10v2, M33, C658, C3050 as wanted to focus on the stremer, amplifer + speaker option. But I had to admit, that as 90% of the time I listen to music over headphone, I should change priorities. Yesterday I tested the Atom HE with Focal Clear MG (and other amps as well) and fall in love with the Atom HE. So made the flip and now I want to find the matching amplifier to the Atom HE considering my use cases (Quoboz and Apple Music, Onkyo CD Player). Today I have a Yamaha R-N602 with Dali Zensor3 and an iFi CANv1 with Dali io6, therefore the Naim world will be a scale upwards. The other trigger is that I will move my audio corner from the living room to our master bedroom that is much smaller and do not have space for floorstanding speaker.
The bookshelf is purpose built for us, just approved the design. It will be a robust one and planned to use ISOAcoustic products for speaker isolation.
I guess my point is that you appear to be considering lots of options for various components and it is usually best to test them together rather than piece by piece. This will help you not just choose specific models but manage your budget, and where it is best spent in the system.
