I have a tiny Naim system in a cupboard, which is nice.
Indeed. My Qute w/ Dynaudio Excite X14 gets used daily now while the main rig not so much. Both however are very enjoyable to me.
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I have not read the entire thread but I do recognise the frustrations of the OP.
Squeezing in a listening session, or worrying that you are disturbing someone else in the house is no way to enjoy music. This anxiety can then trip over to stress which makes music somehow ‘unlistenable’ and the system then gets the blame.
The OP has a great system and assuming it is properly set up it should sound great - that is when the listener is in the mood and is listening to music to relax.
It would seem that the OP deserves some me time, even in a busy household. Maybe it would be possible to draw up some friendly and agreeable ‘contracts’ that allow everyone in the household to indulge in their ‘me time’ space.
I would try something like this out first before splashing out in an attempt to achieve ‘better’ sound. Unless there is some ‘space’ to enjoy your HiFi, spending more will only result in heightened frustration and anxiety.
The above is only a narrow view based on my own experiences and maybe entirely inappropriate for the OP’s situation.
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Not after advice but open for an alternative approach ? Not sure if you actually enjoy listening ? Scratching an itch ! Listening to phone ins on the radio !
Seems like all the gear but no idea.
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Sounds like my life. Yes, I can relate to 3AM!
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Sorry, but I have to disagree with your comment in the first quote here and I have to agree with comments made by the other people I have quoted. “Family” does not mean that you have to give up everything for it and “respect” works both/all ways.
Agree, sounds like the OP has pursued the goal of achieving their long time dream system and received plenty of instant gratification on the way. Chasing the perfect sound or the dream system we often forget what it is for or whether that system would actually work in our particular life context.
Plenty of societies where people tell their partners that they wisht o have time to play their music or dedicate to whatever hobby and if the other party does not like it then they make space for the person. That is if they truly love and respect their partner enough to undert=stand that they need their hobby time.
In my household I sure as hell do tell. I do love my family and dedicate my time to them but asking for 10% of that time for myself is not a lot to ask. I make sure that I allow the others the same.
If things have reached the point where you have to beat your partner in order to get an agreement then it is time to part ways. Well, unless you are scared to death that said partner would get the kids, half of the future pension, half of the house and half of your wages. 
It could be the OP would find the time if the system were more engaging. Naim systems are very dependent on setup to get the best out of them, just have the components doesn’t guarantee satisfaction. What are these good rack and speakers, how is the system arranged on the rack and what order are the boxes plugged in and to what, is there anything with SMPS in a nearby socket?
If you have a good dealer on side he could possibly help with this sort of thing, assuming in the UK.
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well, if the OP sells his Naim gear he will no longer be truly one of the gang this forum!!
I can very much relate to where you are - even your age. I took early retirement at 57 and had a top olive system - CDS2/52/135s etc + LP12. Ten years later I have a Nova and Rega Planar 3 and have never been happier and listen to more music than ever. When I was working I was earning more than I really needed to spend so rather than letting it sit in the bank I spent it on HiFi and motorcycles (10 years ago I had 11 motorcycles now I have only 6). I really enjoyed the upgrading journey and wasn’t too fussed about diminishing returns as I had nothing else to spend my money on (I have no interest in status symbols or conspicuous consumption for its own sake). Work took up so much time that hifi and bikes were the easiest way to spend that gave me pleasure.
Now I have much more time my priorities have changed. I take around half a dozen holidays a year and quite a few short breaks and also spend a lot on my home as I spend much more time in it now. I still listen to and enjoy music (Nova and RP3 are none too shabby) but I spend much more time listening to new music on Tidal and RP and less obsessing over the old favourites. I’m lucky that I have decent pensions but I now actively manage my money which I didn’t bother with when I was working and every thing I have needs to earn its keep. Listening to the Unitis from when they were launched I decided to downsize and have never regretted it for a moment (probably over about 8 years now).
I did hear the Nova up against a 252/250 in the Naim dem room on a factory visit - the separates were better but not enough to justify the extra dosh given my life now. 10 years ago or more it maybe would have been different. If I were you I would go with my instincts - an extra bonus is that you will get a lot of your money back. In the past couple of weeks I have traded my LP12 set up for the Rega and £1500 in my hand. There’s surprisingly little difference to me here in my home with a week’s gap between hearing them. I’m sure that back to back in a dem room the LP12 would have been better but I don’t live in a dem room!
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To quell the disquiet over who’s allowed to do what to whom in our house and what level of beating is deemed acceptable, OH is a teacher; it requires her to spend numerous evenings a week on marking, data entry, lesson planning and other stuff. Expecting that to happen to a soundtrack of Motorhead, Sibelius and all points in between is a non-starter.
Likeliest outcome is that I’ll keep it. When I do have tiime & space and the mood takes me there’s nothing better than relaxing in front of it, and [for all the snide criticism] spoken voice on R4 etc is as enjoyable as well-mastered music.
Good to see that a few others have been through the same process and arrived at similar conclusions - a decent system has a place, even if it’s not the forefront.
A dismissive quote that some of the less able in the comprehension stakes used to bandy about on a cycling website that I used to frequent, and then as now my respond is unchanged. If someone can afford something decent, why buy something you know to be crap. It’s not necessary to be Brad Wiggins to enjoy a carbon bike with Di2, it’s a very pleasurable thing to ride. I wouldn’t have given that up for not being able to win the local club’s Tuesday 25 on it. Same with this. Your implication is that I should buy a cardboard box from Currys. Bless.
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The limited listening time must be horrible, luckily there is just the two of us in our house and my partner still does one or two night shifts a week so I’m very lucky but if I wasn’t I’d definitely invest in a pair of very good headphones.
Before the kids arrived, my wife would work till 11pm most nights and every night was my play time. I miss that terribly but am happy that there is now a house full of people all evening.
Given what the OP has revealed about their home life, I can see how a second system elseware in the house could still be a problem depending on distances and walls. Others have said “headphones” and it may be worth consideration. It’s not the same at all but it does open the door.
I was brung up with a healthy dose of the fxxk ems. Glad you could see the funny side.
Best of luck.
I was also getting bored with listening to music at home, and found life getting in the way, or so it seemed.
From experience, I know this means something is wrong with the reproduction rather than the music.
Also, I was much prefering headphones.
Rather than ditch the whole system though, I just brought a spare pair of Harbeth HP3s downstairs and stuck them on the end of the “big system”.
Result; magical and we found ourselves listening to hour after hour of music, and the telly stayed off.
So, while it seemed a bit mad putting little studio monitors on the end of mega-bucks Naim electronics, we were back in love with music.
My point is I believe that the speakers are what really matter most in the way we interact with our systems, and in many situations bigger and more expensive is not better. Obviously little monitors have limitations in volume at the bottom end, but they are less likely to energise the room in an adverse way. My current view is to choose the speakers first, and the fit the source and electronics to them.
(However, getting carried away with the smaller and simpler is better idea, I tried a little integrated amp as well. This was much worse.)
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I’m inclined to agree with this. If your system is well set up and really sings, I find that you really want to listen to music, and find a way to make time for it. Most ‘normal’ people would think the OPs system is extremely expensive, and if it’s not delivering the goods it may be time to get your dealer round to make sure it’s set up properly and well matched.
Then, if you’re still not enjoying it, stick it on ebay!
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Thanks for confirming that you have had pleasure from your set, even if in the past. I say keep believing in the dream.
Following rockindoc’s suggestion of some good small speakers, I would consider getting such a pair and moving it all to the other realistic room , which you say is too small and square. Make sure speakers are infinite baffle. You can have your own den.
PS. I love listening to R4 on my Naims😀
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I totally get this. 11 years ago I mothballed my hifi and consigned it to the loft. I had a young family so never the time to get any “me” time, plus youngsters and hi-fi don’t mix. The last straw was coming home from work to find a crumpet wedged into my CDX2’s tray. Last summer, with the kids now teenagers and my evenings back I got it down and set it up and I am so glad I didn’t sell it. “Music is for life” so if your current home life is not conducive, do as I did - get something more functional, box it up and look forward to the day you will be truly able to appreciate your life’s ambition.
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I have a suggestion. The next time your folk go out on the town, move out of the house while they are gone. Leave a note that you either joined the circus or moved to Africa to join a mission. Don’t forget to pack up and take your HiFi and music.
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The scenario posed by the OP is completely foreign to me. But maybe because very early on I learnt how much influence speakers have on the sound you hear, that they above all else set the character of sound, and thus how enjoyable and engaging it is, contrary to the populist source-first argument.
For me engagement and enjoyment of playing music have never wavered for a moment, but simply improved as I have improved amplification and source, and ignored fads & gimmicks etc.
And my family had to learn to live with me and my music - my wife initially (or our relationship would never have blossomed), and children grew from birth with music playing at home.
So that is the one thing I suggest: find speakers that make you fall in love with music, then an amp that will drive them at least competently, and a source of at least half-decent quality, and don’t fret about cables, swirltches, mains etc…But do seek good room balance with positioning etc assisted by objective measurement, e.g. using REW measuring software.
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