Has anybody on here who DOESN’T have it, ever been able to listen to one?
It would be a bucket list item for me. The only downside might be that, having achieved for myself the best-performing system I’ve ever owned, after listening to a Statement-equipped system I would then return to my own, become dissatisfied but know that the upgrade would be as acheivable as a holiday somewhere in the constellation of Betelgeuse…
I heard the statement at a factory visit a couple of years back. Maybe it was the Focal utopia speakers but I was a bit underwhelmed. Yes, it was a step up from the 500 series but not enough for the additional £ in that demonstration. I wouldn’t want to take the chance of hearing it at home with my front end and speakers in my room though. I suspect that would be a different story.
I am rather fortunate as my dealer is one of the few that has them on permanent demo. You can throw any speaker at them and they drive them with ease…though if the speaker is not to your taste, it will not sort that problem for you. Having heard them versus active 500’s with Kudos 808… i am not convinced i would go for the power amps. The S1 preamp and active 500’s is probably what i would do, if i won the lotto. It may be some extra colouration by the 500 amp that i like? One of the benefits of Statement though, is it does takes up little room and is tidier than a number of Fraim’s and cables.
A friend of mine has a Statement with 800 Ovators. I get to hear it a couple of times a year if I’m lucky. And yes, it’s quite a bit better than my 500 system but it doesn’t make want to sell my up. If anything it’s reignited my interest music.
I’d managed fine for years with a 72/Hicap and 135’s into Isobariks. After hearing a Statement I realised that I could get even closer to the musicians and the enveloping realism a good system could generate. Not that the 72/135’s wasn’t good, far from it but it sounds quite two dimensional and emotionally flat after hearing a Statement. The step up to a 500 system - particularly with DR’ing gets you very close to emulating what the Statement can do but just on a much smaller scale.
If ever you are lucky enough to get the chance to hear a well set-up Statement system in a proper domestic setting you have to hear it as no amount of descriptive writing will quite prepare you for the experience.
Betelgeuse is a star not a constellation.
I’ve listened to them on three occasions at two separate dealers. They made the same impression on me as when I first heard a six pack with isobariks back in the 1980’s.
It took me 15 years to save up for an active system; I’m never going to have that opportunity again. Thus I’m content that I’ve heard the Statement, and listening to it made me appreciate how good streamed music could sound.
I wouldn’t go to Betelgeuse. It is thought by some that it might be about to explode.
I’ve never heard a Statement but I’ve seen it and have picked up the toroidal transformer, which weighs 35kg by itself. While Statement is an unachievable pipedream for many music lovers, quite a few are sold to people who aren’t really massive music lovers but simply have loads of money and buy it because it’s expensive and fits their swanky lifestyle. For example one woman bought her partner a Statement home cinema setup with seven power amps.
I heard there was a decent restaurant nearby.
I have heard it multiple times. At Naim factory, at my dealer, at shows…, and yes I would buy it when the famous lottery price would come along…
Do you have her contact details? You know - in case she ever falls out with her partner…
I heard the Statements powering some large Audiovectors at a demo (R8 IIRC) using NDS. Quite simply THE best system I’ve ever heard. It’s only one lottery win away I keep telling myself
Only at the Munich show in 2018 with some monster Focals which were either still running in or the system wasn’t warmed up enough, dreadful racket.
A few days ago I had a quick listen to some Dynaudio Confidence 50s fed by a top spec LP12 552/500DR. I really wish I hadn’t now as this is my problem and a reason I try to stay away from better systems than my own but at least I know what the 500 kit is REALLY capable of now. Good as my SL2s are, they’re no match for those Dyns or similar which are massively more expensive so no surprises there.
At least I know what my upgrade path is for the next 5 years - a detached house with a dedicated room for the system to house bigger and better speakers! 
Just need to bury myself into work and saving like a crazy thing now. 
Depending on your view of time then it has already and 700light years later we witness it!
Phil
True
Interestingly the best experience I’ve had with the full 500 setup has been with SL2s. I’ve heard it with Ovator 800s and with some £30,000 Focals and while both were impressive they didn’t come close in terms of musicality. I know your post was tongue in cheek but it’s so important to be happy with what you have and to enjoy every day. It took narrowly escaping death for me to realise this but it certainly changed my perspective.
I have heard the full Statement twice. Firstly at the Windsor Show a few years ago and then at my local SW London dealer. On both occasions I was impressed but not to purchase even if I had the funds.
The Pre-Amp seems to be the one to go for more than the Power-Amps.
I’ve had a demo at my dealers. The source was a NDS and top spec LP12 and the speakers were some big B&Ws (which I wasn’t taken with). The demo started with 552/500 then the 552 was replaced by the S1 and then the 500 was replaced by the mono blocks. The S1 was breathtakingly good. I heard insights on very familiar music that I had not heard before. The Statement were pretty good too but I was more impressed by the 500DR, which wasn’t far behind.
Oh, and of course the Statement amps look fabulous.
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