Elegant minimalism taken to its final frontier!
Always lovely to see B&W speakers, though I confess the latest monochrome colour scheme isnāt as much to my taste as previous incarnations.
How do you find the 803D3s, @Ironcobra?
Donāt know Iāve never heard them
Nothing much has changed in 2020 apart from the addition of an EE switch for local network duties. The shiny French box still makes me happy (as do the Shahinians) and until Naim bring out the Supernait 555 itāll be staying. I still have Fraim chips under the racks (and my little Nait 1 in reserve).
You never totally leave the flockā¦
Never heard Shahinians or shiny French boxes but Iād be shocked if your system didnāt sound as good as it looks. Great room too
What are using thatās Naim then James, other than the chips?
Nowt at the moment (apart from the Chips) iām afraid. I still keep my old 140 and a Nait 1 just incase i need to show my credentials (32 years of Naim ownership in various forms). Just to appease, hereās a shot, same rack and rug (and younger dog) of a well stacked rack from 10 years ago (probably to be found in System pics 2010)ā¦
Those speakers look amazing.
Thanks - they are a bit different. I have to thank Malcolm Steward (RIP) and his review in Hi-Fi Critic that piqued my interest in them. The other benefit is that the drivers are well out of Grandchildren reach and as for the adults, the shape means you canāt leave a drink on top of them !
That looks amazing!
How do you hide your speaker cables?
What kind of acoustics?
I have a burning desire to acquire a premium high-quality integrated but currently do not have the funds. I have been researching the available options of a high quality solid-state integrated, particularly one with a refined tube-like quality. Apart from the Vitus SIA-025Mk2, I have shortlisted the Pass Labs INT-60 where the price is more ādown-to-earthā although still hovering around the Ā£9,000 mark.
The Nagra MPA integrated looks good. Apart from the 272/XPS DR/250DR, have you compred the Nagra to other integrated or pre/power options? In my case, the integrated amp will not replace my 282/HCDR/250DR but the 202/200 thatās sitting around for quite some time doing nothing.
edit : I just did more research on the Nagra. Apparently the Nagra Classic integrated is available and the reviews are mostly stellar. It costs Ā£15,500 which is almost double the price of the Pass Labs INT-60. I wonder how different is the Nagra MPA integrated to the Classic integrated. The latter looks like a solid piece of tank but it only weighs 18kg, unlike the Pass Labs INT-60 which comes in at 42kg.
Best Speakers
No I have not Ryder, unless you want me to try and remember six years ago when I owned an SN2. I felt the 272/Xpsdr/250 dr was a significant jump over the SN2 when I upgraded. I wanted to get away from the feeling that I needed the next upgrade, which to me was the 555DR and 300DR. I simply could not afford either one, so decided to jump on the opportunity to trade in gear on the Nagra, and put a stop to those thoughts.
I had a channel cut behind the skirting boards
Thanks for the response No-Quarter. Similarly I could not afford the 552/500DR level of gear. For me, it is not so much about upgrading from my 282/HCDR/250DR to higher level Naim. These Naim are my end-game amps for my Harbeth Super HL5 Plus speakers (which also happen to be my end-game speakers) . The idea of a high quality integrated came about when I recently bought another pair of speakers, the Marten Duke 2. Ironically the Marten did not sound great with the Naim and it took a cheaper integrated in the form of Sonneteer Orton to displace the Naim which are now sitting on a display rack.
A different(and competent) amp will clearly reveal the differences when it is compared to the Naim. It didnāt take long for me to realise that the 282/HCDR/250DR doesnāt do subtlety and fine micro-detail too well after the comparison was made.
The Nagra integrated is looking good. Itās surely useful to know of another worthy contender apart from the usual suspects such as Vitus, Gryphon and Pass Labs to name a few.
That is where I am at now Ryder, end-game amp, speakers and sources. My only future upgrades will be cables, and I am not going overboard on these. It is a very satisfying feeling, I am 55 in two months, so need to start funnelling my disposable income towards retirement, and buying LPās I want, not gear.