System Pics 2020

Better get this one posted whilst the 250DRs are on loan

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Good man :+1:t3: ATB Peter

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Guessing you’re a Steely Dan fan then Richard? :smiley:

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All the nap 250 is sold out within few days after postage and all of them is too expensive.

How did the US ABC pressing come out?
I agree, Japanese vinyl reissues have been always a disappointment.

Kuma, I haven’t listened to the US press yet. There are so many different US pressings, different plants etc… that it’s a bit of a minefield. I recall when I was buying US SD titles some years back, the Kendun stamp was usually a good sign. I’ll have to see what I have with Countdown as I can’t exactly recall.

Ok I’ve now got proof, bottle tops removed and replaced. :grin:

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Was the viel lifted and immerse you in inky black darkness?

Seriously, how’s the SL speaker cable sounding?

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You may have noticed I’ve been missing all week, had a large project handover and been on site at 6.30am every morning till late. Thankfully it’s finished and now got 5 days off to really have a good listen. They have made a difference, just trying to workout how much. I’ll keep you informed.

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Are the 40.2s driven by an LFD Zero? If it is, may I ask if it’s an Mk3, 4 or 5?

Nice system you have there.

It is a LFD NCSE Mk 3 actually.

The latest additions to my system is an Intel NUC i7 running macOS 3.4GHz processor with 16gb of RAM. Roon Core and HQPlayer are installed on the 120GB M2 SSD and my music library is located on the 1TB SSD also on the NUC. It’s fast and a great replacement for my ageing Mac Mini. All backed up to a Seagate external HDD (soon to be replaced by another SSD).

Also new is the Allo USBridge Signature running DietPi with Allo’s own interface.

The system is setup as follows:-

Intel NUC to Router (Chord C Stream Ethernet Cable)
Router to Allo USBridge Signature (Chord C Stream Ethernet Cable)
Allo USBridge Signature to Chord Hugo TT DAC (Audioquest Carbon USB Cable)
Chord Hugo TT DAC to Naim NAP 200 DR (Chord Clearway RCA to 4 Pin DIN)
Naim NAP 200 DR to PMC Twenty 24’s (Witch Hat N2 Cable + Chord Bi-Wire Jumper Cable)

Really happy with the beautiful music being played!

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That’s a beauty. Living in the Midwest I never got a chance to listen to one. No one brings them to the AXPONA show. So how is the sound comparing to a NAIM integrated?

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How does the LFD NCSE Mk3 stand up against this one, which is my reference pre/amp:

The LFD, partnered with the Hartbeth 40.2, simply sounds nice in some areas which matter to me, which are mainly jazz, chamber classical, voice, basically it is open, better defined soundstage, overall clean and balanced sound, but a bit bass light in comparision to the Naim amplification.

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Thanks, not bad for a gear costing 15% of your reference system. Hopefully I will get a chance to listen to one soon.

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I used the LFD Zero Mk3 with the Harbeth Super HL5 many years ago and similarly share the same experience. The LFD is bass light in comparison to the Naim. The bass of the LFD is quick and tight with good speed but ultimately sounds a little lean in comparison to the Naim specifically NAP 250DR in my case. The bass of the Naim has more punch and slam and is layered/textured in comparison to the “one-note” bass of the LFD. You can hear the changes of the notes in the bass region ie. low bass to mid bass with the Naim. Not so much with the LFD.

The NCSE is superior to the Zero Mk3 and since your Naim amps are at a higher level (if I’m not mistaken it’s a NAP 500 you have there, partnered with the 552) so the bass performance of the NCSE Mk3 is still inferior to the Naim.

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Spot on, Ryder.

I have not post in a few years and just rejoin the Awesome Naim Community, to get some help with my NAS into NDX. I started with 202/200/Harbeth C7. Currently I am happy with NDX1/SN2/AudioVector SR3 & ClearAudio turntable

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Nice system, welcome back. Did you find you preferred the SN2 over the 202/200? I went down the SN2 route rather than separates, so interested in your experience.

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