System Pics 2020

Wonderful. I miss the Olive look too. What a logo, the new one is fine but a bit boring.

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I agree on the logo and to me looks best on the CB Nait 2.

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@Mike_S thanks for this post. :+1:

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I agree 100% - the old logo was much better IMHO.

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This is my first update since hmmmmmmm. Probably Summer 2017. Current rig consists of 552 / 552 DR / 250 / RP 10 + Superline (powered by 552) / NDX 2. Superlumina speaker cable, 1 Superlumina IC (NDX2>552)… standard IC for the RP 10. I have 2 power lines and plan to add a 3rd for the NDX 2.

System placement is basically dictated by life’s realities. My partner has 3 young children (14, 12, 9) a dog and two cats :-). It’s a busy house… so although the speakers are in close to the right spot, I’d prefer to move the gear onto 2 racks and sit it under the big bank of windows (and tuck the speakers a little further away from the fireplace and a little more pushed back towards the wall)… but the rack is more kid and animal proof in the corner. So there it will all stay. Cable dressing could be vastly improved. Some day :slight_smile:

Despite the compromises (there are always compromises), the system sounds great. Off axis listening is pretty good… I struggle a little to make the left speaker disappear… but as long as you are a reasonable distance from the left speaker it pretty much vanishes on most recordings.

My goal was to minimize box count (and the need for Burndies). I was previously running a 300 DR on this set up… but it’s been boxed up since I moved in. I didn’t want to jam a 3 burndy system into a corner, nor have a 12 level rack where I’d need a step ladder to reach the turntable (not to mention the instability factor).

The move to the 250 (Non DR) was inspired by Simon from Sussex. He raved about the synergy between his 552 DR / 250 combo… so I found a lightly used 250 at a GREAT price (amazing the deals on non DR gear) and tried it out and was sufficiently pleased that it has remained in the stack.

Potential changes moving forward… well… I need a new cartridge on my RP 10. The current one is bent about 10 degrees. Still plays and sounds good, but I think I’m giving something up in dynamics. And it’s close to or past it’s life span in terms of hours of use.

I am considering trading the Sopra’s in for Kanta 2’s… or something else such as Proac or Dynaudio. Downsize just a tad with another full range floor stander.

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What are the supports that the gear is sitting on on the first two levels of the Quadraspire?

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They are Mission (later Cyrus) Isoplats. Essentially a board of MDF sprayed in a dampening coating and 4 hemispheres of Sorbothane with black plastic cup feet. I have the National collection of Isoplats :wink:

Here’s my side room rack. Used to have a CDX where the PS4 presently sits :blush:

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Olive on Fraim in dark

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Many years ago, I had my PlayStation rigged up through the audio system , when Lara Croft got out the Uzis they came through loud and very clear

The little CB 42-5 box of magic continues to weave its spell, majoring in involvement at the expense of some fidelity at the frequency extremes. There’s a load of stuff I should be doing, but when the music is this good …

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Looks great Mr Tibbs, I think the 42.5 is probably Naims best looking pre.

Here is my contribution to System Pics 2020.

The system consist on ND555/552DR/500DR and Magico S3 MkII speakers.

The little chair is for my young daughter :girl:

I consider the room treatment as part of the system.
I posted the details on a different thread, and these pictures as well.
–> Don’t buy new speakers – The listening room reality

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I love that colour scheme, @Thomas . So different to the usual.

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Thanks HiFiman, yes, the 42-5 is off the scale cool :sunglasses:

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Can anyone else see the face behind the curtain to the side?

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Yep.

I like a nice omelette myself
Seriously though a great retro idea👍

Here’s my contribution to the 2020 system pics and my first post. My system is a Roksan Xerxes X, Tabrizi, Audio Technica ART9/NDS/XPS2/52/SC/250/SBLs. The oldest surviving piece are the platters from my original black Xerxes, which I originally went half’s with, with an old friend and then flatmate. We were spinning these platters in c.1988 with a NAC 42.5/NAP 110/Epos es14s. The platters were the only components retained in an upgrade offered by Roksan to the Xerxes X, which by this stage were all mine! My most recent piece are my '95 mk2 SBLs which have just replaced my '87 SBLs. It sounds wonderful to me and I spend far too many hours locked away from my family in front of it!

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Nice. Around then I was playing music on Xerxes/RB300/K9 into 62/140 into ES14s, fantastic system.
That looks lovely now, thanks for the pics. Nice to see Roksan decks in the forum. Oh, and welcome. :grinning: