The Munich “Bird” Report

Not yet. I have ordered and received the kit, but still waiting on some drivers and yet to start on the cabinet.

Very interested in having a go myself. Will you be reporting back on it ?

Thanks
Alan

Great Mickey Hart track. The whole album is musically and acoustically brilliant. Fab.
Highly recommended.

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speaking of captain nemo…Krell KAS monoblocks.
These are the original Captain Nimo amps. :grin:

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Metaxas R2R.

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That’s the plan. There’s already a couple of threads on builds by forum members:

Do you know which model you’d like to build?

Now that is nice. :ok_hand:

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I hadn’t looked up the model. Anything that won’t fit a shelf will not be entering my home regardless of sound and looks… I guess unless it itself doubles as a shelf :slight_smile:

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Stein music was playing muscle music, didn’t stay so long…., so not a good impression to tell you if it was a good or average sound…
They played
Yello - Core Shift

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Cubicle System & Aperia Electronics

OMG this was definitely something special. Right in your face, raw, direct and dynamical. But it made me sit there for a longer time as they where not afraid to play difficult music and also on a very loud level. But as I stayed it was enjoyable and exciting….

Obviously a quite odd setup with this strange speakers which also where mounted on what looked to be cheap stands - but again it was special and real music. I couldn’t Shazam everything. But for instance they played flamingo with the loud foot and it really sounded like it was happing in front of you.
The things I could Shazam and they played….

The Bassface Swingtrio - Stike Up The Band (I bought all of their albums given the recording quality)
Sera Una Noche - Nublado
Niks Lofgren Band - Bass & Drum Intro
I belief also Yuri Honing Trio - Walking on the moon

And more things. It was an experience and it motivated me to stay long….

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That one’s a real old show warhorse - from the Dali Demo CD from about 15 years ago.

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I’m afraid I’m the sort that looks at the biggest speakers and wants that ! :grinning:

I’m thinking about the Sonus Faber look a likes, something grande ?

I suspect I will eventually choose something small, bookshelf size to start with and then progress to the bigger ones.

But of course there are always the diy electrostatic projects ! So many speakers, so little time !

Good luck with your project and I’d love know what you think at the end.

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I have their DAC on demo currently. Very nice. But big, heavy and not so very pretty.

At the end of the day for me the sound is the key factor

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I agree. Quite what the point of all the bling is escapes me. I am not sure the vendors can legitimately state that they are all about sound with so much design emphasis on dials, mixed metals/woods/exotic materials, lighting and all the other decorative paraphernalia.

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You have to agree that there is a enormous hifi world outside Naim. Naim is even not so often mentioned or reviewed in international hifi magazines. Reading regularly Stereophile and Absolute Sound, the most worldwide known audio magazines, I rarely find a review of Naim or read Naim components in the associated equipment of the audio journalists.
Recently there were reviews on the Unitis, but since 20 years I read these magazines, I rarely see Naim.
For me the most important is the sound, not the look. I have Naim and also a Ear 912 pre that I don’t find particularly nice. But the sound is the reason I bought them.
For look, I find some other brands much nicer than Naim or Ear Yoshino, like Pathos Audio, Absolare, or Gryphon. But it’s me.

The thing is, I would prefer if the manufacturers of the bling boxes also cared less about the looks.

I think what you actually mean is they put more thought into the looks. Lots of Chord-esque design projects for sure.

Depends on how you look at it. Someone with questionable taste clearly cared :wink: And if you know what specialist metalwork costs in e.g. Europe, you have an approximate idea of how much you pay for polished chrome surfaces and whatnot, at least for those companies who source it in Europe or similar. It’s not a negligible amount even for equipment at this price point. (Though maybe someone who happily pays 200K for an amp might not care that the equivalent of an average car went into the casework. Do we know if EU or US confiscated hifi equipment from Russian oligarchs? :joy:)

I like the Naim-look of uniformity across the range and the understated aesthetic, whereas the likes of Chord and the uber-marques look over-designed to me and have to exhibit their bling, which often can turn out to be like costume jewellery and not precious stones. Of course, the law of diminishing returns bites hard.

And with many of the uber-marques, one has to think on what volumes are produced and how on earth you would shift these things 2nd-hand. Audiogon prices for some of this kit are severely detached to new prices, as has been seen with Statement.

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