From source to speakers, I like the drawer loading of my CD5, Definite ceremony each time I play a CD. I like that my Chord Hugo MK1 sounds indecently good for a < £500 second hand buy. My 1200G is definitely my pride and joy, looks great, super easy to use… and sounds awesome!
My XS3 should last me years, if I choose, I know Naim can keep it running. It sits on the shelf looking nice and compact, it let me audition TTs and showed me the differences, it plays great music most days and lets me shut off a bit.
My SX3s are great little speakers! They definitely disappear, their bass in room still surprises me.
I love having CDs and vinyl around at home, I like Qobuz and the access to new music it provides. And finally I do like this place, somewhere to chat about stuff, learn about hifi, share and be educated about all sorts of music. A quirky little corner of the internet to be sure though
A tough question as I like it all but I think my most recent purchase is the thing I like best about the system. The NVC and NPX TT, have taken vinyl replay up a significant step and beyond what I was expecting when I tried it out.
I also really like the synergy of the NC components, and how they work together and get the best SQ by doing so.
I have a lot of gear in many systems. My Naim Classic system is seen as a whole so I don’t pick anything out.
Gear that I’m sort of emotionally attached to just because they look so damn good and are so nice to use would be:
Luxman SQ-N150 integrated amplifier
TEAC TN-4D turntable
Sure my Technics deck is leagues ahead performance wise. But the design of the TEAC just pushes all the right buttons and the SAEC tonearm is so elegant. It’s the turntable equivalent of pancakes and coffee late on a Saturday morning in 1982. It’s not classy. It’s comforting.
Sometimes it’s the low cost bits of gear that form attachments.
I think for me there is definitely the ceremony of using CD’s on my CD555, over engineered probably, impressive, absolutely! This Naim player as source, alongside the power of my Parasound JC5 and the speed of my PMC Fact 12’s just blows me away when in full flow, literally feels like you are on a fast ride when listening
(Aye, I was sure it had been done before. I thought things were getting fractious on a few threads, so wanted to give folks a reason to say nice things! Then Naim posted teasers on social media, so the forum flew into speculation mode, myself included, and mostly forgot to argue )
But … what’s becoming more and more clear as I put different/better gear in front of them is how transparent and uncoloured they are, the Illuminator drivers are quite special … imho
My system communicates the essence and structure of the music in a very natural way. I am still getting adjusted to its different presentation compared to my former Rega system. Not as forward as was my Rega system.
Thanks it’s new to me, Took a couple of months to find to all the pieces,
(Boxed and serviced)
used to have an olive set up, but i like the look of CB more and the prices where just going up, so I thought it was good investment that I can use,
