IF I ever have the money, a 552 is top of my (very short) list…upgrading amplification beyond that just isn’t going to happen.
Looking forward to hearing what you think!
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Intel NUC 13 Pro i5 version with 32GB of RAM. Moved my Roon server running on a VMware Linux VM to the NUC as Roon ROCK. I cannot believe how much the SQ has improved due to this. The soundstage has gotten much more depth to it and the instrument separation is much clearer. I’m still going through my test songs, but initial impressions are very positive.
Atlas Ailsa XLR to XLR cables. Replaced stock XLR cables between NSC222 and NAP250 with Ailsa. Wider soundstage, better bass and low mids, much meatier sound. Great upgrade.
On Friday, a second HICAP DR, bringing my 282 up to full speed.
After including it on the annual strip-down, clean and rebuild and the requisite three-day cook has passed, what can I say? Despite it being a much overused word these days…
Awesome. 
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Morning MikeD glad the second hicap has made a nice improvement to your system, your system is pretty much where I am trying to get to but just with different speakers.
Can I ask your opinion on adding the xps to your system, what benefits would you say it had, I had planned to swap out my 200dr for a 250dr first but I still wonder if adding the xps first might be a good option, improving the front end if you like.
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2 boxes of Simrak goodness from Simon Price have just turned up… Ive been waiting patiently to build my system for a while. The Naim Fraim gets alot of luv and rightly so. I just think the wood choices are a little 90s looking. (in my opinion)… When dropping thousands on Hi Fi furniture both sound and looks are important to me. Unfortunately the fraim just doesn’t rock my boat 
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I originally added the XP5XS to my previous streamer, the ND5XS and it certainly boosted the detail and imaging qualities of the system.
Since upgrading to the ND5XS2, which is powered via a mains lead only, I’ve connected the XP5XS to the nDAC, which is powered by both a mains lead and the PSU.
After upgrading from my own 200, the 250 has the effect of providing a much more authoritative-sounding SQ. It has more “weight” and “sand” about it, if you will.
There are more “Old” Classic items arriving at NAIM dealerships like TomTom and also on the likes of eBay and HiFi Shark all the time now that people are moving on to the “New” Classic range so as ever, you pays your money and you takes your choice!
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Titan Audio Nyx Signature for my phono stage. Don’t suppose it will make a jot of difference, but it’s the final IEC plug in my system- all the rest are captive mains leads.
I think that’ll do for now…
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Definitely!
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Some may observe that an unswitched socket would be better.
I’ve observed this package for minutes, it’s a work of art.
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I’ve got 4 triple sockets…I’m done now. I’ve spent quite enough over the past 4 years!
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It really was so well packed. Beautiful craftsmanship too…
Couldn’t resist and got a second-hand EE8 at a great price. Which is funny, because my motivation for buying a EE1 some months ago was to avoid the EE8 and save some money (yeah right 
). It came without the Chord C-stream cable so I am connecting it to the router with a short simple Amazon Cat6 whatever cable. Downstream of EE8 I already had Chord Clearway (5m) → EE1 → Nordost Blue Heaven (1m), which was sounding fine up until now and marked as REF below.
I compared some configurations last night, including a spare Cisco WS-C2960C-8TC-L (the white one), which I have lying around. The order of preference was:
- Proximus router → REF: (that’s my previous setup): instruments and vocals sound good separately, but get jumbled up when playing simultaneously.
- Proximus router → Cisco → REF: The instruments get too subdued compared to the vocals and the voice itself becomes more “dry” (but a bit clearer)
- Proximus router → Cisco → EE8 → REF: More balanced than before, but the sound has something “synthetic” about it.
- Proximus router → EE8 → REF: Definitely the best combination, good balance between vocals and instruments, and more “air” in the vocals. It does get brighter though, which might require a bit of fiddling with the toe-in.
I now need to get hold of a cheap C-stream cable to complete the chain and be done with the streaming side once and for all 
.
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Morning sihctr would you say adding the switch would still be worth it if paying full rrp.
Well it’s all relative I would say, and it depends on the rest of the system. I see we have the same digital source, so normally you should be able to clearly hear the impact it makes. It’s not like a black box upgrade, but more of fine tuning, still observable and worthwhile.
But if paying full rrp, you should ask your dealer for a trial at home first and then you can make an informed decision.
PS: The cables also do make a difference, so as a minimum I would use a Chord Clearway to connect EE8 to ND5 XS2. (More money I know… 
)
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ROOMs headphone stands are very hard to find in Canada. I finally tracked one down for my Hifiman Susvara headphone.
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Musicworks G4 mains block, used. Many thanks to the person upgrading to the G5 who traded it in! It’s been in the system for a week and I would describe its impact as tranformational.
Not in its final position, of course. I’m working through some integrated amp auditions at the moment, so there have been a lot of cable changes needed.
I have one more amp to try, arriving tomorrow, but the G4 has made such a positive change, I may find it difficult to let my multi-box Naim amps go.
Cheers,
Ian
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