I have a ‘spare’ 82 and then I saw a hicap up at a good price, so
just playing through the cb 250 until something else turns up.
It’s an addiction I tells ya!
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Hi Paul,
The change is not subtle. Basically, the SPods have improved separation of instruments which also gives you the impression of a wider soundstage, increased micro dynamics, tightening of bass. I think that basically, they have decreased ‘smearing’ which would explain all the audible results. The effect is akin to getting a better focus in a camera. The Q5s was never a slouch in that area, quite the contrary, so I am quite impressed that there was still decent improvement to be had. Definitely, a ‘cheap’ upgrade for my system.
The Q5s are sitting on a laminated parquet/wood covering, itself laid on concrete. It’s not glued on the concrete, just laid on it (floating they call it).
The A3s are in a secondary location, which I’ve hardly been able to visit this past year due to the lockdowns. The system is relatively modest compared to my main one: A3s driven by a Nova (streaming only from HD and Tidal). I’ve not bought the Apods, but my guess is that you would have a similar effect.
Cemil
Have to say that the Node 2i is an absolute bargain. Great piece of kit.
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Hi Cemil, thanks for the detailed and informative reply, most appreciated 
Paul
Over the last few months I’ve built up a lovely (to my eyes and ears anyway) system based around the dream setup I would have bought in the late 80s/early 90s when I got into hifi in my teens/early twenties, had I the cash back then
NAC72 with a HiCap takes the preamp duties while I carry on the search for a 52, 135s provide the power and mk1 Kans were sounding fantastic, until a pair os SBLs turned up on the usual auction site…
I’ve seen a lot of these come up and, after the best part of q quarter of a century, most of them look a bit rough, took a bit of a punt though and man alive if they don’t look brand new!
Spent a week or so deliberating what to do, as putting them in place of the Kans just to try them our meant purchasing a new gasket kit and if they didn’t offer much of an improvement they were going back in the boxes to save for a rainy day as I am really liking how the little boxes sound…
…tried them anyway and having left them overnight for the silicone to cure I’m downstairs like one of my kids on Christmas Day morning, they sound just awesome and will be staying
I now need to find an olive XPS to get the CDS2 up and running and then I just need an LP12 to complete the dream
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Need to get rid of that Fraim and put it all on Mana for the proper look!
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don’t know what I was thinking 
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Two identical, extremely cheap carts to use in comparing turntables. Now just find a reasonably priced record to get two identical (or a second) copies of. Take as many factors as possible out of the equation.
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Respect to the dedication.
Auditioning turntables is utter hell. So many variables. It’s hell for dealers too.
Auditioning cartridges is even worse.
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Any suggestions for a good record are of course welcome. Would probably have to be a compilation album or soundtrack to have a variety of things. Acoustic, male & female voices, complex music, heavy rock etc.
Why two LP copies? Surely you just need to use the one copy. Play it on one, then play it on the other. You also remove any possibility of variance between the two. And you won’t be tempted to make the schoolboy error or flicking and back and forth between the two, which ends up telling you nothing, or just focussing on far less important cosmetic aspects to the sound, rather than how well each connects with you and recreates the music.
Just had a wee dual splurge, as you do.
Yesterday I ordered a set of those IsoAcoustic Gaia thingys to go under my Neat MF9s, silly not to, since AudioT have them reduced at the mo’, and I’ve just captured a Silent Angel Bonn N8 network switch from my good friends at Acoustica, via fleabay, to try against my Cisco.
Sometimes, the fun just never stops.
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Interested in your thoughts on switch…
I have one in my drawing room. Main system in my basement. Its sounds fine in here and doesnt annoy the wife too muc. Cant use Qobuz, but I just multi room it from NDX2 downstairs if I need to and it plays on the Muso gen 1 fine
Due to arrive here by the end of the week, so I’ll post my thoughts then, on veils removed and inky blackness established. 
Because you want to minimise the time between one and the other, acoustic memory is very unreliable. I do agree that you do not want to flick back and forth constantly to focus on a specific aspect. But there’s no need to go to an extreme, you can find a middle ground instead.
For example, if you can align them you might even want to switch halfway and see how it affects you.
And, even when they are in sight, you can do it blind. If both are playing only the person switching will know which one is being heard at any time.
This whole exercise is about minimising the amount of variables.
It’s a fascinating subject (deserving a thread of its own). Linn advocate TuneDem which can be done with 30 second clips. Others prefer days or weeks living with one component before switching to the other.
I tend to agree with @Richard.Dane that you can’t really judge the engagement of a piece of equipment without letting it blend into the environment for a period of time. Short comparisons might reveal specific differences (either objective or subjective), but it will be very hard to tell how these translate to the overall experience over a longer time span.
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A Nova, an upgrade from my Untilite, and what an upgrade! Everything my dealer in Hull said it would be. Fortunately he had one in stock, I’m not very good at waiting!!
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