If you believe the music has suffered after buying all the Naim stuff (which is very good equipment) you can either get all new electronics or different speakers (which will make the biggest difference in what you hear). Going the speaker route would almost certainly be less costly. If at all possible, try to find a dealer that allows you to try the speakers in your place or that has similar equipment in the store to hear various speakers.
System advice
I’m still a newbie to audio world, but a couple years ago I got Monitor Audio Platinum PL II speakers with XLO Signature cables (good old stuff), Arcam Alpha 9 amp & preamp and Naim CD5 XS with FlatCap XS. Sound was great for me - juicy, involving, deep. But then I was talked into having the whole stack from Naim. I replaced Arcam amp/preamp with Naim NAC XS 152 & Naim NAP 155 XS. I was told it will be an upgrade from Arcam and that having full stack from Naim will provide great synergy.
The problem is.. I almost stopped listening to the music right after this change. There’s something unpleasant in the sound. There’s a lot of details, good resolution but... I don’t feel amused anymore.
Recently I understood that there is no synergy between speakers/cables and amp/preamp. It’s like some sweetness, warm is missing in this sound..
But now I have no idea in what direction I should go. Any advice for a noobie?
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Wild amp thought. Used CD Premier 11 https://www.ebay.com/itm/335765515669?itmmeta=01JJFEYBWRC4TW0DQGRE02C0TD If you don't like it you can probably get most of your money back. CJ amps of that era are just on the warm side of neutral to my ears. |
Sorry you were sold a system that you didn’t like (Hope you let the salesperson and/or dealer know). If so surprised they didn’t try and make it right. A reputable dealer wants a satisfied customer because it’s good for you and for their business since you’re likely to buy more gear in the future. Glad to hear you’re going back to your old system. Suggest waiting until you’ve listened to it and once again like the sound before making any additional changes. Enjoy your music! |
A small update.. I'm toying with the idea of buying used Lampizator Big 7 with volume control, so I could use it as a preamp. It's available right now on the market with pretty decent price... But there's also an offer for Lampizator GG1 without pre-amp, which obviously is more expensive. Huh. I also scheduled for this week a visit in local audio shop. I'll try my speakers and cables agains different AMPs and try to figure it out which one works best. They offered me for example: Octave v80, Ayon Spirit and Ayon Crossfire (SET). To sum up.. 1) I could start with buying Lampi DAC with pre-amp. 2) Check what AMP is best for my speakers/cables 3) After buying Lampi, borrow one of AMP's and check it at home with speakers/cables/Lampi.
Alternatively. I could pay more for Lampi GG without pre-amp and start looking for integra instead of amp.
Any suggestions, please? :-)
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