What's the best system you've heard?

[southall-1998]

Lol... I owned my Naim/Spendor system for over six years (again assembled with no consideration given towrds measurements), and enjoyed every minute of it, so that certainly wasn't a mistake.

That I *upgraded* to what I currently have (which I've now been using for longer than that) is largely due to after hearing how much better a decent valve amp was (at the time a cheap Chinese one, costing £300), compared with nearly £5k's worth of Naim amps, which one would've suspected would've measured better than said valve amp, is testament to the fact that one cannot rely on measurements!

So to answer your question, the reason why my current system sounds better than my previous one, is largely due to the 'valve factor', which certainly can't be explained by measurements. The measurements would have 'disproved' the (opposite) conclusion I eventually reached!

And if I can reach the happy state I'm in with my system, by paying scant attention to measurements, then so can others, which I'm afraid disproves your earlier assertion about wasting money on "incorrect conclusions", if you rely solely on listening.

The problem is, not everyone has such confidence in the efficacy of their own judgement, and therefore needs some form or 'objective proof' to confirm what they hear, or the supporting opinion of some 'expert'. I've never been like that. If I'm confident enough that I think something is right, then I go for it, and stick with it.

Trust me, that's one of the main reasons why I've ended up with the system I have, and am not still pissing around trying to get a good sound, despite having been at this game for nearly 30 years!

Marco.

Which Naim amps did you have, Marco?

S.

[oldius]

Which Naim amps did you have, Marco?

S.

Everyone is an expert in choosing the system that sounds better to them.

[kininigin]

I haven't really heard too many systems but working in people's home's, i occasionally get to see and hear the customers HiFi. One customer had some Avantgarde big horn jobbies along with some valve amps i forget the name of and a cd player i also forget the name of. In total it cost about 25k. I asked him if i could listen to it and he obliged. It had a very 3D soundstage, which you could almost walk around which was very impressive! It was very sweet and liquidy in that euphonic valvey way! So whilst i was impressed with the scale and sounstaging and also the detailing i heard, i did find it extremely coloured! It was probably the second thing i noticed about it!.

The best system i have actually heard outside of domestic use, was at the Q club Birmingham to see Eat Static! The sheer power,clarity,detail,scale,tone was gobsmacking!!! All this was totally distortion free! I will never forget that sound for as long as i live!

[Marco]

Which Naim amps did you have, Marco?

S.

Hi Shane,

NAC52/Supercap/NAP135s. Actually, I think that lot was more like £6k.

Marco.

[Marco]

Everyone is an expert in choosing the system that sounds better to them.

Lol - but when you've demonstrated either your full system or key parts of it in public, at places like Scalford and NEBO, over the years, and almost everyone present (who wouldn't be afraid to tell you if they didn't like it) concludes that it sounds as good to them, as it does to you, then you *know* that you've done something right

Marco.

[Lerxst]

That shop was on Field End Road in Eastcote, near Ruislip. London Sound was (and probably still is) run by Mike Solomons. The main demo system I recall seeing there was Quad. I heard the 33/303 driving a pair of ESL's. He swapped the 303 over for a 405 and the sound improved considerably. The 405 was a brand new model at that time, so around 1975.

He moved his business to Harrow on The Hill not long after, West Street I believe. Later relocated to Alexandra Avenue, Rayners Lane. Were he has remained as far as I know.

Still going? Wow. It was about 1983 when I went I think. He did this trick with an SME arm where he put a pencil under the record when it was playing - creating a massive up and down movement for the arm - which of course worked without any problems. His favorite TT at the time was a glass/ perspex thing - can't remember the name. I had all my records cleaned there - he had a Keith Monks Machine. And it bloody worked too!

May have been Raynors Lane actually. Long time ago

[walpurgis]

His favorite TT at the time was a glass/ perspex thing - can't remember the name.

It wouldn't have been one of these would it? The mega rare IMF transcription turntable.

[farflungstar]

It wouldn't have been one of these would it? The mega rare IMF transcription turntable.

Oooooh lovely

[walpurgis]

Oooooh lovely

Yes. That is rather nice. No idea how good it was though. I believe that is a Micro Seiki arm on it.

[Lerxst]

It wouldn't have been one of these would it? The mega rare IMF transcription turntable.

That's it! I remember thinking that the disk did not having much support - just in 3 places. So, the best thing I ever heard was this with a black SME arm, probably QUAD amplification. He let me play my own LPs. It was a quiet day and he indulged me, knowing I wouldn't spend more than the record-cleaning money. He did like to show off a bit though. Well. if you know him, you'd know lol