Location: Well below the Mason-Dixon line
Posts: 370
I suspected that might be the case - no worries
Let me know how you get on with your Yaqin enquiries.
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!
Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!
I've been pondering the upgrade urge, and all that. In fact I'm curious and it's nice to hear other gear to what we have at home. But, somewhere along the way, I feel I have to learn how to be satisfied. I spent a fair some over the last year to raise the level of the Naim stack I run, and I find it galling, to say the least, to imagine that a £300 valve integrated is going make the rest seem like crap. So for the moment I'm doing the Ostritch thing . I'm already digesting the demise of the Bastin 401 from it's throne.
regards
Peter
Intel NUC/Chevron Audio NDF16 dac/Amptastic Mini-1/Audium Comp 5
Mains Block: Custom-HiFi-Cables PowerBlack Distribution Block (with super conditioner).
Connected with Reference Fidelity Components Super Neptunes and Speaker Cables.
Powered by Custom-HiFi-Cables DC2 psus
Peter,
You may like to consider the prospect of putting money in your pocket. I wonder how much your Naim amps would fetch on the s/h market. I imagine quite a lot because Naim gear always does and no doubt yours is in excellent condition.
I like the Naim sound and what I have now does not detract from its virtues at all. It builds on them. If you think the bass is going to be flabby, the dynamics limp and the timing all over the place, forget it because there's no way I'd put up with that.
What I'm getting is PR&T coupled with more depth, even better dynamics and resolution, timbre and texture.
A transformer volume control which is completely passive costs around £700 built from Glasshouse.
A fully fettled Chinese valve amp like the Yaqin, Bewitch or Puresound will cost around £1800.
So for around £2500 you'll get a pre/power combo that should feel confident in the company of a Nac 552/Nap 500 (imho).
Lol. Peter, it's not quite as simple as that.I've been pondering the upgrade urge, and all that. In fact I'm curious and it's nice to hear other gear to what we have at home. But, somewhere along the way, I feel I have to learn how to be satisfied. I spent a fair some over the last year to raise the level of the Naim stack I run, and I find it galling, to say the least, to imagine that a £300 valve integrated is going make the rest seem like crap.
I am by no means saying for you to dump your Naim gear and buy a Yaqin - far from it. If you're genuinely enjoying your Naim equipment don't even think of going down the valve route. The most important thing is that when you sit down to listen to music that you enjoy what comes out the speakers and it makes you want to listen again and again - that's what hi-fi is all about when your system is working properly.
All I've done is outline the difference I feel there is between valves and solid-state. I enjoyed my CDS2/XPS2/52/135s for years, but I just fancied a change, initially going for the ECS monos, which were fantastic, along with other bits and pieces, and then latterly settling for valves. The musical presentation of both the system I run now and my old Naim system is different and enjoyable in its own way.
The thing is though, if you want, trying a Yaqin or Bewiched would only cost £300 or so on Ebay direct from China, and perhaps a further £60 for a step-down transformer (if you need it with French voltage) so it's affordable enough to 'speculate to accumulate' without even touching your Naim system. If you don't like it you can sell it on and you probably won't lose a penny.
It's something to think about but if I were you I would just enjoy your 1210 for just now and get used to what it's doing before mucking around elsewhere. You know that if you need any advice in future about Yaqins or whatever that I will always help when I can
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!
Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!
Nice discussion so far. The only remark I might make is that a music loving technician could predict the character of a circuit just by looking at the schematics.
And, when discussing the differences between solid state and tubes, I know some "nasty" ones from both types.
John
Music is an emotional experience. Without it, living would be a dull habit...
Location: Well below the Mason-Dixon line
Posts: 370
I'm totally flummoxed. It seems that the best source of information is ebay, where there seem to be a hundred different models at a ridiculous range of prices. If I had cash in my hand right now, I would have no idea what to order. If it helps, I need about 10 - 15 watts. I need a quality headphone out (the main amps stepped down), and if I ended up with something excessively warm and "tubey," I'd be a very unhappy camper.
(un)Fortunately, the job opportunity I thought was going to put me in a position to pull the trigger slipped through my hands yesterday. I have more time.
Tim