ESP2009:
Which leaves me with demos on Wednesday of Naim and Leema kit at Music Matters...
...And was postponed by one day by mutual agreement. But here you go:-
Today I was both disappointed and privileged. I only had one hour at lunch to audition some kit at Music Matters in Edgbaston. That was a pity as I could have easily spent all afternoon in the company of Barry and his rather tasty range of amplifiers. However, in this instance, the work-life balance had to reflect that I do have to earn a living in order to afford luxuries such as expensive hi-fi separates!
So, armed with the trusty Marantz KI Sig CDP, DacMagic and Spendors, we took a listen to what Naim and Leema would do with such bits 'n' bobs. This time I decided against taking my own amp due to time constraints and also getting a pretty good idea of how it compares with pricier kit at the weekend.
First on the stand was the Naim Nait 5i - very classy looks in my opinion: slimline and business-like with just a touch of stylish flair. But, I am sad to say, a complete let-down when partnered with my equipment! Referring to my hastily scribbled notes I read: "muffled sound" and "too bass heavy". It was if, in comparison with the sound I am accustomed to, someone had drawn and acoustic curtain across and then turned the equaliser to 'Boy Racer'. I turned to Barry very quickly and shook my head. He seemed to be incomplete agreement: Melody Gardot was not sounding her best! We decided not to belabour the point, but to move straight on to the next item on the list of contenders.
The Naim Nait XS looked almost identical but revealed a world of difference. Suddenly that curtain was lifted away. The sound was very much like that of the Marantz but I was pretty convinced I could detect greater weight and control to the sound. Although the bass might be a tad more powerful, it was powerful in a controlled and sensible way. However, I must say that even if it might be an improvement over the Marantz, it was not a marked one. A good sound; I liked it. Without the Marantz, I would certainly be willing to seriously consider the XS.
So what had the Leema Pulse to offer? Well now, this is where it gets interesting because Barry said the Leema Pulse I would be listening to next would be the Pulse 3, not only that, but probably the very model that would be on its way very shortly to What Hi-Fi to review! Wow! No pressure, then! Of course, that was where the privilege and the disappointment came in: I am one of the first few people in the UK to see or hear one out in the wild, but I would not be able to take it home to listen - doh!
Anyway, yours truly is not even going to begin to attempt to usurp the role of WHF and do a full review (well, let's face it; with less than half an hour to give it a listen, it is hardly fair!) Therefore, first impressions? Looks a bit strange. I was faced with the white version. Apparently, I am told, the design is based on surveys of what the ladies prefer...and that's something that doesn't look like hi-fi! Hmmm, not sure about that at all. Yes, it looks a modern piece of tech and really quite stylish, but personally I prefer black and I don't like my hi-fi to look anonymous - it should be proud of what it is!
The Pulse 3 adds extra functionality in that it features USB, plus I vaguely recall coaxial and digital inputs being listed. There's nothing obvious on t'interweb to refer to, so you will have to wait for details to be published. However, I was there to listen, even though I still found the white finish a bit hard to get past.
Ah, but spin a disc, turn it up to a decent volume (using push-button controls that run very incrementally from 1 to 250), close your eyes and you soon don't care if it is Mr Blobby pink and yellow spots! We threw at it a sequence of Melody Gardot, The Lens, Queen and then Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade. I don't think I have yet heard any of them sound that good. There was an air of controlled precision about the sound coming out of my speakers. It was more restrained than the Naim XS but with a greater sense of space; it was almost as if the soundstage wanted to escape the room, pushing at the walls. There seemed a good balance of solid bass, pleasant mid-range and clear top-end. The XS seemed slightly sibilant by comparison. Not only that but on each of the tracks I heard new details previously lost to me. Even Queen's Innuendo gave up extra secrets - no mean feat. Instruments became more readily identifiable and located in front of me. Even those on Innuendo began to separate out. Not only that, but it sounded great at relatively low volume levels. Thinking back to the Moon I-1, at the same price point, I have to say the Pulse 3 is a clear winner. If I had the chance, I would take it home for a loan period, no question. I am well-impressed. The Pulse 3 achieved things that I had not expected, given what I had heard previously. I will be very surprised if WHF don't like it.
All too soon, the hour of demo was up (well, in truth it was a bit over!) and I packed my kit up and left for an afternoon in the office. But what's this? An extra box in the car? Ooooh, however did that happen? OK, truth be told, Barry did throw in a final contender: the Pulse 2. What can I say? As a discontinued and discounted model, and even though it's not black (yep, there was only the silver fascia version available), I listened and liked what I heard. For the price of an £850 swipe of my card (to ensure my honesty) I can give it a listen in the home environment. In fact, that is what I am doing now. Let's just say that the Pulse 3 takes what the 2 has and gives it a polish. The sound of the Pulse 2 sits very comfortably in my living room. Does it improve on the Marantz? Again, yes, but not significantly - it is more a subtle extra something here and there. Whereas, for just under £1500 the Pulse 3 makes some major extra headway.
All of which now leaves me with the question: what of the Primare? Sadly, I have not had time to open the boxes and examine what I have, let alone listen to them! They are going to have to wait until tomorrow. My time is just not all my own - I will have to be patient. It's past ten now and, much as I would like to give them a try, common sense dictates that I wait - it will be worth it, I'm sure. I have until 8.30pm. Meanwhile, I am going cross-eyed, so it's time to rest my weary eyes. G'night.
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