OK, it’s coming to ‘crunch time’. I need to decide which way to go. In a couple of weeks I have a window of opportunity when the OH is away for a few days and it follows major upheaval in our living room when we have new flooring installed (a topic in and of itself). The Hi-fi and AV components (such as they are) will have been removed and need to be re-installed: an ideal time for spring cleaning contacts and maybe also trying something new.
Recent forum queries and discussions I posted gave interesting results and made me consider anew what I am looking for. I like the sound of my existing music system, although can never quite avoid wondering if I can attain an even better listening experience. However, after experimenting with FLAC files, Spotify and internet radio from laptop to Dacmagic via USB and thence to amp, I was impressed by the streaming option.
My first thought was maybe that I should upgrade the DAC significantly (easily attainable after the sale of an ‘L’ series lens on Fleabay), but Shooter, bless him, threw a German spanner in the works. I nad mentioned the Naim Uniti as a possible route and he suggested the T+A Music Receiver as an alternative. The research I have done makes it sound rather attractive.
So, I can spend £600 on maybe an Audiolab M-DAC (hopefully auditioning in early June) and use the proceeds of my Fleabay sale. Or…splash out some £2.6k or so on the T+A product. The former plan replaces a smallish Dacmagic with a larger box and might leave me with about £100 to spend on necessary network products. The latter plan involves replacing 3 boxes (CDP, amp and DAC) with a single high-spec unit. Arguably, if I sell the Primare CDP and amp, plus the Dacmagic, for a decent amount, I might just about cover my costs. Again, I might be able to persuade one of the few UK retailers to allow me a home audition, although I really need to get my home network optimised for music streaming in short order. Of course, there’s always that Naim Uniti 2 to consider…
I note that Mr Everard has had direct experience of the T+A product and preferred the SuperUniti, but I doubt I would stretch to the higher echelon Naim products without very serious consideration of their benefits!
Recent forum queries and discussions I posted gave interesting results and made me consider anew what I am looking for. I like the sound of my existing music system, although can never quite avoid wondering if I can attain an even better listening experience. However, after experimenting with FLAC files, Spotify and internet radio from laptop to Dacmagic via USB and thence to amp, I was impressed by the streaming option.
My first thought was maybe that I should upgrade the DAC significantly (easily attainable after the sale of an ‘L’ series lens on Fleabay), but Shooter, bless him, threw a German spanner in the works. I nad mentioned the Naim Uniti as a possible route and he suggested the T+A Music Receiver as an alternative. The research I have done makes it sound rather attractive.
So, I can spend £600 on maybe an Audiolab M-DAC (hopefully auditioning in early June) and use the proceeds of my Fleabay sale. Or…splash out some £2.6k or so on the T+A product. The former plan replaces a smallish Dacmagic with a larger box and might leave me with about £100 to spend on necessary network products. The latter plan involves replacing 3 boxes (CDP, amp and DAC) with a single high-spec unit. Arguably, if I sell the Primare CDP and amp, plus the Dacmagic, for a decent amount, I might just about cover my costs. Again, I might be able to persuade one of the few UK retailers to allow me a home audition, although I really need to get my home network optimised for music streaming in short order. Of course, there’s always that Naim Uniti 2 to consider…
I note that Mr Everard has had direct experience of the T+A product and preferred the SuperUniti, but I doubt I would stretch to the higher echelon Naim products without very serious consideration of their benefits!