Operation Harbeth.

[chebby]

Been thinking seriously of a big old 'shake up' in my system.

I hardly use the CD player even though it is superb. So that could go.

The tuner (Naim NAT05) is fantastic but FM only has 6 years left (maybe a little more) and I tend to listen to a lot of 'bespoke' BBC radio from BBC iPlayer and also Freeview radio (for BBC R7 etc) via the DAC. So that could go. Whilst there is still a market for it.

The amplifier will have nothing left in the system to visually match it or to benefit from Naim synergy. So yeah that could go too.

The NSats are fantastic little speakers and have proved to me that small, sealed box 'monitors' really work for me. They have converted me. Trouble is that they really belong in a Naim system AND are a staging post to what I really want. So (altogether now) they could go.

All being well - and with a favourable 'wind' - I would only have a Beresford DAC and some speaker stands left over, and enough cash to buy a pair of Harbeth P3ESRs (£1350) and a decent amp like the Yamaha A-S700 (about £400 ish).

Hopefully enough change left over for a Denon TU1800DAB FM/DAB tuner (£200 from Richer sounds) and getting a bloke on the roof to install a little DAB dipole on the antenna mast. That way I am covered all possible ways for 'radio' however it is delivered.

I have not totally fallen off my perch so none of this will happen until I have heard the Harbeths and found them to my complete satisfaction. (Especially after my Spendor S3/5R experience a couple of weeks ago!)

I have re-read the WHF and Techradar (Hifi choice?) reviews of the Yamaha A-S700 amplifier and satisfied myself that everything WHF liked about the amp I would like (and everything they disliked appealed to me too.) Yamaha also tend to make the best tone-controls and I fully intend to use them.

The A-S700 also looks like my idea of what an amp should look like and seems to have more than enough power for what I will need. (Although I could be tempted by the Yamaha A-S1000 for its wooden end 'cheeks' especially if they came anywhere near matching the Harbeth veneer! Haha.)

Anyway an amp is an amp, and Yamaha are hardly known for getting theirs wrong, and they are built to last. (Boy do they last!)

So until I have heard the Harbeths that is it really. An idea. One that hinges entirely on the speakers. This is how it should be in my opinion. A very 1970s idea to go with what will resemble (cosmetically at least) a very 1970s system! (Including the QED 79 strand speaker cable.)

Whatever I need from CD will get ripped at 256k AAC to iTunes but most of my listening is 'radio' of some kind so CD is not a big concern.

 

[matthewpiano]

Blimey!

Actually, given your listening habits, it does make complete sense.

The A-S700 is a very capable amp with a very controlled and refined sound. The tone controls are excellent as is the clever variable loudness control. Build quality is decent rather than outstanding - the main chassis and face panel are nice and solid but the speaker binding posts and switch-gear feel a bit flimsy, especially compared to the A-S1000. If funds allow I would be inclined to try and get a deal on the A-S1000 simply because it does more of what the A-S700 does well whilst adding an extra dose of realism and a good step-up in build. A silver A-S1000 would also look lovely with a silver Denon TU1800DAB! Worth listening to both amps to see if the difference is worthwhile to you.

Do keep us informed Chebby!

 

[jaxwired]

Matthewpiano, what do you do with your old equipment when you switch to new gear?

 

[drummerman]

Considered a Uniti?

 

[matthewpiano]

jaxwired:Matthewpiano, what do you do with your old equipment when you switch to new gear?

If it has got value I sell it and use the money to re-invest in the system. A few things get kept either because I think they might come in useful later on or because they have little monetary value. Most of my changes have been self funding - I can't afford to keep pumping fresh money in all the time. I did make quite a big loss when I sold the Denon 1500 series kit - that stuff just doesn't hold its value like Arcam or Naim - but generally I've done OK and I've had the pleasure of trying all sorts of kit.

 

[drummerman]

matthewpiano: ... Build quality is decent rather than outstanding - the main chassis and face panel are nice and solid but the speaker binding posts and switch-gear feel a bit flimsy, especially compared to the A-S1000...

Have to agree apart that I don't even like the look of them. Where are the lovely VU-meters any self-respecting 70's amp should have? One of the tone control knobs was broken and just loosely swang round like a pendulum on the 1000 I saw. Not nice but that's just my opinion.

 

[chebby]

drummerman:Considered a Uniti?

Yes, for a long time. And heard it a few times. Excellent machine. I would take too much of a financial hit getting one now (probably around £500+) and still have an underused CD player section and still have to find another £1350 if I wanted the Harbeths as well. (Minus whatever the N-Sats fetched.)

[Edit] Worrying comments about Yamaha fit and finish there chaps. My own experiences of older Yamaha gear (from 1996 - 2007) were that it was built to last and nothing ever fell off! (Unlike NAD which had worse build quality than Fisher Price and that is NOT hyperbole but based on personal experience of NAD and knowing how well built my eldest girl's Fisher Price cassette was.)

 

[Anonymous]

Quad amps are a good match for Harbeth loudspeakers. They're powerful, smooth and good quality. A used Quad 606 or 909
would be ideal and will last for decades. A fit (hide) and forget component.

 

[JoelSim]

Sounds very brave Chebby. Why sell the amp?

 

[matthewpiano]

JoelSim:
Sounds very brave Chebby. Why sell the amp?

It is a good point. The Naim is an excellent amp.

 

[floyd droid]

On and off topic , kindof. I dont use my cdp all that much these days. So im going to sell it and use the money,prolly on a cartridge or 2. However i dont want to be cdp free for on the odd occasion i spin a frisser. So ive pencilled in a Yamaha Cds 700 !!. How strange eh.

Chebby ,re tech radar high fi choice ?. Yup that was alan sircoms review. One of the few reviewers whose opinion i take some heed of.

 

[John Duncan]

I can feel a disappointment coming on, Harbeth-wise. I was practically wetting myself at the prospect of SA1s (themselves imbued with mythical BBC-monitor-type properties by the reviews), and when I heard them I went 'nah'.

Tell us again, chebs - what do you want your stereo to do? And I mean that from a source, as well as sonic, point of view.

 

[chebby]

JoelSim:Why sell the amp?

Indeed. I have read quite a few good reports of Harbeths with the Naim Nait 5i (and other Naim amps) so I might give that a little more thought.

Still kicking myself for not swooping on that mint and recently serviced Yamaha CA-1000 a while back. It was only £250 BIN and had had £200 of servicing done to it.

A fellow forum member bought it after I flagged it here.

 

[True Blue]

This thread should be renamed "The endless pursuit of what we call happiness"

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry Chebby.......

 

[plastic penguin]

chebby:

JoelSim:Why sell the amp?

Indeed. I have read quite a few good reports of Harbeths with the Naim Nait 5i (and other Naim amps) so I might give that a little more thought.

Still kicking myself for not swooping on that mint and recently serviced Yamaha CA-1000 a while back. It was only £250 BIN and had had £200 of servicing done to it.

A fellow forum member bought it after I flagged it here.

If the Uniti is a little beyond your budget, then maybe the new Qute could be the ideal solution.

My only concern about the newer Yam amps is, so I've heard, they can veer to the smooth/warm side of neutral. I know you've vented a dislike regarding warmish sounding gear....

 

[chebby]

daskeg:Sorry Chebby.......

Don't be. I was reeling from post Christmas expenses/bills/wife's car servicing expenses/new battery/new tyres/MOT etc. at that time and would have been foolish to buy it on a whim.

Glad you are enjoying it.

 

[matthewpiano]

You know, amps like that Yamaha come up every now and then. If that is really what you want wouldn't it be worth holding out until the right one comes up? Vintage certainly gets you a lot more for your money.

 

[ear]

My AX-397 is more well built than the S700. and I prefer the look of the Ax.sound wise...its pretty much the same.just think the s700 is the same amp has the ax-497 with another look.and double price.the S1000 is the one that doesnt have loudness control.Heard it also.It is the one that has brightness tamed.I keep mine at -1,5 treble and -1,5 loudness to keep it controled on the top end...

 

[Anonymous]

pehaps time to look at something like the AVI 9.1's ?

 

[Anonymous]

dim_span:pehaps time to look at something like the AVI 9.1's ?

I didn't dare to mention it myself.

EDITED BY MODS for offensive language

 

[Anonymous]

Fahnsen:

dim_span:pehaps time to look at something like the AVI 9.1's ?

I didn't dare to mention it myself.

I have a strong suspicion that I may eventually be getting a pair (with the sub) to use primarily with spotify and internet radio

 

[chebby]

Fahnsen:
dim_span:pehaps time to look at something like the AVI 9.1's ?

I didn't dare to mention it myself.

"Something like" [the AVIs] is an option I have thought about a few times. (But nothing from AVI itself.)

I have considered the little Dynaudio active and I was in the Chichester branch of B&O a few weeks ago listening to some Beoloab 4000 active speakers.

On balance though, I prefer to keep to an amp/DAC/speakers set-up.

 

[floyd droid]

chebby:
[Edit] Worrying comments about Yamaha fit and finish there chaps. My own experiences of older Yamaha gear (from 1996 - 2007) were that it was built to last and nothing ever fell off! (Unlike NAD which had worse build quality than Fisher Price and that is NOT hyperbole but based on personal experience of NAD and knowing how well built my eldest girl's Fisher Price cassette was.)

Chebby,ive done a bit of trawling through my old mags regarding Yamaha build quality. Not a hint of anything untoward,quite the opposite. I guess if you were to look at one in sevenoaks,then it would look and feel like its been dropped off a bridge. From my experience these hifisupermarkets dont give a flying what their products look like to the punter. I dont think Yamaha would let anything flimsy go out on the market, they are trying to get back into the hifi side of things again , not nail the lid on the coffin for good.

 

[chebby]

Thanks Floyd.

My local Naim dealer stocks some Yamaha AV stuff so I would probably order through them. (I might end paying a small premium over bargain bucket places but at least I would get a sealed box and a 3 year guarantee from someone local I have dealt with for over 20 years.)

I must say that all of the recent Yamaha reviews make a point of praising build and (along with my own experience) I would be suprised if their standards had dropped.