Time spent thinking about Hi-Fi

crusaderlord

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Just chilling out at my parents house for the weekend away from the 'to do list' i would have at home and realising how much i enjoy just thinking about Hi-Fi. Over the last 2/3 years it has become my main hobby, tweaking my system now and again gets huge pleasure but the reality is that most of it is going on in my head - wondering what new separate releases would sound like now that i have read their reviews, and should i switch from Arcam to another brand, or can i tweak a better sound from my own system with cables etc. Most of the time i am not acting on any of it, i dont get to demo much unless i am really interested in changing an item (my Arcams are now heading past their 2nd year in place) but i have changed all my cabling recently for the better. My current thoughts have again returned to Naim - i never get around to properly having a demo but a great CD5XS review has sparked my interest again. Should i bother with a demo ? The reality is i have never paid over £700 for any item in my system yet and the CD5XS would tear that to shreds, then Arcam amp with a Naim CD probably wont match up well would it ? Anyway all this keeps my mind active and takes my thoughts away from real life issues like an impending redundancy (no panic ive got 3 months and a decent pay off) - but it does mean i have to think about what job i want to do instead which is much more of a headache than my Hi-FI system and feels far more stressful to think on. So i will just keep immersing myself in thoughts of HiFi which may just mean i am slightly mad ... Hope you dont mind this slightly meaningless ramble, and if anyone has tried a Naim CD with an Arcam amp and liked it then do let on :) Ah yes almost forgot - on the other hand i should maybe upgrade my speakers at least to the Neat Petite SX and this one may actually become a reality !
 

jaxwired

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Don't mind you rambling thoughts at all. I enjoyed reading it, but then I'm just as hooked on the hobby as you are. Perhaps you'd be interesrted in my new book, "Zen and HiFi".
 

coolaboola

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well my take is, that is why we have a hobby,escapism.the movie,the song and the system its played on takes us away from the humdrum of mortgage repayments,redundancies etc it lets us enjoy what we have achievied and contributes to what makes us get up in the morning,our goals and targets.we spend time relaxing enjoying what we have and enjoy the prospectofwhat could grace our living room in the fuure.
 

mitch65

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Can't comment on Naim and Arcam synergy (temporary or otherwise) but the Petite Sx's, if they are anything like the original or mk.III's, should be real stonkers (no, not stinkers!) and maybe this kinda points you in a Naim direction as they seem to work so well with them. Biggest regret No.126 - getting rid of my petite mk.I's!
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idc

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Great post Crusaderlord. There are those who come to the forum with a specific question or technical question and then there are us who like to ramble and muse on hifi in general. If you are looking at more free time possibly, can I suggest expanding your hobby and looking at DIY?
 

crusaderlord

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glad this post got a few responses - thinking hi-fi is just a nice diversion and a reward for why you work i think.

in response to a couple of posts i have tried the Spendor SA1 quite extensively and thought they were really great, but not better than the Neat Motives which just seem to suit me.

Hence i am really quite keen to see how much better the Petite SX are. If i get the feeling they add to what i have i will sell my Motive 3's and my Rega turntable and get them straight away :)

As to the Naim - to be honest i have not a reason to change as i really like the Arcams and what they do with acoustic, jazz, blues and electronic music in particular - also despite other opinion i really like them with Led Zepellin and Bowie etc.

However i do need to at least demo the Naim just to see how they are so much different to the Arcams given Naim seems so popular.

And yes this is all really change for changes sake - i have no need to change but hey you have to be aiming for something.
 

jaxwired

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crusaderlord:And yes this is all really change for changes sake - i have no need to change but hey you have to be aiming for something.

Just be careful and move slow. Many people have gone down that path only to be unsatiisfied which sets off a chain of multiple upgrades.
 

Drummerdave

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I used to think about hifi a lot until I got to the point where I couldn't justify spending any more money on it. Now I just listen to the music and think about photography (which has cost a lot more than my hifi!)
 

SteveR750

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Drummerdave:I used to think about hifi a lot until I got to the point where I couldn't justify spending any more money on it. Now I just listen to the music and think about photography (which has cost a lot more than my hifi!)

same here, but add cycling into that list, I have spent a small mortgage in the last 3 years on bikes and associated paraphernalia.....wish I was more interested in non gadget type hobbies....
 

Dan Turner

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Hi Crusaderlord - When I had an all Arcam system (CD93, A32+P35) I decided on a CDP upgrade and I tried the Cyrus 8SE, Naim CD5x and Arcam CD37. I ended up going with the CD37 as I felt on balance it was the strongest all-rounder. However I could have happily had any of the 3, and the Naim did sound pretty good going in to the Arcams - unsurprisingly it had the best timing and rhythmic qualities of the 3 - and that was readily apparent through the Arcam amps - but seemed to lack just a little in the detail stakes and neither of them could touch the Arcam's bass.

So I'd say that a Naim CDP is well worth a try. However in hindsight, I should never have upgraded the CDP at all because less than a year later I tried out a computer based front end and that spelt the end of my CD playing days. So if that is something that interests you at all then may be worth checking out some options there before shelling out for a new CDP.

Cheers, Dan.
 

crusaderlord

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i kind of dabble with pc music but i still prefer putting on the good old cd and listening right through. i have a wadia 170i and vdac which i use for some music that i dont have on cd but mostly i use that for streaming off the internet via radio paradise or bbc iplayer.

in terms of the cd i am sure the naim will have its strengths but my reflection of the Arcam CD36 is how good its detail and bass is and so its going to be a tough act to beat. Arcam may have some critics for its amps (although i cant fault the A32) but they do have a superb record on CD players.

Dan - given you were impressed with the Arcam cd against the Naim - how do you rate the Naim amps against the A32 ?
 

Dan Turner

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crusaderlord: Dan - given you were impressed with the Arcam cd against the Naim - how do you rate the Naim amps against the A32 ?

I'm not sure how something price comparable like the Nait 5i or XS would compare as I haven't tried them but the SuperNait is really in another league, but then it does cost twice as much as the A32 did in it's day.

After having the A32 on it's own for ages, I added a P35 to bi-amp and that worked great, then later I bought a creek passive pre-amp and used the A32 just as a power amp, then in time swapped it for a P38. So the system I ended up with was the Creek pre->P35->P38. That change gave a substantial improvement in clarity and detail. When I moved onto a computer-based front end I added a CA DacMagic, and that system worked well, but I always felt that it was missing something in terms of dynamics and punch. So I tried the SuperNait on recommendation and even over that collection of components that was cumulatively in the same price ball-park it was significantly better. The SN just has so much more 'live' energy, punch and insight, and the bass, oooooh the bass.

I think it could come down to a matter of taste. If the Arcam sound is what you love then Naim is pretty much at the other end of the spectrum. However you could find that they balance each other's characteristics nicely. If I hadn't gone computer-based-source then I think I'd still be happily using the CD37 with my SN.

If the bug has bitten though, then the only answer could be to try it out and see for yourself...
 

crusaderlord

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Had a few days away on a work trip (funny how im being made redundant as no longer required and then next breath oh can you just go to a meeting in Edinburgh).

Anyway i always think a few days away gives you a chance to have a fresh listen to your hifi and in this case it came out in flying colours. It really does feel as though the improvements i made have paid off.

I think i will stick to the Arcams and the only thing i feel the need to try out really is some Neat Petite SX now but even there the Neat Motive 3 sounds good enough really.

Probably time to stop upgrading now.
 

Ambrose

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Hi Crusaderlord,

Old post but interested if you ever tried out the Petite SX as seems logical upgrade for me also in time.

My final nail in existing system is to add decent stands and hopefully trying the SuperDreads. I tried something solid but found a little too lightweight although much more insightful and faster sounding.

Cheers

Ambrose
 

Crossie

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I used to obsessed with cars - cost me tens of thousands, made my OCD with HiFi look cheap. I need a new rack looking at the Blok super stax on ebay for £599. :dance:
 

simonlewis

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I don't spend anytime thinking about hifi never have, if i'm on the whfs&v forums & want a tune, i just click onto youtube & voila.

What am i supposed to do put a cd on & stare into space. :roll:
 

scene

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Crossie said:
I used to obsessed with cars - cost me tens of thousands, made my OCD with HiFi look cheap. I need a new rack looking at the Blok super stax on ebay for £599. :dance:

Is that direct from Blok? Just they're quoting £200 off the superstar on their website.
 

omnibeard

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I can afford to spend a lot of money on hifi if I wish to.

I feel a bit lucky that, despite trawling these forums occasionally, I'm really not obsessed with hifi at all. Don't get me wrong, I love listening to music on a good system, I have friends who have far "better" systems than I do.

What I am obsessed with is music. And I spend an awful lot of money on it one way or another.

Many years ago we were sat in a room with a friend at university, let's call him Matt, who was studying music production and who was a bit of a trustafarian. He had some outrageous multi multi thousand pound set up, Krell this and Krell that, all looked like something out of a science fiction movie to the rest of us at that time. Whole room swamped with the stuff. I'm talking 1990ish.

I remember blind swapping a piece of crap Philips CDP with his Krell CDP, and none of us could tell any difference at all. None of us, not even Matt who was a trained classical musician who prided himself on his ears. He's got tinnitus now, so who knows?

Anyway, that kind of did it for me. Same way I used to not like flying. I wasn't scared of it exactly, just didn't like it. Maybe some fear. Anyway, I was sat in a plane next to a woman who was obviously terrified. Sat bolt upright with her finger nails digging into the arm rests. On top of that, three guys behind me were obviously terrified too. Any sign of turbulence and they were getting up, freaking out, looking for help from the air hostesses. That flight made me realise I didn't give a monkey's about flying.

Same thing with the Krell/Philips swapover - I just realised at that point I was never going to get obsessed with hifi.

I like hifi, and I like bargains. Hence the Onkyo 8050 - sure, it's not the best piece of kit ever, but it is undoubtedly great value for money. I like crap cables. The only stuff I look at on ebay is well over 10 years old. I'm tempted by the second hand Squeezebox Duet over the Touch.

Having said that, new kit that I've got excited about is the Kef R Series speakers, they just look a bit awesome.

Do you think my 8050 could drive the R300s to any degree of satisfaction?

Or should that be a different thread?
 

busb

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I probably spend 10% of the time I spend thinking about sex - worryingly high, even at my age! TBH, I spend more time thinking about how various controversies such as cable quality, if similarly spec'd amps sound the same or not can be resolved than thinking over possible future purchases. My only conclusion so far is that ABX testing that relies on short-term memory is pointless: it's long-term memory that counts! If right, it does make ABX testing very long-winded, expensive to carry out & pretty tedious to take part in!
 
T

the record spot

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Time spent thinking about hifi is probably quite low. Occasionally passing a hifi shop in town or in here. Otherwise, not so much.
 

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