Up until today, I had my system from college - an NAD 7125, KEF Coda II's, and a Marantz CD 63SE I picked up somewhere along the way. A buddy of mine with a Naim/Riga system has been hounding me...and today I am now the proud owner of a Naim NAC 42 preamp and Naim NAP 90 amp, working with the rest of the system. Wow!
Holy crap, I guess it WAS time to upgrade the stereo
- Thread starter BJ
- Start date
You're fine, dude. Same vintage stuff, just better.
I am way disconnected from the audio geek world, but I think Hafler and Dahlquist still qualify as good. NAD, generally, is looked down upon as the lowest sort of wannabee budget audiofile gear with nothing behind it. I sat here for a while trying to come up with a vinous analogy but couldn't.
I am way disconnected from the audio geek world, but I think Hafler and Dahlquist still qualify as good. NAD, generally, is looked down upon as the lowest sort of wannabee budget audiofile gear with nothing behind it. I sat here for a while trying to come up with a vinous analogy but couldn't.
I'm sure you could come up with something along the tube vs. transistor - digital vs. analog route. You could always throw in those odd ball Bob Carver is Abe Schoener type analogies. And let's not get started that the MP3 codec is the over oaked California chardonnay of our time. Hey, this could be fun.
I'm also using a Hafler (a preamp), alongside a B&K amp and Tannoy speakers, the same system I've had since 1992 and it still sends shivers down my spine. Yes, technology has changed, but the only things arguably missing are "home theater" and MP3 capability. In terms of playing CDs, my system is still totally awesome.
jonathanseeds
jonathan seeds
Kudos on the Naim gear! The vintage stuff like the 42/90 is ridiculously rock-solid and will last forever! If the 42 has a phono stage, it's a good one.
Their CD players are expensive, but build like tanks and sound very lively. The only downside to the Naim stuff is the cables, which can be a pain. And Rega speakers pair really well...
Their CD players are expensive, but build like tanks and sound very lively. The only downside to the Naim stuff is the cables, which can be a pain. And Rega speakers pair really well...
Dan Donahue
Dan Donahue
Linn table, NAD preamp/amp/cd player set up and B&W 802s work fine for me, although I did upgrade to a better set of Grado cans recently. The dragon deck is really showing its age though.
Way too much work to try and keep up with the golden ears.
Way too much work to try and keep up with the golden ears.
Eden Mylunsch
Eden Mylunsch
I was looking at about $2K to repair/upgrade/mod my Linn LP 12 so I traded it in on a lowly, Plebian Rega P2 that I've learned to love. Not to be a snob or anything, I kind of think that hanging on to mid-fi NAD gear from the early 1990s is akin to believing that wine hasn't gotten any better than the 1997 Beringer Bancroft Ranch Merlot that you bought so much of that it's your regular Saturday night wine; it's not that it's bad stuff, but more that things have progressed since then. Great sound (or wine) doesn't need to be expensive, but not all of it is timeless and perfect.
-Eden (now, if you said you had a 74 Mayacamas or 78 Shafer instead of the 97 Beringer, those would be the Marrantz 10b and 7c of the stereo world)
-Eden (now, if you said you had a 74 Mayacamas or 78 Shafer instead of the 97 Beringer, those would be the Marrantz 10b and 7c of the stereo world)
Not to be combative or anything, but back in the day word was that NAD made some very fine preamps, which is how I ended up with mine. Now, preamps don't do the heavy lifting, but they've got to route signals without introducing much THD. And here I am, 27 years later with the same damn cheapo preamp and it still works just fine for me. Now where'd I put that glass of Merlot anyway?
Mark Lipton
Scott Kraft
Scott Kraft
Naim is the Texier of music reproduction. You love it immediately and appreciate all the more over time.
Over the years, I've gone from an olive CDX, NAC 102, NAP 180 with Dynaudio 1.8mkII speakers to a CDS2, NAC52, NAP300, all the requisite power supplies - and still the same speakers.
I agree that the gear is minimalist. But not heavy duty, just well made, artisanal kit - and not heavy handed like the McIntosh stuff. Naim is raw musical energy. The closest to live performance that I've ever heard. And no spoofed sound effects.
Brad, depending on the age of the equipment and the last time it was serviced, you should consider getting it re-capped. Capacitors dry out over time and lose their capacitance. This makes for sluggish reproduction.
Eden, you should never given up the LP12! At least the Rega P2 doesn't suck all the life out the way most less expensive TTs do. I agree with you on NAD. However, Cambridge Audio is making some impressive stuff at decent prices. As is Creek.
Over the years, I've gone from an olive CDX, NAC 102, NAP 180 with Dynaudio 1.8mkII speakers to a CDS2, NAC52, NAP300, all the requisite power supplies - and still the same speakers.
I agree that the gear is minimalist. But not heavy duty, just well made, artisanal kit - and not heavy handed like the McIntosh stuff. Naim is raw musical energy. The closest to live performance that I've ever heard. And no spoofed sound effects.
Brad, depending on the age of the equipment and the last time it was serviced, you should consider getting it re-capped. Capacitors dry out over time and lose their capacitance. This makes for sluggish reproduction.
Eden, you should never given up the LP12! At least the Rega P2 doesn't suck all the life out the way most less expensive TTs do. I agree with you on NAD. However, Cambridge Audio is making some impressive stuff at decent prices. As is Creek.
Has no one made the switch? I've had the same B&K pre-amp and amp and Joseph Audio towers for the past 15 yrs or so and love them. The idea of getting gear on that level for movies is just too expensive to contemplate these days.
Do Creek or Cambridge make a decent decoder I could use for TV/movies?
Do Creek or Cambridge make a decent decoder I could use for TV/movies?
Dan Donahue
Dan Donahue
I knew when I opened this thread I was in trouble. The upgrade itch has been scratchy for a few months now. I had hoped that the new headphones would quell the urge, but apparently not.
Probably looking at for a cd player first (to include sacds, but I don't do home theater so I not looking for a dvd). Any suggestions--within reason--for a decent player? I'm leaning toward Rotel but I just started looking.
thanks
Probably looking at for a cd player first (to include sacds, but I don't do home theater so I not looking for a dvd). Any suggestions--within reason--for a decent player? I'm leaning toward Rotel but I just started looking.
thanks
Marc Hanes
Marc Hanes
I still use a Hafler pre-amp I bought around 1986, sadly my Hafler amp died around 1992 and I've had an Adcom GFA-545 since. Happy with both, still wish I could have bought a new Hafler amp when the first died but wasn't to be.
Have had my Infinity Studio Monitor 150 speakers since 1986 as well, people laugh at the size of them (39h x 19w x 12d) but I would not trade them for anything newer, great flat response. Plus I can be buried in them like in Fast Times.
Have had my Infinity Studio Monitor 150 speakers since 1986 as well, people laugh at the size of them (39h x 19w x 12d) but I would not trade them for anything newer, great flat response. Plus I can be buried in them like in Fast Times.
It is funny - the case on this is built out of a heavy aluminum extrusion and looks like it would shrug off a solid bash with a Spear & Jackson shovel or a squeeze in a heavy Bulldog vice. But the day I brought it home, the power knob fell off.
Bear in mind it is 25 years old.
It made me think of an old MGB or something.
I was up into the wee hours listening - it is a great system. Everything sounds way better.