Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Opaqueice, Thanks for the advice. I certainly will try a 'stock' SB3 against the SB+ opaqueice;234501 Wrote: Before spending $2000 do yourself a favor and compare it blind to a stock SB3. Just make sure the levels are matched (they probably will be already if the volumes are set the same, but not necessarily - it depends on what he's done to it). After many years being a Naim user - I have come to realise the theory of deminishing returns, is real. All the best, MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Hi Keith, I find the Mac / DAC1 using an optical cable comes very, very close to my CDX2 / XPS2. My wife can detect the differences more than I can! She thinks the Naim sound is more 'lively' and 'punchy' but I think that is the Naim house sound coming through. I have not found the Benchmark to be clinical, but have found it to expose poor recordings, where as the Naim CDP seems to deal with poorer recordings slightly better. In answer to your question about trying the 250.2 - yes I did try it. I tried the 252 / Supercap / 250.2 combination and even had the 300 at home for a while. It was the stark realisation of how much £££ I would need to spend for what I considered more of the same i.e. the Naim sound. Now please don't get me wrong, I have been a Naim devotee for many, many years but as time has gone buy there have been aspects to the Naim sound that I have found I did not like and I realised there is more to hi-fi than Naim and Naim upgrades. I am very, very happy with the Dave Berning amp and Sonus Faber speakers, but really like the idea of having all my music on a hard disk. All the best, MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Hi sonofcolin, Glad to know there is someone out there who knows where I'm coming from. I tried the Bel Canto REF monoblocks as an alternative to my Naim amps, but decided not to buy them, as I was still wedded to all my Naim power supplies and pre-amp etc... and also at that time I couldn't get a demo of one of their DAC's. What are you using to connect your Powerbook to the DAC3? MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Hi zanash, zanash;234266 Wrote: Do try different dac's I was underwhelmed by the dac 1 its performance was significantly less than an £80 behringer src 2496, not just my viewthe dac1 owner sold the benchmark and bought an src and saved £700. The SB3 even into a dac will benift from a better psu , there are plenty out there and cheap to boot. How would you describe the differences between the DAC1 and behringer? I'd be interested to hear your views. Thanks, MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Hi, Please excuse my ignorance - but what is the SB+?? MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Hi sonocolin, Have you tried an optical cable from your Mac to the DAC? sonofcolin;234421 Wrote: A USB cable Instead of the USB? MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Blimey Ray, Thanks for the link to the SB+ !! MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Hi, How much is the SB+? MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Ray, Looks like I'm in for an exciting time. I have just dropped a line asking how I go about getting a home demo. Thanks for the reply. MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Hi, First post so be gentle with me! As a long time hi-fi user, lover of music and serial upgrader I ended up with the following system, Naim: CDX2 / XPS2 282 HiCap 200 Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor speakers. All with Naim cables. I looked at upgrading my pre/power amp and realised to get any greater improvement (using Naim) I would have to spend serious ££'s i.e 252 / Supercap / 250.2 This lead me to buying a Dave Berning ZH270 amp from the States on recommendation from a friend. This was probably the first time in decades I bought some kit without listening to it! I was rewarded when I heard the amp and my Naim amps went up for sale. At this point I started to look at alternative CDP's and the same friend suggested; as I was a Mac user that I should consider using my Mac and DAC as my digital source. I loaned a Benchmark DAC1 (USB) and hooked up my Mac using the optical 3.5mm mini plug to toslink and did side by side tests with a standard USB. I preferred the optical cable. I also experimented with phono RCAs to my amp and ended up with XLR's from the DAC to my amp. The sound was in my opinion very, very close to that of the CDX2 / XPS2 combo! I love the idea of all my tunes stored on a hard disk, with instant access and I was wondering if I had SB3, say modified by Boulder Cables (on the digital side) and then hooked this to a DAC1 via a digital coaxial, would this likely imrove the sound above that of my Mac/DAC1 combo. Would like to hear your views. MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Mid life hi-fi crisis
Hi Phil, Thanks fo the reply. One of the reasons I moved away from Naim amps was a realisation that I no longer enjoyed the Naim 'house' sound. I moved away from Naim speakers (Allaes) and went Sonus Faber and this helped. Using the Mac/DAC1 has really wetted my apetite - if a SB3 into a Dac is sonically better then I need to give it a try. MontyW -- Monty_W Monty_W's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=39182 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
