Post Your Home Cine & HiFi Kit...

Well that is a massive upgrade, I sold the CD62's new, you've done well having it that long if you bought it at launch!

I was looking at some used Naim kit the other day but it was down on the south coast and I'm in the Midlands, not sure if I can be bothered, may have been a different story it l of it were summer and sunny.
Definite upgrade. Only trouble is I'm not looking at two nice Naim separates with a Rega Fono sat on top and the mismatch is bothering me :p will be keeping an eye out for a stage line.

The loading mechanism on the CD5 is great :)
 
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Definite upgrade. Only trouble is I'm not looking at two nice Naim separates with a Rega Fono sat on top and the mismatch is bothering me :p will be keeping an eye out for a stage line.

The loading mechanism on the CD5 is great :)

While you are keeping that eye out for a Stage Line, you had better keep the other out for a Flatcap XS :) Because it is the very least you will need to power a Stage Line.
 
While you are keeping that eye out for a Stage Line, you had better keep the other out for a Flatcap XS :) Because it is the very least you will need to power a Stage Line.
I believe there is a smaller standalone power supply available for the stageline, but it was years ago I last looked.

Obviously getting a flatcap would lead to upgrading other components to make full use of it, dangerous road to go down :P
 
I believe there is a smaller standalone power supply available for the stageline, but it was years ago I last looked.

Obviously getting a flatcap would lead to upgrading other components to make full use of it, dangerous road to go down :p

Mentioned it before, but definitely check out this place. Argueably better devices and a huge following from the Naim crew


They used to do pre-built devices so unsure if that's still an option.

I had the S-100 Mono Power Amp and it was superb. Actually shocked to see the current second hand values as seems they're sought after!
 
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Mentioned it before, but definitely check out this place. Argueably better devices and a huge following from the Naim crew


They used to do pre-built devices so unsure if that's still an option.

I had the S-100 Mono Power Amp and it was superb. Actually shocked to see the current second hand values as seems they're sought after!
Thanks yeah I had a look, seems they're mostly doing upgrades for the higher end Naim kit. The entry level 'i' range isn't upgradable generally.

Pretty sure this setup will do me for a while, unless I have a spectacularly good year on the markets :)

Need to shift my old gear too.

No sign of my Falcon Acoustics, and they are off at a trade show this week so probably not going to be here for another week or two....the downside of buying from a cottage industry type manufacturer!
 
That's a shame.

I'm living vicariously through you all until i have my house all built and can justify spending money on a stereo again. Somehow it's not essential spending with everything we've got going out!
Hah, first time I've upgraded my hifi in a very long time, mainly because I sold my camper and got a boring car for the commute and had a bit spare :)

I've just spoken with Falcon and they tried to get in touch last week. Had some damage in the warehouse, so offered me either the rosewood finish at no extra cost (was a £250 extra) or the original walnut with a small ding on the back for a discount.... I went for the rosewood upgrade, should be here Thursday :)
 
Hah, first time I've upgraded my hifi in a very long time, mainly because I sold my camper and got a boring car for the commute and had a bit spare :)

I've just spoken with Falcon and they tried to get in touch last week. Had some damage in the warehouse, so offered me either the rosewood finish at no extra cost (was a £250 extra) or the original walnut with a small ding on the back for a discount.... I went for the rosewood upgrade, should be here Thursday :)

Yeah rosewood is nice, I have a pair of rosewood speakers.
 
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Very nice setup indeed, what turntable is that?

Also did a google on your Hegal Viking CD player, I imagine it sounds very good indeed.
 
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Very nice setup indeed, what turntable is that?

Also did a google on your Hegal Viking CD player, I imagine it sounds very good indeed.

The turntable is a Michell Orbe SE, a very early one with the AC motor. I loved it when it was released, so i bought it :D.
The arm is an SME V with a Dynovector DV-20X2 cartridge.
The Viking is actually sounding better and better day by day. I was blown away by it when i first heard it and am even more so now.
 
The turntable is a Michell Orbe SE, a very early one with the AC motor. I loved it when it was released, so i bought it :D.
The arm is an SME V with a Dynovector DV-20X2 cartridge.
The Viking is actually sounding better and better day by day. I was blown away by it when i first heard it and am even more so now.

Your turntable is brilliant. Have you ever compared it to say a Nottingham Analogue or any of the Rega's? I'm in the market for a turntable, and have a budget of around £1500 used.

Over your Viking, I can imagine what it sounds like. My Yamaha CD-S2100 it sounds amazing, it's an SACD player however it plays CD's so much better than regular consumer CD players.
 
I have had the Orbe SE since 1998 and have only ever had one other deck at home to run comparisons against, that was Rega Planar 10. The Rega was a very very good deck, but just didn't "grab" me as much as the Orbe.
I was fully expecting to be bowled over by it and was, just nowhere near as much as i still am with the Orbe which is why i still have it. Record decks are a bit like speakers, once you have found the right one, it's something you will keep for many many years.
 
I have had the Orbe SE since 1998 and have only ever had one other deck at home to run comparisons against, that was Rega Planar 10. The Rega was a very very good deck, but just didn't "grab" me as much as the Orbe.
I was fully expecting to be bowled over by it and was, just nowhere near as much as i still am with the Orbe which is why i still have it. Record decks are a bit like speakers, once you have found the right one, it's something you will keep for many many years.

I have never heard a Orbe, but over the Rega's they sound less deep compared to a Nottingham Analogue. It's to do with weight, Rega focus on being lightweight, in contrast the Nottingham Analogue decks focus on being more heavy, as the weight of the Nottingham Analogue decks increase between models, the deeper the sound from them.
 
Went to get the new Black Keys LP today..... £32 quid. I got the CD for £11 instead.

Suppose we should make the most of it before CDs get trendy again.

Falcons have been dispatched, here tomorrow :)
 
I have never heard a Orbe, but over the Rega's they sound less deep compared to a Nottingham Analogue. It's to do with weight, Rega focus on being lightweight, in contrast the Nottingham Analogue decks focus on being more heavy, as the weight of the Nottingham Analogue decks increase between models, the deeper the sound from them.

I'm afraid that your description is an often held misconception. Just because a deck is constructed with a high mass does not give it "deeper sound". If we take Nottingham and Rega as examples, Rega is low mass and Nottingham is high mass and both are rigid turntables. Two different design philosophies to reach the same goal, that is to reduce resonance. One uses pure mass to achieve it, the other uses special production techniques and materials to achieve it. If both are put side by side in a blind listening test in ideal conditions, you would be very hard pressed to tell them apart sound wise. Both though have to be isolated from their surroundings well because they are still subject to the resonances around them, suspended floors being a good example.
The Orbe on the other hand uses a different design philosophy. It's a high mass deck but is also fully suspended. This leaves it less likely to suffer from surrounding resonances.
All three work and all three are capable of very very deep base. How deep that bass can be resolved has more to do with arm choice, cartridge choice, phonostage choice, amp choice and speaker choice.
 
Went to get the new Black Keys LP today..... £32 quid. I got the CD for £11 instead.

Suppose we should make the most of it before CDs get trendy again.

Falcons have been dispatched, here tomorrow :)

It is painful isn't it.

I'm a sucker for a limited edition box version too which never helps!

EDIT - Heard this, was a huge fan. Not listening to the full album yet though.
 
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Falcon Acoustics IMF100 are here. Not only got the rosewood finish, but they're factory assembled already, which was another expensive option, win!

Pretty beefy stand counters, and completely transformative compared to the Quads they replace. Proper listen later, got a hectic day at work to finish. Will get some pics.
 
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Pretty chunky compared to the Quads! Really happy with the free upgrade to rosewood, they look great.

Absolutely next level sound. The stereo imaging is almost 3D. Way more low end exfension but super tight. Very impressed so far. Now need to run them in a bit.

Nice to let my sources stretch their legs a bit, the poor little Quad 11Ls have been the weak link for a while.
 
Nice to let my sources stretch their legs a bit, the poor little Quad 11Ls have been the weak link for a while.

I have the opposite problem, I have a fantastic pair of Dynaudio Audience 70's that are totally let down by my current amplification, not out of choice but limited physical space for 19" kit, I must look at buying something soon as it is frustrating knowing they can offer so much more.

Nice setup btw. :)
 
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Pretty chunky compared to the Quads! Really happy with the free upgrade to rosewood, they look great.

Absolutely next level sound. The stereo imaging is almost 3D. Way more low end exfension but super tight. Very impressed so far. Now need to run them in a bit.

Nice to let my sources stretch their legs a bit, the poor little Quad 11Ls have been the weak link for a while.

The Falcons look lovely.
I had a pair of the Quad 11s for a while. Lovely looking, but left me rather underwhelmed.
 
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