I've been interested in 2 ch audio for about 5 years now & I've gone through a lot of gear.
I always seem to go back to Naim electronics so I decided to go with a setup toward the top of their line for this system, a 282 preamp and 250.2 amp.
Harbeth is another manufacturer I appreciate & have a lot of experience with - I've owned sets of 3s, 5s and 7s - I like the 3s most of all.
I like the sound of the 3s bass better than the other models, though they don't reach as low.
I really enjoy the Rega RP6/Soundsmith Boheme combo but the real highlight right now for me is my new CAPS V3 Carbon Server with the SOTM USB Card upgrade & dual external power supplies-one 12 Watt supply for the mother board and a 9 watt supply for the SOTM Card. The external power supplies keep the signal isolated from any hum while moving through the server after it's received from the Synology via Meicord Ethernet Cable. The Naim V1 Dac then receives that signal unpowered through it's integrated AudioPhilio USB input. This is the cleanest server based digital playback option that I know of and it should be future proof as all components are separate and swappable.
A long time Itunes user, I'm getting the hang of Jriver which the server runs. I have the Jriver remote set up on my ipad and my phone. The server stays powered on at all times as does the Nac82, Nap250 and Dac V-1, so when I get home from work, I reach into my pocket and press two buttons on my phone-voila. When I wake up in the morning-two presses and the music starts on que.
Collecting hi-rez files has been a lot of fun and I can see digital audio keeping me busy for a while. I think I can finally concentrate on the music and not the system.
30 Year Anniversary Special Edition Rosewood on Skylan Stands
Naim Nac A5
18ft runs
Quadraspire Stand
Good Stand
Naim Audio Nac282
Classic Series Nac282
Teddy Pardo Dual Teddy Cap
Power Supply for the Nac82
Naim Audio Nac250.2
Classic Nap250.2
Naim Dac V-1
Naim Dac V-1
Rega Rega RP6
Black Rega RP6 with Herbies Way Excellent Mat.
Soundsmith Boheme
My first Moving Iron Cartridge and I'm very pleased with it.
Quicksilver Quicksilver Phono
Quicksilver Phonostage
Custom Music Server Custom
Half size Chasis, all fanless running Jriver. Im running an external 12 Watt power supply to power the mother board and a 9 Watt power supply to power the SOTM card outputting the digital signal through USB.
Teddy Pardo Power Supplies 9 & 12W Power Supplies
There are two Teddy Pardo External Power Supplies feeding the Motherboard and the SOTM Card. These ensure all clean power is running through the Server.
Synology DS413J
4 Bay NAS drive with four 3tb drives on a raid 5.
Synergistic Powercell 4
Powering the Dac, preamp, phono and turntable.
Cable Pro Revelation Power Strip
Power Strip
Blue Marble Audio Power Cord
I'm running 5 of these
Silnote Audio Morpheus 2 RCA Cables
Interconnect (Phono stage to preamp)
Vertere Acoustics D-Fi V2 USB Cable D-Fi V2 USB Cable
USB Cable, Server to Dac
MeiCord Ethernet Eithernet Cat 7 Cable
I'm running a half meter run from Modem to Router and a Five Meter from Router to Server.
Having both racks in my system now, I will say it will not make much difference. The Naim Fraim is made for Naim gear, therefore your system will fit and look better. If looking to stay, Naim Fraim may the way to go. It is constructed for sound isolation for sure. If looking to change gear than the quad will be better for sure. I have my Naim and will eventually sale it since I do not need it. My system is complete.
That's encouraging info. A friend has a CAPS server w/full size case that runs a little cooler than mine. The culprit is the SOTM card-that little guy gets pretty warm. Maybe something for others o consider in there future server builds. And, I completely agree--adding the server was the best thing I ever did for my system :)
I'm in a half case as well. Very small about the size of an ipad in width and depth and about 2" high. Mine gets warm but never hot. Not worried about at all. I've been using it daily for hours at a time for well over a year and it's been flawless. One of the best moves I've made in this hobby. Before this I was using an airport express with iTunes which isn't bad at all but this is better.
Jax, wow that's a big ssd. What kind of case are you using. I went half size to fit on my rack next to my half size Dac. I've noticed that it runs warm at times so I'm thinking about swapping for a full size to avoid issues down the road since I do keep it on at all times.
Thanks Harris. What benefits could i expect from the frame over the quadraspire? I know its better isolated and decoupled, but do you think the improvement is noticeable enough to spring for the extra thousands? I upgraded to the quadraspire from a vti rack and I'm very impressed by quadraspires build quality.
Wonderful system. Congrats! I have a caps server as well and love it! I modified mine by adding an onboard 500gb ssd drive so no NAS required. I turn mine off and on but it boots in about 10 secs. Again, nice system. Well done...
Jeff, The 52 is killer. Thanks for the good advice on the table- It's definitely messing with the imaging. the two holes on both sides of the fireplace aren't helping in the bass either. I'll be playing with positioning for the next week or too. I had a shop sand down and seal a big tree stump which I'll put in that coffee table location instead and see if it doesn't affect the acoustics. If so, there will be no table in that location, even though it's the middle of the living room. I'll update the picture when I get the stump.
Cto007-Since owning my previous set of Naim amps-Olive series Nac82 and Nap250-I Tried an Audio Research Classic60, a Music Hall 70.2, a set of Belles MB-200 Monoblocks, a Dynaco st70 and an Altmann BYOB Amp. All had their strengths but I missed the 82/250. Thus, this time around I sprung for the 282/250.2, the current versions of the Olive setup I had.
Zek4u-Thanks for the props. I've never posted a virtual system, but I was so happy with this setup that I was compelled to post. It took a long time to reach this point and I couldn't have done it without the help and collaboration with others in the audio community.
Nice System! I have a Olive NAC52/NAP250 and love it. One small recommendation, that glass table in the middle of the sound field. Try listening with and without, I suspect the reflections are affecting your imaging. You could try a table cloth if a change is not possible.
