Extrapolating from this my question relates to the Meridian, which looks gorgeous by the way, have you tried to play with any IC's and have any comments on their impact?
I find this thread interesting as many audiophiles have given up with CD as a medium and exploring other digital storage mediums, while others have gone back to vinyl - all driven by dissatisfaction of sound quality from CD's. It's ironic that as we get to the end of the CD lifecycle that manufacturers and modders are now starting to understand what they need to do to make a great sound.
While we have experimented with a number of different IC's, none have made a "jaw dropping" change in the basic character of any component to the extent that I have read about in other magazines.
Which leads to why we haven't reviewed the Tara IC for 15k or the Nordost cable for the same price. It's a double edged sword If I listen to it and say it is the most amazing thing I've ever heard, all of my readers think I've lost my mind. If I review it and say that it's no big deal, both the mfr and the ten people in the audience say that I can't hear or my reference system is junk. See where this is going?
I don't even want to open up a can of worms with MF, as I've gotten to know him a bit over the last year.
That being said, Ill stick by my thoughts on the Naim for now. I've been listening to it non stop and really enjoy it. I've heard the 50K metronome a bit as well as a few others in that price range. We have the 2 box Esoteric on the way, so I am anxious to hear that as well.
We can argue this point till the cows come home, but there is only so much technology that can be packed into a 1 meter pair of interconnects. I am borrowing the Tara and the Nordost cable from a few of my wealthy friends that own them just so I can have the experience.
Much of what gives the Naim it's sound quality is the careful attention to detail in machining all of the transport parts, careful assembly, the massiveness of the transport, meticulous attention to vibration control and a very massive power supply. I hate to say it, but I just don't feel that a pair of interconnects is going to make up for all that.
I've also taken a poll of another group of wealthy and knowledgeable audiophiles whos ears and musical tastes I trust (and somewhat mirror mine) and the three players that keep coming up on their list for offering up the most musical (ie. non digital) experience are the Naim, the Esoteric and the Zanden.
While my reference system is not the last word in hifi, it is pretty good and very resolving. Even though the Meridian 808, which is a fantastic player is better (again, for me better is more musical, non digital, dynamic, resoving, tonally correct, etc.) than most that I have tested, I don't have a problem listening to something like the Naim and being very excited about it.
A reference component is just that. Some things will obviously be above the mark and others will be below.
In the end, it is up to our readers to decide if a particular component we review is worth their time to investigate.
It is particularly hard to suggest components at this level because of the expense and the potential for dissapointment. Again, like the expensive cable, if you listen to the 555 and come away non plussed, you will think I don't know what I am talking about.
But I assure you that if you sat down on my couch and listened to both, you would be able to hear a very distinct jump in musicality between the Meridian and the Naim. At that point you would decide:
A. That's amazing, I need one
B. The Meridian is still DAMN good, I could be happy with that
C. I can't afford either player, this is crazy.
I can't vouch for MF's data or conclusions. I can only tell you about my experience and hope that you are intrigued enough to investigate for yourself. You shouldn't buy a 33 thousand dollar ANYTHING just because I say so.
I've been agonizing if I should sell my car so that I can buy the Naim, it's that good. My other agony is that while the player is that good to me, do I have enough CD's worthy of it? Until I get the phone call to send it back, I'm listening to as many discs as I can!!
I could live happily ever after with the Meridian, but this one is hard to ignore!
