Heard a Quad 57 system and almost s**t in my pants

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David Matz

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I was blown away by how good this 50+ year old system sounded. The source was my iPhone--> Wadia transport --> Naim Dac---> Naim 80 wpc Integrated --> Quads.


The only downside was a bit of brightness. Not sure if it was the room, the speakers, or the Naim stuff. There is no such brightness in my room driven either by Logans or Soundlabs in my Ayre source/ CJ system.

The Naim stuff is sure foot-tapping stuff. I listened for an hour with no fatigue.

Won't be trading my speakers for these. But this systems was a fraction of the cost of mine. How little this hobby has advanced in the last 50 years...
 
Same goes for recordings

Hi David,

Being a big fan of classical and jazz recordings made in the 1950's and 60's, I have the same feeling about recording quality.

Gordon
 
If you were listening to a SuperNait, that's probably the slight forward character. You should hear some Quads on a small tube amp or a Nait 2...

The Quads do midrange as well as anything. And with the right setup can be amazing. Caelin Gabriel at Shunyata has a pair in his listening room, with all ARC REF gear and they are not only the best sounding 57's I've ever had the pleasure to hear, but he's got one of the best sounding systems I've had the pleasure to hear!
 
tonepub said:
If you were listening to a SuperNait, that's probably the slight forward character. You should hear some Quads on a small tube amp or a Nait 2...

quote]

Jeff,

I was very impressed with the "Naim Sound", despite the brightness. But my personal "reference" is the sound of live music. It is possible that the amp was just a bit under-powered. I am surprised there is not more Naim gear out there. I may pick up their headphone amp.

Now that you have the dCS source, I can't imagine it sounds as dynamic and alive as the Naim.
Click to expand...
 
Gordon Gray said:
Hi David,

Being a big fan of classical and jazz recordings made in the 1950's and 60's, I have the same feeling about recording quality.

Gordon
Click to expand...

Amen, Gordon! Ever try hdtracks.com? Only if there are recordings that you like out there in hi res...

I heard some hi res recordings on the new Boulder CDP and through the Naim Dac/ iPhone, and the amount of musical information with this format is on another level. Makes me wonder how many people upgrade gear because they listen to a crappy source or with thin/ bleached source material.
 
David Matz said:
tonepub said:
If you were listening to a SuperNait, that's probably the slight forward character. You should hear some Quads on a small tube amp or a Nait 2...

quote]

Jeff,

I was very impressed with the "Naim Sound", despite the brightness. But my personal "reference" is the sound of live music. It is possible that the amp was just a bit under-powered. I am surprised there is not more Naim gear out there. I may pick up their headphone amp.

Now that you have the dCS source, I can't imagine it sounds as dynamic and alive as the Naim.
Click to expand...

Actually the full four box Paganini stack eclipses the Naim 555 by a considerable margin. I was pretty blown away. I've listened to a lot of big bucks CD players over the last two years since I bought the 555, and I've sent them all packing.

The dCS is another big leap. And it should be, it's twice as much $$, but that's not always a guarantee of higher performance, especially at that level. However, I am still a huge fan of the marque. It's a great company and they make great gear. I've got a UnitiQute in my living room with the HDX music server and it's wonderful.

The New Naim DAC is also fantastic. With the PS555, it sounds remarkably close to the 555, for those that don't want a CD transport anymore.

As far as the SuperNait being underpowered for the Quads, that's not the issue, more than about 20 watts will blow those things up!

Seriously, the dCS is so good, I could probably live without analog. On the best records with perfect mastering, vinyl still has a slight edge in the tonality department, but not much. And again, we're really splitting hairs. In the case of the new Peter Frampton album, I've got it on vinyl and on 24/96 download from HD tracks, and the 24/96 files are more musical.

I'm really pretty excited, but I could certainly live happily ever after with the 555. As a piece of reference gear the dCS is really handy, because it's a full function DAC too, so I can connect any digital gear I need to review to it. My big dilemma with the 555 was finding a DAC I liked as much. Again, everything else I heard fell short. Probably the closest thing to the Naim 555 for a lot less money is the SimAudio 750. It is excellent.

I feel very fortunate that I get to agonize over this stuff!
Click to expand...
 
tonepub said:
David Matz said:
The New Naim DAC is also fantastic. With the PS555, it sounds remarkably close to the 555, for those that don't want a CD transport anymore.


...

I'm really pretty excited, but I could certainly live happily ever after with the 555. As a piece of reference gear the dCS is really handy, because it's a full function DAC too, so I can connect any digital gear I need to review to it. My big dilemma with the 555 was finding a DAC I liked as much. Again, everything else I heard fell short. Probably the closest thing to the Naim 555 for a lot less money is the SimAudio 750. It is excellent.

I feel very fortunate that I get to agonize over this stuff!
Click to expand...

Amen, there!!!!!

So how close is the Naim Dac to the Sim Audio piece?

Have you heard the Boulder CDP? A few guys I spoke with think it is more dynamic than the one piece dCS model. The live music guys (I would classify myself in this camp) preferred the Boulder; the audiophile file types who never get out their house, and lost live music as a reference - the ones who like the detail and music moseying along - preferred the one box dCS.
Click to expand...
 
David Matz said:
tonepub said:
Amen, there!!!!!

So how close is the Naim Dac to the Sim Audio piece?

Have you heard the Boulder CDP? A few guys I spoke with think it is more dynamic than the one piece dCS model. The live music guys (I would classify myself in this camp) preferred the Boulder; the audiophile file types who never get out their house, and lost live music as a reference - the ones who like the detail and music moseying along - preferred the one box dCS.
Click to expand...

Don't know about the 1box dCS. I've got the four box Paganini. It is by far the most musical digital with high resolution as well that I've yet experienced. I go to anywhere between 60 and 90 live shows per year, though not all acoustic and unamplified, but I certainly hear my share of live music.

I don't know what you mean by music "moseying" along. If you mean slow and lacking pace, timing, weight and dynamics, that certainly isn't a problem with the dCS.

I couldn't be happier with the Paganini, but it didn't eclipse the Naim until we had the oversampler and the word clock in the system. With just the transport and DAC it was very close.

The Naim DAC with PS555 is about 11,000, the Sim is about 12,000 and it has a provision for an outboard supply that is going to be released later this year.

These two were very close in sound. I'm actually in the middle of comparing them for reviews now. Even at this point I could live with either.

That being said, if you'd like a great deal on a CD555/PS555 in mint condition, PM me. Im not going to put this piece on Audiogon. It is still one of the world's finest in my opinion.
Click to expand...
 
With respect to the Quad 57s, we have just moved house and set up a second audio system in our lounge with a pair of 57s (un-refurbished yet) powered by a luxman SQ606 (40 year old solid state integrated) using a much more contemporary Densen 400xs cd player as a source.

The sound is amazing in some ways better (midrange clarity mainly) than my ML Aeon I, Conrad Johnson CA200 and Weiss dac2 system, in my old house. However, in the next two weeks these pieces will be set up in their own dedicated 2 channel audio room so i'm sure they too will have their chance to shine.

But back to the quads, the clarity is amazing, I have been listening to many CDs including some of my favourites which I have listened to hundreds of times since my youth and i am picking up lyrics I had never heard (understood) before.

Not bad for a pair of 40 year old speakers and 40 year old amp.
 
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I sure miss mine. I keep telling my wife when my daughter leaves for college in another year, I get her room for a Quad setup...
 
tonepub said:
As far as the SuperNait being underpowered for the Quads, that's not the issue, more than about 20 watts will blow those things up!
Click to expand...
When I had the Quads I drove them more than adequately with a Bedini 20-watt Class A amplifier (which cost me $700 used). Then I picked up an ancient Dyna Stereo 70 amplifier for $140, and it was a whole different story; the Dyna blew away the Bedini, and there was no going back to transistors; I think you really need tubes to make the Quads sing.

Unfortunately though, I could never get the imaging out of the Quads in my small room (12x16) that I heard in larger rooms; the soundstage was flat. No such problem with my SL3s in the same room.
 
tonepub said:
I agree with Bernard, I had my 57's hooked up with a Stereo 70 and it was great!
Click to expand...
When I bought the speakers I was told by the dealer that for the warranty to hold I had to drive them with the Quad 303 power amp (45 watts per channel); I was young and innocent at the time and believed him (and bought the amp), but supposedly anything over 45 watts would cause them to arc. After the Dyna I had great results with a Copland 50 watt tube amp, especially after I retubed it with some ElectoHarmonix 6550's.

Many years ago TAS (I think) did a review extolling the virtues of the Arcici stands for the Quads, so I bought a pair. They did make a difference, and were nice and sturdy, especially after I filled them with 31.2 lbs of lead shot. However, they lacked the ultimate rigidity I would have liked. I think it would be interesting to turn C.A.P. loose on them and see what he comes up with.

I sold the Quads 23 years after I bought them, for $100 more than I paid for them, but of course a 1978 dollar bought more eggs than a 2001 dollar.
 
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Every serious audiophile owes it to himself to hear a pair of tube driven 57s, if he hasn't already. It is a serious lesson in how little gear has really advanced in 50+ years. They are literally amazing at their best, albeit lacking in bass.

So if you haven't already, go out of your way to hear a good, well restored pair. You might just think they are a bit better than OK.;)
 
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tonepub said:
I sure miss mine. I keep telling my wife when my daughter leaves for college in another year, I get her room for a Quad setup...
Click to expand...

Funny but when I had mine up for sale on Audiogon my wife kept asking me if I really wanted to sell them.
 
I heard a setup with 3 stacked '57s per channel ... one of the best sounds ever.
 
I hearda set of 57's with a whole Audio Aero system at an audio show once. It's one of my best musical memories. It was simply beautiful sound.
 
tonepub said:
David Matz said:
Don't know about the 1box dCS. I've got the four box Paganini. It is by far the most musical digital with high resolution as well that I've yet experienced. I go to anywhere between 60 and 90 live shows per year, though not all acoustic and unamplified, but I certainly hear my share of live music.

I don't know what you mean by music "moseying" along. If you mean slow and lacking pace, timing, weight and dynamics, that certainly isn't a problem with the dCS.

I couldn't be happier with the Paganini, but it didn't eclipse the Naim until we had the oversampler and the word clock in the system. With just the transport and DAC it was very close.

The Naim DAC with PS555 is about 11,000, the Sim is about 12,000 and it has a provision for an outboard supply that is going to be released later this year.

These two were very close in sound. I'm actually in the middle of comparing them for reviews now. Even at this point I could live with either.

That being said, if you'd like a great deal on a CD555/PS555 in mint condition, PM me. Im not going to put this piece on Audiogon. It is still one of the world's finest in my opinion.
Click to expand...


Thanks. I don't think that the 555 is in the cards this year, unfortunately. But I really think that a lot of people really underestimate the source and source material. The Quad I heard was playing some hi res material off the iphone, and this musical information came across beautifully on the quads.


Going back to Naim, have you tried their amps on the CLX? Are their amps any good, or just the cd players/ dacs?
Click to expand...
 
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