Like everything else it comes down to what YOU prefer. Why ask someone else which sounds better. What sounds better to you? If Naim sounds too dynamic at the price of sudtlty or nuance then go for something else. Forget about which sounds more like live music cause none do. Go to a symphony or a jazz emsemble to find that out. I have heard many high cost systems and none sound like a live symphony! I treated my wife to a live classical ensemble in our livingroom one year for our anniversary. No system will ever generate that amount of music. But since I can't afford live musicians everyday (Ah, to be Royalty in the 15th-17th century) I have to live with a artificial means of music reproduction. I agree that the room plays a MAJOR role in a systems "sound". My room is terrible and I've struggled with it forever. SS or Tubes, all had the same problem, aggressive HF.
I own Naim gear and non-Naim gear. I don't find that their amps are colorless and try and play it safe, actually, quite the opposite. At least not the 250/52 series. Sure they don't sound like tubes but tubes don't have what Naim gear can give you. I own both tube and Naim gear. I like both for what they do. The newer Naim gear is quite different from the olive series. My main bitch about Naim gear is it's price, so I buy it used.
Every design is a trade off in some aspect of presentation. Look at cables. What two cable sound the same. Same with CD players. I own Naim amp/preamp but don't own a Naim CD player. I have never heard one in my system but based upon what I already get from my Naim gear I'd rather have a bit more l If the Naim CD player is very dynamic but nat as "musical" as you would like thatn look elsewhere. A friend of mine has a Primare CD30.2. It's a more relaxed player but extremely musical. I love it.
I own Naim gear and non-Naim gear. I don't find that their amps are colorless and try and play it safe, actually, quite the opposite. At least not the 250/52 series. Sure they don't sound like tubes but tubes don't have what Naim gear can give you. I own both tube and Naim gear. I like both for what they do. The newer Naim gear is quite different from the olive series. My main bitch about Naim gear is it's price, so I buy it used.
Every design is a trade off in some aspect of presentation. Look at cables. What two cable sound the same. Same with CD players. I own Naim amp/preamp but don't own a Naim CD player. I have never heard one in my system but based upon what I already get from my Naim gear I'd rather have a bit more l If the Naim CD player is very dynamic but nat as "musical" as you would like thatn look elsewhere. A friend of mine has a Primare CD30.2. It's a more relaxed player but extremely musical. I love it.