I met someone at a party and we starting talking about music. He said he owned all Naim gear and he loved it. I told him I had all ARC gear. He said he used to own ARC but once he listened to name gear he sold all his ARC stuff. He said that Naim gear was more musically involving than ARC gear. I have only heard name gear one time at a show. I thought it sounded very good. I'd like to hear Opinions from people that are familiar with both brands.
Don't let a comment like that ruin your system; there is to many variables involved to make that statement 100 percent correct; You may have found that synergy for your systems components that makes the sound perfect for you.
Beware, once you go Naim you may never come back. You will spook out all your friends by becoming a member of that cult :-) Naim has an addictive sound for sure.
"So, if I said I prefer an all JVC/Bose system to an VAC/Von Schweikert system, y'all would just chalk that up to personal preferences?" In some/most cases - yup. If I wore hearing appliances that still could not produce something where I can differentiate between the two (and 'specially if someone was giving me the JVC/Bose combo as opposed to my buying the other for that case) then that would be a personal (and valid) preference. At least that combo produced something I could still experience and potentially enjoy. It's not always a tin ear - it might be a plastic & semiconductor ear, etc. Or, it really could be a personal preference and y'all know there's just no accounting for taste - either yours or theirs.
It's ALL taste at this level. The great thing about Audiogon is that you can by used or at least depreciated components, try them out, and sell what you don't like.
Good and bad are opposite sides of the same coin! It comes down to taste and system matching!
A Naim system does certain things very well and doesn't do other things. So it depends on what your friend finds pleasing! A Naim system has propulsive bass, a warm midrange, and is quite dynamic.
An ARC system depending on the setup will throw a much better sound stage, and will have depth to the image. However the bass and dynamics may not be as force full.
So it comes down to system matching and preference it is possible that the ARC system was not well matched to the room or the speakers and the Naim was, who knows, but the point is moot, people will like what they like and sometimes a different sound is what that person was craving.
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" - Shakespeare
he has his opinion. the forums here have zillions. just do a search on the subject and you'll probably get a lot more ideas (opinions, but some more informed and well-articulated than others...) about the differences between these brands.
or, as has been said, you could actually listen to some Naim gear and decide if you like it enough to consider a home audition...
"There is no best, or most musical, or anything...
Enjoy what you have."
Well said. I came from a full Linn system (which is very much in the same vein as Naim's sound) and now have an ARC pre with a smattering of other brands.
I prefer my new setup more-so than my Linn - to each his own.
Since you met at a party why not meet again at each other's house and hear for yourselves' the difference? The worst that can happen is two evenings of some wine(?), good music, and hopefully good company. Rather than go with other people's ears, here's a chance to use your own. Listen and enjoy.
I try and word my statements carefully. I generally include something like: "to my ears" in statements I make when comparing. I have heard gear by many high end manufacturers that is not the sound I am looking for. Heck, I have even owned gear in the past myself that I would no longer enjoy. People who make definite statements like this are simply ignorant. Now, go enjoy the music.
So, if I said I prefer an all JVC/Bose system to an VAC/Von Schweikert system, y'all would just chaulk that up to personal preferences?
If someone said that to me, I would be thinking; they must have a tin ear. Because, the VAC/VSA combo is clearly a higher fidelity system.
I think to some degree we all know which gear sucks, is OK and is great. And I don't think it's wrong or not PC to call that out if wee see it and not just gloss over decisions as, "Oh, it's just personal preference. There's no good or bad gear."
It is not about brand preference as much as individual preferences. I there was one clear best that would be the only brand in existence. Look at just about any other products. Cars, clothes, beer, I naturally have my preferences. As do you. Of course if we lived in France we would prefer white wine and Citroens. In Russia it would be vodka and Lada's
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