Sometimes we can over complicate things and it's gratifying to go to a simpler system. I've done that myself, coming from Naim gear and then going with a simple Viva integrated. But it is difficult for me to understand how the Exposure gear could possibly sound better than the CDS2/52/250 setup. The only thing I can think of is that, in some systems, the 250 can sound kind of fat at sluggish as compared to the 200 and 300, which are much faster sounding. So that may explain your impression of the Naim system lacking detail. Yes, the new Naim is different than the old and I don't like all of their newer products, but the CDS3, 252 preamp and 250/300 amplifiers are still fabulous products, albeit with a lot of boxes to deal with. But the main thing is that you are enjoying, which is what this is supposed to be about. At least in theory. :)
Leaving the Naim game . . .
As you all might guess from my screen name, I've owned Naim for a long time - since 1983, when the first Nait came out. I've been up and down the range, topping out with the CDS2/52/2x250/SBL active (along with a maxed out LP12). Lots of boxes! And it all sounded pretty good - when it was "on," it was was mighty hard to beat. Life intervened, and I wound up moving back down to much more modest systems, finally selling everything off when I was deployed to Iraq and then Afghanistan.
When I got back from Afghanistan, I got back to hifi with a fairly basic Linn system, which I enjoyed until this past summer, when I swapped out the Linn gear for a modest Naim setup - the entry level separates. Over the course of a couple of months, I rapidly ran up the range and wound up with a 202/Hicap/NAPSC/200.
But.
I wasn't pleased. It didn't make me want to play CD after CD the way the older Naim gear had. And the journey had become a chore, rather than the fun it used to be. I tried different speakers, different sources, etc., and nothing made it quite gel.
So:
Since I'm of reasonable intelligence, I took the proverbial look around. And tried some different systems - probably the usual suspects for someone with such a strong history with Naim and Linn. And wound up with a stack of gear from Exposure Hifi - the 3010S2 series. In many respects, it's better sounding than the Naim gear it replaced. It's a little clearer sounding (or a bit more detailed, whichever way you prefer), while at the same time providing more body, making a Bosendorfer more easily distinguishable from a Steinway. It's got a touch more warmth, so you can tell Suzanne Vega, while thin, does indeed have a body and is not just a disembodied mouth. And it has more grip (at least on the speakers I tried with both systems), which gives the impression of deeper, better controlled bass. And it actually made more sense of rhythms and timing than the Naim system.
While I trust my own ears, I played both systems for some friends, and the unanimous preference was for the Exposure. Which made me curious - the Exposure costs something like 35% of the Naim at retail - what on earth could be going on? And I think that the core answer is that Naim has changed dramatically since Julian Vereker passed, and especially when they joined Focal and were then acquired by Naxicap, a French investment bank. It's rather sad to see that some on the Naim forum can't accept that something might sound better and be preferred - one of the aspects I appreciate here.
Anyway, it's been an interesting journey, and fun to get back to it.
When I got back from Afghanistan, I got back to hifi with a fairly basic Linn system, which I enjoyed until this past summer, when I swapped out the Linn gear for a modest Naim setup - the entry level separates. Over the course of a couple of months, I rapidly ran up the range and wound up with a 202/Hicap/NAPSC/200.
But.
I wasn't pleased. It didn't make me want to play CD after CD the way the older Naim gear had. And the journey had become a chore, rather than the fun it used to be. I tried different speakers, different sources, etc., and nothing made it quite gel.
So:
Since I'm of reasonable intelligence, I took the proverbial look around. And tried some different systems - probably the usual suspects for someone with such a strong history with Naim and Linn. And wound up with a stack of gear from Exposure Hifi - the 3010S2 series. In many respects, it's better sounding than the Naim gear it replaced. It's a little clearer sounding (or a bit more detailed, whichever way you prefer), while at the same time providing more body, making a Bosendorfer more easily distinguishable from a Steinway. It's got a touch more warmth, so you can tell Suzanne Vega, while thin, does indeed have a body and is not just a disembodied mouth. And it has more grip (at least on the speakers I tried with both systems), which gives the impression of deeper, better controlled bass. And it actually made more sense of rhythms and timing than the Naim system.
While I trust my own ears, I played both systems for some friends, and the unanimous preference was for the Exposure. Which made me curious - the Exposure costs something like 35% of the Naim at retail - what on earth could be going on? And I think that the core answer is that Naim has changed dramatically since Julian Vereker passed, and especially when they joined Focal and were then acquired by Naxicap, a French investment bank. It's rather sad to see that some on the Naim forum can't accept that something might sound better and be preferred - one of the aspects I appreciate here.
Anyway, it's been an interesting journey, and fun to get back to it.