My first hi-fi system was humble. It was a proper budget split 1980s setup, and featured an Acoustic Research EB101/Nagaoka MP11 Boron record player feeding Mission’s first plastic Mission Cyrus One (Cyrus was a Mission sub-brand at the time) and Wharfedale Diamond Mk1 speakers.
I loved it.
For a few years, it was enough. I bought a lot of music and enjoyed what I heard. Then the feeling that things could get even better started to grow. At first, it was just an itch; and infatuation blossomed.
I blame that on the many hi-fi magazines I used to read at the time. There were so many for sale: What is Hi-Fi? I was there, of course, but I also remember the popularity of Hi-Fi Answers, New Hi-Fi sound again Hi-Fi Review with love.
Between those magazines, multiple dealer visits and daily tours of hi-fi systems across the country, enthusiasm for audio products flourished. And it’s one that hasn’t disappeared to this day.
I was still studying, but various part-time jobs paid for my hi-fi hobby. Many of the machines I wanted were out of my reach when bought new – but there was a thriving second-hand market. Liked by Exchange & Mart again Plunder proved particularly useful.
I spent the next few years tweaking and tweaking my program until it was more capable and ambitious than ever. All of those product changes – and there were many – taught me valuable lessons about program modeling and the difference between changing a program and improving it.
As I write, the desire to improve the sound of my current system has not gone away, although I like the way it works. Does that feeling ever go away? I’m not sure it does.
Recently, I spent a lot of time listening to Naim’s NAC 552/ NAP 500 DR amplifier (£53,998 / $69,998 / AU$106,000). Long story short, it’s really good – just as that cheap price demands.
That price also puts it in a dreamland for many people. If you’re lucky enough to have a serious listen to a well-matched system, I’m sure you’ll leave deeply impressed and wondering if the sound could be better.
The problem is that at the top of Naim’s range is the Pre/Power Statement (£234,997 / $299,997 / AU$440,000), which, let me tell you, sounds even better. And after that, there will be more. There always is.
With that in mind, where is the right place to stop building your system? We have written advice on how to avoid the need to upgrade if there is no strong need, but my advice is simple.
I would say that that point is when nothing about your plan bothers you. You may agree that better is available, but what you have is satisfactory. It should give you power and voice from the music without interfering in any way.
For some, lucky people, that point comes early, when a good budgeting plan ticks all the boxes. That could be the brilliant Denon D-M41DAB microsystem, the excellent Rega System One, or even the 80s-era Cyrus One/Mission 70 MkII duo that my colleague, Kashfia Kabir, refuses to part with.
Others, like me, find that they need to step up the performance (and price ladder) to some uncomfortable level to get what they want.
Wherever you sit on the matter, remember that hi-fi is a means to an end. Music always comes first.
MORE:
When should you upgrade your hi-fi? 5 tips to manage ‘upgradeitis’
“The smallest difference in a part can make a big difference to the sound” – hi-fi engineers discuss the subtle art of dynamic design
This superb vinyl-friendly hi-fi system includes a five-star floor standing and award-winning amplifier and music streaming.