Grab a cold compress guys, I'm thinking of going Hi Fi at last, and need advice.

[radio times]

Well I'm not going to get a powerful motorbike, we simply don't have the roads, and I've maxed out on my portable music, and enough time has passed from my live music biz years to warrant some class.

We do have a McIntosh dealer now in London, but I can't find the office sized all in one system of a few years back, and I don't have the room for the mono blocks, and my budget is £6-7K.

So it's blighty hi fi. I don't like the Musical Fidelity sound that much,don't know enough about Cyrus, and as I know and love the Naim brand, I was thinking about their new and much raved about Uniti Star or Nova.

Both systems are future proofed, and well made. Naim recommend the Focal Aria 900 (928) for the Star, which with gubbins will easily fall in to my allowed for budget, and with the Nova the lovely focal Sopra or newer model, which sadly goes for £7K. Will I be wishing I forked out for them in the future? Probably not, I don't live in a detached house and the neighbors will complain, plus I don't have the room or need the power, and I'd probably get tinnitus.

That might be an issue ( neighbors)with the Star/Aria mix, but i'd take the chance. I could go with just the Naim cd/amp combo, but I does need my radio and it would all get a bit bulky. My local shop should have them in by now,and have B&W speakers, they might do instead of the Aria's. I feel I'd be doing the Nova a disservice if I only went for 2K speakers though, and the Star should meet all my needs.It seem's they have answered the treble nature of their previous Uniti's, and I didn't dislike it at the time.

So any views? Would this be a good gateway in to Hi Fi for a newbie?

[bart]

I think the Naim Uniti products offer a lot for their money.
To go all blighty, have you considered Monitor Audio?
Their Silver Line, or even Gold Line if you want to spend a bit more, is well within reach and sound great.
KEF is also a candidate.

An alternative for Naim is T+A.
They also have all-in-ones that are even more powerful than Naim.
German engineering, top reviews.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[radio times]

Thanks for that Bart, Monitor Audio are also in line as they tame the Naim brightness, I guess Naim are recommending the Focal aria's as the companies have joined! I've liked what I've heard on the 'tube, hopefully they would last. I haven't really looked in to Kef but will, and I'll peruse T +A asap. I don't want too much power, but good resolution at low to mid volume is important also. Naim's HQ are in Salisbury, which is only a few hours away. Once again thanks for the tips. I'll see what my local shop has to say in a day or two as well.

[GSOphile]

Bryston is another good brand (Canadian) worth looking into. Their transferrable 20-year warranties on electronics are unique and help assure good resale values.

[radio times]

Thanks for that GSO, I'll check them out as well. T+A seem to offer slightly more than Naim with their own DAC and magic fying CD sound through a well made SACD player, I would need to ponder them as they are twice the price and at the limit of what I am prepared to pay. If the Naim can rock a variety of cd's and the internet radio does a good job it should suffice. Open minded at this stage, a reviewer said the Focal aria's perform well at low to medium volume which is good news.

[JemHadar]

I already own a Naim MU-SO and am looking for an excuse to add a Naim Uniti Star or Nova. They are most desirable units and I'm very curious how they would sound with the Dynaudio Special Forty speakers, which are spectacularly good for the money.

I'm pretty confident this combo would be on par with the McIntosh MXA60 (which I use in the Man Cave) when it comes to sound, but offers vastly more functionality at a fraction of the cost.

[radio times]

That's the unit I was thinking of Jem, the Naim probably won't quite offer the same build quality but will slide on to my living room table nicely. If the shop has the Dyno's I'll let you know. I'm looking at floor standers and I have a teak floor. We can't really get FM these days in blighty, unless you live in the country, and I think it's on the verge of being withdrawn. I have compared the Star and the Nova,which has more power but there isn't a huge gulf in sound, the Nova has a few more whistles but the Star has more than enough.It's a clear upgrade from the Atom in sound, let alone the Mu-So. Mind you the Nova has been paired by Naim with the Sopra, but you guys have got the equivalent or more than that in your central systems. I have the money but not aural space for that combo, but I'm trying to match the outlay on a Yamaha m/bike I was going to buy.

[radio times]

Well so far I've only massed views the various speaker/Naim set up's on the 'tube, which is less than next to useless. Will do some live testing hopefully tomorrow. I'm favouring the mini me Focals as the front runner so far.

[Grasshopper]

See what you can buy used. (If you are comfortable with that route).

With your budget, you may be able to buy 2x the gear if you purchase used.

I picked up an used pair of Sonus Faber Cremonas and a pre-owned McIntosh MAC6700 integrated and it blows me away.

I have a lot more money invested in my reference system, but the new system gets me closer than I would expect.

With used gear, you can buy and sell (often without losing much of any money in the process)to test new flavors and ultimately see what sound you like.

[radio times]

Thanks G,I don't fancy spending weeks burning in new speakers.