Matt's system

[Jwg1749]

1. it's possible to get very high quality from a fairly low spend on a digital front end and DAC; the same isn't true of turntables.

Matt

There's an on-going (literally for months) discussion on the Naim forum in which several Chord Hugo customers insist that their £1,400 DACs outperform the £13,000 Naim NDS/555PS streamer. So you may well be correct

It wouldn't surprise me if the Chord Hugo measured better than the Naim streamer.

If you set any store by measurements (I do), the differences between digital sources/DACs are quite small, which isn't to say that a digital front end can't be badly implemented or spoilt by poor installation.

Analog front ends are another matter altogether. Back in the 1950s Arthur Janszen, one of the pioneers of electrostatic speakers, showed for the first time that it was possible to build a SOTA audio system in which even the speakers distorted less that the turntable.

All of which may, of course, be irrelevant if you prefer the sound of analog or the expensive Naim streamer for that matter.

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Have you listened to the Sanders speakers too?
I am unlikely to change my hifi now, but Sanders seems like a sensible fellow and i wondered whether his speakers are as well thought out and BS free as his amps.
When it first piqued my interest there was no UK distributor.
Who is the distributor now, please?

No, Frank, I'm afraid I haven't heard the speakers.

I've been impressed by Roger Sanders's straightforwardness. His website is a breath of fresh air. Plenty of solid technical info and very clear justifications for his design principles. The products come with a lifetime guarantee. Judging by the Magtech amp, his products seem reasonably priced for what they do.

The Magtech really does make my Martin Logans sing like canaries. I recall the first time I heard Martin Logans I thought they were awful: nasty plasticky tone in the upper mids and some serious distortion at the top end when driven loud. I can only think they were being driven by the wrong amp.

The fly in the ointment with Sanders is, as you suggest, UK distribution. AFAIK the only UK outlet is Scott Nangle Audio in Scotland. Dealing with Mr Nangle is not recommended if you have a heart problem or high blood pressure. He did eventually ship me a demo model of the Magtech against a £3K payment, but there were occasions when I suspected I was being taken for a ride. One thing I would say in his favour is that his price of £3.5K for a new Magtech is pretty good when you think that the US price is $5.5K direct from Sanders. I can think of a few UK dealers who'd be charging closer to £5K.

The Sanders website claims that they'll ship anywhere in the world on a one-month trial basis. I haven't explored this option. Might be a better than Mr Nangle.

Matt