Struggling to audition Roksan Caspian, Musical Fidelity M3, Creek Destiny and Naim Nait XS - any suggestions?

Pedro2, I certainly sympathize with your predicament. 

I think you should contact each dealer by phone, and speak to the owner, or senior manager. If possible, set up demos in their shops, preferably by bringing your speakers and possibly source along.

Once you have struck up a relationship, it is much easier to negotiate what you want...especially if they see you are keen and not just a tire kicker.

You may have to leave a hefty deposit to get a home demo, but it should be worth it.

Good luck with your quest. I was thinking of demoing a similar line up and remember speaking to Creek who said they would be happy to sell direct on a sale or return (within 7 day) basis, so all you would lose is the carriage charge. In the meantime this might be of interest http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?719-solidsblog-handsome-small-speakers-and-other-stuff/page80 (post 1585) and  http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?719-solidsblog-handsome-small-speakers-and-other-stuff/page82 (post no. 1640)

Hi Pedro,

I have a Naim Nait XS-2 and it is simply fantastic. I compared it (a/b) with the Roksan Kandy II and honestly, it sounded much better than the Roksan. I also tested the Naim nait 5i (which has a very similar character to the Nait 5i) and, once  again, it sounded better to me than the Roksan.

The main difference I found between the Roksan and the Naim (through my B&W CM7) was that the Roksan over-exagerated the mid-bass, whereas the Naim kept everything clearly under control (the Nait 5i had a very similar sound in this aspect). Also the treeble seem less insicive when listening to Rock. I would describe the Roksan (in my system) as lots-of-bass-and-treeble, but lacking the mids of the Naim.

I hope this helps, I spent nights reading about amps before I actually went to the shop to borrow them.

Good luck!

Back up Cno's sentiments. The problem is they all have their own character so you'll need to hear some, if not all on your list, before you can make a qualified decision.

I share your frustration: Many makes I'd love to hear but can't because of home and work commitments.

I think the best you'd be able to achieve would be three out of four realistically. Even I couldn't tell you who stocks Creek. That will probably be the one to let you down in finding them all in one place.

Regarding home loans, I think more dealers are sticking to regulars for this service. It's ok if you take full payment for the goods going out when a stranger walks into your store, but not many people might have enough on the card to cover taking three items home. With strangers, you can't just take card and address details any more, as there's no guarantee you'll get any money back should the card be fraudulent.

(Very loud) Ahem... http://www.creekaudio.com/dealers.php

"Strangers in the night..."

David has put up the reasonable argument from the dealers perspective......and is exactly why it is essential to form a relationship of trust (and gradually become a regular). 

Both the shops I deal with, allow me to take home stuff to demo, but I've made it my business to build trust between us....I've known one of the dealers for over 30 years which helps.

By taking your kit to the dealer, you should be able to narrow down your favorite/s fairly easily, and then demo that at home, to make sure.

Specialist dealers are often the way to go, as they usually attract the honest enthusiast.

Thanks everyone,

Your advice has been informative and constructive! Cno and FrankHarvey - I agree about the need to ensure that your customer is genuine and there's a likelihood of money changing hands after the demos are over. However, I'm not sure what makes a regular customer, 'regular'. I've had my amps (pre+power) for around 5 years now and hope to keep the next one for a similar stretch. Also raises the issue of shops only having a very limited range to compare.

SD viewer - thanks for the excellent link to another discussion. There's a guy who appears to have heard half a dozen or more. He's also introduced a new option - the Rega Elicit which wins out in the end! Will definitely add to my (growing) list.

Jimmy.Cross - the Nait remains a serious contender, especially as many users pair Naim with Neat speakers (I've Motive 2se).

Plastic  Penguin- I too have to balance work and home (includes 2 yr old) so don't have as much time on the quest as I would like.

Will keep you posted on progress.....

I can only tell you what I do.

Aside from buying stuff, I call in if in the area, to see what's new; I get myself on a mailing list; I go to musical evenings or openings; I support them if they go to the odd show; I introduce friends who might be interested in buying stuff and I would occasionally ring them up just to see what's up.

Now this can seem like a lot of bother, especially if you've a young family.....but you get the idea, and even doing some of these things can help. Also making contact on forums like this can prove useful.

CenoEvil gets the balance correct in my opinion. It is all about the relationship which is fairly easy to build, trust is a two way street that all dealers(imo) are looking to develop between themselves and all their customers.

As David says gone are the days where you could simply accept a card number over the phone-we have had one 'chap' attempting to defraud us multiple times this week(sigh), sign of the times.

In terms of your audition there are dealers further away who could help should you wish a 4 way 'shoot out', take a look at the manufacturers websites for dealer listings.

Good luck

Maurice

Thanks everyone,

Will make some phone calls and see what can be arranged. Think I may need to travel further afield and maybe leave some hefty deposits for home auditions. 

Certainly firmed up some ideas and despite the 'possibles' list having now increased, got a better game plan. Will try to compare as many as poss in the store/s before bringing one or two home for final decision. Good plan anyway .... 

Shame there's so many untrustworthy folk about these days who try to rip off the traders.

Following your links, SD Viewer, I've now added the Rega Elicit to my 'amps I need to listen to and compare before buying list'. In fact, it's come from nowhere to possible top spot on what I've read. Interestingly, WHF only gave it 3 stars which probably put it below my radar.

Anyone out there got one or heard one?

Also read interesting comments about Creek Destiny and its apparent 'laid back' character. I'm presently using a Creek passive pre into a Roksan power-  combined with my Neat Motive 2 SE, I believe that this is the sound I'm also getting.

I've now added the Rega Elicit to my 'amps I need to listen to

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Well I apologise as I've probably only made your problem worse. When I tried to get a demo of the Elicit a few months ago the Bristol Rega dealer told me very snootily that Rega didn't make any amp by that name...