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Naim Nait XS or CA Azur 851a

S

Sirius

Member
I'm looking to finally upgrade by Marantz PM7200 amp to something in a different league and am looking to spend about £1500.

My shortlist contains the Cambridge Audio Azur 851a and Naim Nait XS.

I'm pretty much sold on the Naim but can't quite get rid of the Azur from my thoughts. Hifi Choice gave it a glowing 5 star review and I noticed that they recently used it in their reference system for their latest DAC shoot-out, which the M-DAC won.

The listening panel's comments about the outcome of that test made the setup sound incredibly good. I really like the look of the design, both external and internal, especially the dual mono design and separate pre/power amp power supplies.

As the Azur is only available at Richer Sounds I can't do an AB comparison unfortunately.

I was wondering whether anyone has been able to compare these two amps in an A-B test? I like all genres of music but like a lively performance! :D

I'll be using it with KEF Q500 floorstanders and Arcam rDac (soon to upgrade to M-DAC).

Cheers
S
 
Richer Sounds might let you home demo the amp. Also I suspect you could negotiate on the price, the 851c was available for £1k recently.
 
Does the Nait XS have that trademark "rolled off Naim treble" amp sound or is it a bit more 'normal'?
 
Does the Nait XS have that trademark "rolled off Naim treble" amp sound or is it a bit more 'normal' ?
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Naim....?! 'trademark rolled off Naim treble'. :confused:

Naim is wellknown for their specific sound with has anything but a rolled off treble. In fact, many people feel the Naim sound is too bright/forward.

I have a Nait XS and it sounds wonderful. Open, detailed, lively, with some real drive to it and sparkling treble with great attack.
(it's neiter rolled off or too smooth imho)
 
What hi-fi gave it 80% and said (amongst other things):


it’s not quite as controlled and organised as some rivals, and we strain to pick out finer details.

Switch to some hi-res classical music and again, when really pushed, you can spot this occasional lack of poise.

I'm sceptical about reviews but they did find room for criticism. As ever, the best advice is likely to be to listen for yourself. Perhaps bear in mind the longevity of some products and review second hand availability of this and others?
 
Agree with others to try to arrange a home demo with both in your own system. RS have always been helpful in loaning kit for home demoing especially if it's their higher end kit. I've heard positive things about the 851 and used to have a CA 740 CD player which was very good. The CA Azur range always seems to offer excellent bang for your buck.

The Nait XS is probably the best value Naim amp in their range and is a very addictive, natural sound. Rolled off? Possibly slightly, but of more importance is how it sounds in relation to your room and the rest of your system.
 
There's not a lot on the web about the 851a and perhaps because its CA the hifi crowd aren't talking about it in the same breaths as Rotel, Naim, Rega etc but the few reviews I have read talk about it being a hell of a lot of tech for the price and that it sounds as good as many amps over £2K. I do think that if CA are going after the mid-high end market they will need to change their distribution channels as I can imagine it being a tough upsell for RS staff.
 
Sirius said:
I'm looking to finally upgrade by Marantz PM7200 amp to something in a different league and am looking to spend about £1500.

My shortlist contains the Cambridge Audio Azur 851a and Naim Nait XS.

I'm pretty much sold on the Naim but can't quite get rid of the Azur from my thoughts. Hifi Choice gave it a glowing 5 star review and I noticed that they recently used it in their reference system for their latest DAC shoot-out, which the M-DAC won.

The listening panel's comments about the outcome of that test made the setup sound incredibly good. I really like the look of the design, both external and internal, especially the dual mono design and separate pre/power amp power supplies.

As the Azur is only available at Richer Sounds I can't do an AB comparison unfortunately.

I was wondering whether anyone has been able to compare these two amps in an A-B test? I like all genres of music but like a lively performance! :D

I'll be using it with KEF Q500 floorstanders and Arcam rDac (soon to upgrade to M-DAC).

Cheers
S
Click to expand...

Stop reading hifichoiceglowingreviewitsnonsence
Admittedly Cambridge are solid well build but a good Naim amp will walk over in terms of musicality, involvement and plain natural sound - no contest.

I'm more a 5i fan than XS provided your speakers(no knowledge to these) are normal load a 5i is splendid(even a 5Si is just around the corner), spend more on frontend source
 
PerF said:
Stop reading hifichoiceglowingreviewitsnonsence
Admittedly Cambridge are solid well build but a good Naim amp will walk over in terms of musicality, involvement and plain natural sound - no contest.

I'm more a 5i fan than XS provided your speakers(no knowledge to these) are normal load a 5i is splendid(even a 5Si is just around the corner), spend more on frontend source
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Really? Have you actually heard an 851a? I haven't so I won't comment on something I have no first-hand knowledge of.

And as for Naim amps - much as I really like the things, I've yet to hear one with a 'plain natural sound'.

Edit: P_E beat me to my second comment. :)
 
dtd said:
There's a few 851a amps in clearance section :

http://www.richersounds.com/showclearanceproduct/CAMB-851A-BLK/Cambridge+851a+Blk.html

You can also buy the 5 year warranty on top of this for 10% of the item's cost. I did the same with my Cambridge 840a a while back, and they let me take it home for 30 days to try out too.
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Cheers thanks for the link, unfortunately I live in Birmingham so the nearest branch looks like Manchester! I'll give them a call though to see what the prices are and see if I can borrow one in the meantime from the Solihull branch.
 
The Heed really is a great sounding amp and have to go along with whf here. I demoed it twice and was saving up to buy one and then the dealer closed ! well worth a listen at this price point
 
Amongst my wide music taste I like energetic music (rock, metal, breakbeat, trance) so I'm not sure the Heed 's 35W will deliver the bangs for my bucks that I crave. It may be worth an audition though.
 
Seem to recall one of the jazz mags describing the Nait 5 (or 112/150) has having a dark sound, like being in a smoky jazz club or some such thing. On home dem that is exactly what I thought: noticeably shouty in the midrange and not crisp (more muted) in the upper treble. That was with Naim's own Credos. That dem put me off Naim amps for life..... unless a random dem of NaitXS gives me a completely fresh sound and fresh experience!!!
 
i think the nait 5 and NAC112 are by many considered as being one of the worst integrated/pre amps Naim ever made.
My nearest Naim dealer once said:"A Nait 5 is for people who don't like the Naim sound'.

Lately I've seen s/h NAC112's offered by the dozens, often for peanuts prices. The Nait XS is a superb amp.
 
Alco said:
i think the nait 5 and NAC112 are by many considered as being one of the worst integrated/pre amps Naim ever made.
My nearest Naim dealer once said:"A Nait 5 is for people who don't like the Naim sound'.
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Have you heard the Nait5 yourself? I think the Nait5 is the best entry-level integrated Naim have ever made, and i really like the Naim sound. And yes, i have owned Nait1-2-3 and 5i, not the latest italic version.
 
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